How to generate more roofing leads: 5 most popular methods

Being a roofer and owning a roofing company is difficult work. In fact, it’s the eighth hardest job in the world, according to Career Addict. While most people might think of physical roofing work, roofers also face a more subtle challenge: attracting clients.

How to generate roofing leads: Focus on customer referrals (36% of leads), social media advertising (10%), search engine advertising (10%), local advertising (8%), and online review sites (7%)—with customer referrals being the most effective source according to our survey of 100+ U.S. roofing companies.

Top 5 Roofing Lead Generation Methods:

• Customer Referrals — 36% of leads
• Social Media Advertising — 10% of leads
• Search Engine Advertising — 10% of leads
• Local Advertising — 8% of leads
• Online Review Sites — 7% of leads

Roofing companies have many services, so why is getting more clients so hard?

One of the biggest problems is that most customers don’t use roofing services often. Even if you have a solid customer base, few customers use your roofing services more than once a year.

With that in mind, your roofing business must constantly incorporate new customers with leads.

We surveyed over 100 companies in the United States to find out which advertising methods have the best ROI. In this post, we’ll show you the marketing methods that generate the most leads for your roofing business.

Let’s dive right in!

What Are Leads for Roofing?

In business, a “lead” is someone who interacts with your company and might be interested in your services. A lead is sometimes called a potential customer, prospect, or prospective client. No matter what terminology you use, leads are essential to your roofing business.

When you want to grow your roofing company, you need more leads. That can be challenging, especially when you’re searching for prospects who convert into lifelong customers.

5 Ways to Get Roof Leads

If you’ve found yourself wondering how to generate leads for roofing, you don’t have to guess and hope for the best. With data from 100+ roofing companies across the nation, we’ve done our research to find the best ways for your business to generate more roofing leads.

All you have to do is try out these five marketing methods and see which one brings in the most roof leads.

1. Customer Referrals—36% of Roofing Leads

Customer referrals are the number one option if you’re wondering how to get free roofing leads.

In our research, we discovered that an average of 36% of a roofing company’s leads come from customer referrals. That’s over ⅓ of your potential leads!

While it’s no surprise that satisfied customers often return to your business, they can help your roofing company even more by recommending you to others.

Think about who your customers interact with: their friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers. When a homeowner tells potential customers about your services, they’re spreading brand awareness for your roofing company.

Additionally, between 79 and 85% of those potential clients trust the referral and will keep your roofing business in mind.

How to Ask for Referrals

1. Ask for referrals at the right time—immediately after completing a successful job when customer satisfaction is highest.
2. Make it easy by providing customers with business cards or a simple link they can share.
3. Follow up with a thank-you call or email one week after project completion and politely request a referral.

Creating a Referral Program

1. Offer incentives such as gift cards, discounts on future services, or cash rewards for successful referrals.
2. Create clear program guidelines that explain how customers earn rewards.
3. Track referrals in your CRM to ensure you follow up and reward customers promptly.

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2. Social Media Advertising—10% of Roofing Leads

With over 4.48 billion users worldwide, social media has a broad reach that lets roofing companies gain new clients. Based on our survey results, social media advertising accounts for 10% of all roofing leads.

You might want to try popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. These social media platforms let you create custom ads and advertise them to the people who are most likely to use your services.

Getting Started with Facebook Ads

Facebook is a particularly powerful social media platform for roofing businesses. If you’re considering how to get roofing leads on Facebook, try:

• Creating and boosting ads
• Sharing promotional offers
• Posting amazing “before” and “after” pictures
• Host a roofer Q&A by having customers send in roofing questions and answer them

3. Search Engine Advertising—10% of Roofing Leads

In our one-of-a-kind survey, search engine advertising ties with social media advertising for 10% of a roofing company’s leads.

When potential customers need a roofing service, one of the first things they’ll do is search online. Consider advertising your roofing business on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo! to help you generate more roofing leads.

If you use search engine advertising, also known as pay-per-click advertising, your roofing company will show up at the top of the results page. Most customers will look at the first few results, so your company will gain more attention and clicks.

Setting Up Pay-Per-Click Campaigns

1. Create a Google Ads account and set a daily budget you're comfortable with.
2. Research keywords like "roof repair near me" or "roofing contractor [your city]" using Google's Keyword Planner.
3. Write compelling ad copy that highlights your unique selling points (licensed, insured, free estimates).
4. Set geographic targeting to focus on your service area only.
5. Monitor performance weekly and adjust bids based on which keywords convert best.

4. Local Advertising—8% of Roofing Leads

Exposure is one of the best ways to generate leads for roofing projects. When your crew is at a customer's home, neighbors will notice. Why not make the most of the situation with local advertising?

Follow up each roofing project with local advertising. The results from our survey show that local advertising garners 8% of leads. Additionally, radio ads get another 2% of roofing leads.

Types of Local Advertising

Follow up each roofing project with local advertising. Local ads can be:

• Knocking on doors
• Distributing flyers
• Putting up signs (with permission, of course)
• Publishing ads in newspapers or on billboards
• Airing a commercial on local TV or radio stations

Action Steps for Local Advertising

1. Place yard signs at every job site (with homeowner permission) to maximize visibility.
2. Canvas the neighborhood within 48 hours of completing a visible roofing project.
3. Partner with local hardware stores or home improvement businesses for cross-promotion.
4. Sponsor local community events or sports teams to build brand recognition.

If you’re interested in local advertising, regional printers and communication networks can help you start getting the word out.

5. Online Review Sites—7% of Roofing Leads

In our survey, online review sites come in at 7% of leads for roofing companies.

Customer referrals can greatly impact those close to your customer, but online reviews spread the word even further. One happy customer can reach hundreds or even thousands of other potential clients with online review sites.

These review sites are vital for home service businesses like roofing companies. Potential customers can look up your roofing business and find testimonials from past customers. If your roofing prospects like what they see, they’ll view you as one of the best fits for the job.

Building Your Online Review Presence

1. Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile first—it's the most important review platform.
2. Create profiles on Angi, Yelp, HomeAdvisor, and Better Business Bureau.
3. Send automated review requests via email or text within 24 hours of job completion.
4. Respond to all reviews—both positive and negative—professionally and promptly.
5. Feature your best reviews on your website and social media channels.

Generate Leads for Roofing & Grow Your Business

When you want to know how to get roof leads, look no further than these five simple methods:

• Customer referrals
• Social media advertising
• Search engine advertising
• Local advertising
• Online review sites

At JobNimbus, we know these strategies lead to real results. In our recent report, we surveyed roofers across the country to prove these techniques gain the most roofing leads. You might try one method or combine several of them to find what works best for your company.

Whether you want to get commercial roofing leads or more leads in general, the JobNimbus roofing CRM software can help. Our software promotes more growth, more income, and more customers. Contact us today to discuss what our roofing CRM software can do for you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the best way to get roofing leads?

A: Customer referrals are the most effective way to get roofing leads, generating 36% of all leads according to our survey. They cost nothing to acquire and come with built-in trust since they're recommended by someone the prospect knows.

Q: How much do roofing leads cost?

A: Roofing lead costs vary significantly by source. Referrals are free, while pay-per-click advertising can range from $20 to $100+ per lead depending on your market competition. Third-party lead generation services typically charge $20 to $80 per lead.

Q: Are paid roofing leads worth it?

A: Paid roofing leads can be worth it if you track your conversion rates and cost per acquisition. Search engine advertising generates 10% of roofing leads and allows precise targeting, but you should test with a small budget first and scale based on your return on investment.

Book Your Free Marketing Strategy Call!

Learn how to scale your marketing efforts, get found, and win more jobs with JobNimbus Marketing.

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