How I Found a Roofing Contractor — Without Using Google
The following article appeared in the May 2 issue of my newsletter. I’ve received responses from people who agree and disagree with my argument, so I’m posting the article — and responses — here.
You would think finding roofing contractors would be pretty easy. I thought so, until I typed “Roofing Contractors, Plaistow NH” into Google and came up with less than stellar results.
“Hmmmmm,” I thought. I tried a few more search phrases and still couldn’t find listings for roofing companies that did work in or near my town.
(Almost every single listing went to the online yellow pages.)
I’m one of those crazy people that actually keeps a telephone directory on hand, so I flipped open the pages to “roofing contractors” and hit the jackpot in terms of finding companies who do business in my area.
But, I’m also a firm believer in the effectiveness of online marketing and new media, so I was surprised to see the plethora of ads in the phone directory.
Why? Many of my neighbors ignore their directories or throw them away.
Days after they are delivered, I see them languishing, water logged and dirty, by the roadside mailboxes where they were dropped by the delivery person or residing in recycling bins on trash day.
Radio ads and word of mouth also prove effective
Before consulting the phone directory, I already had two roofing companies on my “short list”: CTBA Siding and Roofing and Absolute Roofing.
CTBA I had heard about via “interruption marketing” — aka the radio. Talk show host Michael Graham of WTKK Boston endorses them. “The great thing about CTBA,” gushed Graham a few weeks ago, “is that I found only two nails in the grass after they left, and when I told the project foreman, he was embarrassed I had found those two.”
(When I called CTBA to set up the appointment, the receptionist said, “Yes, Michael Graham has been very good to us.”)
Absolute Roofing, on the other hand, is quite visible in my town. I’ve seen their trucks everywhere, and plus, my next-door neighbors know the owner of the company and highly recommended him. “Excellent,” as Mr. Burns would say.
Alas, actually finding a way to contact the company proved difficult. Absolute lacked a phone directory listing and a Website. I knew where one of the crew parked his truck every night, so I ended up driving to the guy’s house in order to get the phone number off the side of the truck!
When I mentioned that I couldn’t find his company in the directory, the Absolute guy replied, “The phone directory is a waste of money. I get all my jobs from referrals.”
Long story short — “Old rules” aren’t dead but . . .
Roofing contractors — or any type of service business that relies on a “considered purchase” by consumers or businesses — should definitely consider multiple marketing tactics, including an optimized Website, in order to ensure their message is heard or seen by more than a few people.
Obviously, radio and Yellow Pages advertising aren’t dead, as evidenced by my experience, but how many leads — especially leads from commercial businesses needing a new roof? — are roofing companies losing by not having a Website?
When developing a Website, roofing companies should consider the following tips. The Website should:
Be optimized for the towns and states in which they do business. A roofing contractor can develop optimized landing pages for each specific town and include photos / success stories from recent jobs in that town and customer testimonials — making it easier to find the company via search engines.
Include sections for residential and commercial work if applicable. A couple of the contractors who gave me estimates also do projects for commercial buildings. A separate section of the Website should feature information that companies need in order to hire the right roofing contractor.
To save consumers and businesses time, Websites should state the company’s license number, the amount of insurance for various projects, any certifications, if the company is a member of the Better Business Bureau, etc.
Answer unspoken questions. The contractors who visited my home threw around a lot of lingo — “ridge vent,” “soffit,” “boards,” etc. A Website for a roofing contractor should also include information about the roofing process and explain all terms as well as the process itself, and any state mandated regulations. (For example, it’s against code in New Hampshire to have more than two layers of shingles on a roof.)
Include “new media” technologies. This is where video would be perfect. I’d love to see short videos of why or when a roof needs replacing, common problems roofers encounter and how they fix them, and an explanation of the different types of materials used.
Be professional looking and complete. Having a URL with an “under construction” sign is useless — as is having blank pages that state the same thing.
Although I did end up finding a roofing contractor — without benefit of Google — it would have saved me considerable time if each contractor who gave me an estimate had an optimized Website that included the information listed above.
What do you think? Should “offline” companies such as roofing contractors have a Website? Can they benefit from “new marketing” tactics?
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Dianna,
Your article points out the serious mistake that many small independent service companies are making.
What if your roofing company had a simple website with local search optimization? You would have found them immediately and your search would be over.
You are certainly correct about the yellow pages and telephone directories. They now get recycled the same day they’re delivered. I haven’t used a phone directory in five years.
Website marketing is the least expensive mode for advertising. If a company can afford radio and/or TV, then they should use it… as long as it fits their business model.
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Hi Diana,
I just had to respond to today’s newsletter. I too am looking for a new roofing contractor. I already have someone who has done work for us in the past, but I am also looking for additional quotes just to be competitive.
Like you, I have always started my research in the comfort of my own home, searching the Internet. I am constantly amazed by how few small service oriented companies (like contractors or builders) take advantage of the Web for marketing.
It seems like I am forever doing house projects and searching the Internet for professionals to help, but it is pretty rare that I find sites that adequately convey the professionalism of the company.
One tool I have found is the Better Business Bureau Web site http://welcome.bbb.org/. Once you find your local site you can actually fill out a quote request. Then all the companies come to you through emails and phone calls.
It isn’t a perfect solution by any means because some of the contractors I have met with through this service are not very professional. But, it is a start. And sometimes through emailing someone I will learn that they do actually have a site where I can learn more about them.
The problem as I see it is that, as you encountered with the one person who said he got clients through referrals, many business owners still don’t totally understand the need for a Web presence.
I wonder it we are in the minority and if the majority of people looking for a contractor don’t use the Internet, but rather small local papers and phone books as their source of business?
Still the cost of a simple brochure Web site is miniscule compared to print and phone book ads. It is a bit puzzling.
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Dianna,
So true!!
I find it astounding how few traditional contracting type businesses are findable online. We put up a cleaning company website up 2 weeks ago and because they had no online competition they have a handful of new clients already. I just want to beat my head against the wall.
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I would love to see a definitive survey showing how residential contractors get their leads. I would bet the sources are, in this order:
1–Customer referrals.
2–General word of mouth.
3–Yellow Pages.
4–Local radio spots.
5–Signage (numbers on trucks, signage on lawns of homes they are working on).
6–Professional referrals (from other contractors, e.g., an electrician recommending a plumber).
7–Online search — a distant last and insignificant.
I think most people ask their neighbor or look in the Yellow Pages.
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Dianna,
Your roofing contractor story resonated with me, though it was a carpet cleaning service in my case.
I had the same online experience of being referred to the online yellow pages all over Arizona. I found national carpet cleaning service franchise information with local listings, but it wasn’t until I went to the trusty local phone book that I found “Bob” who had a half page ad detailing three levels of cleaning services that answered all my questions.
I am really happy with the work as I sip the last of my morning coffee and get ready to move furniture back into the rooms. Bob told me that most of his customers don’t find him, or even think of looking for him, electronically, but he gets tons of business with the $30 discount he offers for mentioning his directory ad. He says he gives enough discounts to know the ad works for him.
Apparently there are some basic services that don’t yet have a model that’s efficient enough for the providers to invest in technology.
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I absolutely agree that for ANY business, a website these days is at the very least, a virtual business card. However, for many home repair and maintenance companies, associations like Angie’s List (www.angieslist.com) comprise a large percentage of their referrals. I also know a number of businesses like these belong to networking groups like BNI, where they make out like bandits. So while I’d always advocate a website, and agree that Yellow Pages are all but obsolete, there are many good marketing tools for these offline businesses.
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Toddie — I agree about using networking groups for referrals.
However, a Website is a great tool to have; it helps explain and sell your service. I know with one of my clients, people go to her Website even though they get WOM referrals. The Website is what convinces them to call her.
And, as I pointed out in my article, how many leads are you losing by NOT having a Website?
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:10 pm
I definitely think offline companies should have a Website. For many people, the computer is at hand all day, and they are used to searching on it whether that’s for YouTube videos, directions, or for files on their own hard drive. When they need to have their ‘fingers do the walking’, therefore, it has become almost second nature to look for a local business on line. People for whom computer use is ubiquitous, don’t think phone book. That’s a Plan B, maybe even a Plan C if they’d rather call a friend and ask if they know of a purveyor of a service they need.
For instance, when I want to find a local restaurant, I go online. It might even take me longer to search than using a phone book, but the computer is more familiar and it is near me. If I don’t find a phone number easily, specials, and a menu, I feel frustrated. And if the site is poor, I feel disgust for the management. If there is no site, I probably won’t choose that restaurant.
As an aside, let me say also, the online phonebook listings never fail to disappoint.
Thanks for the chance to voice my thoughts.
May 4th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
We put a new roof on our house last summer, so it’s still fresh in my mind.
I didn’t even consider starting my search on the web. I know from experience there’s nothing there. My wife and I also listen to Michael Graham, and had we heard about CTBA then, we would have called.
As it is, we saw a house being roofed near us, liked it, and called the contractor. A few years before we used the yellow pages to find someone to do some minor roof repair, and remembered the ones who even bothered to call us back, and nobody approached the helpfulness and non-pushiness of the people we chose to do the new roof, so it was pretty easy.
This year there are a few more people in our neighborhood ready for roofs, and they’re asking us what we thought of the people who did ours.
I think that with things we perceive could be a major disaster if done wrong (like a roof, a home addition, etc.) it’s so much the person and known, verifiable history that makes it feel safe to hire them.
It may be helpful to have some info on a website (the things you mention would be great, but they’re mostly available on the sites from the roofing materials manufacturers, and the roofing contractors often send you to those sites) but I’m thinking that most of these guys would have a really rough time paying for a site and the maintenance on their margins. And the competition is tough.
May 5th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Many, many times I find local providers of various services in my town newspaper or the actual Verizon Yellow Pages. (Not the cheesy wanna-be Yellow Pages … those I do throw away).
Plumbers, roofing folks, locksmiths and etc. — all of those kinds of folks should definitely have a decent local paper/Yellow Pages ad PLUS the web site you suggest. A one-page “info” site would be fine!
Someone once said that a business doesn’t have to do EVERY kind of advertising but it does have to do SOMETHING. That seems really true to me for the kind of businesses you’re talking about here.
So many of ‘em refuse to spend a-n-y regular money on marketing.
How do they think people new to town — perhaps without anyone to ask for a referral — will find them?!
May 5th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Spongebob — Nice to see you on my blog!
Regarding referrals, I would also add that not everyone even knows their neighbors.
I know the neighbors to the left of me — and we talk frequently — but I have no clue who lives on the other side of me.
I used to know the neighbor in back — only because our dogs were friends
— but she moved away. Now I have no idea who lives there.
May 5th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Am I the only one who hates referrals? I mean, I love them when they work out … when it goes very smoothly and an appropriate new client comes easily on board. That feels great!
But sometimes there’s a mis-match or the referral isn’t really a good fit for whatever reason. That probably doesn’t come up much in roofing or lock-smithing, but I have had a couple of those experiences over 20 years and it can definitely be a bit awkward.
I think referrals are tougher in a highly-personalized service business than in the trades.
Speaking of the trades, here’s a weirdie … Last week, a neighbor asked if I knew of a good plumber. I do, and gave her his name. She called him, and he said he’d call her in a day or two. Then, sadly and unexpectedly, his son had a major health issue. I don’t know if he has followed up with my neighbor, and I don’t want to ask. I also don’t want to tell her about his son. Under the (admittedly unanticipatable) circumstances, I wish I had just directed her to the Yellow Pages.
And I’m usually a big refer-er – just feel a little bad on this one.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Sponge — Actually, I prefer referrals. As to your plumber and friend, it’s not your fault how it ended up. You referred the plumber in good faith. I wouldn’t feel bad about it at all.
May 15th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I’m having a hard time perceiving any company as truly “offline” in this day and age. Your article proves it: if a prospect is going to search for you online, you need to be findable online. Period.
The Absolute Roofing guy who relies on referrals is missing the point completely. How many of his prospects would drive around town like you did looking for a truck with his phone number on it?
Here’s a story about referrals. A client of mine has an “offline company.” One of his regular customers, let’s call her Pam, has been raving about his company to her friend, let’s call her Phyllis, for months if not years.
I secured an article in a local newspaper about the client, which Phyllis happened to read. She finally decided to try my client’s company, even though Pam has told her repeatedly to make that call.
It’s not that Phyllis didn’t trust Pam’s recommendation, but that extra bit of credibility convinced her to become a customer.
That credibility can come in the form of an informative and professional web site, positive editorial coverage, an expert endorsement, or something else entirely. However, there’s no company I’m aware of that doesn’t need credibility!
What do you think of this “referral gap?”
What happens if a close friend recommends you read a popular self-help book? Probably nothing. But what if you then read a book review or an interview with the author confirming your friend’s opinion that this book will be valuable to you?
May 15th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
K-Love — I am seeing the exact same thing with my client, Dr. Smith (dentist). She told me this great story of how a woman works across the street from her office. The woman asked her boss to recommend a dentist — and he recommended Dr. Smith.
The young woman then went online and searched Google for local dentists — and found Dr. Smith’s site. Only after she read Dr. Smith’s site did she come in for a consult!
The woman told Dr. Smith it was the Website that got her to come in, not the referral.
Dr. Smith says this happens all the time.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Actually, it was the referral. no?
I mean, what if the boss had never mentioned Dr. Smith?
(It seems to me that the truth is that there is no “silver bullet” – there are so many options that businesses/businesspeople just have to choose a few they like and/or believe will be good for them, and experiment with those.)
June 11th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Lest anyone mistake this informative article as a testimonial for CTBA, let me state that having a website, radio ads, and e-mail does not, sadly, distinguish them from other local roofing contractors in terms of dependability. I won’t go into anecdotal specifics as those are not appropriate for this site, let’s just say that just because a firm has a web site with its phone and e-mail contacts doesn’t mean they actually use them.
Seriously, why go on the web if you’re not staffed to take the phone and e-mail traffic – doesn’t that do more harm than good to your rep?
June 11th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Disgruntled — I didn’t say that having these things makes them better than other roofing companies — only that having them made them stick out in my mind. That’s the job of advertising.
It’s the job of the customer service dept. to actually *answer* the phone and the job of the foreman/president/etc to make sure the work actually gets done.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I did not use CTBA, so this post wasn’t a testimonial for them.
June 12th, 2008 at 3:39 am
Hi Dianna,
Didn’t mean to imply you were, but noticed your site comes up high on the list when searching for the company.
Let me put in a plug for the good old fashioned marketing tool of putting a sign in the yard when working on a house. I notice a house on the next street having some work done – I think I will take note of that sign. It will be attempt number 9 to find someone to do the job. Yellow pages, web, radio, and large local company with name prominent on shiny red trucks — methods which worked for me when finding other contractors — have not worked out for roofers.
I admit that since I use the web for everything else, I’d like to be able to find a roofer or lawn mower repair seveice on the web, where before these would be more yellow-page candidates.
August 14th, 2008 at 4:48 am
Any Home Improvement is a complex combination of elements, the success of which depends on the quality of materials, installation and over-all construction.
There are many ways to start your search for the contractor who meets your individual needs. Referrals are obviously the best source for names of credible companies. Ask friends and family members who they have used in the past.
Contact your local Chamber of Commerce about contractors who are active in the community. The Better Business Bureau, state and local licensing authorities, local trade associations and your local yellow page directory are also excellent sources of information. As well as local suppliers of building products.