Marketing is an important part of running a successful painting business. No matter how good you are at a professional paint job, it won’t help you if you don’t have a marketing strategy to promote and sell the services you offer.
In this article, we look at how effective paint business marketing strategies can help your business get the paint jobs it needs on a regular basis. We also offer ideas and tips for developing such a marketing plan.
Brand strategy
Right from the beginning, you need to start building a brand. Think about how you want to shape public perceptions of your business. A great name and logo design can give your brand a visual representation, but there is much more to it than that. A winning brand strategy is to have the right attitude and adopt a business philosophy that ensures that you slowly start to build a good reputation. Strive to be known as a reliable company that always meets and exceeds customer expectations.
Painting of specialized markets
Before you can start developing a marketing strategy, you need to know exactly what painting services you intend to sell. Depending on the size of your local market and the number of competitors, you can decide to specialize in a particular area or be an “expert in all trades”.
The market can be basically divided into two large areas, exterior and interior painting. Exterior or exterior paint job is usually easier to come by, as people are less likely to do it themselves due to the perceived danger of climbing stairs. The great thing about outdoor painting work is that clients are often less demanding than when painting surfaces inside their home. However, with outdoor painting, you need to consider safety to a greater extent, particularly for multi-story buildings. You don’t even have to limit yourself to painting houses, as all kinds of buildings need painting from time to time.
Market research
Conduct a thorough market research and identify all the opportunities that exist in the market. You should also try to understand who your customers are likely to be and how you can market your service to them in a way that they will respond favorably. Gather some customer profiles and chat with a few typical customers to learn more about your prospects. Put yourself in the client’s shoes and try to understand what they are looking for in a paint company.
Tips for networking
A great way to get some regular jobs is to reach out to people who you think are in a position to refer you to clients. Try to build relationships with real estate developers, interior decorators, real estate agents, home assembly companies, property management companies, and others who are on the market. Other networking options include joining a local builders association or the Chamber of Commerce.
Look for other well-established service companies that have large customer lists and regular communication with them. You can find cleaning companies or lawn care businesses that promote their service on their mailing list for a fee.
It can be great to have relationships with other painting contractors. While they are competitors in a sense of the word, they can also be helpful. If you specialize in different types of painting or work in different parts of the city, you may be able to recommend businesses between them. If you are lucky, there may be times when you have more work than you can handle. Being able to pass the job on to other painters that you know are trustworthy will be good for your clients and for them as well. They can also correspond and submit work their way.
A great place to meet people is at home improvement stores. The painting section at Home Depot can be a gold mine if you are friendly and engage in casual conversations. There you will meet other contractors and you may even meet a client as well.
Advertising campaigns
The obvious way for a new business to get in touch with potential clients is through advertising. Try a variety of methods that will put you in direct contact with your target market. For more information, see our article on commercial advertising paint.
Marketing elements
It helps to have some marketing materials to show potential clients when you meet with them for a consultation. Make some brochures or at least take a folder with pictures of some of the work you have done in the past. Testimonials from past clients also give the prospect the kind of reassurance and “social proof” they want before signing the dotted line.
What can you do if you haven’t completed a paint job yet or don’t have proper photos? A great tip is to buy stock photos from an online retailer. Including images of beautiful paint jobs in your brochure or on your website is not fraudulent if you do not make false claims that the work depicted is yours.
Adjust your sales process
To be very successful in the painting business, you need to have someone on your team who can go out there and sell your services. There are many different sales strategies and techniques, all of which have different levels of success depending on the salesperson and the prospect. Learn about some of the different approaches, give them a try, and then find out which one works for you.
Don’t be intimidated by the idea that you have to sell. Sometimes if it’s just yourself, you keep a positive attitude and guide the customer through a pleasant conversation about how you can help them, that’s all you need.
Try to sell customers on additional paint jobs. Once they have agreed to hire you to paint a certain area, you can also start suggesting other areas of their home or property that could do some paint work.
Ideas about customer service
In the painting business, you have to be a good communicator and a good painter. You need to take the time to understand the unique requirements of each customer. Always provide the best level of service to them and make sure they have open lines of communication with you. This should start from the moment they contact you to request information about your services. Try to have someone answer your phone calls in person, and if this is not possible, be sure to return the calls as soon as possible.
Marketing to existing clients
Once you have a client and have completed some work around your home, that doesn’t have to be the end of your relationship with them. Create a customer list with notes on each property you have painted. Then you can contact them from time to time and offer to do any other paint jobs they require.
There are many great guides available online that will offer you additional ideas and strategies for marketing your paint business. If you study marketing in general, you will find that most of the concepts relate to the paint industry and can be applied in your business.
