Need construtave criticism

[GregKapitanTheSidingMan]

Hello,

My name Is Greg Kapitan. I own a home improvement company called Texas Home Exteriors in hot and humid Houston Texas. I grew up on Long Island and found that the cost of living was so steep that I moved in the mid 1980's to much more affordable Texas. In Houston the construction business is either feast or famine as many like myself have had their up's and down's. Due to the lack of permitting, licensing and inspections along with cheap land, it is super easy for business to start up and get going.

Anyhow, the competition here in Houston has gotten so intense. We have many low priced lowball bidders that often take siding, roofing and replacement windows jobs for making only like 10 - 15% range when it should be more like 30 - 40% after labor and materials.. Honestly this is one of the drawbacks living in a city with very little regulations. It is like a few business cards, truck and magnet and you are in business.

So having said that, I am trying to keep up and stay ahead of the ruthless competition. I have been writing some blogs here recently and are looking for honest opinions from others. I want to have some good and valuable content out there so readers can stay informed. Because it is so humid here in the south I have written a blog on how roof streaks on our homes are formed, and what can be done. Also how choosing Algae resistant roofing shingles will stop that from happening. Please take a look and give me your thoughts?

 

[Eslader]

Keep practicing your writing. As you write more, you'll get better. Write every day - it's the only way to get good at it. You never know - you might end up with a book deal out of it. Anthony Bourdain wrote a compelling book about life as a chef, then found himself with a contract for a TV show that he had to write. When he first started writing, it was pretty bad. Now he's one of the better writers in television and non-fiction today. Because he wrote a book that was essentially a printed blog about his job, and then kept honing his writing skills, he ended up vaulting from being a low-paid chef in a mid-tier restaurant in NYC to being a multi-millionaire who gets paid absurd amounts of money to travel the world.

I like your topic, but you tend toward run-on sentences (example: "These dark spots (which can be found on roofs in moister areas of the country like the Houston Texas) are algae streaks some homeowners notice on their roofs and often question what causes this and what can be done about it as well as “is this going to be an ongoing problem I will have to deal with for the life of your roofing shingles?”)

Also, watch for typos ("What Kind of Algae Is Growing No My Roof?")

Your blog is an advertisement. Ad copy gets meticulously gone over by editors to make sure it's grammatically correct and doesn't have spelling errors. You're going to have to take on that role yourself unless you have the money to hire a writer.

Now here's something interesting: Look at the difference between what you wrote in the algae article, and what you wrote here to tell us about the algae article. What you wrote here was a lot more conversational. Your sentences were shorter and easier to follow. You sounded like you were talking to us.

That's what you want to aim for when you write your blog, too. An old newswriting professor of mine used to like to tell us to "write like you talk, just without all the swearing."

Also, tailor your copy to drive business, without beating your readers over the head to make it look like an ad. Take your opening lines. Why not write something like this:

"You've probably seen those dark streaks on roofs. You might even have them on your roof. Those ugly lines are algae - it grows in the moisture that sits on your shingles. But you can do something about it, by asking for algae resistant shingles the next time you replace your roof."

This puts the idea that the streaks are undesirable, that *you* know how to make the ugliness stop, and even though you never actually tell them to hire you to replace their roof, when the next hailstorm comes through or their roof starts leaking, they're gonna remember that nice guy who wrote the article on non-ugly shingles, and they might just give you a call.

 

[GregKapitanTheSidingMan]

Eslader,

Wow! Thank you so much for all of the good information! I love how you spelled things out and gave examples. You have been so kind as to spell things out here I will be reading this a few times over! ...

 

[-Brent-]

My friend Brian owns a roofing company in Connecticut and he has done very well with using Facebook to get his word out. He pays like $50-$200 to folks whom referred him when he gets the job. I think he said he spends about $10k, annually, in referral money.

He's really astute with FB marketing, analytics, online marketing, etc. I don't want to speak for him but for as much as he does on FB, I wouldn't be surprised if that were one of his major places of advertising focus. The way he connects/interacts with people is what I think helps him so much on FB. He seems to know everyone, that helps, too.

 

[GregKapitanTheSidingMan]

Brent,

Thanks so much for your input on FB and the referral that your friend pays out! We do that here as well. I have done FB with some clicks and manual results. May I ask what the name of his business is?

 

[Todd.Brock]

I need to read your website more. I am working on a roofing and siding claim now. What a debacle!

 

[GregKapitanTheSidingMan]

Todd,

Thank you so much. Good luck on working on your roofing and siding claim. I know what a pain that could be. Here is our website Texas Home Exteriors. Please let me know your thoughts??

 

[-Brent-]

Greg, I sent you a PM.

Your site is quality! Do you have anyone working with you as far as SEO?

 

[GregKapitanTheSidingMan]

Brent,

I just PM replied! thank you so much for the helpful information!