Author: Anna Anderson | February 16, 2021

Growing a business can sound easy on paper, but in reality, a strong roofing business goes much deeper than a written document. So what separates a powerhouse roofing marketing strategy from a barely surviving campaign? Distinctive branding, a well-researched customer profile and the use of diverse marketing platforms are all key drivers of success.

What Is Your Brand?

Creating a recognizable brand and unifying your message will pay dividends as your business grows. Start with your logo: Is it instantly recognizable across a variety of platforms? Many times, a logo will struggle to bridge the gap between traditional and digital marketing requirements. To overcome this, make sure your logo is recognizable within a second. If it is multi-color, have a one-color variation. As your brand develops, consider creating a brand manual to allow for consistent design across media and among any roofing marketing partners.

Who Is Your Target Customer?

Your brand message is as important (if not more important) than your logo. Identifying who your ideal customer is and what their needs are will allow your message to resonate with them time and time again. To accomplish this, dig deep into your customer data to pin down your target demographic.

Start by using Google Analytics to pull profile information on visitors to your company website. You can also work with an agency to collect customer insights. A technique called data scraping or using a software program to collect publicly available demographic information from the internet, can help you pinpoint the characteristics of your existing customers. By data scraping your customer list through a profiling personality tool, you can uncover:

• Target age
• Gender
• Income
• Job title
• Personal interests.

The information you gain about your audience will allow you to refine your marketing message. Focusing on your target customer will take you from a "spray and pray" approach to a laser-focused strategy.

What Marketing Channels Should You Use?

Armed with a defined brand, a unified message and a more complete knowledge of what type of customer needs your roofing services, you can begin to look at marketing in a new light. Instead of wondering whether a marketing channel will work or not, you can keep or remove marketing types based on how and where your ideal customer engages. For example, if data reveals your target commercial roofing customer is an executive-level business professional, LinkedIn would a better platform to reach them on than Facebook.

Regardless of the platform, understanding your target market is critical. It takes a diverse strategy to reach and convert a prospective customer into one who will sign a contract. A customer will often see several different forms of advertising before selecting your company. Common forms of marketing could include:

• Traditional media: print ads, radio spots, and logos on trucks and clothing.
• Digital marketing: a strong website, social media campaigns, blogging or videos.

Regardless of the marketing channels you select, make sure your customer is active there.

Timing and Consistency

One common mistake contracting businesses make is turning their marketing efforts on and off. While your marketing campaigns will be seasonal, you should be posting frequently and consistently. For example, Google will reward you for having a consistent message and using tools like Google My Business posts by bumping up your website in local search rankings. Regardless of who your target customer is, they will have roofing questions year-round.

Understanding all the key components of successful roofing marketing can be overwhelming. If you're strapped for time to spend building online profiles and designing materials, hiring an agency might be the best solution. Working with a professional marketing firm that takes time to understand your business (and has experience in the roofing industry) will accelerate your results.

Cutting corners or dragging your feet on a roofing marketing strategy will cost you money in the long run. Take an active role in your marketing, either personally or with an agency, and your customer list will grow.

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