After a big storm, the phone starts ringing off the hook. That’s no surprise because roof damage or the potential for more damage creates soaring demand for your roofing services. Then it’s hard work to complete as many jobs as you can before your competitors. That’s until the weather changes and with blue skies ahead, the phone grows silent and sales slow. That’s when savvy roofing company marketers start sending more roofing mailers.
What would be really nice is a steadier flow of business. With a more predictable and ongoing flow of sales leads, it gets a lot easier to keep your crew busy all year long. With over 50,0000 independent roofing companies in the U.S., you’ve got to find a way to stand out.
That’s why so many successful roofing company marketers use roofing mailers, especially postcards. Not only are roofing postcards one of the best ways to generate leads and close sales, direct mail helps you track your marketing campaigns with more precision, adjust your marketing tactics as the weather changes, promote your business to specific targeted areas, and can even help you generate revenue after a sale. Here’s how
With direct mail you can:
- Precisely target specific homeowners and neighborhoods with customized messaging for those most likely to buy now and for others who might be ripe for a sale in the weeks and months ahead
- Adjust copy and design to meet specific tactical needs and send postcards as needed, when needed, with just a few clicks using the Postalytics platform
- Measure results so you can be more confident that you know what works and what doesn’t
- Even out demand to help maintain a successful business whether it rains or shines
Roofing mailers generate more sales leads and lower your costs
You know better than me that most homeowners don’t think much about the roof unless you catch them at a time when there’s damage. Or there may be another reason why a roof is top of mind. For example, someone might buy a new home in an older neighborhood with an older roof. But for any homeowner, a roof represents a major investment. It’s certainly not an impulse buy, so it’s easy to simply procrastinate and avoid thinking about it.
If you use hit-or-miss marketing tactics such as advertising in newspapers or using media such as radio or TV, you never really know what works and what doesn’t. That makes it hard to find the winning formula that gets you a steady and consistent flow of leads at the lowest possible cost. Most roofers who use direct mail find that using two different strategies work well together.
A two-prong approach: The right messaging to the right target
In the old days of direct mail marketing, it was difficult enough to create and execute a direct mail program based on one audience and one message. The ability to quickly adapt and use multiple messages for different audiences wasn’t very practical. Not only was the process agonizingly slow when you wanted to mail a postcard right away, high print run minimums that required mailing to thousands of people made sending a small mailing way too expensive to deliver a good return on your investment.
That’s all changed with Postalytics. With our platform you can set up a variety of postcard templates with varying messages — even with personalized copy and images — that are relevant to specific needs. The platform makes it easy to schedule mailings in advance, even in small quantities, or quickly send a postcard as needed.
Even if your direct mail strategy requires mailing only a few roofing postcards at a time, the cost per piece for printing and mailing isn’t all that much higher than if you sent thousands at once. And there’s no need to search for mailing lists because Postalytics includes a wide range of lists you can use immediately – no waiting. You can select from a wide range of demographic characteristics or choose to mail to specific neighborhoods based on address.
Many contractors who are successful using roofing postcards have at least two different types of postcards already pre-designed and ready to mail when needed.
One postcard features a message and design that works well just after a storm. Because it’s already designed as a template, you can mail it almost instantly to quickly get leads from homeowners whose roofs have been damaged. Here’s an example:
But this postcard certainly wouldn’t be very compelling if there hadn’t been a recent storm. So you might have another mailer ready that focuses more on being prepared, perhaps tips for preventing roof damage. That will resonate strongly with some homeowners.
For example, when an older home with an older roof has been sold, the new owner might seriously be considering a new roof. Or another homeowner might begin to think about a new roof or repairs for other reasons. Perhaps a recent inspection revealed some defects. For this audience, a postcard like this would be more appropriate:
As you can see, this type of postcard focuses more on a “what might happen” angle. That’s a far different approach than the more immediate “what just happened” messaging suitable for a recent weather event — when a roof is more of an emergency than merely a good idea.
You use a wide variety of creative templates with Postalytics. To send a mailing, pick one, choose your list, and send your mailing – even if it’s only a few postcards – with just a few clicks.
How to customize roofing mailers to get higher response
The more relevant you can make your postcard, the more likely it is you’ll see excellent results. Not only can you boost response rates, but also generate higher quality leads that offer a better chance at turning into a sale. For postcards sent just after a storm, for example, you can have several templates ready – one for winter storms, another for summer storms, as we’ve already shown.
You can also take advantage of precise list segments. With Postalytics, you can select specific neighborhoods that might be most impacted by recent weather. And because you can act quickly, your postcard will be in the mail before most other roofers, giving you an edge at landing the business.
But when the weather is nice, plenty of roofers successfully use mailers to generate leads from homeowners who decide, “yes, it’s time for a new roof.” Just be sure you’re precise about which neighborhoods are best candidates, such as areas with older homes. Sending postcards into new developments built in the last few years probably wouldn’t be very productive.
A ripe market: New owners of older homes
Some people who buy new homes already know the roof is in rough shape. When they move in, many want to get a new roof right away. Again, you’ll want to test specific neighborhoods. After all, some neighborhoods with older homes are in high demand and command high prices. Others may be more run down. Customizing your message based on neighborhood can boost your response rate.
As an example, compare one mailing sent to two different groups that performs okay when sent to both. But if the copy and design is adapted and the only difference is that the image of the home seems more relevant to the neighborhood, each segment could generate higher response as shown here:
| Mailing | General message | Customized for neighborhood A | Customized for neighborhood B |
| Quantity mailed | 2,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Cost (at 80 cents per postcard) | $1,600 | $800 | $800 |
| Response rate | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Responses | 80 | 60 | 60 |
| Cost per response | $20.00 | $13.33 | $13.33 |
Sending a more relevant postcard – even if you just change the image – reduces your cost per response by 33%!
But it gets even better! It’s likely that a more targeted mailing will generate higher quality leads, which in turn can boost your closing rate. Let’s say that you can increase your close rate from 15% to 20%. Now the two scenarios look like this:
| Mailing | General message | Customized for neighborhood A | Customized for neighborhood B |
| Quantity mailed | 2,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Cost (at 80 cents per postcard) | $1,600 | $800 | $800 |
| Response rate | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Responses | 80 | 60 | 60 |
| Cost per response | $20.00 | $13.33 | $13.33 |
| Close rate | 15% | 20% | 20% |
| Sales | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Cost per sale | $133.33 | $66.66 | $66.66 |
Add in a higher close rate and you’ve now cut your cost per sale in half! Plus you’ll save time not visiting homeowners who aren’t all that ready to take action.
Even better, you can continue to send roofing mailers to those homeowners who have expressed interest, but weren’t yet ready to seal the deal.
Let’s say you can send those 96 leads in the two groups who didn’t make a decision 5 more postcards – a total of 480 – over the next few weeks. Remember, with Postalytics you can send even one postcard at a cost that’s not much more than if you sent thousands all at once. Those 480 postcards might cost a total of $384 at 80 cents each. Even one or two additional sales from that initiative would that very worthwhile. And you can automate that process so you don’t have to remember to send follow-up mailings.
The right message: Essential to roofing postcard success
The most successful roofing mailers are those that grab attention with relevant headlines and images. Here are some tips:
- Make it clear you’re a local resource and not some unfamiliar national chain
- Use the prospect’s name on your postcard. People like to see their name, and with Postalytics you can automate precise personalization
- Make a good offer. Your offer will drive your response – make it a strong one (free, savings, etc) that is designed for the specific audience you’re targeting
- Use imagery appropriate to the neighborhood. Once again, with Postalytics, you can automate your program to adapt image to neighborhood. Prospects will pay more attention to postcards with images that look like their own homes.
- Track responses by using a unique code that homeowners can use if they call or visit your site to take advantage of your offer. That way you’ll be able to quickly see what works and what doesn’t.
Looking ahead: Follow up after the sale
You’ve generated a quality lead, made the sale, completed the job, and you’ve been paid. Don’t stop marketing now!
True, a new roof may not be in the picture for many many years, but it’s surprising how many customers will be happy to give you a good review on a local website or even refer you to others if you send a “thank you” card, perhaps something like this:
All you have to do is ask – and that’s another easy and automated task made simple when you use Postalytics to send direct mail that works, saves you time, and steadies your workflow so you can grow your business.