How To Get Leads For Roofing In A Competitive Market

Last updated on August 3rd, 2023

Want to know how to get leads for roofing? This guide teaches you 17 different ways you can generate leads to beat the market.

Generating leads for your roofing company comes with challenges:

• Seasonality that makes it a struggle to maintain a steady stream of business
• Competing with other roofing companies for the same leads
• Economic factors that impact a customer’s ability to afford roofing services

And to top it all off, roofers constantly have to deal with poor-quality leads. 

Generating roofing leads is a competitive game — especially today — where the roofing contractor industry has shrunk by 3.5% in the past year.

So we’ve created this guide to help you break the feast or famine sales cycle with your roofing business.

We’ll cover:

• What Is A Roofing Lead?
• Types Of Roofing Leads
• How To Capture Roofing Leads
• 17 Ways To Generate Roofing Leads
• How To Qualify Your Roofing Leads
• How To Manage Your Roofing Leads With CRM
• Frequently Asked Questions About Roofing Leads

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What Is A Roofing Lead?

A roofing lead is a potential customer who has expressed interest in roofing services, such as repair, replacement, or installation. 

This interest can be shown in various ways, like: 

• Filling out a form on your website,
• Calling your company directly for information or a quote
• Or even physically visiting your company’s office or booth at a trade show.

Types Of Roofing Leads

Not all roofing leads are made equal.

There are 2 main types of leads:

1. Exclusive roofing leads where a customer is only considering your company (typically from referrals and marketing)
2. Shared roofing leads where you’re in competition with other roofing companies for the same lead (typically from brokers who sell leads)

But there are other ways you can categorize your leads, depending on their interest level (hot, warm, and cold leads):

• Hot leads are potential customers who are ready to make a purchase immediately. They have usually done their research and are deciding on a roofing company.
• Warm leads are individuals considering your roofing service but aren’t quite ready to commit. They might be comparing options or still in the research phase.
• Cold leads are people who might need roofing services but haven’t expressed interest yet. They’re often targeted in broader marketing campaigns.

Often enough, a big factor that determines the quality of your lead is how the lead is generated.

Because different marketing strategies target people with varying interest levels. We’ll discuss the nuances of these differences in our “Ways To Generate Roofing Leads” section.

How to Capture Roofing Leads

Whether you’re reaching out to leads or having them come to you, you need a system in place to capture the contact information of those leads so you can easily reach out to them when they’ve shown interest.

You need:

• A website that has your business information and social proof
• A lead capture page for leads to fill out their contact information so you can contact them
• A low-barrier-to-entry or no-brainer offer that will entice the lead to exchange their contact information with you

Leads should easily be able to find your contact information for them to be able to reach out to you. So make sure your contact information is easy to find on at least your website and Google Business Profile.

But you should consider giving away free inspections or estimates in exchange for a lead’s contact information on your lead capture page.

This can attract homeowners who are unsure about the state of their roofs. Once you’ve had the chance to inspect, you can offer them your services if repairs or replacements are necessary.

17 Ways to Generate Roofing Leads

So how do you get the wheels rolling for your lead generation?

Here are 17 ways to get roofing leads that are likely to buy your services.

1. Customer referrals

Shocker, right? You’ve probably already generated most of your customers through referrals.

This is the #1 way roofing companies generate leads for a reason:

• Referrals are more likely to trust you if they’re referred by a customer they know.
• They likely need your services.
• You’ll likely need to do little to convince them.

You can increase the amount of customer referrals you generate by:

• Providing an excellent customer experience.
• Ensuring your customers are satisfied.
• Asking happy customers if they know anyone else that might need roofing services.
• Creating a referral program where you give an incentive to customers that refer new customers.

2. Join Digital Marketplaces

There are various platforms roofers should join that can connect service providers (including roofing contractors) with potential clients, making it a great way for roofers to get warm leads.

Some of these platforms operate on a pay-per-lead model, where you’ll pay the platform to send a quote to a lead. Meanwhile, others might be free to create an account where leads can find you through search, but will charge you for advertising.

Some of the most popular platforms are:

• Angi (formerly Angie’s List)
• Thumbtack
• HomeAdvisor

Here are some general tips to keep in mind:

• Have your profile fully filled out with as much information as possible (photos of past work, customer testimonials, certifications, awards, and other business information)
• Optimize your profile for search by adding keywords for your services and locations.
• Ask happy customers to leave you reviews.
• Consider paying for leads or advertising on the platforms.

3. Telemarketing

Sometimes, picking up the phone to call leads is the best way to get roofing leads because it enables you to generate leads on demand.

But before you do, make sure you comply with any local, state, or federal laws to ensure you never get fined.

You can buy lists of leads to call, but beware that these lists are often junk and not worth the money.

It’s much more effective to build your own lead lists by doing your own prospecting.

You can call leads that:

• Used to be warm but went cold
• Are in an area that was recently damaged by the weather
• Filled out the contact form on your website
• Were once customers, but the time has come for maintenance to be done on their roof
• You prospected using other methods, such as walking through a neighborhood

Always make sure to be respectful of the lead’s time and consider training your sales reps if they’re the ones calling.

4. Review sites

Managing your online reputation kills 2 birds with 1 stone:

1. You build more social proof that can be used to market to new leads.
2. New leads can find you through your positive reviews when they’re browsing review sites.

Here are some review sites that you should strongly consider requesting reviews for:

• Your Google Business Profile – This one should be mandatory because leads often find you through Google search, and the more positive reviews you have, the easier it is for leads to find you on Google.
• Yelp
• Better Business Bureau
• Facebook

5. Local chamber of commerce events

Local chamber of commerce events can be a great way for roofers to network with other local businesses, which could lead to referrals and other opportunities.

The goal of attending these events shouldn’t be to try selling roofs to every connection you make.

Instead you should:

• Consider becoming a member
• Attend regularly to become a familiar name and face
• Consider sponsoring an event 
• Get to know other local business owners, especially if they also deal with homeowners (they could become referral partners later down the line)
• Follow up with the connections you made to leave a good impression

6. Tradeshows

Attending home improvement and construction-related trade shows is another great way to network with other businesses in your industry that could lead to business opportunities.

Here are some tips to make going to tradeshows worth your time:

• Set up a booth to display your work and offer promotional materials like brochures.
• Offer something to your booth visitors in exchange for their contact information (could be a free inspection, quote, or guide to roof maintenance)
• Engage with anyone that comes to your booth. Ask about their needs, tell them about your services, and answer any questions they might have. 
• Prioritize networking over selling. Nobody likes to feel like another sales lead. So connect with other professionals and ask questions about their interests.
• Exchange business cards with other professionals.
• Attend workshops and presentations to meet other professionals and learn more about their needs and concerns.
• Promote your social media accounts at your booth.
• Follow up with people after the show about talking points you discussed with them at the show.

7. Email marketing

One of the most important contact details you need to capture?

Emails.

While often forgotten about, you can generate more sales using emails from leads AND past customers.

So make sure you capture emails from past customers and new leads on your website using a lead capture page.

But remember:

You need to earn a lead’s email address by having them opt-in to a free offer.

Here are some basic rules to keep in mind for email marketing:

• Segment the different types of contacts you capture (ex: past customers and new leads should be in different segments).
• Ensure your emails provide value, whether that’s education, discounts, new offers, etc.
• Write compelling copy that is concise and focused on the value you provide to your customers. Especially make sure your subject line and the first line of your body text briefly describe the value in your email.
• End your emails with a call to action, whether that’s clicking on a resource or contacting you about your offer.
• Use an email marketing CRM so you can track every contact you gather throughout the customer lifecycle.

8. Content marketing

Anything you create for marketing that gets delivered to your lead or customer could be considered content marketing.

Content marketing can be:

• Content on your website
• Social media posts
• Blog posts optimized for SEO
• Brochures
• PDFs
• Emails
• Ad creatives

It’s easy to get caught up in going door-to-door or calling leads because it’s easy to measure the ROI of these activities.

But if you want to generate leads without always paying with your time, creating content for various marketing channels is a great way to capture and nurture your leads in the long-term.

9. Storm chasing apps

This is an effective prospecting tactic you can use to target leads that are more likely to need roof repair services.

Often after a storm, people discover roof leaks and realize they need their roof repaired.

Or after a more significant type of storm, like a hail storm, tornado, or hurricane, roofs will be damaged and need repair.

This creates the perfect storm for you to find and target these affected areas with ads, cold calling, canvassing, or other outbound approaches.

One of the best ways to keep track of these areas is by monitoring storm chasing apps.

10. “Strategic alliances with Lowes’ and Home Depot

Both Lowe’s and Home Depot have referral programs where they recommend local professionals to customers seeking roofing installation or repair services. 

By becoming a part of these programs, you can get access to warm leads that need roofing.

11. Facebook And Instagram Ads

Your ideal customers are likely using Facebook and Instagram, making these social media platforms great places to target people with ads.

Facebook and Instagram allow you to target specific locations and audiences that are likely to be interested in roofing services.

You’re also able to retarget people who recently visited your website or social media accounts — a sign that they might be looking for a roofer.

Remember to have a CTA for every ad, that’s ideally your no-brainer offer we discussed previously.

12. Paid Search Ads

One of the most common places people go when they need a Roofer is Google (or other search engines).

You should be doing local SEO, as we’ll discuss later.

However, you can pay your way to the top of the search results using paid search ads.

This way, you can bid on high-intent keywords, such as “roofing company in [your location].”

13. YouTube ads

YouTube video ads can be a powerful way to reach potential customers in a format that can easily show the value of your services.

Like Facebook and Instagram, YouTube allows you to target local audiences who might be interested in roofing.

While you can use video ads on other platforms, YouTube was made for video content, so you get the opportunity to show longer videos that showcase your happy customers and special offers.

14. Local SEO

If you’re working with a limited budget or want more warm leads to find you, you need to work on your local SEO.

SEO stands for search engine optimization — meaning it’s about ranking your business and website higher on Google so local searchers can easily find your services.

Here’s how you can get started:

• Completely fill out your Google Business Profile with accurate and detailed information about your business and services.
• Create a website and target local roofing keywords like:
  • Roofing company in [your location]
  • Roof repair in [your location]
  • Roof inspection in [your location]
• Ask your past happy customers to leave Google reviews on your profile to improve your search rankings (you can run an email campaign to make this easy)

15. Direct Mail

Sending direct mail to leads has been an effective marketing tactic for over 100 years.

And although a bit old-fashioned, it’s still a great way to reach your leads, especially if they’re older.

You can use similar tactics we mentioned in the email marketing section, but it’s crucial to remember to be as targeted as possible with your direct mail.

For example, you can target a neighborhood full of older houses or one that was recently hit by a big storm.

16. Canvassing (aka door knocking)

Knocking on doors is nothing new.

Although going door to door has a high rate of rejection, it can easily payoff when you generate just one warm lead.

Your targeting, presentation, and people skills are essential to make this successful, so keep these tips in mind:

• Target homes that are more likely to need roofing work.
• Make sure you and your team are dressed professionally and behave courteously. First impressions are critical.
• All team members should wear identification badges and carry business cards.
• Develop a clear script for your team to follow, and provide training on how to handle common questions or objections. Practice makes perfect, so try to role-play with your sales team.
• Rather than just selling, aim to offer value during your interaction. This could be a free roof inspection, or advice on maintaining their roof.
• Even if the homeowner is not interested at the time, leave behind some marketing materials such as brochures or business cards.
• If a homeowner expresses interest, be sure to follow up promptly through their preferred channel (remember to ask how they like to be contacted).
• Track which areas you have canvassed and the results. This will help you refine your strategy and identify the most fruitful areas.
• Respect any “No Soliciting” signs and respect people’s privacy. Also, make sure your approach aligns with local laws regarding door-to-door solicitation.
• Be patient and respectful.

17. Referral partnerships

We already mentioned signing up to partner with Lowe’s and Home Depot, but you can form nearly limitless other partnerships to get referrals.

So consider networking with:

• Insurance agents
• Real estate agents
• HVAC companies
• Plumbers
• Contractors
• Hardware and home improvement stores
• Homeowners associations

Or any other type of organization or business that also deals with homes.

But don’t just reach out to these people and ask for referrals.

Your partnership has to be earned, so…

• Send referrals to these partners whenever possible.
• Send them resources like your website and contact information.
• Give them access to customer testimonials so they know they can trust their customers working with you.

How to Qualify Your Roofing Leads

Once you generate your roofing leads, don’t pitch them right away.

Doing so could lead to annoyed leads or wasting time on leads that will never turn into customers.

So it’s important to create a lead qualification process that you can go through when you reach out to a lead.

You should:

1. Determine whether the lead has an actual need for your services. They might need a roof repair, a roof replacement, or other roofing services. You can identify this through initial communication or a free inspection if you offer one.
2. Assess when the lead plans to start the roofing project. If they want to start immediately or in the near future, they could be a hot lead. However, if they’re planning for a time far in the future, they may be a cold lead and might require nurturing before they’re ready to make a purchase.
3. Assess their budget by asking questions to figure out if the potential customer can afford your services or qualify for financing. If a lead can’t afford your services, they may not be a qualified lead. However, be sure to handle this tactfully to maintain a positive relationship. They could become a potential customer in the future or refer others to your business.
4. Ensure you’re talking to the decision-maker of the household.
5. Verify that the potential project is in an area you service.
6. Make sure the project size and type the lead needs is something you offer.

How To Manage Your Roofing Leads With CRM

There are 2 ways roofers often manage their leads:

• Spreadsheets (which are very inefficient and prone to losing data.)
• Expensive CRM software

There’s no reason to be using either!

This is why VipeCloud, an affordable roofing CRM, is a perfect way for roofing companies to run marketing campaigns, manage leads, and walk leads through their sales process — all on one platform.

VipeCloud helps you:

• Capture leads using lead capture pages
• Qualify leads using contact scoring
• Segment your leads to create more relevant marketing campaigns
• Manage leads throughout the sales process with visual pipelines

• Send customized quotes

• Communicate with leads via text and email.

• Manage marketing, sales, and service delivery tasks
• Track your marketing campaigns’ effectiveness with reports

Use An All-In-One CRM To Streamline Your Roofing Lead Management

There’s 0 risk in trying VipeCloud out for your roofing company.

You can try it out yourself with a free 15-day trial.

Or, if you’d like to talk to our knowledgeable customer support team, you can schedule a demo with us today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Roofing Leads

How Can I Improve The Quality Of My Roofing Leads? 

Quality leads often come from targeted marketing campaigns. 

Understanding your target customer and their needs can help you create more effective campaigns. 

Additionally, tracking and analyzing your lead sources can help you focus on the highest ROI strategies.

How Much Do Top Roofing Sales Reps Make? 

The income of a roofing salesman can vary greatly depending on their experience, skills, the pay structure (salary, commission, or a combination), and the company they work for. 

Some might earn a modest income, while top performers, especially those who earn commissions on high-value contracts, can earn into six figures.