How to get more painting jobs and grow your business

As any hardworking professional painter running their own painting small business will agree, having loyal customers and a reliable stream of painting jobs can be the difference between the long-term success and the failure of your painting business. Because as small business owners know all too well, it costs more (in time, money, and effort) to acquire new customers than it does to retain existing customers.

Today painters have many strategies and tactics to pick and choose from when it comes how they find painting jobs attracting new customers to their business and doing more business with their existing customers. So, here are 8 effective ways to increase your chances of converting first-time customers into long-time customers and doing more business with your existing customers.

1. Establish and maintain a presence across social media

If your painting small business doesn’t already have a social media presence, it’s time to for your business to make a splash on socials. Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn can give you plenty of ways to reach and engage your existing customers and individuals or organisations seeking the services of a professional painter.

Use your Facebook business page to share painting tips and advice to your audience, set up Facebook Messenger so potential customers have a convenient way to reach out to you directly to enquire about your painting services, and use LinkedIn to share thought leadership content and company announcements. If you can commit the time, Instagram or Tik Tok can also be used to show off your painting prowess and help find painting jobs, including house painting contracts.

2. Invest in paid social media advertising

Embracing paid advertising on Instagram and Facebook is another way to leverage social media to raise awareness about your professional painting services and help drive potential new leads to your business. It doesn’t cost an arm or a leg to ‘boost’ select social posts and target them to key demographics for your business, such as homeowners, commercial entities, and small business owners

You can pay to ‘boost’ or ‘promote’ your posts to specific demographics, such as homeowners, small businesses owners, or commercial customers in the locations that your business serves. How much your business spends on social media advertising is up to you; you may set your preferred budget, gauge the response, then adjust your spend as you see fit.

3. Reduce your risks

As with a number of other trade professions, painters may be required to hold business insurance to be eligible to accept certain kinds of commercial painting jobs. And even if your painting business works with residential clients, given the nature of the work (working at heights and working on construction sites) there is a strong business case for reducing your risks with insurance for your painting business.

The three types of business insurance painters who operate their own business may consider as part of their risk management strategy include:

Public Liability Insurance: Protects you and your painting business in the event a customer, supplier or a member of the public is injured or sustains property damage as a result of your negligent business activities.

Portable Equipment Cover: Insuring your portable business assets gives you peace of mind and is an investment in protecting your painting business for the long run.

Personal Accident & Illness Insurance: Painting is a physically demanding job that requires that you remain healthy. Personal Accident and Illness insurance provides cover should you become permanently disabled or pass away as a result of an accident at work. Cover can also include a weekly benefit for loss of income if you are unable to work.

4. Embrace Google’s business-building tools

We certainly don’t have to explain to you what Google is, but it is worth touching on the many smart tools that the search engine offers to business owners such as yourself. Google offers a range of free and paid options that can be very handy for growing a small business.

If you haven’t done so already, the first step here is creating a Google Business Profile for your painting business. Setting up a Google Business Profile is free and lets you list your business on the Google network. As a completely free way to raise awareness about your business, a fleshed-out Google Business Profile can be very effective for your painting business.

When you’ve set up and optimised your Google Business Profile, when prospects search your business name on Google they will be served a wealth of handy information about your painting business. This information includes key details such as:

• the location/s if your business;
• A local map with directions to your business premises;
• Your business phone number and website
• Your business opening hours.

5. Build up a library of painting referrals

When trying to secure the business of a new client, the only real thing you have to back up the claims you’re making about the quality of your painting expertise and experience is your reputation. This is where referrals can be very effective.

Referrals can be very effective building blocks for painters to get new painting jobs – all with a little less effort than it would otherwise require. After all, there’s nothing that speaks louder to potential clients than the positive experiences of previous customers.

If a client expresses appreciation for the painting services you’ve provided them,

be sure to politely ask if they would agree to give you a referral to their family and friends. If they are particularly taken with your professional painting services, you may also ask them if the would participate in a case study to be published on your painting company’s website and social media.

If you can secure referrals for both commercial painting jobs and house painting contracts, that would enable you to demonstrate your expertise in both commercial and residential painting.

6. Maximise your visual branding

While it may take time for new business targets to become familiar with your painting business, you can speed up that process with great branding. For example, if you haven’t updated the logo and branding on your painting company vehicles and signage lately, now might be the time to refresh it.

Remember that when it comes to visual branding, consistency matters. So ensure that your branding is consistent across all mediums. And don’t be afraid to lean into visual branding; keep it tasteful but embrace visual branding opportunities to raise the profile of your painting business.

7. Make meaningful contributions to your local community

As a small business owner, the first port of call when it comes to growing your business will typically be your local community of homeowners and business owners. So, as a local small business owner it’s in your interest to make efforts to give back to your local community in meaningful ways.

Perhaps you can lend your painting expertise to your local football club or local golf club. Or it may be the community centre that needs a new coat of paint, or the independent convenience store. It may even be as simple as providing painting advice to homeowners who are doing a DIY renovation.

Whichever you choose, providing your painting services free of charge can be a fantastic way to showcase your business, your workmanship, and your commitment to your local community. While this kind of work isn’t about getting paid for your services, it may lead to other benefits for your painting business.

8. Do an annual letterbox drop

While it isn’t exactly a cutting-edge marketing strategy, the tried-and-true letterbox drop remains an effective way to keep your painting business top of mind with homeowners and local business owners.

Having an eye-catching flyer designed, printed, and distributed to letterboxes in the area your business serves is great, but flyers can be easily lost, misplaced, or thrown out. Instead of paper, print your business details and branding on a magnet that your customers can slap on their fridge for easy access whenever they require the services of a professional painter.

As a small business owner, safeguarding your painting business is critical to your long-term success, and business insurance can play a key role in doing just that. Get insurance for painting business sorted online or by calling us on us on 1300 920 864.