How Big Companies Get Commercial Painting Contracts

The painting industry comprises two main sectors: residential and commercial.

While residential painting focuses on homes, commercial painters are the brave souls tackling larger structures like retail stores, offices, apartments, healthcare facilities, schools, and restaurants.

For residential painters looking to expand their horizons (and their ladders), commercial contracts offer opportunities to broaden clientele, accelerate growth, and scale operations.

To find commercial painting contracts, focus on targeting your market effectively and promoting your business strategically. Here are some proven digital and offline marketing ideas to help you stand out and generate consistent commercial painting leads:

1. Modify Your Website for Distinct Sectors

If expanding from residential to commercial painting jobs:

• Update your website to reflect both sectors
• Add separate links on your homepage for residential and commercial clients
• Create distinct service pages for different categories (e.g., maintenance, interior, exterior painting)
• Clearly communicate your services and how you solve clients’ problems

This approach ensures you send the right message to the right audience, preventing confusion about your work.

2. Demonstrate visual proof

• Use high-quality photos and videos to showcase your work
• Include before-and-after visuals of commercial projects
• Make it easy for prospects to contact you and request information

3. Showcase past and current clients

AKA: The “Look Who Likes Us” Wall of Fame.

Namedrop Display logos of recognizable commercial brands you’ve worked with. This lends credibility to your commercial painting services

4. Maximize Referrals

In other words, make your clients market for you.

Word-of-mouth referrals are crucial for commercial painting leads. Unlike homeowners looking for painting contractors who often search online, commercial property owners typically rely on trusted network referrals.

• So maintain an excellent reputation both online and offline.
• Deliver exceptional work consistently to encourage rehiring and referrals
• Focus on building strong relationships with property managers, as they can become valuable sources of repeat business and referrals

5. Network Persistently

How to make friends and influence people… to hire you:

• Attend local trade shows and relevant industry events to meet potential clients
• Consider sponsoring events or hosting your own educational sessions
• Prepare business cards for networking opportunities.
• Collect contact details from prospects
• Follow up with potential clients to discuss their painting needs

6. Leverage LinkedIn and Other Social Networking Sites

Two main points here:

• Create business accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and other relevant platforms
• Maintain a well-optimized, professional website showcasing your commercial services

For LinkedIn, focus on:

1. Update your business profile
2. Create an interesting company page
3. Add recent images and videos
4. Offer valuable answers to relevant questions
5. Publish LinkedIn articles under your personal account
6. Engage with your audience by joining groups
7. Sharing informative content tailored to your target audience

7. Focus on SEO

Optimize your website to improve visibility in search results and increase credibility:

• Ensure fast loading time (under 4 seconds)
• Use SEO-friendly content and URLs with relevant keywords (e.g., “commercial painting services in New York”)
• Earn quality backlinks and use internal linking
• Create a mobile-friendly site

Remember that SEO for painting services is an ongoing strategy, not a one-time effort.

Consistent implementation generates better results over time. While networking and referrals are crucial, SEO complements these efforts by boosting online presence

8. Create an Authoritative Blog 

Maintain an active blog to increase engagement and build connections with your target audience:

• Regularly publish relevant, informative content
• Share completed projects with before-and-after images
• Present case studies of challenging or creative projects
• Discuss benefits of commercial painting for different properties

Benefits of quality content:

• Establishes industry authority and credibility
• Builds trust, leading to more leads and referrals
• Supports local SEO efforts
• Keeps your business top-of-mind for prospects

9. Mail Flyers to Property Managers and General Contractors

A well-designed painting flyer is still a timeless technique to reach your target audience and get leads. You can edit and download our free painting flyer template to get started.

Why Your Painting Company Needs Commercial Contracts

Aspect	Residential	Commercial
Project Size	$2,000 – $10,000	$50,000+
Recurring Work	Less likely	More likely
Seasonality	More seasonal	Less seasonal
Client Base	Homeowners	Property managers
Maintenance Budget	Variable	Often allocated

Larger, More Profitable Painting Projects:

• Commercial projects have bids ranging from $50,000 to seven figures
• Often easier to manage one large project than multiple small ones
• Requires appropriate skills, equipment, and manpower

Recurring painting jobs:

• Unlike residential jobs, commercial clients offer long-term opportunities
• Potential for ongoing maintenance and future projects

Established Maintenance Budgets:

• Companies allocate funds for remodeling and maintenance
• Property managers prefer reliable, proven contractors

It’s less seasonal!

• Commercial work remains steady year-round
• Some clients prefer renovations during holiday closures

Key Takeaway: Delivering quality, reliable services to commercial clients is the best way to get long-term partnerships and consistent work, providing stability and growth opportunities for your painting business.