Author Archives: Roofers Guild

A few years back, I had just finished a pristine roofing project when my younger nephew came up to me with his phone, showing me a funny roofing video on his TikTok app.

I remember laughing out loud, thinking, “Isn’t TikTok for teenagers dancing and singing?”

My nephew slyly replied, “TikTok is for everything, even roofing.”

While I was far from sold by his assertion, I remember gaining a curiosity about this social platform at that very moment.

Today, that curiosity has transformed into a full-on recognition that TikTok for Roofers is absolutely a marketing tool — and one that is a whole lot more enjoyable than “Traditional marketing methods.”

As a proud member of Roofer’s Guild, I will outline seven reasons all roofers should consider using TikTok in 2024.

But first, we have to answer the most essential question:

Key Takeaway

TikTok for roofers is a valuable advertising and marketing tool to help your company expand brand awareness and generate more roofing leads.

Do Roofers Need TikTok?

TikTok is a popular social media platform that will only get more popular. And as a marketing rule of thumb, you should be present where the consumers are. 

As of 2024, TikTok has 1.4 billion users, which is expected to reach 1.8 million by the end of the year.

TikTok is known for short, video-based content, which presents an opportunity for roofing contractors. But it goes much deeper than that.

Users spend more time on TikTok than all social media platforms, averaging 55.8 minutes per session. For contractors serious about getting in front of more eyeballs, the appeal of this platform is obvious.

TikTok should be a part of your content/social media marketing strategy, along with Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin.

Reasons to Use TikTok for Your Roofing Company

Running a roofing company presents countless challenges; some you see coming and others you don’t. Let’s be honest: TikTok should not be your top priority (nor should any social media platform).

However, if you aim to expand brand awareness and generate more leads for your roofing business, you should absolutely pursue TikTok.

Below are six convincing reasons for roofing companies to use TikTok.

1) TikTok Ads Can Generate Roofing Leads

The best reason to use any social platform, including TikTok, is to generate roofing leads. TikTok Ads allow roofing companies to run billboard-style ads directly in the users’ feeds.

Because TikTok is an addictive social media platform, users spend hours scrolling their feeds, which can include exposure to your ads. 

As with Facebook or Instagram Ads, it’s essential to create attention-grabbing video ads that immediately hook the user.

It’s even more critical with TikTok, as users have the shortest attention span of any other social media user.

Installing a TikTok pixel on your website is a great way to optimize your ad budget properly. When TikTik users visit your website, they can be retargeted via the TikTok app.

2) TikTok is User-Friendly

One of the great things about TikTok is that creating a profile and post is straightforward.

With TikTok, you won’t need to employ any experts. The platform gives you all the tools you need to create engaging content.

You don’t need to know anything about coding or have any experience in web design.

As long as you have a basic smartphone experience, you will find TikTok very intuitive and user-friendly.

3) TikTok Helps you Reach your Target Demographic

There are about 80 million Americans who use TikTok every month. About 60% of those users are between 16 and 24. 

As a roofer, this isn’t your target demographic. But 26% of TikTok users are between 25 and 44, which is your target demographic. 

Roofing Advertising Guide

We know what you are thinking: 26% doesn’t sound like much. But when you consider that 26% of 80 million is 20,800,000, you realize you are still dealing with a vast pool of people. 

People between the ages of 25 and 44 will most likely be first and second-time homeowners: the same people who are very likely to have many questions about their roofs. 

4) TikTok Helps With Local Targeting

With TikTok, you can aim your content (and your ads) at people in your direct vicinity.

For example, we know that it wouldn’t do a roofing company much to have their content seen by someone in a different state.

But TikTok allows you to target users in your city, town, or county so that the people most likely to hire you will see your content.

Local targeting is part of what makes it a great local SEO and marketing tool.

Aside from location, you can filter who sees your content by criteria like age, interests, and gender. First-time users should try location filtering initially.

Then, however, you can start fine-tuning your demographic targeting as you get a better sense of your audience.

5) Roofers Can Repurpose TikTok Content

If you create something specifically for TikTok, you can use it on other platforms like Instagram. 

Suppose you make a particularly popular or helpful video (based on the number of views and comments). Consider publishing it on your website or your company’s YouTube channel to maximize its reach. 

YouTube offers a variation of TikTok content with YouTube Shorts, which are 60-second or fewer videos that serve a similar purpose to TikTok videos. 

Users quickly consume these kinds of videos by browsing through the YouTube Shorts section.

TikTok videos are commodities you can spread across all your online outlets to increase visibility for your company. 

While recycling TikTok videos may not always be the best idea, it’s good to understand that it is always an option. 

6) TikTok is a Great Platform for Instructional Videos

Instructional videos and short “how-to” guides are viral on TikTok, especially after the pandemic.

As a result, people are willing to use the platform they already spend a lot of time on to learn to do simple tasks.

The how-to format of videos provides a golden opportunity for roofers to make guided videos regarding roof maintenance.

Many people have questions about their roofs, and new homeowners will likely take to TikTok to answer those questions.

The only question now is: will you be the one to answer them?

7) People Buy Through TikTok

Will TikTok earn you more customers? That depends on the effectiveness of your posts. But what is certain is that TikTok users are more than willing to use the app to make purchases. 

TikTok is the number one platform for purchases of goods and services. Not only that, many TikTok users follow businesses they purchase from. 

While social media won’t convert at the same rate as your website, it can funnel new leads into your business and help grow your brand.

How Roofers Can Get Started With TikTok

TikTok for roofers is undoubtedly a powerful and essential tool in 2024. Some contractors consider social media a waste of time, but the influence on your brand can be significant. 

Roofing business owners that expand brand awareness through platforms like TikTok gain an advantage.

You can get started with TikTok advertising by visiting TikTok for Business. Reach out to Roofer’s Guild with any questions.

You may have pondered using Instagram for your roofing company in the past. After all, you’ve seen and heard about the number of people engaged with the popular social media platform. Still, you want to know if the app’s popularity applies to your roofing business and getting leads.

The typical response from roofers is, “Instagram doesn’t work for roofing.” But that isn’t true. Take the following statistic as a demonstration: more than 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business. 

Instagram for a roofing company can be very lucrative. In the following post, Roofer’s Guild provides some helpful tips for using Instagram to aid your roofing company and generate more leads.

1) Set Up Your Business Account

First things first: you will need to set up an account. As a roofing company, you will want to set up a free business account. Business accounts differ from a typical account and provide expanded features. 

For example, a business-specific Instagram account allows you to add an email link so interested users can contact your business with one click. A business account also shows a mapped location of your business inside your profile so people can see exactly where your roofing business is located. 

In addition, Instagram will also track your account’s vital stats, like how many views and follows you get. 

2) Complete Your Business Profile

Be very careful when writing your profile bio. Stay on brand and have a consistent message. Your Instagram business profile should match your website’s About Us page and Google Business Profile description.

Reiterate your roofing company’s core values and speak directly to your target consumer. In addition, when choosing an avatar for your Instagram business profile, we recommend using a version of your company’s logo. 

Again, this ensures consistent branding and won’t confuse people who may think your Instagram presence is different from your official website. Including a link to your official website in your Instagram business profile is also essential.

3) Identify Your Target Audience

The average Instagram user’s age is between 25 and 34 years old. As a roofing contractor, you probably shouldn’t target 25-year-olds who aren’t likely to own their own homes. Instead, you will want to resonate with the upper age range of Instagram: 34-year-olds and higher. 

Consider the needs of this age group. For example, many IG users are first-time homeowners with various questions about roof repair and maintenance. The younger demographic prefers to learn visually, and Instagram provides a great medium to capture their attention.

Your target audience knows how to navigate social media platforms, including Instagram. As a result, Instagram is a great place to get their attention by offering simple “how-to” guides related to roofing. Guides will drive views and follows and increase brand recognition and loyalty. 

4) Create A Post Schedule

As a roofing contractor, you probably already know there is a slow and busy season in the roofing industry. You may have even adapted your business to offer services in the winter (the traditional slow season) so that the lull isn’t so drastic. 

Your Instagram posts should call attention to your business and services. So, it can be beneficial to plan out a posting schedule that corresponds with your services and the times of the year that they are most popular.

For example, people require winterizing roofing services sometime in the late summer or early fall. Come up with post ideas and schedule them to publish around those times. Time of day is also crucial because IG’s algorithm displays the most recent posts according to the user’s activity.

Here is a helpful guide to finding out when your target audience is most active:

• Log into your Instagram business profile
• From your profile dashboard, click on the “Insights” tab
• Under the “Your Audience” tab, click “See All.”
• Now you can scroll down to see the hours that your audience is most active

5) Include Target Keywords

Instagram is a social media platform predicated on images and videos. But captions and descriptions are still needed. You can use this short copy as an opportunity to boost your SEO rankings. 

You can insert specific keywords into the captions of your photos and descriptions of your videos. Keywords enhance your posts’ visibility to people searching on Google or other search engines for roofing. 

Identifying keywords is easy with keyword research tools like SEMRush, Moz Keyword Explorer, and Uberssugest. Although the search volumes correspond to Google search, you can drive SEO signals from IG to Google.

Use these keywords in post captions to increase visibility, including via #hashtags. Just remember to keep it light and natural. No one wants to see spam in an Instagram post.

So, if you can’t fit the keyword naturally, it’s better not to use it. Also, ensure that the caption and keyword are relevant to the photo or video. 

6) Stay Active and Consistent

People will quickly forget about your profile if you go ghost for weeks at a time. You don’t necessarily have to post every day, but you should shoot for at least one post a week for a roofing company. And always remember to prioritize quality over quantity. 

If users engage with your Instagram page, make sure to respond. They may leave comments on your posts, reply to your stories, or direct message you privately. Regardless of their chosen method, you can capitalize on their engagement by moving them through the lead funnel.

Depending on the authority of your roofing brand, you can follow back other users who follow your profile. The best way to approach this is to examine every profile that follows you. 

You should follow them back if they look like a potential customer or another business related to the roofing industry. On the other hand, avoid following them if they look like an unrelated business.

7) Publish Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are unique to the IG platform and differ from TikTok and Snapchat videos. With IG Stories, you can upload sequential videos onto your profile. Users then click the stories and can watch your sequence of events.

Stories are an excellent medium for roofing companies because they allow users an inside look into your workday. For example, you can show them a new roof you are walking and estimating or show them your truck, office, etc.

You don’t have to be a social media influencer to come across well on Instagram stories. However, if you are honest and engaging, people will gravitate to your videos. 

Using Instagram for a roofing company is just the beginning. The platform is essential, but ideally, you want to be present on all social media platforms. 

Final Thoughts on Instagram for Roofing Companies

Instagram is a powerful social media platform under the Meta Business Suite umbrella. As a result, roofing companies can integrate their Facebook and Instagram advertising strategies to grow their business.

The emergence of Stories and Reels within the Instagram platform has brought video content to the forefront of user engagement. Roofers that invest in high-quality video production, which is now easier with user-friendly video editors, can benefit from these social media features.

When it comes to roofing postcards, the questions are simple. Does direct mail still work for roofing companies? Are roofing flyers worth printing and distributing to local homeowners? Roofing contractors want to know these answers before investing capital into producing these marketing materials. 

As for the numbers, consumers generally like receiving direct mail, and it’s reflected in the statistics. For example, approximately 73% of American consumers prefer direct mail contact because they can read it at their convenience.

Like most other marketing strategies, these tactics work when done correctly. As a result, Roofer’s Guild will outline seven helpful tips for maximizing your roofing postcards, flyers, and mailers in 2024.

1) Keep your Options Open

Roofing is a very seasonal business. When the rain, snow, or hail is falling, you probably have no shortage of leads. However, when the skies clear up, you may find that your phone goes silent. This is why it’s a good idea to have a couple of roofing postcard templates ready to go as the weather dictates. 

For example, you can have one template that speaks explicitly to the needs of people dealing with snow, rain, or hail damage.

For example, an image of a snow-covered or leaky roof may be just what you need to get people thinking about the condition of their roofs in the winter. 

So, this template would be great to send out to the local market during winter. But what about springtime?

This is where a second postcard template comes in handy. To keep the jobs coming in fair weather, have a postcard template that you can deploy in the off-season. For example, spring and summer have been identified as the best time for people to buy homes. 

And what do people need when they list or buy a home? Roof inspections/repairs, of course! For the off-season, think of knocking up a postcard that promotes your roof inspection and repair service.

Maybe include an image of an old, shabby-looking roof to get people to consider the current state of their own roofs. 

2) Use Analytics

Neighborhood or regional analytics can be beneficial in your direct mailing campaign. Using these analytics tools will make your campaign more effective and efficient. 

Suppose you are blindly sending out roofing postcards to the local neighborhoods. In that case, you are probably wasting a good amount of money. On the other hand, printing and sending mailers aren’t cheap, so neighborhood analytics is essential. 

Don’t send your roofing postcards to new housing developments because they will already have brand-new roofs installed.

Instead, use neighborhood analytics to help you find areas with older homes that are more likely to need some kind of repair. 

You can also check out which areas of your city or neighborhood are most affected by adverse weather. Targeting these areas may yield the best ROI for your direct mailing campaign. 

3) Personalize the Message

As much as possible, make the copy of the postcard personal. Of course, the easiest way to do that is simply using the recipient’s name. But you can also personalize the message. For instance, you can customize the messaging based on the customer’s previous services, i.e., shingle repair.

Think about the everyday roofing needs that follow after their paid service. Or think about the common concerns after they paid for that specific service and tailor your message to those concerns. 

On the other hand, avoid using trickery like printed text that emulates handwriting. People aren’t as susceptible as marketers make it seem. If anything, most people will resent your attempt to trick them and tear your mailer to shreds with a look of disdain and disgust on their faces.

Keep your personalization transparent and straightforward. Of course, you should have records of everyone on your mailing list, including which services they’ve used and inquired about. 

4) Utilize Relevant Imagery

People in a neighborhood with smaller homes probably won’t respond well to roofing postcards with images of decadent estates. However, you will know where the postcards are going in most cases, so make sure your imagery is relatable to the recipients. 

As much as you can, make the homes used in your postcards look like the homes of the people receiving them. For example, many royalty-free image websites feature pictures of residential homes.

The idea is to connect with the recipient by communicating your understanding of their specific needs. For example, suppose the images on your mailer match the style of home they currently reside in. In that case, you create a non-verbal trust indicator.

5) Focus on Text

The text of the postcard is just as important as the images. One tactic that we have seen work for many roofing companies around the country is simply including the name of the city or neighborhood. 

People respond more when they see a local company instead of some faceless, giant national roofing chain. Mentioning the name of the city or neighborhood, or even just mentioning that yours is a local roofing company, will make your company more natural.

The text should be concise and get to the point quickly. Homeowners don’t want to read a novel and are quick to toss your mailer in the recycling bin. To capture their attention, get to your punchline within the first sentence.

6) Include an Offer

It never hurts to include a special offer on your postcard. This immediately gives more value to the piece of paper that consumers get in the mail. Instead of just a piece of roofing mail, they will view it as having value to them, even if it’s not immediate value. 

When an offer is included, people tend to keep postcards around instead of throwing them away. These offers are called calls to action on a digital ad or website promotion, but the same logic applies to mailers.

Homeowners get their fair share of junk mail, making an urgent CTA essential to avoiding a toss into the trash can or recycling bin. Your best chance will be with legitimate offers rather than ones that mislead the homeowner, who may fail to read the fine print.

7) Multi-Channel Roofing Marketing

Roofing postcards are an excellent strategy for marketing your company locally. But for the most effective approach, you have to target your customers everywhere they are. 

Consider professional roofing SEO and digital marketing services so your postcards have a more significant impact.

The numbers don’t lie: roofing postcards and direct mailers should still be a part of your general marketing efforts. However, most homeowners will research your company further by searching its brand name on Google.

As a result, failure to implement SEO and reputation management may negate the impact of your mailers, even if you properly design them. In 2024, multi-channel marketing will foster trust and increase conversions.

But just because direct mailers and roofing postcards are older and conceptually easier to understand than SEO doesn’t mean you won’t hit a creative speed bump.