There is so much information online that it can be overwhelming for a newbie. My goal with this article is to simplify things and give you a roadmap on the things that are important.
There are many channels in which you can promote your product and services.
Each of these channels has many different strategies that you can try.
Different industries require different strategies and tactics to make it work on these channels.
What might work for one industry in one channel might not work for another in the same channel.
Additionally, what might work well in one location might not work as well in another location with the same strategy.
There are many different variables one has to take into account and these variables are constantly changing.
And, once you have seen results you have to maintain it which is a whole different ballgame.
The point is that unless you educate yourself on the things that matter you won’t be ready for the changes when they come.
The failure to anticipate what is going to happen in your business marketplace is the #1 reason why businesses fail.
Understanding Online Marketing
Online marketing is constantly evolving but the fundamentals stay the same.
Think of an online marketing strategy as a way to organize your resources to get consistent results from your campaigns.
Good marketing comes down to three things: Developing a message that connects, promoting your services where your prospects hang out and making it easy for them to get in touch with your business.
Good marketing is supposed to make selling easy.
The vast majority of the time the first time a prospect will interact with your business will be online.
The vast majority of people spend their time on two platforms: Google and Facebook.
Google dominates search while Facebook and Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, dominate social media.
Almost all your prospects are using these two platforms on a daily basis.
It’s your responsibility to develop a message that connects with them on these platforms.
If you fail to do so your competition will eventually dominate you.
Roofing is a competitive market and the competition will only increase in the coming years.
Do You Have A Website?
Having a website is not enough.
A website is just the first step in building an online presence. However, a website by itself won’t generate leads or customers.
Think of online marketing as a real estate developer.
A real estate developer invests his capital on a piece of land (a website). The investment in the land won’t provide a return unless he develops the land. (Marketing campaigns)
He needs a general contractor (marketing people) to actually build the properties. He needs buyers to buy and lease properties on his land (website visitors)
He finally gets a return on his investment when he develops the land.
Online Marketing Present and Future
The internet is the present and the future
The internet has become the #1 way most contractors generate new customers that do not include referrals.
According to Contractors CRM, the internet has become the #1-way contractors generate new customers.
The two most popular channels, that have many documented case studies in roofing, are Google and Facebook Ads.
All these channels require a serious investment and can take months or even a year to see results.
Even if you’ve had negative experiences before that should not stop you from creating strategies that will get you a positive return.
Google/Search Engines
The goal of AdWords and SEO are the same. To rank on the search engines and to generate clicks and leads.
How you get to these objectives are different.
Both are expensive compared to what most roofers spend online but much cheaper than traditional advertising.
Results come faster with AdWords.
AdWords
Here are some things that can help you succeed with AdWords.
- Target High Commercial Intent Keywords
- Bid on single keyword groups
- Use a landing page to facilitate higher conversion rates
- Track all your conversions and calls
- Minimize the lead response time
- Follow up and set appointments with all the leads
To read more about how to create a winning AdWords campaign check out the guide we wrote here.
SEO
SEO takes a lot longer to see results.
Both are effective with residential and commercial.
SEO is defined as a way to organize your online resources to rank in the search engines to generate rankings and clicks to your website.
Here’s a good metaphor that I found SEO and Pirates:
“As an SEO, I can help identify the opportunity and draw a loose perimeter on the map. But I can’t necessarily tell you exactly where in the perimeter the booty is; nor can I guarantee how deep it is. But, as luck would have it, I can also help you dig. The time is all dependent on how many shovels we have in the dirt, and how hard we dig. The timing may be up to luck, but we will find the gold to offset all the effort.”
It’s important that when you create an SEO campaign that your website is designed to convert. I recommend a WordPress site that uses Thrive Themes as the theme.
These themes are all designed to convert. You can build a nice looking high converting website with these platforms.
When it comes to SEO there are two basic strategies: On Page SEO and off Page SEO. Off-page SEO is where you create content, link building campaigns, and a social media presence.
You need to continually create link building opportunities to achieve rankings on the search engines.
On Page SEO has everything to do with creating an optimized SEO website with title tags, keywords, and schema markups. It’s also important that you have the right NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) of your business.
Social Media
Facebook dominates social media. There are over 2 billion users on Facebook. The average American spends 45 minutes a day on Facebook.
There are several strategies that have done well with Facebook Ads
Run a Roof Giveaway Contest
These types of campaigns can go viral if your message connects. Roofing Annex based in Cincinnati recently ran this campaign with great success.
Roofing Survey
You can make a survey on Facebook and let your prospects that they might qualify for a free roof in the event of a storm.
Storm Ad
After a storm, you can target the affected areas with a storm ad. Whether it’s a Hailstorm or a hurricane these ads are effective.
Make it simple.
Call out the storm and a picture or video and explain to them that they might qualify for a free roof if they have insurance.
Ebook/Infographic
You can offer to provide insider information in the form of an Ebook/Infographic that most people would not know in exchange for their contact information.
Instagram is the second largest social media channel in the world. Since Instagram is owned by Facebook you can create your ads on Facebook.
Instagram has limitations. You can only create 60-second videos and the images have to be certain dimensions. Overall, I would follow a similar strategy that you use with Facebook Ads on Instagram but with some differences.
Conclusion
The company that is dominating online are dominating with real-world results. Roofing is a crowded marketplace but roofers lack marketing skills which make easier to stand out.
Now is the time to invest in online marketing. Keep it simple. Focus on three strategies: PPC, Facebook Ads, and SEO. This three have proven to give you results.
