Greg Hoffman, President and co-founder of Roofing Contractor Marketing (www.roofingcontractormarketing.com), likens the recent advances in technology to the Industrial Revolution. He maintains the Internet, smart phones, and social media sites such as Facebook are transforming the media landscape. “The effectiveness of ‘old standby’ advertising methods has changed substantially and new advertising opportunities have taken their place,” he said. “Everything has changed, and your media mix and marketing has to change, too.”
His presentation titled “The Top 10 New Marketing Fundamentals for Roofing Contractors” was designed to help roofing contractors find the most efficient strategies for generating leads in this new environment. In reverse order, he offered the following ten tips:
10. Include your Web address on everything. “Drive your customers to where they are comfortable,” Hoffman recommended. “Plus, it’s easier to remember than a phone number.”
9. Get your website smart phone ready. “This is a huge growth market,” he said. “Make sure your website is mobile ready, which makes it easy to read on a smart phone.”
8. Build more trust on your website. “Building trust is critical,” said Hoffman, who urged contractors to include industry affiliations and local endorsements from organizations such as the Better Business Bureau.
7. Add promotional video to your website. “Video should be prominently displayed on your home page,” he said.
6. Add an “easy fill” form to your home page. “Make the form easy for customers to fill out and locate it on your home page,” he said. “It will be accessible 24/7 for leads.”
5. Use a Google sponsored links campaign every month. “Consumers use Google more than any other search engine,” he noted.
4. Make offers on your website. “You need to give people an incentive for action,” he said. “If you give people a reason to act, it gives you an edge over someone with just a brochure and information.”
3. Start a social media strategy. “Facebook is a worldwide phenomenon,” he said. “How we’re going to use it in a year is anybody’s guess, but it will be big.”
2. Get your company listed on page one of Google for roofing-related searches. “Get your site optimized,” he suggested, advising them to target the first page of the Google search results, preferable one of the top three spots. “If they can’t find you, you don’t exist.”
1. Ensure your website is sales oriented and expect good leads. “We like to call it your 24/7 salesperson,” he said.
According to Hoffman, marketing is the key to penetrating the local market. “If you’ve established a brand name in your market, consumers will go to a brand name they recognize.”
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