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Helping a roofing contractor client

by abbot Banned
23 replies
I typically deal with niches that I KNOW I can show a good ROI. Makes them happy and makes me look good.

I just got off the phone with a roofing contractor locally. Was asking about a website and marketing but claims the previous vendor built a website, mobile website, and did an SEO campaign which "didn't do shit" for his company.

I asked some questions and let him go on and on. Told him I'd give him a call back when I got home to see what time I could meet with him.

I did a quick search for the keyword searches and found that there are not enough to even register for all of his keywords.

I know many of you work with roofing contractors, what strategy's do you use? City population roughly 20k. And very low search volumes in search engines.

I don't come here asking for help much, but i could use some right now.
#client #contractor #helping #roofing
  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    You know that you can not guarantee someone high ranking in the search engine.

    I would just build a website and then tell them to advertise their business or website on their car. Have some sort of a sticker there.

    The only thing you can do is to try to rank them high but you can also tell them that if you can't, you would refund them partially.
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    • Profile picture of the author abbot
      Banned
      Originally Posted by talfighel View Post

      You know that you can not guarantee someone high ranking in the search engine.

      I would just build a website and then tell them to advertise their business or website on their car. Have some sort of a sticker there.

      The only thing you can do is to try to rank them high but you can also tell them that if you can't, you would refund them partially.
      I have never guaranteed any of my clients high rankings.

      We will start by creating new ad copy for their current ad placements, and I'm looking into some direct mail options.

      I do not offer services that will not show them a positive ROI
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      • Profile picture of the author Tom Miles
        Have you thought about selling them a mobile web app along with a marketing platform? If you would like info about this PM me.
        Tom Miles
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    • Profile picture of the author Doug Stewart Online
      Do a 1 - 2 minute video and post in on YouTube

      Put the title as follows with the Co. telephone number

      Roof Repairs Your City| Emergency Roofers Your City


      then do a short description including main keywords. If he hasn't got a keyword dominated domain name then suggest he tries and get one or offer to do it for him.

      Depending on how many other roofing contractors in the area, there's no reason why you can't use any of the top 3 companies' keywords.

      The problem with roof contractors is that nobody will be searching regularly for them and the only time anyone is going to need this type of service is for emergency after a major storm when water starts dripping in.
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  • Profile picture of the author pepes4329
    Build a bunch of CITATIONS

    Here's a MEMBER who did a few hundred Business Citations for my BUSINESS

    http://www.warriorforum.com/warriors...iche-city.html
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    For this I would suggest you look into what Claude does with video marketing. Depending on his budget this could be a good fit. As could the system the "Sales Lion" used for his pool business.

    Both are variations of content marketing that I believe would work well with a roofing client.

    Another thing to remember with roofers is for many of them they are subcontractors so if you are doing more in general marketing and business consulting you might want to discuss his relationships with the larger contractors and how he can get more of their business.
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    • Profile picture of the author abbot
      Banned
      Thanks for the suggestions guys. I thought about video marketing, i'll look into it a bit more.

      Maybe Claude will pop in and shed some light on his thoughts.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    Buy Claude's books basically gives all the basics away in it. His books are way more valuable than the average WSO here. Sadly they require "work" and we all know that "work" is a four letter word for many here.
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    Aaron Doud - Sales & Success
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  • Profile picture of the author NewParadigm
    why would you waste any time on a prospect you feel you can't really help? There are millions more to contact.
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    • Profile picture of the author abbot
      Banned
      Originally Posted by NewParadigm View Post

      why would you waste any time on a prospect you feel you can't really help? There are millions more to contact.
      It's not that I can't help him. I'm just not familiar with the niche. What I'm saying is I don't want to offer services that won't show a return.

      A simple ad re write will help him. I'm just looking for other ideas.
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      • Profile picture of the author NewParadigm
        Originally Posted by abbot View Post

        It's not that I can't help him. I'm just not familiar with the niche. What I'm saying is I don't want to offer services that won't show a return.

        A simple ad re write will help him. I'm just looking for other ideas.

        a town of 20k people? how many competitors does he have? Is the 20k the extent of his marketing area? How old is the average roof? how long has he been in business? what is average age of his 20k town/potential customer homeowners?

        if they are older, they aren't going to be searching online. If he's been around in a small town, people already know who he is?

        did you ask him in what ways does he market/acquire customers now?

        can he offer free roof inspections? is he good at insurance claims? especially for faulty shingles? would he consider expanding into offering gutters as well? (free peek at roofs)
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        In a moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

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  • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
    20K population is still decent size for a roofing contractor, you should definitely be able to add value for him. For popular keywords, is he ranking? Did the company he worked with actually drive traffic? What about his analytics?

    Videos in my opinion aren't going to help much. What Doug described is basically useless you have a phone number in the title, because when someone has a roof leaking they aren't going to click on a youtube video. Videos are good for occupying SERPs, and knocking competitors off the first page. The actual ranking value in terms of leads is very very very little.

    A town of 20k, definitely gets search volume, and you have to keep in mind that the google keyword tool is not for SEO and does not reflect true search volumes, it is for adwords advertisers. Also, when someone in a location searches for roofer, or roofing contractor, that doesn't show in the volume, Google's algorithm shows local results based on IP and your own settings so there are definitely searches.

    I have clients in 4-6K population towns that get a lot of business. But what I do, is get them ranking in local, organic, and then target towns that have 1 competitor maybe that are also smaller in size. A 5 page website can now rank in 5 towns with 5k population each which will almost give you the same success as a 25K population town.

    Videos can push down other competitors, give more name recognition.

    More citations and optimizing the citations can help a lot.

    Roofer in location
    Roofing company location
    roofing contractor in location
    commercial roofing location
    residential roofing location
    roofers near location
    roofers located in ...

    Tons of possibilities.... And then if you want to throw PPC into the mix along with facebook ads, you have a very strong campaign.

    Lots of stuff you can do.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr. Subtle
    Originally Posted by abbot View Post

    I know many of you work with roofing contractors, what strategy's do you use? City population roughly 20k. And very low search volumes in search engines.
    20k population means there are roughly 5k homes. He can reach out and touch everyone using a (6.5x11") postcard and sending them via EDDM for $1500 (or less including concept/copy/layout/design/printing).

    If a typical roof lasts 30 years, then this town will give him 166 prospects each year looking for a new roof. What's the typical reroof/new roof job going for there? Times that amount by 166 and there's his market (which every other roofer in town is fighting over). How often does he want to send out these postcard each year to grab a bigger portion of that 166? I doubt few, if any of his competitors are sending anything out.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    Ian I think you under estimate how many people do preventive roofing.

    The people who wait till the leak are IMO the minority. At least in my experience and I have a lot of poor friends who you think would wait.

    So in that sense the videos have value. Also Q&A blogs would have value. A proper campaign could capture a lot of the local question traffic since google pushes local results up based on geo. I live one hour from work so I see this first hand. When I search certain terms at work local results (not gplus or maps) come up. But at home I have to add city terms to get them to come up.
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by Aaron Doud View Post

      Ian I think you under estimate how many people do preventive roofing.

      The people who wait till the leak are IMO the minority. At least in my experience and I have a lot of poor friends who you think would wait.

      So in that sense the videos have value. Also Q&A blogs would have value. A proper campaign could capture a lot of the local question traffic since google pushes local results up based on geo. I live one hour from work so I see this first hand. When I search certain terms at work local results (not gplus or maps) come up. But at home I have to add city terms to get them to come up.
      In 15 cities we have every position in organic, the videos always have less of a click thru rate, and not by some small number either. A video in the #1 spot will typically have 50% less of a click through rate than a regular site. In fact in 3 of the cities, the #2 spot out performs the #1 which is video by over 400% as far as CTR goes. #3 out performs #1 by 150%. The numbers don't lie! Numbers will vary by industry, but roofers simply do not benefit as much by videos in the SERPs as others(unless they have the phone number in the title where people can call without clicking). The biggest benefit would be once they're already on the site, increasing time on site and possible conversions. No underestimating here, just what the numbers tell me.
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      • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
        Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

        In 15 cities we have every position in organic, the videos always have less of a click thru rate, and not by some small number either. A video in the #1 spot will typically have 50% less of a click through rate than a regular site. In fact in 3 of the cities, the #2 spot out performs the #1 which is video by over 400% as far as CTR goes. #3 out performs #1 by 150%. The numbers don't lie! Numbers will vary by industry, but roofers simply do not benefit as much by videos in the SERPs as others(unless they have the phone number in the title where people can call without clicking). The biggest benefit would be once they're already on the site, increasing time on site and possible conversions. No underestimating here, just what the numbers tell me.
        I think I misunderstood you. I was thinking you were saying "no value" vs. the decreased value. So on these numbers I don't disagree at all. But thanks for the quantification.

        Yeah our videos get way less clicks. But I know for fact I have people who bought from us because of the videos. Do they convert as well? No but they are cheap ways to get in front of more eyes.

        And with high value customers every eye you get helps overall sales. Yeah it might be 1 in 1,000 vs. 1 in 100 but as long as the ROI is there why not do both.

        And depending on the market I think a roofer could really brand themselves following the example of the "sales lion". People have roofing questions and the guys who answers them will get more sales. Adding in videos and some of Claude's tricks and this guy could dominate local while being seen as the roofing expert.

        In the long run you'd want the guy on TV and radio as well. Maybe a Q&A weekly on roofing via the 10pm news. The news would be a great demographic mix. Those would be classic home owners who do preventive.
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        • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
          Originally Posted by Aaron Doud View Post

          I think I misunderstood you. I was thinking you were saying "no value" vs. the decreased value. So on these numbers I don't disagree at all. But thanks for the quantification.

          Yeah our videos get way less clicks. But I know for fact I have people who bought from us because of the videos. Do they convert as well? No but they are cheap ways to get in front of more eyes.

          And with high value customers every eye you get helps overall sales. Yeah it might be 1 in 1,000 vs. 1 in 100 but as long as the ROI is there why not do both.

          And depending on the market I think a roofer could really brand themselves following the example of the "sales lion". People have roofing questions and the guys who answers them will get more sales. Adding in videos and some of Claude's tricks and this guy could dominate local while being seen as the roofing expert.

          In the long run you'd want the guy on TV and radio as well. Maybe a Q&A weekly on roofing via the 10pm news. The news would be a great demographic mix. Those would be classic home owners who do preventive.
          Yeah for roofers, a lot of the manufacturer or supplier videos help a lot. And if you know how to edit and can add a strong call to action it really does help your overall website conversions. Most of our clients are either GAF or Certainteed certified, and you can use a lot of their stuff in marketing materials, makes it really easy to market online and increase conversions on the website itself.

          I should have also been more specific about video in SERPs vs. on site. When it is on site, you're engaging the visitor and it is assisting you in the sales process... in the SERPs, the real value is when you have a phone number in the title so you can generate calls right through the SERPs. We have some tracking numbers in place, and one of the videos ranking well has more calls to the tracking number than it has plays! Another benefit is just additional name rec and branding.

          I agree with you... every little thing helps. I love to put people all over the place... makes me even happier when one of their competitors call us because they see a footer link for one of our sites and want to know how they can be like them LOL.

          Oh, and the QnA blog is an awesome push, could really use that as a way to engage followers in social media too.
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        • Profile picture of the author KingOfContentMarketing
          Originally Posted by Aaron Doud View Post

          And depending on the market I think a roofer could really brand themselves following the example of the "sales lion". People have roofing questions and the guys who answers them will get more sales. Adding in videos and some of Claude's tricks and this guy could dominate local while being seen as the roofing expert.
          If you get on Marcus Sheridan's list (Sales Lion), you'll get a free 250 page ebook that explains how he used blogging to save his pool business. You could transfer a lot of that strategy to roofing.

          Join over 11,000 others and download Your FREE, 230-Page Copy of ‘Inbound and Content Marketing Made Easy’

          Aaron's suggestion of getting on local TV and radio is also a good idea. You could probably get a low-cost hour on weekend radio or Cable TV and run your own roofing show, if you want paid spots.

          If you want to be an expert guest on the local radio and TV news shows, starting a blog Sales Lion-style, where you answer every question about your service, will help a lot. Same with videos a la Claude "The Local Dominator" Whitacre.

          These tactics work because news editors want to see evidence of your authority and expertise, as well as your ability to communicate that to the public. When you call them to pitch yourself as a resource, point them to your blog/books/videos. Especially videos because they want to see how you handle being on camera.

          Also stay on top of local and national news trends, and show the news editor how your expertise ties in to hot stories. For example, if a big fire is in the area, contact the editor and say you can show the audience 3 things they can do to their roof to help prevent live cinders from burning the shingles, possibly stopping the whole house from going (or whatever).

          Hail storm? Lighting? Severe dry season? All these affect roofs, and if you can tie it to the news, you are in a much better position.

          Once you are on the air, be yourself "times 2." What that means is be conversational, but ramp up your personality. Make your tips urgent and important. Put some energy in your voice and movements, without talking too fast.

          Be concise! Don't go in to long explanations. If the host or anchor wants more info, they will ask you to elaborate. Then go in to more detail.

          Never, ever run over time.

          Work on your image. If you are a roofing expert, you should look the part. Notice how different experts dress and brand themselves. This Old House guy looks different from the Green Grocer guy, the Plastic Surgery lady or the Tech Girl. In other words, don't wear your favorite Hawaiian shirts just so you can "be yourself." Look like you belong in the industry you are the expert in.

          As an expert, you should review the current industry research. For example, roofing tiles are expected to be one of the fastest growing roofing materials through 2015, mostly based on increased residential home construction in the West and South. Many industry reports cost money but you can glean a lot of info from report summaries:

          http://www.reportlinker.com/p0703274...ng-Market.html

          http://roofersexpo.webs.com/industryoverview.htm

          http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/de...aspx?indid=198

          If you end up targeting any niche, or simply have a lot of customers in the niche, consider joining their industry association. You'll get inside info, can attend conventions and meetings, and can mention your membership in all your marketing and sales efforts.
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          • Profile picture of the author umc
            I'm not hugely familiar with roofing, but I have a friend in hvac that does $50 clean & checks on the systems. He gets in with people and up sells them on regular service contracts, and as he's spreading his name and creating relationships, he knows who they'll call when the time comes for a complete overhaul. What could a roofer offer? I was thinking that roof cleaning at a great price might attract some people and help him create relationships. Maybe some sort of periodic inspection with a discounted service on minor repairs? Things like that can bring in some money and create a marketing campaign that brings him money and instead of costing him. Just a thought.
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  • Profile picture of the author bob ross
    Obviously I agree with Mister Subtle here. It's a no brainer to just simply reach every prospect in his whole market in one shot every time via EDDM. Job signs are huge for roofers. A good roofing crew that is clean and fast will be something a lot of neighbors will notice. If they see the job signs around town and get postcards from the company on a somewhat regular basis, this guy's business is going to BLOW UP, guaranteed.

    SEO won't mean a thing, it would be more so working on the website to further move the prospect along once they visit their site in search of more information.
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    • Profile picture of the author abbot
      Banned
      getting some great feedback here. I thank you all. Was definitely not expecting this much of a response. Thanks a ton.
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  • Profile picture of the author ukcarl
    I would create a site that focuses on leadgen and just drive PPC if your targeting a local area with local keywords and highley relevant ads you cant fail, traffic doesnt get more targeted than that.

    The most important thing is to make sure the site converts you need some kind of a quote form and a prominant phone number and track everything, including calls if possible.

    I dont work with any roofers at the minute but I do work with 5 similar businesses (trades) and they are not hard to make profitable.
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  • Profile picture of the author Big Gee
    always drop off some flyers with an offer for an inspection or knock on the doors of the homes near an existing job. Target older homes in well off neighborhoods. After each job get a video testimonial even on a smart phone of how much the client likes the work then use it
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