Feeling like an entirely different field, obtaining recognition as a painter may be a challenging endeavor. Whether you work independently or manage a small team, you have likely considered the idea of expanding your painting business. In pursuit of this goal, you are probably willing to experiment with various advertising strategies that claim to attract new clients. However, selecting a clever technique may lead to more favorable outcomes in the long term, particularly if you remain committed to it. By dedicating time and effort to promoting your business, you may find yourself rewarded with a constant influx of potential clients or new leads. Below, you will find a compilation of the most effective sales promotion ideas for your painting business.
Painter Marketing Tips: Promotion Ideas That Sell
Regardless of whether you are a beginner or already own a franchise of a painting business operating in multiple states, it is your goal to make your services appealing to a wide range of individuals.
Running alluring promotions and advertising campaigns is one of the most effective ways to make your services stand out.
Here are some contractor promotion ideas to assist in transforming your painting business into a thriving enterprise by following a systematic approach.
1. Percentage-Off Promos
Some painting companies are reluctant to offer percentage-off promotions, especially for costly projects. Nonetheless, if implemented correctly, these promotions can greatly enhance your AOV (Average Order Value) and compensate for the revenue that is forgone (refer to the “tiered pricing” in the subsequent section).
When running a percentage-off promotion, the most effective approach is to keep the offer simple.
Offers that are more inclusive, such as 20% Off All Projects, often attract more customers compared to offers that are more specific, like 20% Off Exterior House Painting.
Promotions targeted to a specific group, known as “gated” offers, can be beneficial in directing sales. However, these offers may deter potential customers who feel excluded due to the restrictions in place.
It is suggested that you try different job sizes and adjust your rates based on them.
It is advisable not to raise your prices only to offer a discount. Since both residents and business owners typically gather various estimates for a painting project, if your 20% discount appears to be higher than that of another contractor who isn’t advertising a special offer, they will become skeptical.
To ensure profitability, it is advisable to save high-value promotions for your most profitable services. This strategy will help compensate for any decrease in margins and safeguard your overall profits.
2. Monetary Promos
Monetary promotions without thresholds, comparable to percentage-off incentives, generally attract a larger number of customers compared to those with thresholds. As an example, offers such as $200 off your next project appear more attractive to buyers than more limited options like $200 off purchases of $2,000 or more.
Maximize customer participation by avoiding thresholds in your promotions, whenever possible, while thinking step by step.
One effective method to deviate from this rule is by implementing tiered-price offers, for example:
There is a summer special where you can get $100 off for purchases of $1000 or more, $200 off for purchases of $2000 or more, and $300 off for purchases of $3000 or more.
While monetary promotions are favored by most painting business owners, they do not attract potential customers as much as percentage-off sales. Homeowners often find it difficult to appreciate the value of smaller fixed-dollar-off promotions and thus do not take full advantage of them compared to other offers.
By utilizing a well-organized tiered-price offer, it is still possible to execute a prosperous monetary promotion that consistently yields painting leads all year long.
3. Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO) Deals
Although BOGO deals are commonly associated with ecommerce and retail sales, they can also be implemented effectively by painting contractors. Offering free services is attractive to homeowners as it gives them the impression of receiving greater value for their money. Nevertheless, as a painting business owner, it is crucial to carefully design these promotions in order to achieve the best possible results.
In order to take advantage of buy one, get one free promotions, it is necessary to carefully assess your profit margins, have a clear understanding of job costing, and tailor the offer accordingly.
When offering a buy two rooms, get one free deal, it is advisable to provide the discount on the smallest space. By following this approach, you can minimize your losses and simultaneously boost the number of painting leads.
An effective marketing strategy for painters is to combine BOGO deals with percentage-off promotions.
Providing a discount of 25% on interior painting when a whole-house exterior painting package is purchased will create an attractive promotion that will still be financially feasible.
When structured correctly, BOGO deals can be highly effective, despite posing some risk to your margins.
4. Free Gifts
Providing a complimentary gift when customers avail of your painting services can serve as a viable substitute for monetary deductions. Although presenting free gift promotions is an effective strategy to advertise your painting enterprise, such offerings must consist of valuable items; otherwise, some individuals may perceive it as a trivial tactic instead of a genuine reduction. To persuade clients that the gift holds significant value, it is crucial to make it as alluring as possible.
Before implementing it for everyone, we suggest testing this in the service areas that are your target.
Examples of BOGO deals include receiving a complimentary set of Apple AirPods Max when signing a contract worth $3000 or more, or obtaining a $500 Amazon gift card when completing full-house exterior painting projects.
Using industry partnerships is an effective way to address the problem of spending excess money on free gifts, which can have a negative impact on your revenue and hinder your main objective as a business owner, which is to generate profits.
Consider reaching out to your local “quick oil change station” and inquire about any referral incentives they may have for sending customers their way. Even if they provide a $10 incentive, you can consider it as a contribution to your profits and offer a Free Oil Change on All Painting Projects to attract new painting leads.
We always recommend testing promotions on small segments of your target audience (500-1000 households or business owners). For the most accurate results, use the same segment for all promotion testing.
5. Warranties
Even though warranties are provided by numerous painting companies, only a small number of them utilize them as a marketing strategy. To guarantee that potential customers are aware of the services you provide without the need for inquiries, we suggest promoting your warranty on all flyers, postcards, and pages of your website.
Consider the following scenario: You and your competition provide a warranty, but only you are promoting it. Given these choices, who do you believe will receive a phone call?
When it comes to promotions, offering warranties is generally more financially beneficial than other options. Warranties for painting projects instill a feeling of safety and enhance trust in your services among potential customers. However, it is crucial to assess the potential risks, understand the warranties provided by manufacturers, and create an attractive safety net that prevents expensive repairs in the future.
Use online advertising to your advantage
A great way to promote your painting business is by advertising it on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, as well as on search engines like Google, using online advertisements. While setting them up may require some initial effort, once you have a routine established, they will mostly run automatically.
In fact, there are multiple ways to handle these advertisements separately. For instance, one can utilize the MailChimp integration within Jobber to create and release Facebook and Instagram ads targeting a specific demographic.
Although internet advertising can have a high upfront cost, it can be beneficial if your target audience frequently uses the internet. It is advisable to proceed gradually, develop a plan, and collect information. By continuously refining and perfecting your strategy, you can make the most of your available resources.
Make content that has a distinct regional character
It is impossible to overstate the importance of content marketing. However, for a painting company’s content strategy, what would be the most effective approach? Small businesses might find it challenging to allocate sufficient time for creating content. Nonetheless, developing locally targeted content that is relevant to your desired audience can provide you with a competitive advantage.
When you create content tailored to a specific geographic audience, it enhances brand recognition in that region through diverse channels such as local search engine results, social media platforms, and the wider community. The articles you produce could cover a range of topics like the most recent local events, useful resources for your target audience, or guidance on home improvement undertakings, among others.
Blogging
Blogging may appear to be an unconventional marketing strategy for a painter, but it can have a surprising impact on building trust with readers. By regularly sharing knowledge and insights about your field through blog posts, you can effectively promote your painting business. Topics such as best practices, common mistakes homeowners make, and comprehensive information about painting can all be covered in these blog articles, effectively creating a virtual painting class for your readers. As they come to view you as a dependable resource in the world of painting, you can seize the opportunity to promote your business and services in each article, while also providing readers with a means to contact you.
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