fbpx

In Case You Missed It – The Most Popular Marketing Articles from IFTS From 2021

Every type of business requires its own set of marketing methods. Whether your painting company is just getting started or is ramping up to meet ambitious growth targets, you’ll need a comprehensive marketing approach to get you there. Your painting company’s growth may become stagnant if you don’t have one, which isn’t where you want to be!

In this article, we are going to recap our top five most popular blog posts from 2021. For more information on any of these topics, be sure to check out the full article or corresponding YouTube video for each topic!

As a painting company, it’s critical that all of your customers, particularly those in your immediate neighborhood, are aware of your existence and can locate you if they need your services. This is referred to as local marketing.

A painting firm can advertise directly to the specific location where it operates through local marketing.

Painting companies who use local marketing methods can attest to the increase in business that comes with it. Here are a few of the advantages you can’t afford to overlook:

  1. Target customers based on their interests
  2. Low-cost
  3. Your business will appear in local search
  4. Lasting business relations
  5. Branding and brand control
  6. Scaling your business
  7. Accessible booking
  8. Keeping track of marketing efforts

Implementing a well-thought-out local marketing plan may help any painting company develop significantly.

Read the full article on this topic where we dive into these 8 benefits of local marketing for painting companies and why you should start implementing these strategies today.

If you want your business to stand out from your competition and you want to dominate local search, you need to focus on developing a system that will generate a consistent stream of positive online reviews for your company.

When someone in your neighborhood searches for a company like yours, you need to appear first in the organic search results and be the obvious pick. 

Google considers internet reviews when determining organic ranking. Quantity, quality, frequency of delivery, and product/service keywords will all be taken into consideration. Then they’ll look at the same thing for your competitors. To appear higher in the rankings, it is critical that your company outperforms its competition in each of these areas.

Here are 10 ways to get more reviews, improve your local search visibility, and boost your company’s online presence.

  1. Create a “Review Generation Strategy” to get reviews on all of the sites that matter to your clients.
  2. Ask your 5-Star Reviewers for referrals
  3. Train your employees to ask for reviews 
  4. Use feedback forms proactively to stop negative online reviews and comments 
  5. Respond to every review to build trust with future prospects and increase your online authority 
  6. Request online reviews from your happiest customers
  7. Ask your 5-Star Reviewers to leave reviews on multiple platforms (or on video) 
  8. Make collecting customer emails part of your onboarding process 
  9. Use SMS texts to request reviews 
  10. You can use incentives, but be cautious with the rules

The value of internet reviews and keeping track of your online reputation is critical to your company’s success.

To read more about these 10 ways to get more online reviews, visit our full article where we dive into the details on how to consistently get multiple positive reviews while improving your visibility online.

Did you know that on mobile alone, YouTube reaches more people in the 18-49 demographic than any American cable television network?

Here are three easy steps to set up your YouTube channel for your painting business!

1. Sign in to YouTube

Go to YouTube.com and sign in using the sign in button in the upper right corner. If you already have a Google account, sign in with that email address and password.

Signing in to YouTube

2. Create Your Channel

In the top right corner of the screen, you will see your profile icon. Click on the circle icon and select “Create a Channel”.

How to create a YouTube channel

From this step, you will be prompted to choose your channel name and profile picture.

3. Customize Your Channel

In this step of creating your YouTube channel, you will focus on making your channel welcoming to visitors. This will also help with your SEO.

Visit the customization tab in YouTube studio.

Customize YouTube channel

Here, you will see three tabs – layout, branding and basic info.

Layout

Under this tab, you may choose and manage what people will see when they visit your channel. When someone visits your channel, the main video they will see is the video spotlight. You can include a channel trailer for individuals who haven’t yet subscribed to your channel. This is just a short video showcasing what you do and what viewers may anticipate from your channel.

Branding

Under this tab, you can edit elements such as your profile picture and banner image. If you know what a Facebook cover photo is, a YouTube banner image is very similar. When someone views your YouTube channel, this banner will show at the top of the page.

Basic Info

You may update your channel name and description under the basic info tab, as well as add translations in other languages, links to sites you wish to share with your viewers (such as your company’s website), and contact information if you want people to email you with inquiries. Make sure to provide a link back to your business.

After making changes to any of these tabs, always be sure to hit the “publish” button to make your edits live on your channel.

To continue reading about how video marketing benefits your painting company, check out the full article here.

Do you find it difficult to find new customers online? If so, social media is your answer!

Painting companies have always depended heavily on word of mouth to gain new clients. While this is still a very relevant – and constructive – method of marketing, technology is allowing modern-day digital advertising to gain momentum. The Internet provides businesses with a variety of options for reaching a larger audience and maintaining control over their reputation. Social media is one such tool.

Social media platforms are more than places for business pages and profiles to be housed. They serve as hubs for individuals to interact, share their thoughts, make suggestions, and express their likes and dislikes – doesn’t that sound a lot like word-of-mouth marketing to you?

Let’s check out the top 5 social media platforms for painting businesses!

1. YouTube

This video-based platform offers areas for sharing photographs, going live with an audience when launching videos, and building a community. Do you want to demonstrate your painting abilities? Maybe you could provide a how-to video on how to paint like a pro? YouTube is your best bet if you want to go the video route.

2. Facebook

For all types of businesses, creating a Facebook Business Page is a top choice. It may be used to develop a range of content geared on attracting, nurturing, and retaining customers. You may use Facebook to publish text, images, videos, contests, and events, as well as create an ecommerce page where you can sell products/services or schedule appointments.

3. Instagram

Instagram has swiftly evolved into the easiest platform to advertise services to a younger target audience, as it attracts a younger demographic than Facebook. Who said that young people aren’t homeowners or that they don’t require painting services? Many individuals, especially DIYers, prefer to spend time on Instagram looking for new ways to spice up their homes.

This site supports photographs and short videos; utilizing the proper hashtags while uploading these will help you gain more followers than you think! The site also has a number of features that allow you to conduct surveys and polls, make lengthier videos, and share interesting content from within the platform.

4. Twitter

Twitter is a wonderful alternative if you’re searching for a formal way to interact with your audience. On Twitter, text material is restricted to 280 characters. As a result, if you need to send a lengthier message, you can start a thread or utilize alternative platforms.

5. LinkedIn

LinkedIn takes the cake when it comes to professionalism. It’s the only social networking site where formality reigns supreme. On LinkedIn, however, you won’t find many active business pages; rather, it’s the business owners and their staff that are more actively and continually seeking connections. On LinkedIn, B2B networking is a major deal.

To learn more about using these platforms and finding the right fit for your business, check out our full article for more information.

Has the Apple iOS update affected your Facebook advertising this year? Now that Apple has implemented new privacy updates to iOS 14.3, users are actually able to see how each app uses their data. 

The most major change is that instead of asking customers to opt-out of having their data monitored, Apple will instead need them to opt-in to having their data tracked.

Facebook has been attempting to counter Apple’s claim that it will harm small companies. They took out newspaper ads, ran Facebook ads against it, and looked at other possibilities, but the rollout has already been in effect for a year. 

What happens when people opt out of being tracked?

When people opt out of being tracked, what does this mean for your Facebook ads?

You won’t be able to track online conversions from mobile users the same way you used to, and your retargeting audiences will shift or be missing iOS users.

What happens when they opt into being tracked?

Facebook has estimated that 10–15 percent of individuals will opt-in to being tracked. What does this mean for your Facebook Ads?

  • You won’t be able to retarget iOS website visitors anymore
  • You won’t be able to use the “Audiences” function to prevent your current clients from seeing your ads
  • Your conversion tracking numbers will become skewed

So, what can you do to limit the impact of this change?

In our full article, we cover steps that you can take to mitigate the damage to your Facebook ads caused by the iOS 14.3 change and how to overcome the main issues that result from limited tracking from the Facebook app.

Do You Need Help Marketing Your Painting Business?

Implementing a well-thought-out local marketing plan may help any painting company develop significantly. IFTS has helped a lot of companies boost their sales using the tactics mentioned in this article. Let us help you too!  Call 412.715.6266 or email si@iftsdesign.com to get started!

Use Facebook Marketing to Promote Your Local Business Today: 4 Reasons Why

Marketing your business on Facebook

Have you ever considered promoting your local business on Facebook using ads or organic posts?

Being active on Facebook may help your business grow by establishing a strong brand and attracting new clients. To be successful in today’s business world, you must have an online presence. If you aren’t making use of Facebook to its full potential, you may be losing out on the advantages that come with social media marketing.

You should be on Facebook if your target market is (and your target market is on it). 

Here’s why every small business in your area needs a Facebook marketing plan right now!

1. Facebook is where millions of individuals throughout the world “hang out” every day

Considering that so many people use Facebook on a daily basis, you never know who your next client may be!

Facebook is the best place to be if you want to raise awareness about your brand. People are more inclined to buy from you if they know you have a good reputation. You may quickly and easily create a profile for your company and begin advertising your goods and services immediately. 

You can advertise your company for free on the platform if you engage with your followers and establish a community around your brand, or you can do it for a cost by purchasing Facebook ads.

2. Facebook advertising is a simple and effective way to market your business

Investing in ads that may or may not be viewed by your intended audience is a time-honored method of marketing. 

Facebook has never been like this.

Due to Facebook’s extremely honed-in targeting capabilities, company owners may pinpoint their ideal customer down to the last last detail. As a result, you may target a certain audience with your adverts. 

Facebook Ads are an effective marketing strategy that you should use if you want your business to expand. They are also a low-cost option. For as little as $5 a day, your ad may reach 1,000 people or even more. Your website traffic and revenues may increase as well.

Here are 9 reasons to start investing in Facebook ads for your business today!

3. Your ideal consumers are on Facebook

Use Facebook’s built-in statistics to see how well your page is performing for free.

Maintaining a Facebook page for your local business has yet another significant advantage. Businesses can now identify exactly who their prospective customers are thanks to the social media platform. 

How? 

Facebook “serves” you user information every time they connect with your brand. With the aid of the platform, you can track the effectiveness of your social media marketing initiatives and make adjustments for the future.

4. Facebook is already being used by your rivals to advertise their business

If you’re still unsure about joining Facebook immediately, realize that your competition is probably already there.

Take action now and don’t allow your competitors steal your thunder. You should join Facebook!

Do you need help setting up your Facebook business page or creating Facebook Ads?  Let IFTS help you!  Call 412.715.6266 or email si@iftsdesign.com to get started.

Should You Use Instagram For Marketing Your Business?

using instagram to promote business

A question that a lot of business owners are asking themselves right now is:

“Will Instagram work for marketing my business?”

And the answer is a resounding YES!

For companies and influencers alike, Instagram has evolved from a simple social media network in only a few short years since its debut in 2010.

Instagram’s popularity has only just begun. Despite this, the site is constantly expanding, as seen by the millions of active users that visit it every day.

Instagram is a great tool for companies wanting to increase their visibility and improve their web presence. Like other social media platforms, this one will be a perfect fit for your marketing efforts.

Entrepreneurs (like yourself) from all around the world should think about joining the Instagram revolution.

If you don’t, here’s what you’ll be missing:

1 – You can use Instagram to advertise your business and generate more sales

The main goal of your marketing activities is to expand your customer base and increase your revenue. How else can you get what you want if you’re not present where your consumers are?

Is Instagram worth your time? Of course. 

Statistics reveal that more than 30% of the 500 million daily active users have made a transaction on the Instagram app.  Get in on that action!

2 – You can develop and track effective advertising strategies for your company

Use Instagram to advertise your business since it allows you to build highly targeted ad campaigns. You may market your products and services to individuals based on age, hobbies, behavior, location and more!

This social media platform may help you get your business in front of individuals who are more likely to make a purchase than if you were to rely on ‘spray and pray’ marketing. Use your ideal client as a guide to targeting your ad campaigns.

Some of Instagram’s targeting features aren’t even available on other social media sites. Think about getting social on Instagram now to take advantage of the chance to use this effective sales channel.

3 – Connect with your audience by telling your unique story

Instagram is a photo-sharing app where you can show the world your life. Despite the fact that it may not seem significant from a business standpoint, remember that presenting a compelling narrative is a wonderful approach to connect emotionally with your audience.

It’s critical to build strong customer relationships, and Instagram gives you a platform to show your followers what your company is all about.

Create a business account on Instagram and take advantage of all the features it has to offer if you want to remain in touch with your followers (and gain new ones along the way).

4 – Get personal with your clients and get their feedback

Instagram gives you the option of naturally growing your following. This means that you may expand your customer base without spending a ton of money on advertising. As a result of this and other factors, Instagram’s average engagement rate is higher than that of other social media networks.

Instagram is a great platform for getting to know your fans and having meaningful conversations with them. Using Instagram to create discussions and encourage your followers to engage in is a great way to get your message out there. This approach makes it simple for companies to keep tabs on brand references.

If you want to discover what your consumers enjoy and hate, Instagram is an excellent resource. Start interacting with your fans on Instagram immediately and don’t miss out on the possibility to collect important feedback!

5 – Keep a watchful eye on your competitors

Even if you haven’t opened an Instagram account yet, your competitors probably have, so keep an eye out.

Why shouldn’t you use Instagram marketing if your competitors are? 

Additionally, being active on Instagram allows you to maintain tabs on your competition and learn what works and doesn’t for them.  Look at:

  • Materials being published
  • Frequency of posts
  • Posting times
  • Updates
  • Stories

Using all of this knowledge, you may learn about some of the industry’s best practices and develop your own unique marketing plan to reach new consumers.

Want Some Help?

If you want to start marketing your company on Instagram, but aren’t sure where to start, let us help!  Call IFTS today at 412.715.6266 or email us at si@iftsdesign.com