Most roofers are familiar with the frustration of low-quality leads—unqualified homeowners, price shoppers, or people who simply never answer the phone. That’s not just annoying. It’s expensive. And it’s why more roofing companies are turning to intent data to generate better leads with less guesswork.
In this article, we’ll explain what intent data actually is, how it works, and how roofers can use it to attract the right homeowners at the right time—before their competitors even know there’s a job on the table.
What Is Intent Data?
Intent data is behavioral information that shows what someone is interested in—or planning to buy—based on their online activity. For example, when a homeowner starts researching “roof repair after hail storm” or “how to file a roof insurance claim,” that’s a strong indicator they’re preparing to hire a roofing company soon.
This kind of activity is called buying intent, and it’s extremely valuable. Instead of cold-calling or chasing down stale leads, intent data allows you to focus your marketing and sales efforts on homeowners who are actively looking for your services.
First-Party vs. Third-Party Intent Data
There are two main categories of intent data, both of which can help roofing contractors generate leads more efficiently:
1. First-Party Intent Data
This is data collected directly from your own marketing assets, such as your website, landing pages, forms, and emails. Examples include:
- Website visitors who browse your roof replacement page
- Leads who click on your Google or Meta Ads
- People who open and engage with your email campaigns
First-party data is valuable because it’s exclusive to you and reflects interest in your business specifically.
2. Third-Party Intent Data
This data is collected from external sources across the web. For example, if someone is reading roofing-related articles, visiting home insurance blogs, or comparing contractors on third-party sites, that activity can be tracked and packaged as intent data.
At HOWL, we specialize in providing real, behavior-based intent data to roofers—not just names on a list. We identify homeowners who are actively showing signs of needing a roof inspection, insurance help, or replacement, and we use that data to fuel ad campaigns, retargeting, and follow-up strategies.
Why Intent Data Matters for Roofers
The biggest problem with most roofing leads is timing. Even if someone fills out a form on a lead provider site, they may not actually be ready to hire. That leads to wasted time, low closing rates, and a whole lot of frustration.
Intent data solves this by putting timing on your side. Instead of marketing to everyone in your area and hoping something sticks, you can focus only on homeowners who are:
- Researching storm damage repair
- Browsing roof financing options
- Looking up reviews for local contractors
- Actively comparing roofing solutions
This dramatically increases your chances of booking a qualified lead—without spending more on ads or chasing your tail with cold outreach.
How to Use Intent Data to Generate Roofing Leads
1. Fuel Your Ad Campaigns with Intent
When you know which homeowners are researching roofing services, you can target your ads directly to them. Instead of advertising to everyone in your city, you’re laser-focused on people who are already in the market.
For example, if your intent data shows that a cluster of homeowners in a certain zip code is researching “emergency roof repair,” you can run highly targeted Google PPC ads or Meta ads offering fast service, storm inspections, or insurance help in that exact area.
2. Improve Your Follow-Up Process
Intent data helps you prioritize your sales follow-up. If you have a list of leads but don’t know who’s serious, you can overlay intent data to see who’s actively researching roofing topics. These are the leads your sales team should focus on first.
When your follow-up is aligned with timing and intent, your close rates go up—and your cost per acquisition goes down.
3. Create Smarter Email and SMS Campaigns
Stop blasting the same generic message to your entire list. With intent data, you can segment your messaging based on what people are actually interested in. For example:
- Homeowners searching “roof insurance claim” get an email titled “How to Handle Your Roof Claim Without the Stress.”
- Visitors reading about metal roofs get a comparison chart and financing offer.
That kind of personalization increases open rates, click-through rates, and ultimately, booked jobs.
4. Optimize Your Website for Intent Signals
Intent data can also tell you which pages or services are getting the most attention. If 60% of your visitors are focused on roof replacement after a storm, make sure that service is front and center on your homepage, landing pages, and CTAs.
This helps turn passive traffic into qualified leads faster.
What Makes HOWL’s Intent Data Different?
Let’s be clear: most “intent data” being sold to roofers isn’t actually intent data. It’s contact lists. It’s based on demographics, not behavior. Or worse, it’s the same recycled lead being sold to five other contractors.
At HOWL, we don’t just slap the word “intent” on a lead list. We use true behavioral signals—like content engagement, search behavior, and page visits—to identify homeowners with real buying intent. Then we connect the dots between that data and the best channels to reach them (ads, email, outreach, or retargeting).
It’s part of what makes our system more predictable, efficient, and scalable than what traditional marketing agencies or lead brokers offer.
Top Benefits of Using Intent Data in Roofing Marketing
- Higher quality leads: Reach people who are actively shopping for roofing services.
- Faster close rates: Engage homeowners when timing is on your side.
- More efficient ad spend: Target only the most qualified audience.
- Less competition: Reach them before they fill out forms with your competitors.
- Improved marketing ROI: Maximize every dollar by focusing on real buying signals.
Is Intent Data Right for Your Roofing Business?
If you’re tired of buying low-quality leads or waiting around for referrals, intent data gives you an unfair advantage. It works best for roofing companies that are ready to:
- Scale their business with more predictability
- Improve marketing ROI
- Replace or supplement canvassing, lead brokers, or cold calls
- Run ads that convert better because they’re behavior-driven
Intent data isn’t a silver bullet—but when paired with strong offers, fast follow-up, and conversion-focused marketing, it turns your entire growth strategy into a more controlled and profitable machine.
Final Thoughts: Roofers Who Win Don’t Wait—They Act on Intent
The roofing market is competitive. The companies winning right now are the ones who stop chasing leads and start using data to attract the right homeowners at the right time.
That’s what intent data is all about. Timing. Relevance. Efficiency. And better results.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start growing, apply to work with HOWL. We’ll show you how to use real intent data to generate leads that close faster and waste less of your time.