New World of Roofing with COVID-19

By Greta Bajrami, CEO and founder of Golden Group Roofing.

Millennial roofer entrepreneurs were operating digitally long before the coronavirus pandemic.

The roofing industry is essential. A roof is a need. A need that for many, cannot be ignored. However, many roofing contractors during the crisis of COVID-19 pandemic, received a wakeup call. A wake-up call to innovate and adapt or be lost and forgotten. A wake-up call, because there are still many contractors across America that operate the “old school way.” A way that during COVID-19 was simply not enough.

For some it was easy to adapt to roofing during COVID-19, for others it became a race for survival. How exactly does one innovate and adapt during COVID-19? What works, and what works fast?

This is where I come in. The millennial roofer entrepreneur. The owner of a roofing company that saw digital marketing a long time ago as a way to enter the market, gain the market, and lead the market of residential roofing. Being a millennial entrepreneur in roofing has allowed me to always use technology to gain credibility and elevate the client experiences.

Technology in roofing is beautiful. It allows for a better experience, deeper knowledge, and fewer liabilities. How? Well I’m going to break it down and explain it to you. My goal in doing so? To help you adapt, innovate and ultimately survive COVID-19.

The way you are found.

Are you listed in all online search directories? Are you found on all social media platforms? The free ones are honestly, the best. I call them the major 4: Facebook, Instagram, Google and YouTube. Four platforms, all free, and all powerful to gain clients, lots of clients. How? First, by being listed and active in each one. Creating and posting consistently and keeping a uniform message and vision. Being real and using your voice to reach your clients daily. The better the content, the better the cohesion, the better the free results. You can achieve it all for free. You just have to be willing to take photos and post them, write articles to create a voice that educates and empowers, and be open to letting consumers and others in your industry see you, and I really mean that. They have to be able to see and get to know you.

Your website.

I know what you're thinking, you have one. But do you have the correct one? A website that is generating business for a service provider should be a “beast engine.” In order to bring results, it needs fuel! Sometimes daily! But, at the very least, monthly. Your website should be updated monthly and monitored monthly to keep up with industry trends, and client wants and needs for that particular season. Your website should be fresh and clean. It should be a representation of you and your brand. It should be sensitive to what is happening in the world; think COVID-19. Is the current language on your website speaking to the consumer while keeping in mind the crisis we are in? If it is not, you need a change and you need it fast. My best advice, if your website brings in leads for you, you should have someone monitoring it weekly. Think of it as a person, one that you need to dress and groom daily. A person that you want to represent you daily to the digital world.

Your technological advances.

Think Zoom, Hover and EagleView Technologies. How can we elevate the experience of your clients, while engaging virtually with them. With most clients limiting contact, it’s our job to continue servicing them correctly. The use of technology allows for us to provide the same knowledge, provide the same consultation, and all without contact. At times, Zoom, Hover and EagleView may even achieve a better experience then the traditional sit-down appointment for your client. Why? Because it allows them to engage and be more open than they normally would be if you were across the table. Maybe they are more comfortable because now they can sit in their PJs and have the estimated consultation. Whatever the case may be, technology in roofing is improving the industry and the client experience.

Innovate for you!

Think about what you used to offer for your client, and how you can still offer it digitally. Was there something unique that you did, and how can we still offer it digitally? I’ll share my innovation in the hopes to inspire yours. My company Golden Group Roofing in Westborough, Massachusetts is known for being upfront about our pricing. We believe the consumer should have the price available at their fingertips, and they should know exactly how we calculate their cost. We believe in it so much that we developed a roofing calculator that can calculate their cost from the comfort of their home. They can get a quote on their roofing project within two minutes from the comfort of their home. Our roofing calculator is so precise, that if the client enters the right square footage, the price is 97% accurate.

This is my way of proving to my clients, 100% transparency. How? Well, because I know that it may fall into “the wrong hands” and maybe at times used against me. But that is not what motivates me to innovate. It’s the client! The client now sees me as an innovator and leader of the roofing industry within my community. I am choosing to lead, not follow, choosing to be transparent and make the whole roofing industry better by showing all my cards. No secrets! No more holding price per square foot as a proprietary card. Instead, choosing to share it with the goal to create a market medium, and make the residential roofing industry credible and healthy.

As we face a new way of doing business post COVID-19, I encourage you to adapt to survive. The roofing industry is changing because the consumer is changing. They are the ones that grew up with technology, on Google search, and hang out daily on social platforms. They want transparency, and they seek knowledge. Knowledge that you can provide by adapting and innovating to elevate your customer experience.

Listen to the coffee conversations episode with Greta.