TOP 4 DIGITAL CHANNELS TO
BOOST YOUR PAINTING BUSINESS

To grow your painting business, it's important to develop a digital and social media presence.

Phone taking a picture of a home exterior for social media.

Every day, billions of people use social media and other digital platforms to engage with each other. Potential customers also use these digital platforms for inspiration when remodeling their homes, for recommendations when they’re thinking about painting a room, and for ideas on who to hire for the job. Social media and other digital platforms offer an incredible opportunity for you to market your painting business. They are extremely effective for making new connections, showing off your skills, and winning new business.

If you don't have a lot of time or expertise to devote to digital platforms, that's okay. A little effort spent on your digital presence can go a long way. To be successful, first you'll want to choose the right channels and create high-quality content. Then, you'll want to consider broadening your reach beyond your organic social following to include paid posts.

We break it down for you, right here, using four platforms that hold high value for painting contractors: Instagram, Facebook, Google My Business and Yelp.

Building Your Painting Business on Instagram and Facebook

Here’s how to begin building a presence on two of the most popular social platforms, Instagram and Facebook.

1

Instagram: Show Off Your Great Work

Instagram is a visual platform and a great opportunity to showcase your craftsmanship and grow your painting business. With over 1 billion highly engaged users,* you never know who’s looking to hire a painting contractor, so always put your best foot forward.

Creating Great Content—Best Practices:

Post eye-catching images—cropped and well lit to show off your work.

Share “Before & Afters” to inspire customers.

Caption your photos with short phrases.

Hashtag your company’s name, region and specialty.

Geotag your location to get discovered locally.

Ask questions to engage users.

Like or respond to their comments quickly.

Sample Instagram post to help drive business.

Here’s Why This Instagram Post Stands Out:

This Instagram post is a great example from painter Ryan Amato. There are many factors that combine to make this post so effective.

The before-and-after format helps tell the story of the process, and inspires viewers to imagine what’s possible for their own homes.

The “after” shot was taken on a beautiful, sunny day, at an angle that highlights the best features of the project.

The caption highlights a local trend, black-painted homes. This establishes Amato as an expert who stays up-to-date. Plus, the reference to the yellow door shows that he’s detail-oriented.

Hashtags (“#exteriorpainting,” “#amazing,” “#homeimprovement,” and “#paint”) help extend the reach of the post, because anyone searching for any of these hashtags might find it.

To understand what hashtags to use, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your fellow painting contractors’ Instagrams and see what they’re using successfully. Make sure the hashtags you’re using are relevant to your Instagram post, and don’t barrage viewers with hashtags just for the sake of using them.

Amato used an app called CompanyCam to help him create the before-and-after format. Apps like CompanyCam provide a variety of tools that can help you communicate with your team as well as create terrific social content.

Sample Instagram post utilizing the carousel format and multiple hashtags.

Here’s Why This Instagram Post Stands Out:

It uses four images in a “carousel” format, so each image gets its own full frame rather than being relegated to a “split-screen” view. You get to see the interesting epoxy-floor textures in full detail.

The car provides a context and setting for the floor.

The caption expresses enthusiasm for the job, encouraging prospective clients to consider this sort of project.

As in the previous post, hashtags (“#epoxy,” “#lehighvalley,” and “#cars”) extend the post’s reach.

Should I Pay per Post?

Once you’ve crafted some insightful content, start thinking about additional ways to “get it out there.” It’s possible to pay to reach a broader audience for your posts that highlight your best work. You can target posts to users who have demonstrated interest in work you might do, like home decor, design, and decorating. Start by setting a small budget and adjust your approach based on what you learn over time. Instagram’s business site is a great place to explore paid options and start learning more.

2

Facebook: It’s Not Just About Friends Anymore

You’re probably familiar with Facebook in your daily life—after all, 2.45 billion people use it worldwide. Plus, 74% of them are high-income earners.** If you build a professional presence on Facebook, your business could benefit from being seen by many viewers you likely wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise.

Best Practices to Succeed on Facebook:

Make sure your contact info and hours are up-to-date and accurate.

Post quality content that highlights your craft and specialty.

Post during high-traffic times—midday and midweek.

Create videos for higher engagement—even a simple video taken on your smartphone can go a long way.

Consider Facebook lead ads to generate new customers.

Invite friends and customers to like your page.

Go Live for maximum reach and document a typical day on the job.

Sample Facebook page for painting business.

Get started on Facebook by creating a profile page for your business (as opposed to a personal Facebook page, which is created using a different option). This is an example of an outstanding business profile on Facebook from painting contractor Nick Slavik.

Here’s Why This Facebook Profile Page Works So Well:

The beautiful kitchen image shows off the kind of work this painting contractor is excited about, and is aspirational, yet realistic for the viewer who is interested in a new look for their home.

His profile photo is professional; Slavik looks serious about his work, while his tone remains approachable.

His About page features a well-written bio, complete contact information, and a lot of keywords to help people find his business.

His Photos page is full of great pictures.

He has a large amount of feedback, including many positive reviews, and he takes the time to reply to most of them.

In order to really shine on Facebook, you need a great profile, but you shouldn’t stop there. Nick Slavik also creates content on a regular basis, which is a proven way to build an audience. Here’s an example of some Facebook content he’s made, and why it’s so good:

Example Facebook post to help drive business.

Here’s Why This Facebook Post Stands Out:

In this post, Nick Slavik shows a before-and-after kitchen remodel job. Here are some reasons why it’s so effective.

The post copy poses a question that gets viewers thinking about their own potential projects.

The video format is eye-catching and engaging, and Slavik’s logo at the end helps brand the work.

The before-and-after structure makes the home improvement strikingly clear.

Should I Pay per Post?

Like Instagram, you can spend money to broaden your reach on Facebook. Once you’ve created some truly engaging content, try the Facebook “boost post” feature. That will help get your content in front of people who wouldn’t otherwise come across it organically. When you boost a Facebook post, you can set demographic parameters for who will see it, as well as establish a budget (starting at $1 per day). You will also set the length of time the boosted post will run. To learn more, visit Facebook’s informational resources about advertising.

Grow Your Painting Business With These Digital Platforms

Every business owner should engage with Google My Business and Yelp. They’re the primary ways customers find businesses now, replacing the phone book of years past. Not only are Google My Business and Yelp great opportunities to “get out there” by publicly listing your business’s info, your customers are likely to leave reviews and feedback. Here’s what you need to know.

3

Google My Business: Beyond the Search Box

Google is often the first place potential painting clients turn to find painters, and that's why Google My Business is invaluable to your company. With Google My Business, you can create a profile that will help position your business front and center among search results on Google Search and Google Maps.

Best Practices for Google My Business:

Here are some tips to get started.

On your profile, enter all the crucial information that potential clients will want to see immediately: your phone number and address, website, and business hours.

Triple-check that all your info is correct, and make sure to update it if it changes; one of the most popular Google searches is “Painters near me,” so it’s important for your profile info to be correct and updated if it changes (e.g., a new email address). There’s also a “Painter” category on Google My Business, which you will likely want to select for your business.

Reach out to satisfied clients and make it easy for them to leave positive feedback by emailing and/or texting them a link. If they do, feel free to thank them, either privately or publicly. If you reply publicly, keep it brief, allowing the focus to remain on feedback from happy customers.

You can also create posts on Google My Business, which appear in the “Updates” tab and are a great way to connect and inform potential customers with news and information.

4

Yelp: Join the Customer Conversation

While you may think of Yelp as a resource for restaurants, every small business should be using it. Yelp has tremendous credibility because it’s driven by user reviews. The more satisfied customers you have, the more Yelp can do for you.

Best Practices to Excel on Yelp:

Here are some tips to get started on Yelp.

Claim your business page, upload photos, and keep your hours and contact info updated.

Make sure that your business name and contact info are exactly the same across all platforms your business is listed on to avoid any possibility of confusion.

Yelp’s user engagement can be a tremendous benefit to your business. But sometimes, even the best businesses get a negative review. When you get one, reply on Yelp graciously and briefly, with an apology and a request for the customer to follow up with you via email so you can make things right. Here’s an example: “I’m sorry to hear about your experience. Please contact us at [insert email] so that we can make things right. Thank you for your feedback!”

Yelp’s “review filter” is usually good at hiding fake or spammy reviews, but sometimes it mistakenly flags a legitimate review. Every month or so, look through the “not currently recommended” section to unearth any real reviews that may have been hidden.

Now It’s Your Turn

These digital platforms will help grow your business by generating interest and, ultimately, new leads. Keep in mind that once you engage with any online platform, you must be ready to commit to regular, two-way conversation. These channels are “social” by nature, and customers expect replies, updates, and more. Similarly to how you reply to every email and phone call, you should expect to personally engage online.

The payoff: When prospective clients see high levels of engagement across your digital channels, they know they’re dealing with a pro. That will foster confidence in your capabilities before you even pick up a brush.

Sources:
*business.instagram.com
**sproutsocial.com

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TOP 4 DIGITAL CHANNELS TO BOOST YOUR PAINTING BUSINESS