The short answer: most roofers stay busy with a mix of word of mouth and one paid source. Whatever the source, you win the work by replying fast, following up, and not sharing every enquiry with three other roofers.
I run Facebook ads for roofers every day, so I see the same problem again and again. It’s rarely a lack of enquiries that hurts a roofing business. It’s enquiries that come in while you’re up a ladder, don’t get an answer for hours, and go cold.
So this guide covers both halves: where roofing leads come from, and what happens after they arrive.
Where UK roofers get their work
| Source | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Word of mouth and repeat customers | The best jobs, with trust already built | You can’t turn it up when it goes quiet |
| Door knocking and leaflets | Working one street after a job nearby | Time off the tools, and homeowners are wary of cold callers |
| Directory and lead sites | Getting started with no setup | Some send the same enquiry to several roofers, so you’re racing each other |
| Google (ads and your Google profile) | People searching right now, often for urgent repairs | Your profile takes time to build up reviews, and ads need managing |
| Your own Facebook ads | Reaching homeowners in your own area before they start ringing round | Only works if someone builds the ads properly and every enquiry gets an instant reply |
None of these is “the answer” on its own. The roofers I see doing best keep their word of mouth going and add one paid source they control, so a quiet month doesn’t mean a quiet diary.
Why Facebook ads suit roofing
A lot of roofing work isn’t searched for. Homeowners know about the slipped tile, the stained ceiling or the tired flat roof for months before they ring anyone. An ad from a local roofer, shown to homeowners in your area, is often what gets them to finally ask for a quote.
What makes those ads work is the boring stuff:
- Ads written for roofing and for your area, in a plain, honest voice. Homeowners are wary of cowboy roofers, so the ads that work feel like a local tradesperson, not a sales pitch.
- A form that asks the right questions. Ours have people tell you the job and their postcode before they hit send, so you know what you’re ringing about and where they are.
- Your area kept for you. We don’t take on another roofer in your area, so your ads never compete with ours for someone else.
The part most roofers get wrong: the first reply
Someone who fills in a form may well be asking other roofers too. The first one to get back to them is in the best position, and you can’t do that from a roof.
That’s why every Lead Wave enquiry gets an instant text in your name within seconds, and follow-ups that keep going until they reply, then stop on their own. You see everything in the LeadConnector app on your phone, and you ring back the people who’ve answered.
If you want to see what slow replies cost you, put your own numbers into the cost per job calculator. Moving the reply rate is usually the biggest lever you’ve got.
What it looks like in practice
These are real roofers, in their own words or counted from their lead apps:
- Wolverhampton. Patrick had 7 jobs booked, over £15k of work, 17 days after going live. That’s from his own WhatsApp message.
- Greater Manchester. We read all 101 conversations from Ryan’s first 15 days. 52 homeowners replied about a real roofing job, and at least 18 roofs were visited.
- Blackburn & Burnley. Connor’s first lead became a full re-roof 8 days after going live, and three jobs came from the leads in his first six weeks.
- Wrexham, Flintshire, Rhyl & Chester. Adam’s first booking came 3 days after going live.
… I’ve never had to [knock] a door since I’ve been with [you] makes my life easy mate honestly
Peter, roofer, Blackpool · WhatsApp, 11 Feb 2026, 14:01
Not every enquiry is a job. Like any advertising you’ll get the odd time-waster, which is exactly why the follow-ups and the monitoring matter. When leads dip, I go through them, work out why and change the ads.
A simple plan
- Keep word of mouth going. Ask every happy customer to tell a neighbour and to leave you a Google review.
- Add one paid source you control, in an area that’s yours alone.
- Answer every enquiry within minutes, ideally automatically, and follow up the ones who don’t answer.
- Track cost per won job, not cost per lead.
Want roofing enquiries in your own area? Message Nick with your town. He’ll check your area is free and tell you what to expect. See how it works for roofers
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