YouTube Videos Rank Higher in Google

Roofing contractors should use YouTube as much as possible.

Please watch my video podcast about using YouTube for roofing contractors

YouTube (purchased by Google in 2006 for over $1.6 billion) has now become one of the world’s most visited websites. Google indexes those videos and more often than not, you now find YouTube videos appearing on the first page of search results, sometimes outranking aged and established organic listings.

Since there is a clear priority by Google given to YouTube videos and because they are so well received on social media platforms such as Facebook, your roofing company should be taking advantage of all of the benefits.

It is very easy to upload a video to YouTube (accounts are free and simple to set up). Here are the basic steps:

Shoot Your Video

Create a short, content-rich video. Shorter videos are viewed much more frequently (under two minutes is best). Small HD video cameras can now be purchased for just over $100 and include software to upload videos directly through WiFi (or plug into your computer, save and upload the old fashioned way).

Video Name Keywords are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

Include in the name of your video keywords that you expect people searching would use to find information about your services ("roof repair Dallas", "metal roofing Los Angeles", etc.). I can’t stress how vital it is to ensure EVERY word in the title of your video is relevant to your content. Do not include the date or time in your title and only the location if it is relevant to the search. Your video listing could be on page one of Google search within 24 hours.

Create Incoming Links To Your Video Listing

Anchor Link TEXT is the visible text in a hyperlink. Within your website and/or blog, link back to your YouTube video using your keyword(s) in your anchor text.  Also, you can ask friends and associates to link back to your YouTube video using the same method. By applying links to your YouTube videos (and having other sites do the same) it tells Google that your videos are relevant to the keywords or keyword phrases you have chosen.

Drive YouTube Video Viewers to your Website

Once people begin finding your video listings for the keywords you have chosen, you have created a lead generation path that will last for a long time to come. Mention your website address during the video or place a screenshot of your website and your website address at the start and end of your video so viewers know how to get to your website. I also recommend including a hot-linked URL (your website address with the http:// at the beginning) into the beginning of the description of your video in the "About This Video" section.

If you have any questions about or need assistance using YouTube for your roofing company, or if you are interested in learning more about the RoofPal Official Microcast Series which now produces video blogs that can be personally branded with your company name, logo and contact information, please email RoofPal@gmail.com.

How to Get your Roofing Company Started with Social Media

If you own or work at a roofing company that hasn’t bought into social media yet, the message is simple: it is time to finally jump on the bandwagon! People are online right now talking about your company whether you like or not, so if you don’t engage in the conversation you risk losing your customers.

To get you started, here are seven sequential steps to follow that will help you develop a presence and be relevant on social media:

Define your offers and customers
The first thing you should do before engaging in online marketing or social media marketing is to write down exactly what it is you are trying to promote (new construction, re-roofing, roof maintenance, roof cleaning, reflective coatings, solar installation, etc.) and define your target customers (homeowners, HOA managers, building owners, property managers, facility managers, multi-housing associations, etc.).

Sign-up for social media
The big ones are Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn. I would also recommend blogging. I use Blogger since it is owned by Google and is favored in their search results. Facebook allows you to create a business fan page that allows you to get some decent analytics on traffic, but people have to find you or be recommended (as opposed to reaching out to them and offering to connect through a personal page branded as your company).

Identify a social media manager
Managing multiple social networks is a daunting task. It's not rocket science, but it does take time and skill. I recommend doing this before you start posting content, requesting friends and adding followers.

I also recommend using free tools like Ping.fm and HootSuite to gather mentions of your brand, industry or search terms and review the success of your posts through real-time statistics. However, I do not recommend using it to schedule your posts and Tweets though (for more, please read my blog post titled "Auto-Posting to Facebook Decreases Likes and Comments by 70%"). Once you get the hang of the free tools, there is also paid services like SproutSocial (plans range from $9 to $49 with a 30-day free trial) that does all of that plus it allows you to take all of those you are connected to and create contacts out of them which you can manage in the system and track engagement, has one inbox for all of your messages from all the networks, and allows you to track check-ins at FourSquare and Gowalla.

Post updates
It is important to have good content on your social media pages before you start adding friends and followers. When you try to find friends, the first thing they will do is look at the page to see if they want to follow you. You need to give them a reason to connect with you first. What kind of content? Provide valuable information about the industry. Post pictures of your roofers working and before & after pictures of jobs. On YouTube, post short videos of jobs (before, during and after), commercials you have made, how you practice safety, types of roof maintenance, video customer testimonials, etc.

Find friends and followers
Twitter and Google+ are by far the easiest to build a network. Search keywords like "need roofer", "roof leak", "roofers", etc. to find followers. Also consider terms your potential customers would use (for example, "property management", "property manager", "facility manager", etc.). Once you start connecting with people, these sites will begin to understand the kind of person you want to connect with and will recommend similar profiles. Also, find your competitors' profiles and offer to connect with the people with are connected with them.

Engage with friends and followers
Your first priority should be building a relationship with people, not pitching your roofing services. "Like" and comment on their posts. Congratulate them on successes. Show them that an actual human being is behind your company's profile and that you take the time to learn about them and care enough to connect with them. Most social media sites will inform you of birthday's that day. Wish them a happy birthday (and maybe offer them a limited time free roof inspection or discount on roof cleaning).

Stay current
Sign up for alerts to be emailed or even sent to your phone when people engage with you via your social networking sites (at least in the beginning) so you can quickly respond. Timing is everything with social media. People come in, look around and post, then get out. If you are responding a day or two after the fact, it is almost pointless.

If you have any questions about getting started with social media, or would like assistance setting up your roofing company's social media networks, generating content and making connections, please email Chris@RoofPal.com.