It seems like every other day, I hear someone in the roofing industry expressing skepticism about using Facebook as a lead generation tool.

The truth is, many businesses try to use Facebook without a clear understanding of what their target audience wants, the behavior of traffic, or even how the platform is different from other forms of advertising and lead generation.

It's a fact that people are not going to buy a roof from someone on the internet. Facebook, though, provides the perfect opportunity to generate leads for your roofing business that will lead to a sale — if you create a value-first marketing campaign.

How do you do that? It's all based on content, and that's the focus of this article.

First, let's get our facts straight about Facebook.

FACEBOOK BY THE NUMBERS

- Facebook has over 2.41 billion users worldwide, approximately 1.15 billion of them on mobile.

- About 7 in 10 (69%) U.S. adults use Facebook.

- From that group, almost three-quarters (74%) visit the site at least once a day.

Not using Facebook to generate leads for your roofing business is leaving tons of money on the table, forcing you to resort to other methods, such as canvassing, door-to-door sales, and storm chasing.

UNDERSTANDING THE PLATFORM

Think of Facebook as a party — a social gathering with friends and family.

People aren't usually looking to buy things at a party, but they are open to learning new things and making new connections.

The best way to connect with and educate your ideal audience (and generate leads) is to focus on value-first content, specifically, through video.

THE VIDEO BOOM

There’s been an explosion of growth in video on social media in recent years. Views of branded video content have increased by 258% on Facebook between 2016 and 2017. When you realize that around 100 million hours of video are watched every day on Facebook, the benefits become apparent.

Maybe you're wondering, "Well, that's all fine and good, but how does video help my roofing business?"

Videos are a fantastic way to highlight your roofing business processes and work! It's an excellent tool for educating your audience about undetected roof damage, and even how you work.

The following are five different video types that you can use to generate massive amounts of roofing leads through Facebook.

1. Roofing Clean-up Process

Many homeowners have never had their roof repaired before. So they may be concerned about the condition of their home and yard once the work is finished. Once you complete a project, film your crew as they clean up the job site. Your thoroughness will help build trust and credibility with your audience. If you use specialized tools such as a magnet for picking up stray nails, show that in the video.

2. Roof Replacement/Repair Process

Film yourself talking about a specific build while it's happening behind you. Share the story of how this particular roof became damaged, the various steps your team have taken/are taking, and what will occur once the job is complete (clean-up, maintenance, etc.) These types of videos are particularly useful for large commercial jobs.

3. Roof Giveaway

Work with a supply company to sponsor a roof giveaway campaign for a family in need. There are many ways you can do this, but the key here is to be creative. The "No Roof Left Behind" initiative is an example of this at work. When you select a homeowner for the giveaway, film the process. Introduce the homeowner and why they've qualified for this giveaway, and explain how you're putting a new roof on their home and how proud and happy you are to be helping out a family in need. You can also suggest to viewers how much you'd like to help them as well, directing them to a form where they can apply themselves.

4. Post-hailstorm

Following a big hailstorm in your area, make a quick video showing homeowners what kind of damage may be lurking on their roof — damage that they may have missed. You can provide visual examples of hail damage, particularly types that are hard to spot from the ground. Educate your audience about the insurance claim process — many homeowners are not aware that they could be eligible to get their roof paid by the insurance company.

5. Before and After

These videos are extremely powerful and compelling pieces of content. Contrast is vital — footage of a damaged roof, followed by footage of the same roof but now beautiful and pristine, grabs the viewer's interest and helps build credibility for your brand. Before the job begins, do a walk through of a damaged roof, telling the story of how it was damaged and what needs to be done. Talk about the process your team will follow in repairing or replacing the roof and then follow that with drone shots of the completed roof.

No matter which type(s) of video you choose, they all work well for building credibility, trust, and, more importantly, leads for your roofing business.

READY FOR YOUR CLOSE-UP?

It's true that for some, talking to a camera can be challenging. However, it's essential that you give your videos and brand a human face to help build trust with your audience. If you absolutely cannot get in front of the camera, recruit someone on your team who can. Regardless of who's speaking, the point is to talk to the camera in the same manner as talking to a customer.

When starting, create four videos to post on Facebook, and then update with a new video per month to keep things fresh.

CONCLUSION

The simple truth is that not using Facebook to generate leads for your roofing business will leave money on the table. This predicament then forces you to resort to other, usually less effective methods, such as canvassing, door-to-door sales, and storm chasing. Harnessing the power of video to educate your audience will boost your lead generation efforts to new heights and build trust at the same time.

Mauricio Cardenal is the the founder of Roof Marketing Pros, an invitation-only marketing system for roofing businesses that want to dominate their market. Reach him at mauricio@roofingmarketingpros.com.