Digital Marketing Trends for Roofing Contractors to Watch Out For in 2021

"Change is a constant," they say. Every new year, newer technologies and techniques surface. Google and Facebook’s algorithms get updates, and what worked last year won’t work again this year.

And as if the normal annual changes due to innovations and updates weren't enough, the novel coronavirus pandemic has also dramatically impacted the state of online marketing trends for businesses globally.

To stay afloat in these trying times, all businesses, including roofing contractors, must remain on their toes to keep up with marketing trends. Easier said than done, right? Thankfully, there are some tried-and-true techniques to get you started.

With 2021 quickly approaching, here are six digital marketing trends you should watch out for to help you keep up with reaching your marketing goals.

1. SEO And Voice Search

Search engine optimization (SEO) is unarguably one of the core strategies of successful digital marketing. More people today who need to find a business make use of search engines and will most likely patronize one of the businesses that show up on top of search engine result pages.

With the development of voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and others, more people now use voice search when they need to find a business. In fact, 55% of US homeowners own some kind of smart device, and 40% of adults use voice search every single day! So, voice search needs to be a part of your SEO strategy.

Imagine if you live in Missouri, and you require the services of a roofing contractor. You'd probably type "roofing contractor in Missouri" or roofing contractor near me" into google but would probably ask Siri or Alexa, "find me a roofing contractor closest to me."

In other words, how people type questions is much different than how they verbalize them.

So, when writing content on your website, make sure you choose keywords based on the questions people may ask when using the voice assistant on their devices. Doing this can improve your visibility, and in turn, increase your chances of converting.

2. Social Media Features

A recent report from Statista shows that the average internet user spends an average of 144 minutes (almost two and a half hours) on social media daily. While you want to put in the effort to create engaging content for your target audience and build your brand, you also want to take advantage of new trends on some of the popular social media platforms.

Colin Detan of Phoenix Roofing Contractors, says “You can take advantage of new features such as Instagram reels or LinkedIn stories to showcase your recent roofing projects.” They can also be a great way to share reviews from previous roofing projects, as clients can tag you to their posts and easily repost them to your stories or make reels out of them. You can also use the catalog feature on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or even WhatsApp to showcase roofing materials and make it easier for people to contact you.

3. Content Marketing For Visual Search

Content marketing is relatively inexpensive when compared with some other digital marketing strategies. Plus, it gets three times more leads than paid search ads.  Because content is evolving, different forms of content keep gaining traction as newer technologies surface.

Many people today use visual search rather than typing a query into Google. Using appropriately tagged images not only increases your chances of showing up in search, but it also appeals to the searcher. In fact, 62% of younger searchers (Gen Z and Millenials) want visual search capabilities. Roofing contractors can leverage this by using high-quality images tagged with descriptive keywords when creating content.

"Ultimately, adding high-quality, searchable images to your content increases your business' chances of reaching more people.

4. Google Business Listing

As a roofing contractor, you most probably know by now how imperative showing up in the local business listing is and how it increases your chances of converting. If you aren’t sure how important local search is, consider this -  46% of all Google queries are searching for local information.

“Having a geographically defined service area on google business listing increases your chance of showing up when people search for roofing contractors near them. It allows people to gain insight about your business as they can see your address, open hours, reviews, and star ratings left by others.” - Jeff Guthrie of Phoenix Roofing Contractors

Showing up in Google's business listing gives your business an edge over its competitors as people are more inclined to trust a business they've read nice things about and can easily find its location. To ensure the information displayed is correct, you will need to verify your google business listing.

5. AI-Generated Responses for Customer Queries

AI, as in artificial intelligence, is changing the entire face of marketing. For roofing contractors and service-based businesses, AI can help you take your customer service to the next level.

A shocking 82% of customers expect answers to their questions to be “immediate.” Furthermore, 90% of consumers rate immediate responses as incredibly important when it comes to service-related questions.

In the COVID-19 era, as roofing contractors fight for work, your attentiveness and quick response time could be the difference-maker that keeps you above water. AI chatbots are a simple solution to allow your potential customers 24/7 answers to their most pressing service and sales questions.

These AI bots are pre-programmed with responses, and they’re getting better and better at sounding like a human on the other end. Most chat AI services are set up to automate responses but can transfer to a real human in predetermined moments. No matter how you set up an AI response bot, providing immediate answers to questions should be a part of your 2021 strategy.

6. Improved Customer Segmentation

If you’re already segmenting your customers, you’re ahead of the curve. If you aren’t - 2021 is a fantastic time to start. Segmentation is simply the process of breaking your customers into groups so you can market to them more effectively. In today’s highly competitive market, customer segmentation is crucial.

You can segment your customers on a variety of factors. Some of the most popular types of customer segmentation include demographics, high value vs. low value, psychological and behavioral factors, customer status, and more. Segmenting just makes sense since doing so increases your marketing conversions by up to 200%.

As a roofing contractor, you can segment your potential customers into your budget-conscious homeowners and your quality-conscious homeowners. In other words, break your potential customers into those homeowners who are looking for the cheapest roof possible and those who don’t care as much about price but who want the highest quality possible. Why?

Because how you sell your services to these two groups will be dramatically different. You can email, advertise, and personalize all your marketing efforts based on your customer segmentation. Doing so will dramatically improve your marketing and sales efforts. Essentially, by breaking your customers into segments, you can target them and market to them better. 

Final Thoughts on Developing a Marketing Strategy for your 2021 Roofing Business

To keep your roofing business thriving through 2021 and beyond, you have to be proactive with your digital marketing strategy. If you watch out for and take advantage of the six trends above, you should be well on your way to a successful year.

Remember, many roofing contractors are behind when it comes to digital marketing. So, if you can stay on top of what’s trending, you’ll be poised for success. 

Article Courtesy of Jeff Guthrie of Phoenix Roofing Contractors