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In the ever-evolving landscape of digital advertising, understanding user behavior and strategically crafting campaigns has become paramount. The digital age has presented unique challenges and opportunities for the roofing industry. With advertising ranging from gathering leads to branding your company to educating your customers, it can be hard to determine the best practices and goals to land sales.
Too often, advertising does not direct the consumer to the advertiser’s end goal, making them wary of clicking through to find services. According to Google, the average click-thru rate for banners is 0.06%. And according to a survey from mobile location firm Retale, 60% of clicks on mobile banner ads are mistakes as users encounter the banner ads when checking the news (65%), using social media (50%), playing games (47%), watching videos (45%) and listening to music (45%).
So, if you are engaging in digital advertising, it is critical that you think about what you want from your efforts. Since most advertisers are looking for qualified leads, it is good to start at the end and set goals. Setting a goal of obtaining a certain number of leads per month that can provide a 50% closing rate is a good place to start. Sitting down and understanding what those leads need to look like to convert them to customers is critical in not just developing the advertisement but also selecting online advertising search criteria.
As noted above, the placement of your ads is important. You don’t want just accidental clicks from sports or unrelated websites. You want to find customers who are looking for exterior solutions and truly want to talk to your company. They want to know that they can get valuable information from you to help with their buying decision. In your ads, let them know if they click now and provide their information, they will receive something they need.
The education of the consumer is valuable in gaining trust, which moves them through the buying process to eventually become a customer. If they feel you are providing information to help in the decision-making process, they will be more likely to trust the company and the salesperson. Another offer is to provide the opportunity to inspect the roof in question. If they know they need a roof, but they don’t want the hard sell, a roofing company that says that up front can be very appealing. Tell them you can provide the inspection and offer various solutions from simple repairs to value-added replacements. But let them know up front.
In developing the ads, straightforward advertising can make a significant difference, but clever, fun advertising can also gain the click if the consumer knows why they are clicking. Providing downloadable content (white papers, case studies or product information) is a terrific way of pulling in customers to start the buying process. Here are some pointers:
1 - Create content for real people based on questions they ask
Track questions that you receive every day on the phone and during sales calls. Write them down and then commit the answers to a document. A potential educational piece could be offering, “Top twenty roofing questions you may be scared to ask.” Create an online digital ad that reflects that they can get the answers without needing to ask. Then on your landing page, again explain that it is ok to not know all the answers because your company is there to help them. They download the top twenty questions and then your sales team follows up on the information you shared with them. It is just one example but as you develop informational pieces for your potential customers, make it something that takes care of their pain and helps them get to the answers they need.
2 - Create the types of content people want and search engines love
Educational information is what people are looking for and search engines love it. Education is key for any consumer today. Just talking about how great your company or product is does not work. They want to understand what the best solution is. It is not always about price but if it is, they want to know they are getting the best value not just rock-bottom pricing that can turn into an unpleasant experience. An educated and happy consumer not only becomes your customer, but they fill out positive reviews and make referrals. The more meat and the less fluff that you put out there the better.
3 - Solve the pain
When the roof is leaking, there is pain. When a homeowner is trying to sell their home and they need a new roof fast, there is pain. Determine what is causing your customers’ pain and advertise the solution directly. “Trying to sell your home and need a roof inspection? Click for a 24-hour inspection.” Make it simple so it grabs attention and solves the pain.
4 - Look at your timing
Getting qualified leads is usually about getting in front of the customers at the right time. When they are googling roofing, or looking at exterior remodeling online, you can start finding customers that are ready for your services. Customers also like to know that they will get immediate attention from knowledgeable representatives when they take the time to click on your ad and provide their information.
5 - Have some fun
Be human. And maybe even a little funny. Try it. Who knows, your audience might love it. Most of all use common sense. You are a consumer too, what would make you click?
One of the most important parts of digital advertising is to be sure that your message is consistent throughout the process. Whatever messaging you use to entice the click must be repeated on the landing page where they fill out the form to get more information. It is crucial that you don’t just send them to your home page and have them search your site for that free inspection. You need a page dedicated to the free inspection that entices them to fill out the form and read the information.
Customer service and sales need to understand where the lead came from and use the same verbiage and messaging that was in the ad and on the landing page. If your sales team does not know about the exclusive offer or downloadable article, they will look less trustworthy to the potential customer. Everyone is afraid of being scammed so be sure consistent messaging is strong across the board.
Finally, follow through. Deliver what you say you will deliver in the ad and make it timely. If they are looking for that 24-hour inspection be sure to deliver. Word will spread and we all know at the end of the day, referrals from friends and family are what really drive continued and scalable sales.
Once you have generated leads from your digital advertising efforts, it is time to unlock the power of ProFund, a sales tool designed to give you everything you need to close that Sale.
With its features like lead validation, lead scoring, and analysis of peer transactions, you can better understand your customer's buying decisions and win their business. Make every sales appointment count with a comprehensive Scouting Report of their property.
The tool also includes appointment automation to nurture your leads effectively and monitor sales performance.