The 22 Marketing Ideas for Painters to Keep Crews Busy

Looking for the best ways to market a painting business? Here are my best tips to enhance your marketing, from painting bidding websites to advanced digital strategies for painters.

1. Use Door-to-door Marketing

When starting a painting business, door-to-door marketing can be a highly effective strategy. Although it might seem intimidating, it’s a great way to boost brand awareness and attract clients.

Tips for Success:

• Target Homeowners Associations: These neighborhoods often require regular repainting (every 8-10 years).
• Focus on Older Neighborhoods: Homes that are 10+ years old are prime candidates for repainting.

Introduce yourself and offer a free painting estimate.

Benefits:

• Low Cost: Aside from promotional materials like flyers or business cards, it’s very inexpensive.
• Direct Engagement: Personal interaction increases the chances of securing leads.
• Potential Future Clients: Even if they say “no” now, they might remember your business for the future.

Most people will decline, but a few will say “yes” each hour. Use realtor websites to find ideal neighborhoods, and remember, every “no” is a step closer to a “yes.”

2. Find Recently Sold Homes in Your Service Area

Technology makes it easy to find new customers. By browsing realty websites like Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com, you can identify homes in your service area that have recently sold.

Steps to Follow:

1. Monitor Realty Websites: Keep an eye on homes that have recently sold in your area.
2. Send Marketing Materials: Mail your promotional offers and marketing materials to new homeowners.
3. Customize Offers: Use listing photos to tailor your services to the homeowner’s specific needs.

Benefits:

• High Demand: New homeowners often repaint to refresh their homes.
• Targeted Marketing: Customize your offers based on the home’s interior and exterior needs.
• Increased Engagement: Personalized promotions can increase the likelihood of securing a contract.

Examples of Customization:

• Interior Painting: Share information on painting single rooms or the entire home if bedrooms have bright colors.
• Exterior Painting: Provide details on exterior painting if the home’s exterior is peeling.
• Cabinet Painting: Suggest updating the kitchen with cabinet painting.
• Popcorn Ceiling Removal: Offer this service if the home has dated ceilings.

3. Put Up Yard signs

Once you have completed a few paint jobs, you can start more visible marketing through yard signs. Here’s how:

Steps to Implement:

1. Ask for Permission: When painting a client’s house, request to place a sign on their lawn.
2. Design the Sign: Ensure the sign is easy to read, with your company name and phone number.
3. Place the Sign: Position it prominently for maximum visibility.

Benefits:

• Free Advertising: Gain weeks of visibility for the cost of the sign.
• Attract Curious Pedestrians: Your work will attract attention and potential clients.
• Boost Brand Awareness: Increase recognition in the neighborhood.

4. Partner with other local businesses

Collaborate with local companies in related industries, such as:

• Moving Services
• Hardware Stores
• Homeware Stores

They might promote your painting services if you do the same for them. Additionally, reach out to realtors looking for painters.

5. Connect with Local Realtors

Building relationships with local realtors is a great way to reach new homebuyers. Realtors are trusted by their clients and often recommend local contractors, including painters.

How to Connect:

1. Leverage Personal Connections: Ask friends or family who are realtors to introduce you to their contacts.
2. Cold Outreach: Call local real estate agencies and share information about your services, website, and customer reviews.

Marketing to Realtors:

• Customized Materials: Provide tailored marketing materials and exclusive promotional offers for realtors.
• Offer Incentives: Consider offering a commission for referrals that turn into sales, but only if your finances allow.

6. Distribute Doorhangers

After each job, leave door hangers at nearby houses.

7. Distribute Brochures and flyers

A popular way to advertise painting services is to print out flyers, brochures, and business cards and mail them out or leave them at local businesses. Hardware stores and local home/interior design trade shows work best.

Get a head start by editing our free painting flyer template.

8. Wrap Your Company vehicle

Similarly, investing in a vehicle with clear graphics and signs of your company will also allow you to be constantly advertising. Even if you’re doing the interior of the home, people will drive by and see the truck and remember you when they are considering painting their house. 

9. Network with Other Businesses

Building relationships in the industry can lead to more job opportunities.

Connect with Local Painting Companies:

• Mutual Referrals: Share leads when either party is at capacity.
• Collaboration: Offer help when others can’t take on jobs.

Engage with the Construction Industry:

• Contractors: Partner with builders working on custom homes or neighborhoods.
• Home Remodelers: Offer painting services for renovation projects.

Tips for Effective Networking:

• Hand Out Business Cards: A quick conversation or card exchange can lead to future opportunities.
• Attend Industry Events: Engage with professionals in related fields.
• Leverage Casual Encounters: Make the most of chance meetings in places like coffee shops or elevators.

10. Optimize Your website

A website is your digital business card, establishing your legitimacy and growing your painting business. It helps find new customers through search engines and verifies your trustworthiness to those who already know about you.

Why You Need a Website:

• Consumer Trust: 30% of consumers trust businesses with a professional online presence.
• Search Visibility: The local pack on Google gets 44% of total clicks on search results pages.
• 24/7 Sales Rep: Your website makes it easy for consumers to contact you and schedule appointments.
• Online Search: 97% of consumers search online for local painting contractors.
• Engagement: 63% of consumers engage with a local company’s site.

Website Essentials:

• Custom-Built Design: Ensure homeowners can find you online and learn about your services.
• User-Friendly and Mobile-Responsive: Fast-loading times, prominent call-to-action buttons, and sticky menus help convert leads into customers.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Focus on SEO to promote your website and get it ranked in search results.

SEO Features to Focus On:

• Click-Through Rate: Encourage users to click your site in search results.
• High Domain Authority: Build trust and authority online.
• Quality Content: Provide valuable information and resources.
• Backlinks: Gain links from reputable sources to boost your ranking.

Key Website Sections for your Painting Website Design:

• Our Work: Showcase your best paint jobs in a before-and-after format.
• Testimonials: Include reviews from satisfied clients.
• List of Services: Clearly outline what you offer.
• FAQs: Address common questions.
• Contact Form: Make it easy for potential clients to request quotes or get in touch.

11. Claim & Optimize Your Google Business Profile

To attract local customers, make sure your painting company is visible on Google. The easiest way is by claiming your Google Business Profile (GBP).

Steps to Claim Your GBP:

1. Provide Business Information: Add your business name, address (residence is fine), and phone number.
2. Verify Your Business: Google will send a verification code to your mailing address.
3. Complete Your Profile: Include details like your business category, address, phone number, website URL, and hours.

Optimization Tips:

• Consistency is Key: Ensure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across all online directories.
• Encourage Reviews: Ask satisfied customers to leave reviews and respond to all reviews, both positive and negative.
• Quality Over Quantity: Aim for high-quality five-star reviews rather than many mediocre ones.

12. Focus on Local Search Engine Optimization

With your Google Business Profile claimed and optimized, you’re one step closer to having consistent local SEO. Having a consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) is important to Google and directly impacts your website’s ability to rank on the first page of Google. Here’s how to ensure consistency and boost your local SEO:

Maintain Reputable Directories

• Update your business information on directories like YellowPages, Angie’s List, and Yelp.
• Ensure all details match your Google Business Profile and website.

Regularly Check and Update

• Keep all online directories updated with the same business information.
• Regularly verify that your NAP is consistent across all platforms.

Claim Profiles on Major Directories

• Make sure you have claimed profiles on all relevant directories.
• Align the information on these profiles with your Google Business Profile and website.

13. Create Geo-Targeted Service Pages

Create individual pages for each service you offer in each area you service. It will increase the chances of your company showing up when customers search for specific services.

14. Stay Active on Social media

With over 3.2 billion active social media users globally, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are crucial for reaching potential customers. Use social media to share photos of your work, engage with interested customers, and build trust.

• Post Regularly: Share updates, photos, and videos consistently. Engage with followers by responding to comments and messages.
• Create a Comprehensive Profile: Ensure your profile is complete and easy to navigate. Include contact information and options to request estimates.
• Join Local Facebook Groups: Search for and join groups related to your area. Participate in discussions and offer your services when relevant.
• Utilize Instagram: Showcase your work creatively with high-quality images and videos. Use stories and posts to engage with your audience.

15. Target Homeowners With Facebook Ads

We shared four ways to increase your business over time. But what if you want/need customers ASAP? Then invest in Facebook Ads to bring your service directly to potential customers.

Facebook will only charge you for people who click on your ads. If your Facebook ads are set up correctly, you can make a solid ROI from your ad spend.

16. List Your Business in local contractor directories.

Many people still use Craigslist and other local equivalents to find contractors. Plus, it’s one of the most affordable ways to promote your painting business online.

17. Use Media Outreach

Reach out to a local magazine and ask them if they can post sponsored content about your businesses. Alternatively, you can hire someone to write insightful articles about home painting and publish them on niche websites.

There is no exact recipe for combining these online and offline advertising options, nor a minimum budget required since it all depends on your local market.

Remember that consistency is key here, so be patient and track the results of each campaign to find out which advertising method brings you the most clients.

18. Create YouTube videos of your Work

Video is continuing to grow in impact and popularity — which makes sense, considering that it goes hand-in-hand with the rise of social media. Compared to last year, there has been a 19% increase in the average person’s time watching videos online every day.

Plus, using visual stimuli to showcase your work is an excellent motivator for those interested in getting their house or corporation painted to contact you. What better advertisement for your work than actually showing them!

You can even create videos of things like the pre-paint preparation or introduce your staff and video how they work.

19. Focus on Word of Mouth

Word of mouth remains the most effective marketing strategy for getting painting contracts because people always trust their peers’ recommendations over a social media ad or a flyer. So once you have a few satisfied customers, make sure you ask them to share with their peers their positive experience with your business.

You can also consider a referral program where your customers get a small commission for referring their friends, and to make the deal even better, their friends also can get a small discount. Just make sure you still make a healthy profit. 

20. Use Painting Bidding Websites

For quick leads, sign up for painting bidding websites. These platforms connect you with real-time job requests, helping you find paint jobs faster.

Thumbtack:

• Create a profile and generate at least one review to appear in search results.
• Set targeting preferences to match with the right customers.
• Great for finding small, affordable leads.

HomeAdvisor:

• High-quality leads for various industries, including painting.
• Create a profile to show up in customer searches.
• Check competition levels in your area before investing.

CraftJack:

• Connects you with customers for a fee, ranging from $12 to $75 per lead.
• Does not sell the same lead to more than four painters.
• Uses Local Painter Quotes and ImproveNet to attract customers.

Angie’s List:

• Free to sign up, but visibility increases with paid options.
• High-quality leads from paying members.
• Consider offering exclusive discounts to attract more attention.

21. Create A Referral Program

Encourage past customers to refer your painting services to friends and family by implementing a referral program.

1. Inform Customers: After completing a job, let customers know you’re accepting new business and appreciate referrals.
2. Stay in Touch: Send a Christmas postcard or a thank-you letter to remind them of your services.
3. Offer Rewards: Provide a $50 gift card for each new customer referred.

22. Email Property Managers

Bidding commercial painting jobs can be very lucrative. You can send a cold email or phone to facilities, property managers, warehouses, general contractors, builders, and more and potentially land very large jobs. Check out our guide on getting commercial painting leads to learn more.