Local Painter’s Guide to Beating Competitors and Attracting Year-Round Clients
There are certain service industries that consumers will always need, and painting is one of them. New residential and commercial structures are constantly being built, providing numerous opportunities for painting companies to secure consistent work.
For local painting businesses, however, it can be challenging not only to persuade customers to choose you over national painting companies, but also over other local competitors. While you can leverage advantages such as personalized service, local knowledge, flexibility, faster response times, and stronger customer relationships, these factors alone may not always be enough to keep your schedule full.
To help you rise above the competition, we’ve created a comprehensive guide designed to maintain a steady flow of clients and establish your business as the go-to painting service in your area. From industry trends to advertising strategies, you’ll gain the knowledge you need to understand your customer base, strengthen your marketing efforts, and build long-term success.
Where to Find Leads
Before you can market your business to potential customers, you first need to know where to look for leads. These leads generally fall into two groups: past customers and new prospects.
It’s always easier to generate business from existing customers or those who previously inquired about your services, so maintaining a complete customer list is essential. This list should include details such as home or business address, phone number, email address, contact preferences, purchase history, and past interactions, along with the customer’s name.
With this information, you can build relationships by reaching out regularly with personalized messages. If someone has already purchased your services, follow up with questions about their satisfaction, request feedback, and ask for referrals. This not only shows you care but also helps you learn what worked well and what can be improved.
If a prospect inquired but didn’t make a purchase, ask why they chose not to move forward. Did they hire a different painter? Were they satisfied with the results? You may discover that they went with a lower-priced competitor but weren’t happy with the outcome, creating an opportunity for you to step in.
While targeting past customers and inquirers is a strong starting point, there are also plenty of new customers waiting to discover your business. This is where a well-structured advertising strategy can give you a major advantage.
Ideally, people in your community will recognize their need for painting services, research their options, and choose your business immediately. But since that won’t always be the case, it’s important to have marketing materials that showcase your expertise and persuade potential customers that you’re the best choice.
To maximize results, make sure your approach targets the right people at the right time by considering how seasonal demand influences painting needs.
Targeting Seasonal Project Cycles
There are several variables to consider when organizing your marketing strategy to promote the right services at the right time. In the painting industry, no factor is more important than weather.
One obvious variable is temperature. If you live in an area with hot summers and cold winters, you know exterior work requires dry conditions and moderate temperatures, while interior painting can be done year-round. According to Painters Inc., the ideal temperature range for painting is between 50°F and 90°F, although some paint formulas can be applied in temperatures as low as 35°F.
Humidity is another key factor. High humidity creates surface moisture, which can cause paint to bubble or peel. In general, the best conditions for painting occur when humidity levels are between 40% and 70%.
Wind can also create problems, since paint needs time to cure properly. Strong winds can cause the paint to dry too quickly, leading to blistering or cracking later on. To prevent this, it’s best to paint when wind speeds are 8 mph or less.
Because you’re an expert in your industry, this information is likely familiar. However, recognizing these factors highlights two critical aspects of your marketing approach.
First, it helps you organize marketing content around seasonal services. Exterior projects should be promoted in the spring and summer, while interior projects can be emphasized as the weather gets colder. If your region experiences a rainy season, that’s another variable to account for when planning campaigns.
Second, it positions you as a knowledgeable professional. Most customers aren’t aware of how the weather impacts paint application. Sharing this expertise in your marketing materials not only builds trust but also demonstrates your commitment to quality and understanding of community needs.
Now that you have a firm grasp on where to find leads and how the time of year affects interest in certain services, you can dive into marketing strategies that will help you fill your schedule all year.
Building Trust Through Visual Storytelling
When establishing your painting business as a leader in the community, building trust is essential, and visual storytelling is one of the most effective ways to achieve it. High-quality images capture attention and create an emotional connection to your brand more effectively than words alone.
Visuals are especially impactful in print. While digital storytelling has its advantages, print advertising continues to hold an important place in a successful marketing strategy. According to the Southern California News Group, “There is a 77% higher brand recall for print ads vs. 46% for digital ads.”
Placing visually engaging ads in a local publication, such as those offered by Best Version Media (BVM), can significantly boost brand awareness and position your business as a trusted resource in the community, particularly when paired with other local stories that foster a positive perception of the area.
A strong example of visual storytelling is a before-and-after gallery showcasing your past projects. This provides tangible proof of the quality you deliver, making it more persuasive than any written description of your services. You can even rotate interior and exterior photos seasonally to stay relevant to current demand.
No matter how you choose to tell your business’s story, printed visuals are a powerful tool for establishing credibility and rapidly increasing brand recognition. In an industry like painting, where potential customers may not need your services immediately but might in the near future, staying top-of-mind ensures they choose you when the time comes.
Maximizing Word-of-Mouth with Digital Tools
As a local service provider, you understand the power of word-of-mouth marketing. You probably use it in your own life, whether recommending a restaurant to a friend or suggesting a trusted car mechanic. When advice comes from someone you know and trust, you’re far more likely to act on it.
Research backs this up. The Nielsen Trust in Advertising study released in 2021 revealed that 88% of respondents said they trust recommendations from people they know, a greater percentage than any other form of marketing.
Needless to say, leveraging this trust in your favor can provide substantial benefits. While it’s ideal when satisfied customers naturally recommend your business to friends and family, there are also ways to encourage word-of-mouth marketing.
One cost-effective option is neighborhood-targeted display advertising through BVM. Display ads appear across a wide range of websites in various placements, generating high visibility and boosting brand awareness.
Of course, you don’t want to waste advertising dollars on audiences outside your service area. That’s where geo-targeting comes in. By showing display ads only to users in your local market, you can ensure your budget is spent exclusively on reaching potential customers.
Display ads also align with the Marketing Rule of Seven, which states that potential customers need to encounter a brand’s message at least seven times before deciding to make a purchase. The faster a user reaches that threshold, the sooner they’re likely to buy or, at the very least, recognize and recommend your brand.
Standing Out from Low-Bid Competitors
One of the biggest challenges painters face when convincing prospective customers to choose them is being underbid by competitors. The scenario is common: you provide a fair price for quality workmanship on a commercial project or residential home, only to have it undercut by another painting business eager to win the job.
Too often, customers don’t understand the details that go into a high-quality painting service and simply choose the lowest price. While this neglect of quality can be difficult to explain directly to prospects, there’s a simple way to combat it without requiring a personal conversation.
Managing your business’s online presence can make all the difference. By showing that you care about how your business appears online, you give yourself an advantage over other local painters before any contact is even made.
Most people searching for a painter start online. When your business listing appears, you want it to display accurate contact information, hours, and other key details consistently across all platforms. Many local painting companies overlook this, even though it directly impacts your searchability.
Showcasing reviews from past customers can also be the deciding factor for prospects. Positive reviews highlight that your bid represents high-quality work, while competitors with weaker reviews may be seen as a long-term risk. BrightLocal found that 96% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses before making a decision, meaning nearly every potential customer will look at yours.
To take it a step further, read and respond to every review you receive. BrightLocal also reports that 89% of consumers expect business owners to reply to all types of reviews. By managing your online presence effectively, you provide prospective customers with strong reasons to choose your business, even at a higher cost.
If this seems like a lot for a local business owner to handle on their own, don’t worry. BVM offers listings, reviews, and reputation management all from one simple dashboard, so you can spend less time on the computer and more time on your craft.
Do What’s Best for Your Business
Your community needs painters, so why shouldn’t they choose you? By understanding seasonal cycles, knowing where to find leads, and learning how to reach new clients, you can keep your business busy year-round.
Of course, a full schedule leaves you with less time to manage your marketing efforts. That’s where BVM can help. With a comprehensive marketing plan, BVM makes it easier to grow your business while reducing your workload. You’ll have confidence knowing you’re reaching the right people effectively and at a cost that works for you.
FAQ: Win More Local Painting Jobs with Proven Marketing Tactics
How does my painting business attract year-round customers?
To attract year-round customers for your painting business, you must combine strong online and offline marketing, build customer loyalty, and diversify your services. This involves establishing a professional online presence, engaging with your community, encouraging referrals, partnering with other businesses, offering seasonal promotions, and expanding services like drywall repair or pressure washing.
