Five channels actually work for residential roofing. Here's what each costs, what it produces, and how to combine them.
The roofing lead generation landscape has changed significantly since 2020. Marketplaces have consolidated and seen close rates decline. Exclusive lead services have emerged as a category. Door-knocking is back. SEO and content marketing have become measurable. Direct mail has gotten more sophisticated. And referrals — always the highest-margin channel — still beat almost everything.
This guide walks through each channel with realistic numbers. The goal isn't to recommend a single source. The goal is to help you build a portfolio.
How it works: Homeowners submit forms describing what they need. The marketplace sells each form fill to 3-4 contractors. Typical per-lead cost: $20-$45.
Structural close-rate cap: close rate per contractor is structurally limited because 3-4 contractors are competing for the same homeowner. Calculate yours from your historical data.
When it works: When marketplace volume in your area is high and you have a low-cost lead-handling process. Track cost per closed job (not per lead) to know whether the math still works in your specific case.
How it works: Each lead sold to one contractor, locked exclusively for a defined window. Roffy's specific implementation: 30-90 day lockout per lead, region-based territory with a contractor cap per region. Typical per-lead cost: $5-$25.
Structural close-rate lift: no competing pitch means no race to the door. The size of the close-rate lift over shared leads is contractor-specific (depends on sales motion) but the structural direction is consistent.
When it works: When you operate in a covered metro and roofing is your primary business. Coverage is more limited than nationwide marketplaces but unit economics tend to be categorically better.
How it works: A canvasser walks high-likelihood neighborhoods after storm events and knocks on doors. Typical cost per door: $0 (your time) or $5-$10 (paid canvasser).
Hit rate: Low per door, higher conversation-to-close on doors that do open. Highly geography- and weather-dependent.
When it works: Immediately after major storm events in dense suburban neighborhoods. Diminishes sharply outside that window.
How it works: Targeted postcards or letters to homes with high likelihood of needing roof work — usually based on permit records, age data, or storm exposure. Typical cost per piece is $0.50-$2 (industry-standard print + postage).
Response rate: Direct-mail response rates are usually well under 5%. Track yours specifically — it varies dramatically by list quality and offer.
When it works: When you can target precisely (aged roofs, specific zip codes) and follow up consistently. Works well as a multi-touch sequence, not as a one-shot mailing.
How it works: Past customers, supply houses, real estate agents, insurance adjusters, and property managers refer you to homeowners.
Close rate: Categorically higher than cold lead sources — the homeowner arrives with built-in trust. Track yours specifically.
Cost per closed job: Lowest of any channel (referral fees if any, plus your time maintaining the relationships).
When it works: Always. Highest-margin channel. The problem is volume — referrals scale slowly and require time + relationship building.
The contractor who builds long-term margin doesn't depend on one channel. The principle is to build channel diversity around your highest-margin source (almost always referrals) and use paid channels to fill in volume when referral flow is light.
The right mix depends on your metro, your team, and your sales cycle. The honest answer is that there's no universally optimal split — track close rate and cost per closed job by source for 90 days and move budget toward whatever's winning. The contractor who actually measures by-source unit economics tends to outperform the one who runs on intuition, regardless of the specific channels they end up using.
Referrals — typically the lowest cost per closed job of any channel. The catch is volume: they scale slowly and require sustained relationship work. For predictable volume at reasonable cost, exclusive lead services in your metro tend to be the next-best option.
Depends on your specific close rate. Marketplaces work for contractors with low handling cost, fast contact-to-call time, and a sales motion tuned for shared leads. Calculate your historical cost per closed job from marketplace leads and compare to alternatives — that's the only honest test.
Realistically 18-36 months. Referrals compound — every customer who refers brings 1-2 more eventually. You can accelerate by partnering with insurance adjusters, real estate agents, and supply houses, but the underlying mechanism is time + reputation.
Exclusive territory. AI-scored leads. Published pricing. Live in 18 metros across the storm belt.