A painting business can be a lucrative and rewarding business venture as long as you understand the key components of expanding your painting business beyond simple services. If you want to know how to grow your painting business, consider the following essential tips that will help you expand and improve upon your current painting business.
Tip: Establish a local marketing campaign
Most painting businesses thrive on services purchased by local clients, so it’s important not to neglect the local side of your marketing campaign. Local marketing can include bill boards on local streets, signs placed (with permission) on the sides of road or in lawns; advertisements and flyers placed (again, with permission!) inside local restaurants and businesses, as well as local spots on radio shows, local TV or other local events. The goal is to make a connection with the local market that establishes personal trust and interest, both of which are essential for local market success.
Tip: Maintain some form of social media
In order to run a modern business, you need some form of social media. It is important that this social media is active and regularly updated at least a few times a week so that clients know you are 1) still in business and 2) able to regularly update clients on your social media pages. Social media is key to modern business marketing because people prefer to have some type of online connection with the businesses they use; social media also helps new clients feel confident that you are a legitimate business and that they can come to you if they have any concerns. Common social media includes twitter and Facebook, though Facebook is best if you are a small business that is just starting out.
Tip: Encourage referrals
Referrals are the lifeblood of any painting business, franchise or otherwise, so you need to make sure that you encourage referrals as much as possible with your existing customers. You can encourage referrals by including notices in all of your customer communication—“Don’t forget to refer us to friends and family!”—or even go a step further and offer a small discount for people who refer you to someone who ends up purchasing your services.
Tip: Market yourself seasonally
As a painting business, you need to stay on top of the seasonal changes that can impact the type of painting that people—both homeowners and business owners alike—want depending on the season. For instance, people tend to stick to interior painting in the winter when the weather is cold and they are more focused on the inside of their homes; whereas summer tends to be the season for large exterior painting jobs. Springtime is another popular time for interior painting, as people are often looking to give their homes a fresh new look in the spring.
Remember: growing your painting business will take time, patience and plenty of effort. You can help boost yourself along by following the above tips.