Roofing contractors can strengthen early 2027 performance by using year-end marketing to generate reviews, referrals, stronger rankings and measurable results from existing customers.

Anderson said contractors should recognize that the marketing work they do now can directly influence what happens during the first three months of next year. Rather than waiting until January to develop a strategy, contractors should be working their existing customer databases, reviewing their marketing performance and identifying opportunities already sitting in their CRMs.

“The best leads that you're going to get all winter are already usually sitting in your CRM,” Anderson said, emphasizing that contractors should develop a strategy now instead of simply waiting for the next lead to arrive.

Don't Let Marketing Go Quiet

One of the biggest traps contractors fall into is allowing marketing efforts to go quiet during the slower months. Another is immediately turning to paid advertising to chase new customers rather than first taking advantage of relationships they've already built.

Anderson recommends contractors review every job completed during 2026 and determine how many customers actually left reviews. In her experience, the percentage can be surprisingly low, often between 10 percent and 25 percent. That leaves contractors with a significant opportunity to reconnect with satisfied customers and strengthen their online reputation.

That visibility is increasingly important. Anderson said contractors need to consider not only traditional search rankings and Google Local Services Ads, but whether their businesses are appearing when potential customers turn to artificial intelligence platforms for recommendations. Fresh reviews, testimonials and relevant website content can all contribute to greater visibility.

The same principles apply to larger commercial roofing contractors. Completed projects should not simply disappear into the company's portfolio. Anderson recommends turning successful projects into case studies, testimonials and other marketing assets that can help generate future opportunities.

The Four R's

Anderson's year-end strategy centers on four words: reviews, referrals, ranking and results.

For reviews, contractors should identify customers who have not yet provided one and make the process as easy as possible by providing a direct link and following up. For referrals, Anderson recommends contacting a company's happiest customers and simply asking who they know who may need roofing or property work.

Ranking involves maintaining fresh reviews and relevant information across a contractor's website and Google Business Profile. Anderson said those efforts can also influence a company's visibility within AI-generated search responses.

Finally, contractors need to understand their results. That means knowing where leads originate, the cost per lead and how many jobs were actually booked or won from those sources. Contractors working with marketing agencies should expect transparency around those numbers and ask questions when they don't understand the data.

Anderson's immediate challenge for roofing contractors is simple: Pull a list of every job completed in 2026 and identify which customers have not left reviews. Then identify 10 of the company's happiest customers and contact them for referrals, testimonials or opportunities to highlight their projects.

Most importantly, she said, contractors don't need to be large organizations to put the strategy into action. Creating a consistent rhythm around reviews, referrals and customer success stories can strengthen trust and help generate new business heading into 2027.