How Roofing Contractors Can Win Repeat Business Through Email, Social Media, and SMS
- Past roofing clients are a goldmine for future business, referrals, and reviews—but only if you continue to engage with them through the right channels.
- Segmenting your client list by service type and date lets you send relevant, timely messages via email, social, or SMS—whether it’s a maintenance reminder or a storm damage check-in.
- Using an all-in-one platform like Surefire Local helps roofing contractors automate and streamline client follow-up, keeping you top of mind long after the job is done.
For a service-based business like a roofing contractor, you should really think about past clients as more than just “old jobs.” They’re loyal advocates. They’re potential new jobs. They’re someone who knows you already and you don’t have to work to build up trust with. The list goes on and on.
You’ve already been on their roof, helped them through insurance claims, maybe even saved their home from further damage after a storm. The hard part is done.
But at the same time, it’s not like someone needs a new roof every year – or at least, they’re not supposed to. How do you maintain contact with these people – not only in a way that makes sense, but in a way that you can leverage to create new business moving forward?
The approach will obviously vary depending on your specific business, but email, social media, and even SMS text messaging will likely be big parts of how you do it.
Whether someone is in need of a minor repair, doesn’t feel like cleaning the gutters this year, or just wants to recommend you to a neighbor, engaging and re-engaging with these people is something you should always prioritize. Getting to that point will require you to keep a few basic things in mind.
Before You Do ANYTHING: Segment, Segment, Segment
But before you actually start to use email, social media, and text to re-engage with your past clients, you need to first understand as much about those past clients as possible. This means segmenting them into a series of groups based on what they have in common – a move that will allow you to reach out to them more effectively, thus increasing the chances that they’ll get in touch with you at all.
Not all past clients are created equally. Assuming this is where a lot of roofing companies in particular make a mistake. Someone who hired you last month for a full tear-off and replacement has very different needs than a client you patched a leak for two years ago.
To make sure that you’re always giving yourself the best chance of reaching the right client with the right message at the right time, segment your clients based on at the very least the service type. You may also want to use the service job date just in case. This will allow you to tailor your outreach, making sure that you’re not trying to send a lot of people a “one size fits all” message that will never really resonate with them.
For example, if a homeowner had a full roof replacement a year ago, you can reach out around the one-year mark with a maintenance reminder. In that case, you might want to say something like “It’s been a year since your new roof went up. Let’s make sure it’s still performing at its best – schedule your free inspection today!”
That’s relevant, timely, and helpful. Compare that to a generic “Need roof work?” email that gets ignored or deleted.
Along the same lines, clients who had emergency repairs after a storm might appreciate seasonal check-ins or reminders about their insurance warranties. Small touches like this show that you’re not just another contractor – they show you care about your quality construction long after the dust settles.
The “E” in Email is for “Education”
Once you’ve segmented your roofing clients into groups so that you know which type of message you’re sending to which people, you can start to use the strengths of each individual format to your advantage. Email, for example, remains one of the most powerful ways to stay in front of past clients – if you manage to do it properly, that is.
Think of your email strategy less like advertising and more like being a helpful neighbor who happens to be a roofing expert. The fact of the matter is that the biggest service you provide – a new roof – is something that people should only need once every few decades if you are as good as you say you are. With that in mind, you don’t just want to use the same sales-driven approach over and over again because it won’t resonate in the way that you hope it will.
Instead of blasting out constant promotions, focus on sharing genuinely useful content. A short note before storm season with tips on how to spot hail damage, or a reminder in the fall to check gutters before the first freeze, positions your company as the local authority. And when that homeowner eventually sees a water spot on the ceiling, who do you think they’re calling?
That’s right – you’ve dramatically increased the chances that when they pick up the phone, the number they remember to call is yours.
When you are sending out these helpful emails, don’t be afraid to include a photo from a recent project or a quick testimonial quote, either. These emails don’t need to be long. You don’t want to overstay your welcome, especially since again most people probably don’t spend too much time thinking about their roof in the first place. Two or three paragraphs, a photo, and a clear call-to-action is often more than enough to re-engage someone who already knows your name.
Exploring the Possibilities of Social Media
Next, you can move onto the wonderful world of social media – something that a lot of roofing companies might not think they need by virtue of the fact that they don’t understand how any type of “social” presence fits into their outreach efforts.
For a “low-tech” business like roofing, it’s understandable to think this way. It makes sense from a certain perspective – but it’s also wrong.
People who’ve worked with you before are likely still following you, even if they don’t interact with your posts often.
Think about it like this. When a client who had their roof replaced two years ago sees your Instagram story about ice dam prevention, or a Facebook post highlighting before-and-after shots from a nearby home, they’re reminded that you’re still active, reliable, and trusted by their neighbors. That familiarity matters in terms of re-engagement.
Along the same lines, encourage your clients to tag you in posts when they talk about home improvements, or share weather damage they’ve experienced. Many of your past clients probably follow local community groups on Facebook – being tagged in those conversations can bring in new leads and reinforce your brand credibility.
Texting: Powerful When Used Properly, Disruptive When It Isn’t
Last but not least, we arrive at text messaging – something that certainly has a better open rate than emails in that they’re harder to ignore, but that comes with a much deeper sense of responsibility as well.
Because texts feel more personal, they’re best used for short, timely, service-oriented messages. This would be an ideal channel to use if you had to send out things like quick check-ins after storms.
If you know a client had roof repairs done last spring, for example, and your area just experienced a big windstorm, a quick message like “Hi [INSERT CLIENT’S NAME], I was just checking in after yesterday’s wind. If you’d like us to swing by and inspect your roof, just reply “YES” and send it off.
Truly, you would be stunned by how effective something seemingly that simple can be. It’s proactive without being pushy, and it shows you’re paying attention.
You can also use texting to remind clients about scheduled maintenance or promote limited-time offers. Anything that is a natural, organic, and logical excuse to reach out – and that lends itself to being a shorter message – is something that you should capitalize on.
Just make sure you’re compliant with texting regulations (these can vary by state, don’t forget) and that clients have opted in to receive messages. You can’t necessarily solicit someone with no thought put into it at all, especially if they may have told you they don’t want you to in the past.
And whatever you do, always take whatever steps you feel you need to avoid overuse. The minute you come off as “pushy” is the minute a past client is probably done with you forever. Two or three texts a season – if that – is usually enough to stay relevant without feeling intrusive.
Consistency is the Key to Long-Term Engagement
As you leverage email, social and text strategies to re-engage with your past clients, remember that consistency is key. Note that as stated, this does not mean FREQUENCY. The more frequently you reach out, the more likely you are to seem pushy – a position you do not want to be in.
Rather, you need to make sure that your messaging is consistent. Every email, social post, or text needs to feel like it’s coming from the same basic place.
That’s one of the many things that Surefire Local was created to help with – allowing you to manage SMS text message marketing, social media management, and even things like content marketing from one place. That allows you to make sure that all variables are accounted for and can help make sure that you’re easily getting the right message to the right (past) customer at the right time – freeing up as much of YOUR valuable time as possible so that you can devote yourself to helping those current clients, exactly as it should be.
If you’d like to find out more information about the email, social, and text strategies that you can use to re-engage with past roofing clients, or if you have any additional questions that you’d like to go over with someone in a bit more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. You can also click here to attend a Surefire Local demo to see how effective the text, email, social, content marketing, and other features can be when they get put to work for you.