At this point, it probably feels like everyone you know has a Facebook or some kind of social media account. And the facts don’t lie – Facebook has over 1 billion active users every day and those people are not only using the platform as a means of communication, but as a way to search and connect to businesses and services.

Read: How to get roofing leads on Facebook

It may not seem practical to maintain an active social media feed with associated roofing social media posts when running your roofing business digitally – and you may not see the point, either. How many of your customers are finding you on Facebook or Twitter? Probably not many.

Having an active social media presence isn’t all about attracting customers – it’s about how you use those channels to communicate with your target audience.

It’s Like Having a Second Website

If you don’t have the resources to constantly update your website content, maintaining a Facebook Page is an easy way to make updates, share before and after photos, customer testimonials, and other professionally-related content that will drive interested parties back to your website or to contact you.

[Social Media] offers a free, easy-to-maintain online presence for people to discover and learn about a business. They work across desktop, mobile and tablets without requiring any extra configuration, and contain complete information about a business. They also offer tools to create videos, photos and events that bring a business’ story to life.” [source]

When potential customers are conducting research, your social media channels can help them make informed decisions on whether your business is a good fit for them. Make sure that your social media accounts have links back to your website, as well as a way to contact you. You can also ask your employees if they are willing to Like and Share posts from the page for more reach.

It Makes You More Searchable

When a potential customer is searching online for a professional roofer, they will likely use keywords or long-tail questions (“how do I know if I need a roofer to fix a leak?”) in their search, in addition to recommendations.

As a business website, you may choose to supplement your website SEO with paid advertising through Google or Bing. According to RoofingCalc,

“The companies that come up at the top of the search, often pay for their placement, which means that top rankings in Google are not necessarily a reflection of their quality as roofing contractors.”

Making sure you are ranking at the top of Google Searches is an involved process, that uses factors including the content on your page (keywords), and how often your site is updated. However, you don’t need to pay for Google Advertising to get your business at the top of the search.

While social shares may or may not affect a web page’s position in search listings, your social profiles definitely influence the content of your search results. In fact, social media profiles are often amongst the top results in search listings for brand names. [source]

The more relevant content you can include on your website and social media channels, the more likely you are to be found via search engines. If you have the resources, consider starting a blog, or linking to industry-related articles that customers might find useful on your social media channels – this will increase the likelihood of your content being found.

Social Media Can Be Humanizing

Sharing photos, customer testimonials, and industry articles are a great way to show your professional expertise, but don’t forget that social media is also a platform for pulling back the professional curtain. Does your business support a local charity? Are you proud when a member of your company wins and award, or has a milestone event in their life?

Share it!

Customers will see that not only do you value your work, but you value your people, and that humanizing effort can go a long way in building trust in your brand and your business.

Responding to Comments Starts Conversations

Social Media is a great place to begin a dialog with potential customers. Sharing relevant industry articles or blog posts, photos of your work, customer testimonials and company charities or events can provide the jumping off point for someone to ask as question or make a comment.

By responding to these communications, your business presents as contactable, as well as interesting and knowledgeable.

You Don’t Have to Post Every Day

It’s ok! You don’t need to post EVERY day to maintain an active social media account and successful roofing marketing strategy. Determine what content is worth being shared and how that content affects your target customers. As long as your posts remain topical, human, and professional, you’ll see that in this case, quality can trump quantity.

We’re the industry’s #1 roofing software. AccuLynx is designed to help contractors see their business more clearly and communicate better — there’s nothing to download or install — you just log in and get to work.