The roofing industry is one of the most competitive markets to operate in. The days of only relying on word-of-mouth and yard signs is over. Homeowners use Google, YouTube, and social media to search for products and services, and whoever shows up first, second or third in results is 68% likely to get the click- and the business.
This is why it is critical for roofing companies to develop ppc advertising campaigns that supplement, if not replace, the traditional lead sources they’ve depended on for decades. It gives them an unprecedented ability to get in front of homeowners, and their competition, without relying on an algorithm to direct high-value traffic to their site.
Today’s methods of digital advertising are accessible, affordable, and ready to deliver results the moment you turn them on. Never before has advertising been so effective, cost-efficient, and targeted. Here are 3 ways to generate roofing leads fast.
Google Local Services Ads
What’s makes Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) different than every other method? First, you only pay when a homeowner actually calls you. Compared to Google Ads’ pay-per-click billing, you are not paying for the chance to get in front of a lead- you are paying for an actual lead.
Second, these ads are located at the very top of Google results. Before Google Maps. Before organic listings. This is a small section that shows roofing companies with a green “Google Guaranteed” badge next to their name. Higher visibility, higher chance of success.
LSAs require an approval process to qualify your business. It’s fairly easy, but you will need to submit your license, insurance, and pass a background check.
Most importantly, for Local Services Ads to be awarded to your company, you must respond to every lead within minutes- thirty seconds, if possible. This is because Google is tracking your response rate and rewards fast responders with better placement. LSA rankings are also heavily influenced by Google reviews. It is critical to actively manage and respond to reviews.
Keep in mind that the cost per lead with LSAs for roofing can range from $40-$150, on average. This can double or triple during storm season.
This means two things. #1 You must have a healthy budget to participate in Google’s Local Service Ads. #2 You must have staff available to respond to leads immediately, or this will be an expensive waste of time for your company.
Google Search Ads
LSAs are the guaranteed lead generator, but Google Search Ads are not far behind. In fact, we find Google Ads to be the preferred method for most roofers to generate roofing leads fast. While SEO takes months to gain traction, a Google Ads campaign can be activated immediately and start generating leads overnight. It is a pay-per-click model that relies on keyword targeting, audience targeting, and great ad copy to perform well. This means you have a bit more control over performance with a well-managed account.
When a homeowner searches for “roof replacement near me” or “emergency roof repair”, Google Ads holds an auction behind the scenes for companies who are bidding on these keywords or phrases. Your ad appears and users can click through to your website or a dedicated landing page. This allows for many points to optimize in the process- it may be keyword selection, website design, or landing page offers and messaging.
Google Ads opens the door to advanced tracking and data-driven decision making that can impact other channels, such as SEO. From the search terms that showed your ads, to which keywords converted the most leads, to what brand messaging works the best. It’s more than just an advertising platform, it’s a playground to test creative and maximize the effectiveness of your offers and messaging.
Facebook Ads
Google Ads and LSAs capture demand. Facebook creates it. Let me explain.
Google Ads and LSAs appear when a user has indicated they are interested in a product or service. With Facebook Ads, the user is scrolling through posts from family, friends, and pages of interests they have, and the ad interrupts them. They haven’t thought about getting a new roof for weeks, but here’s an ad for a free inspection. Or, they had minor storm damage that they haven’t repaired yet, and here’s an ad from a local company that specializes in storm damage.
In some ways, interrupting homeowners is much less effective than Google Ads or LSAs. But with an audience of 3 billion users, unmatched targeting, advanced retargeting, and visual formats proven to generate clicks and customers, it’s the next best thing.
Facebook Ads allow roofers to target by property type, income level, and a number of other factors that indicate an ideal customer. It also offers video ads that can grab attention and elevate conversion rates higher than a simple text ad. Furthermore, testing different ad creative is affordable, flexible, and has many different campaign goals such as leads, engagement, traffic, awareness- these can each best tested to determine the best ads for your business. It’s likely a combination of several. Regardless, Facebook’s audience targeting and immediate deployment can generate roofing leads fast.
Generate Roofing Leads Fast
There are other platforms that can work as quickly as the three listed above, for example, Angi, HomeAdvisor, and Nextdoor. However, these are highly competitive platforms that only have a fraction of the audience that LSAs, Google Ads, and Facebook does. Furthermore, these are often shared leads, meaning you’re competing with several other roofers for the same job. Response time is even more critical in these instances.
Every platform mentioned above communicate to the end user how easy it is to set up and get going. The truth is, if it were easy every roofing company would be drowning in leads, and nobody would need an agency to manage their digital marketing campaigns.
From proper account structure to choosing the most valuable keywords and audience targeting options, or testing and optimizing ads so performance improves over time, there are many ways things can go right (and wrong). We highly recommend hiring an agency or specialist who can manage these campaigns for you. It will eliminate the learning curve, reduce wasted ad spend, and generate the results you are looking for quicker.
If you’re ready to generate roofing leads fast, schedule a free consultation today.
