Social media marketing for roofers: film the street you just roofed, fly the drone legally, and know when a repair ad counts as housing
What a roofing company should post, where, and the three rules (drone licence, Meta's housing category and the licence number) that most roofing social media advice leaves out.
Published by AI Knows Us · Updated 21 October 2026
Social media marketing for roofers works when it does one job: making your company the name people already recognise when a roof fails or a neighbour asks who to call. Post real jobs from the streets you work on, with before and after photos, short crew videos and a clear note of what was wrong and what you did. Put most of your effort into Facebook and Nextdoor, where homeowners ask for recommendations, and use Instagram and YouTube for the visual proof. Three rules are specific to roofing: a drone flown for your business needs an FAA remote pilot certificate, Meta treats ads for housing repairs as a Special Ad Category with limited targeting, and several states require your contractor licence number in all advertising.
What social media actually does for a roofing company
Most roof jobs start in one of two ways. Something goes wrong, such as a leak or storm damage, and the homeowner needs someone quickly. Or the roof is old and the owner is planning a replacement over weeks or months. Social media rarely produces the emergency call by itself. What it does is make sure your name is already familiar when that call happens, and give the planning buyer something to look at when they check you out.
A replacement is a big bill, and before signing the owner looks at your page. Recent jobs, real crew members and answered comments say "active and local". A last post from two years ago says the opposite.
Which platforms are worth the time
| Platform | What it is good for | What to post |
|---|---|---|
| Local homeowners, neighbourhood groups, reviews and messages | Finished jobs by town, storm updates, crew introductions, answers to what homeowners ask | |
| Nextdoor | Recommendation threads ("who did your roof?") | A complete business page, plus replies from happy customers in their own words |
| Visual proof and short video | Before and after pairs, time lapses, material close-ups | |
| YouTube | Longer explainers the planning buyer watches | Shingle versus metal, what an inspection covers, what happens on install day |
| Google Business Profile | The listing people see when they search for a roofer | Photos of recent jobs and updates, posted on the same day as your social posts |
You do not need all five. Twice a week on Facebook plus current Google Business Profile photos is a strong base. Add Instagram when someone on the team enjoys filming.
What to post: the job is the content
Every roof you finish is a post, and most of them are two or three. The format that works best is simple:
- The problem. A photo of the damage or the worn roof, with one line on what the homeowner noticed first.
- The work. A short clip of tear-off or underlayment going down, with the crew lead saying what they found.
- The result. The finished roof from the street, plus the town or neighbourhood (never the house number without the owner's written permission).
Between jobs, answer real questions: how long a replacement takes, what happens if it rains mid-job, what to check in the attic after a storm.
Your crew is your best content. A thirty second clip of the foreman explaining why a valley leaked is more convincing than any slogan. If you want the full routine for capturing photos on every job, our guide to content marketing for roofers sets out the shot list and how those job stories feed your website.
Drone footage: the shot everyone wants needs a licence
Aerial footage is the most popular roofing content there is. It shows the whole roof, the clean lines of a new install and the neighbourhood around it. It also comes with federal rules, because a drone flown to market a business is not a hobby flight.
Under the FAA's small drone rules in 14 CFR Part 107 (read on the eCFR on 21 October 2026):
- Section 107.12 says nobody may act as remote pilot in command unless they hold a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating. Someone without one may fly only under the direct supervision of a certified pilot who can take over immediately.
- Section 107.31 requires the pilot or a visual observer to see the drone with their own eyes for the whole flight.
- Section 107.39 bars flying over people unless they are part of the operation, under a covered structure or in a stationary vehicle, or the flight meets one of the operational categories in the rule.
In practice: certify one person on the team or hire a certified pilot, keep the drone in sight, and do not fly over neighbours in their yards.
Paid social: when a roof ad is a housing ad
Boosting posts on Facebook and Instagram works well for roofers in a defined service area, especially after a storm. Meta's Business Help Center page on Special Ad Categories, read on 21 October 2026, defines housing ads as ads that promote a housing opportunity "or related service", and it lists housing repairs among the examples, along with homeowners insurance and home equity services.
For ads in a Special Ad Category, Meta says some audience options are limited or unavailable for advertisers based in or reaching the US, Canada and certain countries in Europe: age, gender, ZIP code or postal code, exclusion targeting, lookalike audiences and saved audiences. So if your ad is about roof repair, plan to target by city or radius and let the creative do the work. Do not build a campaign around ZIP code lists or age bands and hope it passes review.
The roofing ads that work look like normal posts: a real roof, the crew, and a clear line about your service area, sending clicks to a page with your phone number at the top.
Put the licence number in your posts
Many states license roofing contractors, and some say the licence number must appear in ads. California's Business and Professions Code section 7030.5, read on 21 October 2026, requires every licensed contractor to include the licence number in "all forms of advertising", as prescribed by the Registrar. Read your own state's rule, then add the number to your profile bio, your page's About section, and the image or caption of every paid ad. It also builds trust with homeowners who check licences before signing.
Reviews, followers and storm season honesty
The FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials (16 CFR Part 465) applies to social media too. Section 465.4 makes it unlawful to give compensation or incentives in exchange for reviews that express a particular sentiment, and section 465.8 bars buying fake followers, likes or views. Ask every customer for a review in the same neutral way, and grow your page slowly with real neighbours.
The FTC's Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255) also cover your team. Example 8 under section 255.5 says an employee who promotes the employer's product online should disclose that relationship. If a crew member's spouse posts "best roofers in town!" in a local group, it should say how they are connected.
After a storm, post what you are seeing, tell people how to check for damage safely from the ground, and say when you can come. Skip scare language: a calm local company stands out next to the door knockers.
A weekly routine that a busy crew can keep
- Every job: five photos and one short clip from the crew lead.
- Monday: the best finished job from last week. Thursday: one customer question, answered.
- Daily, ten minutes: reply to messages and watch local groups for "anyone recommend a roofer?" posts.
Measure booked inspections, not likes, by asking every caller where they heard about you.
Social media marketing for roofers: what owners ask
What should a roofing company post on social media?
Real jobs from your service area: before and after photos, short crew clips, and plain answers to questions homeowners ask about leaks, storms, insurance and replacement. One finished job and one answer a week is a strong base.
Which social media platform is best for roofers?
Facebook is the best starting point for most roofers because local homeowners and neighbourhood groups are there. Nextdoor matters for recommendations. Instagram and YouTube work well for visual proof and longer explainers.
Do roofers need a licence to post drone videos?
In the US, flying a drone for your business falls under the FAA's Part 107 rules, and section 107.12 requires the person in command to hold a remote pilot certificate. Hire a certified pilot or get one of your team certified.
Can a roofer target Facebook ads by ZIP code?
If the ad promotes housing repairs, Meta may treat it as a housing ad in a Special Ad Category. For those ads reaching the US, Meta says ZIP code, age, gender, lookalike and some other audience options are limited or unavailable.
When the neighbour asks an assistant instead of the group
The "who should I call for my roof?" post in a neighbourhood group now has a twin. More homeowners type the same question into ChatGPT or Google's AI answers and get two or three company names back, built from reviews, local listings, news after a storm and the pages those tools can read. A roofer with years of job posts and steady reviews has the raw material for that answer, yet it is a separate result from your social reach, and worth checking on its own. AI Knows Us belongs to that newer category: it shows whether the assistants name your company when people in your area ask for a roofer, and what they read before they answer. You can see it at aiknowsus.com.