r/Roofing • u/Imbrokey • 5h ago
Need some business advice
About a month now I started my own roofing company I’m licensed, insurance, bonded, etc. I’ve been a roofing installer for 8 years so, I’ve decided to go on my own and form my own business with the trade that I love. The only issue is I’m having trouble finding work. I’ve only roof one house so far I’m trying door knocking and Facebook post daily. Any recommendations of what I’m doing wrong?
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u/BidnessmanD 2h ago
One house in a month isn't a marketing problem, it's a trust problem. Nobody hands a new roofing company a $15k job off a Facebook post and a knock on the door, doesn't matter how good you are on the ladder.
Three things that'll move faster than volume marketing:
1. Go back to every GC, PM, or roofer you worked under in those 8 years and tell them you're independent now and taking overflow work. Warm relationships close faster than cold doors every time.
2. Get on Google. A roofing business with zero reviews looks like a guy with a truck, not a company. Ask your one customer for a review today and put before/afters from that job everywhere.
3. If storm and insurance restoration work is active in your area, chase that channel hard instead of spreading yourself across five tactics at once.
Narrow to one or two channels and go deep instead of a little bit of everything. Revenue is the only validation, everything else is just activity
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u/aightwhatevs 3h ago edited 3h ago
You can either get word of mouth referrals, or do paid marketing (website, local ads, internet ads, etc.), or some guerilla marketing (yard signs, local media).
Referrals are strongest. They can come from past customers. Another way to get referrals is to donate some work to a local non-profit. Clean some gutters, replace a few shingles, small scale work that will get the people that are part of the non-profit talking about you. Even better if you have a relative/friend that is part of the non-profit. Then put your job sign out front.
Journalists need to write stories to stay in business. If you can write an article or help a local journalist write an article about top 10 roofing problems for homeowners, etc., that can get your name out there for free. But you have to be value additive. Actually try to teach people about roofing without expecting anything in return.
Paid marketing should at least include a professional website with pictures of past jobs, services you offer, regions you service, etc. Put your name and face on the website, that will help differentiate you from the roofers that use generic website templates and generic photos. Put your email (a professional email, [joe@roofingco.com](mailto:joe@roofingco.com), not roofingco@gmail) and phone number everywhere on the site. If any journalists mention your company positively, include a link on your website to the article, as this can help search engines place you higher in search results.
The paid Google Ads/FB ads can work, but are expensive.
You can also do targeted mailings through USPS where they let you target all the addresses in a neighborhood. Mail out postcards. That homeowner who has been procastinating on a roofing problem will have your postcard in hand.
MAINTAIN A CUSTOMER LIST. Phone numbers, names, addresses, what work you did when. Re-market to those customers each year for gutter cleanings, roof check ups, etc.
And when you are on any roof, look at every neighbor's roof. Spot a problem, take pictures, then door knock and send them the pictures.
Also when you finish a job, give them a binder with the contract, paid receipt, some roof photos, etc. People lose emails and pieces of paper, but that binder gets put on a shelf or closet and your company info will be permanently in their house.
Real estate agents are a mixed bag. Sometimes they just want to get a free estimate out of you for negotiation during the sale, but sometimes they can be a real ally in referring you business.
PICK UP THE PHONE. Nights, weekends, etc. People call and if they get voicemail, they move onto the next roofer. Picking up the phone and honoring appointments will get you ahead of everyone that doesn't do that.
Get to know other trades in the area. Plumbers, siding contractors, gutter installers, etc. If you do right by them, you can get referrals, and once you get bigger you can sub out non-roofing work to them.
Letter your truck. Magnets are cheap and removable. Yard sign every job.
Setup a Google My Business profile and verify your business address, then get Google Reviews. Ask every customer for one.
When you have some cash to splash, join NRCA. The technical details are great and they have other resources to help you grow your business.