All roofing contractors learn that one of the most challenging aspects of your job is attracting new customers. Many brands tend to focus on traditional forms of advertising such as newspaper ads, billboards, and flyers. While these methods can be helpful, they aren't nearly as effective as advertising online. Here are 7 ways to attract more customers to your business leveraging the internet.
#1: Local Google Ads
Google has over 2 million websites, is in more than 600,000 apps, and is able to reach more than 90 percent of all users. One of the quickest and most effective ways to leverage the internet to attract more customers is with Google Ads. What are they? Google offers advertisements that appear in its search results. Business owners typically use the AdWords platform to purchase keywords that are most relevant to their business. This way, when users type these keywords into the search engine, they will see the ad results for your business. And this can result in a significant amount of traffic. The process is relatively straight-forward. Simply create an Adwords account, choose the campaign type, determine in which geographic range you'd like to advertise, determine your budget, do some keyword research, create your ad, and then add a URL. The key is to create an ad that is well-directed so that the conversion rate is high. The business owner is charged per click or conversion. The best part about advertising online is that you're able to target your ads to the type of customers you need and filter out those that you don't need. Not only that, but you can reach your customers at the exact moment that they're searching for your services.
#2) Local Map Pack
According to Google, every one in three searches has local intent. This means that there are millions of people who are searching for businesses in their specific vicinity. Not only that, but 50 percent of these searches typically result in people visiting within a day. By marketing your roofing company in your geographic area you can attract a lot of local customers. The best way to do this is with a map pack. Whenever a customer enters a search term such as "roofing company" into their Google Maps app, they’re shown a pack of results for the businesses that are closest to them. These results feature basic information about local businesses including their name, street address, phone numbers, reviews, and business hours. This is referred to as a Google Map Pack. If you want your business to be featured in this pack -- specifically within the top three results -- there are several important steps to take. You need to claim your business in Google, build relevant citations, ensure that you choose relevant subcategories in Google My Business, use schema?? to inform all search engines about your business and build links for organic visibility. The best thing about using map packs is that it's free, can help your customers to find your location, it makes you more visible in Google's search engine, and it allows you to interact with your potential customers.
#3) SEO
Many business owners are familiar with search engine optimization, or 'SEO.’ This is the process of optimizing your website so that search engines are more likely to show it as a top result for specific keywords. However, a lot of business owners are unfamiliar with local SEO or simply don’t get it right. Local SEO is optimizing your website so that it ranks better for a local audience. Sure, your website may give you the ability to reach your target audience worldwide, however, if you're not able to attract customers in your specific city then you won't be able to attract quality leads. If you want to ensure that your website is optimized for local searches it's important to optimize your site for voice search. Create content that's based on local news and events. Make sure that your site is optimized for mobile users. Use keywords that are specific to your region, such as "around the corner from Kevin's Deli." You can also create pages that are location-specific. For instance, your "About Us" page could focus on your city, state, or even the block on which you're located.
#4) LSA
Another great way to use the internet to attract more customers is with Google Local Services Ads, also known as LSAs. These are ads specifically for businesses that provide home services that have been guaranteed by Google. Not only are these listings placed at the top of Google's search results, but they're even listed above the paid ads. An LSA typically features the name of your city, business hours, phone number, and your review rating. This is not the same as a Google Ad. In order to participate in an LSA, you need to sign up for the Google home service list. Another big difference is in the way you're charged. Instead of paying Google per click or conversion, business owners are charged per lead. The best thing about this type of ad is that it gives you the ability to connect with your customers. It can help you with booking and scheduling jobs in your area. Also, you pay only when ads work. The process is simple. Just sign up as a service provider, then set your budget. Lastly, start the ads on Google. If you're away or are completely booked, you can pause the ads.
One of the best forms of advertising is word-of-mouth. On the internet, word-of-mouth comes in the form of reviews. If you want to attract customers to your roofing company, then you need to make sure that you have customer reviews -- and that they’re stellar. First, you need to make sure that your potential customers can learn about your company from various places online. They'll feel more confident about working with you if they can find reviews on places such as Yelp, Facebook, Google, and the Better Business Bureau. So make sure that you sign up and register for these websites. You should also make it easy for your customers to leave reviews once they're on your website. Optimize your website to provide a quick avenue for them to write reviews on platforms such as Yelp, Facebook, Google, and the Better Business Bureau. You may also use email to ask your customers to review your services. The key to getting reviews that will attract more customers is to ask at the right time. For instance, you can ask after you've finished the job and they're expressing their satisfaction with your work. You could also ask after they've referred a new customer to you.
#6) Number Socials
When it comes to attracting new customers, there's hardly anything more effective than social media. It's no secret, people tend to spend a significant amount of time on social media these days. In fact, research shows that people spend an average of 2 hours and 23 minutes each day on their favorite platforms. And that's why so many businesses are spending a great deal of their time crafting the perfect social media campaign. The key to attracting the most qualified leads is to identify your target audience, search for the most relevant keywords and hashtags, engage with your audience, and use call-to-actions. The best thing about using social media to get clients is that it helps you to build a rapport with them. And this means they're more likely to make you their go-to roofing company.
Major search engines typically crawl directories whenever a user performs a search. When you add your website to these directories, it properly categorizes it and makes it more visible in the search engine and could lead to a higher ranking. And this means that you get more traffic. Also, when you add your website to these directories, it creates inbound links. And this is another way to increase your ranking and attract more traffic to your website. When adding your site to a directory, make sure that you have no broken links. Place your site in the proper category. Write a great description. Also, double-check that the URL you're submitting is correct.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are several ways to use the internet to your advantage. Many of them revolve around focusing on your local customers. The more real estate you have on the internet the more calls you’ll receive. Taking advantage of the internet to market your roofing company can significantly increase your volume of calls.
Tony Urzua has nearly 20 years of residential roofing experience and launched his roofing company in 2016. Since then has used these same exact tactics to grow is reputation. Visit https://tonysroofingllc.com for more.
