Designing Your Website – Page 5

Reputation Marketing for House Painting Companies PART 2

What is your reputation online?

If it’s

Bad
you don’t have one or
you don’t know what it is

Then, this article is for you!

Last time, we covered the basics – we talked about the definition of reputation marketing and the benefits to implementing it. If you missed Part 1, check it out here.

In Part 2, we will cover the amazing impact of online reviews and how to get them on a consistent basis.

So, let’s get started!

What Is The Impact Of Online Reviews?

Good internet reviews are critical for a company’s long-term existence. Negative client feedback, on the other hand, might have devastating consequences for your business. It is common practice for consumers to research a product or brand using search engine results, social media platforms, and other sites such as Angi or Yelp.

No one wants to waste money on a service that will not satisfy their needs. Hearing about a great experience from others is a good indication that your offered services are worth it.

Did you know that 85 percent of consumers place the same faith in online reviews as they do in personal recommendations, and that 73 percent of consumers place greater trust in a local business when they read favorable reviews from other customers?

This demonstrates the importance of online reviews and how they have a direct influence on your brand’s reputation.

For your reputation marketing efforts to be successful, you must first get positive third-party content, like 5-star Google reviews or the “Thumbs Up” on Facebook. Online reviews should always be taken into consideration for your marketing plan as well as your

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

ENCOURAGE GOOD REVIEWS

Don’t be afraid to approach your customers and ask them to submit a nice review of your company! When a customer is satisfied with a product or brand, they are more likely to post a fast review about the product or brand. If your company has a physical shop, you may display a sign or window cling directing them to your page on your website, in emails, and on social media accounts.

KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR REVIEWS

You can’t improve your online reviews if you don’t know what kind of impression you’re leaving. Keep an eye on what others are saying about your home services company on the internet.

REPLY TO REVIEWS

While you have no control over what people say about your business, you do have power over how you respond to both good and bad reviews. This creates the appearance that your company values consumer engagement and is willing to listen to legitimate issues about your services.

If you are dealing with poor reviews, keep a level head and try to tackle the problem at its root as much as possible. This may mean you contacting the individual on a private basis, offline.

How To Create A Successful Reputation Marketing Campaign

With a sound reputation marketing approach, your house painting business will be able to stand out in search results and increase consumer awareness of your brand. Despite the fact that there is no one universal method that works for all sorts of firms, there are a few fundamental components that every reputation marketing plan should have.

Keep these ideas in mind as you work on a reputation marketing campaign for your business:

ASSESS YOUR STARTING POINT

It all starts with taking a close look at the existing status of your company’s image. Businesses are always changing, so it’s important to keep an eye on the pulse of your brand, company, and workers.

Is your goal for your company consistent with the way others perceive your organization?

Does it appear that you’re getting good or negative feedback?

CHECK OUT YOUR COMPETITORS

Another thing you should do is investigate your rivals and examine their brand reputation and presence on the internet. Observing how rivals identify with their clients can provide you with a better understanding of what practices need to be improved and which practices should be avoided.

IDENTIFY IMPROVEMENT AREAS

Once you’ve identified the areas of your home painting business that require the most attention, you can concentrate your efforts on enhancing those spaces. Try evaluating the following areas:

Reviews
Ratings
Articles
Business Listings
Local SEO
Regular SEO

Want more tips on getting Google Reviews? Check out our article on “10 Proven Ways to Get More Positive Online Reviews for Your Business”.

MONITOR, MAINTAIN & GROW

Savvy business owners keep an eye on their reputation at all times to ensure that everything is running well and that their consumers are satisfied. If you regularly watch your brand, you will be able to intervene and take action as soon as unfavorable reviews or comments begin to come in.

Reputation Marketing Helps Painting Businesses Convert Prospects Into Clients

A good reputation is earned via ethical, well-rounded, and high-quality business operations, and it is the most important asset a company can have. Keep track of what is being said about your company on the internet and maintain a professional image in order to maintain a good reputation.

Promotion, monitoring, and acquisition of good brand material are all part of the reputation marketing strategy that allows firms to take control of their reputation. The proactive strategies outlined above can assist you in distinguishing your brand from your greatest rivals and painting a picture of your firm that matches with your organization’s overall goal.

For more information on winning clients over with your online reputation, check out this article.

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Reputation Marketing for House Painting Companies PART 1

What is your reputation online?

If it’s

bad
you don’t have one or
don’t know what it is

Then, this article is for you!

Painting a house, kitchen or even a room is costly and time-consuming, which is why most people will go online to find a reliable painter.

To seem credible, a home service business must have a Google rating of at least 4 stars and a steady stream of fresh reviews. Reputation marketing may be the answer you’re searching for if you want to cut down on callbacks while still offering high-quality service.

Let's get the basics out of the way first: what is reputation marketing?

Promotion, monitoring, and acquisition of positive third-party brand content, like reviews and social media posts, is called “reputation marketing.” This is done to improve your online reputation.

Your painting company’s online reputation will benefit from this tactic. It’s also a tool you can use to find more positive opportunities and make it into a line of defense for your brand.

When it comes to accumulating favorable information about your company, there are two options: organic and paid

Organic Reviews

Organic evaluations are always more dependable and trustworthy in the eyes of the public than paid advertisements. The majority of consumers are able to discern whether reviews are authentic and posted by other customers who have used the product.

Paid Reviews

Because they are not “earned,” which implies that anybody may obtain them, paid-for evaluations are not the ideal choice, and they often have a bad image as a result. This covers the payment for reviews, press releases, and interviews, among other things.

The use of exclusively paid-for information, according to seasoned marketers, is a lousy business strategy. In a well-thought-out reputation marketing plan, both kinds would be utilized, with a higher emphasis placed on the organic method.

While purchasing phony reviews, bribing consumers to submit reviews, or attempting to have your company listed on particular websites may sound appealing, these strategies are likely to provide little to no return on your investment in the long run.

The Many Benefits of Reputation Marketing

The unfortunate reality is that smaller painting companies tend to overlook or entirely disregard reputation marketing and management as helpful tools until they are confronted with an inflow of negative reviews.

In truth, reputation marketing serves as a safety net for your business. As long as it is implemented in a timely and appropriate manner, it will assist you in establishing strong brand authority and reputation before a crisis scenario spirals out of hand…like receiving multiple bad reviews in a row.

So, if you are still unsure about how reputation marketing might assist your painting business, here are a few ideas to consider:

IMPROVED PERFORMANCE RATINGS

Make sure to pay close attention to the comments and reviews people post about your service and that their comments and reviews portray your home service business in the best possible light. You won’t be able to avoid bad feedback, but you can at least curate third-party reviews over time to mitigate the effects. The fact of the issue is that public opinion counts, and the difference between a 4-star and a 5-star rating may translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional income.

GOOGLE KNOWLEDGE PANEL

It is the short description with info (and pictures) about your business that Google pulls and appears on the right side of your screen in desktop search results. This Knowledge Panel can be an important business asset and a game changer when it comes to getting more people to visit your home service website. That said, getting it to be shown frequently depends on how well your brand is known and how much structured data you have on your site/Google Business Profile.

GOOGLE PROFILE OPTIMIZATION

If you really want to get serious, you should set up a Google Business Profile (formerly called a Google My Business account). A well-optimized business profile can help your house painting business show up in search results above the rest. Plus, it’s free to set up and allows you to connect with potential and current customers and build your brand’s trust.

WEBSITE SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)

SEO is all about getting your site to show up high in search engine results. If Google and other search engines think your page is an authority for certain target keywords, like “house painter near me”, then you will get more traffic that all of the painters in your area are fighting for.

GET YOUR BRAND INTO THE SEARCH RESULTS

As time goes on, the hard work that you do pays off in a big way. By building your brand online in multiple directories, you should see more branded results. Your website will show up at the top of the search results if someone searches for your painting company’s name.

LOCAL SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)

Local SEO is one of the most important tools for home service companies because it allows you to target the specific community that you serve directly. Implementing an effective local SEO strategy can boost the search exposure of your business.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this topic, where we will discuss the impact of online reviews and how to create a successful reputation marketing campaign.

Get the Top 3 Social Media Post Templates for Painting Companies to Grow Your Following and Get New Clients

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How To Build a Website for Your Painting Business + 5 Alternatives

A professional website is an essential element for every business’s brand strategy. Apart from being an authoritative platform on which the company communicates its brand, it also helps considerably with engagement and conveying your services.

Having a website makes it very easy for people to find you and discover what you do. It also makes you stand out as a professional in your field.

Then, there’s marketing. Through website analytics, a business owner can quickly tell the demographics of those who show interest. On-page and off-page SEO also goes a long way in building online visibility and search engine ranking.

But how do you actually build a website? And what are other options if you can’t afford one?

Before we get started.. We have 7 simple steps that will help you get your business in front of the right customers, downloadable as a free guide.

The Painter Marketing Broad Brush Effect

Get a FREE download of our 7 simple steps that will bring in more painting customers than you can handle in 2021 and beyond.

Ready to roll?

How Do I Build A Website For My Painting Business?

There are various ways to go about building your painting business website. And frankly, anyone can create a website these days with a good Internet connection. Here are your options:

Template-based website builders

These require no design or development skills at all and are exceptionally popular when it comes to building a website on a low budget. Some of the best website builders out there include:

Do keep in mind that you will still need to pay for things like a domain name, business email, hosting, and customized themes. There’s also photography to take into account, or the purchase of stock images. You will additionally need to put in some time and effort to learn the platform of your choice. WordPress, in particular, is the trickiest but also the best when it comes to ranking on the search engines.

Seek out a freelance web designer/developer

It is not a secret that you can hire freelancers online these days for a fraction of the price you would pay your local creative agency. This again applies to those on a small budget who are also short on time and other resources.

Some of the most popular freelance outsourcing sites include:

While this is an affordable option, finding the right freelancer will take some time and effort. To streamline the process, make sure you create an ad with specific details about what you want, so that the freelancer can bid on it knowing all the specs of the job.

Don’t hire someone simply because they’re cheap; check out their profile and portfolio first and have a look at what projects they are currently working on (you would want to avoid anyone already working on 27 other projects!).

Before you decide to hire, hop on a video call with your candidates to verify that they are not scammers or fake profiles — unfortunately, this does tend to happen when there is no supervision or control over who creates a profile.

Hire an agency

Agencies will be your best option when it comes to creating a professional-looking, fully functional website.

They won’t limit your options with template designs and quick fixes, and they usually consist of specialists, in which case you may be able to get a full package of web design, marketing, and branding services by a team of real experts who know what they’re doing.

But do be aware, these professional services come at a higher cost due to the quality they offer, and a website alone could cost you anywhere from $500 to $10,000!

As a small business that requires an uncomplicated website with only a few pages, consider putting aside $1000-$3000. If you’re serious about your painting business, you will not hesitate at making such an important investment.

At IFTS we work with our clients to make customized solutions for your website development and marketing needs.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you are considering creating a professional website for your painting business.

5 Alternatives to Building a Painting Business Website

Are you hoping to avoid the whole website-building hassle altogether? If you are, you can still build your online brand and presence. It’s only the platform that will be different.

A website is not the only tool that a business can utilize to create an online presence. There are various alternatives you can look at which are much less pricey, too. Below are some of the most commonly sought after alternatives for painting businesses:

1. Google My Business

A Google My Business page is an all-in-one listing management tool. This tool displays your business information and your business’s location will also appear on Google Maps.

You can also take advantage of other tools, like Reviews and Insights. You can even create a DIY site if you like and promote events and special offers. It will boost your visibility on the search engine results page when a relevant query is placed.

A GMB page is responsive, mobile-friendly, and can be optimized for SEO.

Need help creating or optimizing your Google My Business profile? Check out our Introduction to Google My Business for tips on how to set up your profile correctly and accurately.

2. Online Local Business Directories

Yes, you can pay for a listing on your local online business directories such as Yellow Pages and Foursquare.

These online directories allow you to optimize your listing for SEO and showcase as much information about the business as you can. You can also just list the basics – name and contact information of the business and services and working hours, and you’re good to go.

3. Review Sites Listings

Review sites such as HomeAdvisor, Yelp, and Angi are well-optimized for search results. Hence, a listing on these sites will allow you to take advantage of their undeniably impressive business-boosting functions.

The best part of registering your business with review sites is that clients tend to trust any review they read on them! And if you’re low on reviews, you can always invite your current customers to these platforms and have them give their two cents.

Want to know how to win over customers with your online reputation? Here, we discuss proactive tactics for online reputation management to get more clients.

4. Facebook Business Page

Facebook has over two billion active users. It is one of the few platforms that are continuously improving their B2B offerings and helping new businesses promote themselves.

With a Facebook business page, you can create an ecommerce store, accept payments, book appointments, share content through posts, create promotions, announce events, set up ad campaigns, and do pretty much anything you need to attract and retain customers.

You can also use Facebook for SEO purposes or targeted advertising. The possibilities are endless!

5. Online Marketplaces

Online marketplaces perform well on the search engines, and a listing on them can significantly boost your presence and sales.

They are also a great starting point for small niche businesses, as you can position your business in front of your target audience without the need to resort to advertising.

For home services business, your go-to marketplaces should be Handy, ProReferral, and Serviz.

Regardless of the options you choose, you must maintain a professional online presence at all times.

Be sure to craft an online marketing strategy and implement, review, and improve your online marketing efforts constantly.

Click the button below to download our free guide, The Painter Marketing Broad Brush Effect. This guide will walk you through 7 simple steps to bring in more painting customers than you can handle in 2021 and beyond.

If you need help creating a website for your painting business, or figuring out a marketing strategy that drives results, feel free to ask us any questions! Give IFTS a call at 412.715.6266 for a free consultation.

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Enter your email below and get the templates sent directly to your inbox along with an instructional video on how to make personalized edits.