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

google knowledge pannel

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

Engage with prospects and save time with your FREE Canva template kit. This kit features the top 3 social media posts for painting companies and directions on how to brand them for your own business in 5 minutes or less.

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

How To Use Social Media Marketing To Grow Your House Painting Business In 2022

Let’s talk about all of the ways house painting companies can benefit from social media marketing.

For house painting business owners who aren’t “tech-savvy,” social media may not be their choice way to advertise their firm. But you can’t ignore the reality that social media has become an integral part of almost everyone’s daily routine.

Marketing your firm and reaching your business objectives will be easier if you use social media. If you’re still skeptical about the benefits of social media marketing for your home painting business, here are some examples of the tangible results you may expect.

BENEFIT 1 - EXPANDING YOUR TARGET MARKET

Social media is a great way to reach more people and find new customers without putting in a lot of work or spending a fortune. Social media ads on Facebook and Instagram are two sure ways for your brand name to reach new people in your area. You can also make content that people can share.

BENEFIT 2 – INCREASING BRAND AWARENESS

Social media is a low-cost yet extremely successful method for increasing brand exposure and attracting new consumers. Most of them also allow you to sign up for a free account, so all you’re investing is your time and effort. 

Your house painting firm will stand out if you show consistency in your brand voice, color scheme, and logo. A memorable and distinctive brand identity boosts your chances of landing a lead. The more traction you get for your brand name and voice, the more familiar your service area will become with your brand. Instead of looking you up on Google and going with a competitor, they will call you the next time they need painting to be done.

BENEFIT 3 - IMPROVING TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE AND YOUR SEO RANKING

According to most marketers, a strong social media presence leads to a rise in website traffic. Considering that 73% of individuals who use the Internet spend the most of their time on social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., this should come as no surprise. 

The popularity of social networks like Instagram and Tik-Tok has increased, although Facebook remains the most popular social media platform. In addition, your search engine position is closely correlated with the amount of media shares you’ve got. As a result, a well-maintained social media account might help your website rank higher in the search engine results page (SERP).

BENEFIT 4 – BOOST YOUR CONTENT MARKETING

Place well-optimized high-quality content on your website, and you’ll be able to get some of that organic traffic without having to pay a penny. However, getting your content in front of as many people as possible in the quickest amount of time is still a digital marketing problem. 

This is where social media platforms come into play, and they can help you! Content that is of value can be shared on your business profiles so that you can get in touch with potential customers quickly and for free.

BENEFIT 5 – AUDIENCE TARGETING MADE EASY

A nice advantage of social media is that it lets you better tailor your adverts and content to the specific demographics of the people using it. This way, home painting companies may identify and target their ideal clients, and finally convert them into paying customers. 

These findings will be used as a guide for developing campaigns and presenting appropriate offers, which normally yields a higher return on investment.

Learn how to define your target audience here.

BENEFIT 6 - LOWER LEAD GENERATION COSTS

Many home service business owners still choose conventional marketing methods such as radio, ads, and newspapers, not realizing that lead generation from social media costs only a fraction of the expense of traditional marketing. 

Using social media marketing may reduce lead generation expenses by as much as 80%, resulting in a higher return on investment (ROI) through reduced spending and improved sales volume. 

As a result, social media platforms like Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and Twitter Ads offer cost-effective paid advertising options that allow painters to expand their audience and boost their reach.

BENEFIT 7 - LEGITIMIZING YOUR HOUSE PAINTING COMPANY BRAND

Before making a purchase, how frequently do you perform a search on Google for the product or service you’re considering? 

Consumers frequently look up businesses and corporations online. People aren’t only using search engines to learn about a company. In today’s world, consumers also rely on social media to find out about brands, products, and other people’s experiences with them. Customers will recognize and trust your brand more if you make the same information available on social media as you do on your website.

BENEFIT 8 - IMPLEMENTING A LONG-LASTING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP

Customers are more likely to remain loyal to a company that has established credibility in the marketplace and provides exceptional service. Content and interaction are critical in the world of social media. If you provide your audience with valuable content and engage them in meaningful dialogue, they will develop a positive impression of your company. 

A company’s online interactions have a significant impact on the likelihood that customers would return for additional service.

BENEFIT 9 - SEEKING OUT REVIEWS FROM CUSTOMERS

A review and comment area is available on nearly every social media platform where firms are permitted to sell their goods and services. It has two main purposes: it helps you identify areas for development in your painting business and it confirms your commitment to providing high-quality client experiences. 

Every business has to deal with unhappy consumers at some point. When you get a bad review on social media, don’t get down on yourself. This is actually a great chance to think outside the box and discover a solution to the problem while also bringing optimism to the situation. These kinds of encounters are essential if you want to persuade potential clients that your company is trustworthy.  

Want to know more about responding to reviews?  Check out this video that helps you respond to both positive and negative reviews in a helpful and productive way.

HERE ARE SOME BONUS SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS FOR PAINTING BUSINESSES

Now that you know the many benefits of using social media, let’s discuss some specific marketing strategies to make it work for your painting company.

To help you get started, here are a few pointers:

TIP 1 - IDENTIFY THE PLATFORMS THAT YOUR AUDIENCE USES THE MOST

When it comes to social media marketing, there are a lot of alternatives to choose from. You should go to places where your clients and potential consumers meet. Begin with what social media networks your consumer base uses to hunt for services and follow other businesses. 

Your major rivals’ social accounts are also a wonderful place for research when it comes to discovering which platform has been the most effective in terms of follower numbers and post interaction.

TIP 2 - LINK YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS AND MARKETING STRATEGIES

A new or different social media site doesn’t always make it easy to build a profile.  However, you can and should encourage your existing customers and fans to follow, like and subscribe to other accounts in a few ways. 

Adding social media connections to your home painting website is essential.  You should also include your page URL and the location of your firm on all of your social media profiles.

TIP 3 - CONSISTENTLY POST UPDATES WITH A CONTENT CALENDAR

In order to maintain and grow your following, it’s critical to post online on a regular basis. The easiest way to do this is to construct a social media schedule. 

A content calendar will keep you on track and allow you to avoid last-minute scrambling. It’s critical to maintain consistency, but don’t go overboard with it. There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to how often you should post on social media. 

To find out what works best for your home service business, you might experiment with different post frequencies and timings.  You should also look to see what is working for your competitors.

TIP 4 - ENGAGE WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS

What better way to make use of social media than to interact with your followers? 

There are a multitude of new methods to engage with your audience and clients in today’s social media landscape. Pose a question and respond as promptly as possible with relevant, helpful information to elicit more conversation. The first two hours following a post are critical to generating interest. 

IS YOUR PAINTING COMPANY REAPING THE BENEFITS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING?

Social media gives your business the opportunity to connect with a global audience and keep clients who are already loyal. If you’re suffering with your company’s social media strategy and aren’t confident in your marketing abilities, then this video is for you. 

A social media specialist with the skills and knowledge you need to achieve your company goals is the ideal choice in this instance. The idea here is to take advantage of the increased traffic that comes from social media and use it to grow your house painting business.  Contact IFTS today at 412-715-6266!

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

Engage with prospects and save time with your FREE Canva template kit. This kit features the top 3 social media posts for painting companies and directions on how to brand them for your own business in 5 minutes or less.

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

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.

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

Engage with prospects and save time with your FREE Canva template kit. This kit features the top 3 social media posts for law firms and directions on how to brand them for your own firm in 5 minutes or less.

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

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!

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

Engage with prospects and save time with your FREE Canva template kit. This kit features the top 3 social media posts for law firms and directions on how to brand them for your own firm in 5 minutes or less.

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