The question I am asked the most by roofers is which online marketing strategy I prefer and use myself. Do I have a favorite?
Online business is an interesting topic, one that offers many ways to succeed, and just as many ways to work hard and get zero result at all. But one strategy for me seems to produce consistent results over and over again.
This strategy is impervious to changes that Google makes (remind me, and I’ll tell you about their ‘Hummingbird’ algorithm), and attracts many or possibly even most of the leads that flow into my business.
Have you guessed what it is yet? It’s blogging.
Let’s start with some understanding of what a blog is. Wikipedia describes it this way: “A blog (a contraction of the words web log) is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete entries (“posts”). A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic.”
So, it’s a discussion, and it’s information on your website. It can be pictures, text and links to other information. You with me so far?
The web itself was created as a way for people to share information. Almost all buying decisions today start with a search online, and if I asked you how you use the web, this would almost certainly be one of the ways.
When there’s a roof leak, we go online to check the reputation and reviews of roofing companies local to us and then decide who (or who not) to call. A recent decision to switch merchant services companies was thwarted by what was reported on the web about them.
Search engines have made it possible to find stuff related to what you’re looking for by their way of organizing the information, largely around keywords and the context of those keywords (or related synonyms). A blog, combined with email marketing, is the best way I’ve seen to position yourself as an expert and attract clients without really ‘selling.’
So 3 questions for you to ponder today:
- How are you using your roofing blog now to attract ideal clients to your business?
- How should you use your blog to gain more online business success?
- What prevents you from starting?
As someone who looks at a lot of general contractor blogs – for my clients and for those who have not yet become clients, I see people’s understanding of this medium is all over the place.
Some use it well – masterfully even, but most don’t. The most common thing is they start to blog and then fail to follow through.
I follow another guy who has posted to his blog every week for 14 years. It’s easy to do, but the truth is – it’s just as easy not to do. So for many, it doesn’t get done.
So let’s look at some ways I can help you leverage your time with interesting blog topics and gain more online business success.
Archimedes, the Greek Mathematician, once said: “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”
Your blog, done right, can be such a lever.
How To Gain Roofing Leads Through Blogging
I find the key to this is to commit to a schedule and actually add it to your calendar.
You’ll want to build a list of keywords that people use to search for your products and services. Google’s Keyword Planner can help, or there are a variety of other tools to use as well.
Then you’ll want to develop an “ideal client profile” based on demographics and other information you know about who your best customers are.
Then you write something, in first person, to that ideal client – much as if you were sitting across the table from them having coffee. Just share with them information about the things you do and how you do them.
When people buy from you, describe the process they went through. Explain the questions they needed answers to. And in the process, position yourself as a helpful expert.
Now, if you do this just once per week, you’ll start to develop a body of work, and people looking for information about roofing will find it and associate you as a leader in your industry.
If you want to amplify the effects, then use Google Alerts to get notice of news happening in the market and write short curated posts to tell me about the news and why it’s relevant.
Now’s where we bust out our lever and move the world…
Your ideal client probably participates in groups, reads forums, reads other contractor blogs, etc. They probably are on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, among other social sites.
What if I told you that, with some simple and mostly free technology, you could instantly share your news and blog posts with people who are looking for it, right now?
Well, you can – I do it regularly and the effects are more than powerful. With tools like I.F.T.T.T. and the Buffer app, you can get huge exposure for your work.
You share, the attraction process begins, and your online business success looks like magic to your competitors.
This is the kind of stuff roofers and I work on together…
So please leave any comments or questions you have below. My team and I will personally respond to your specific needs, goals and situation.
