IFTS, Inc. Blog – Page 23

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!

SEO for House Painting Businesses: Let’s Talk About Good Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Your Painting Company

Your painting company provides a wide range of valuable services to local homeowners and businesses as a painter. The problem is that you’re simply one of many comparable businesses. So, what distinguishes you from the rest of the pack?

Customer service and high-quality products are equally as important as flawless execution. However, implementing SEO solutions to develop your organization is an equally crucial, if sometimes forgotten, component.

What is Search Engine Optimization for House Painters?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving your website’s visibility in search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, and so on, in order to attract more traffic to your site. Increased visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) means that you’re more likely to attract new and existing consumers.

Unlike PPC advertising, which suck up a significant portion of any marketing budget, SEO may be done for a fraction of the cost. PPC results can be seen instantly, while true SEO advantages may take some time to show up. For most painting contractors, a combination of PPC and SEO is suggested.

Types of Search Engine Optimization Your Business Can Use

Although SEO appears to be a straightforward procedure at first glance, digging deeper reveals a considerably more nuanced process. The “mechanism” of SEO has several moving parts, including, but not limited to, keywords and content.

There are two basic types of SEO elements – Onsite SEO and Offsite SEO.

On-site SEO is when you make changes to individual parts of your website to make it more likely to show up in search engine results. This includes things like keywords, formatting, navigation, URLs, load speed, on-site blogging, and responsive design, among other things.

Off-Site SEO is the work you do to improve your SEO by doing things that aren’t on your website. A lot of people think that link building is the most important part of off-page SEO, but it also includes things like business profiles on social media, articles, link building and more.

How Can You Get Started In SEO With Your Painting Company?

SEO is a lot more complicated than just researching keywords and putting them on your site. This is a good reason to pay more attention to it and not just ignore it. There are many parts of SEO that don’t cost anything but your time and effort, and they can be more effective than other marketing methods.

Search Engine Journal says that inbound leads (like from SEO) cost 61% less than leads that have to be bought (like cold calling). It is also very easy to use tactics once you know how to do them.

So, let’s get started!

Social Media – It’s a good idea to post material from your website or blog on social media networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and so on to increase traffic to your site. Post often and engage with users in a professional manner to build a following.

Link Building – We’ve previously established that link development is a critical component of any successful SEO campaign. Google doesn’t care about the size of your painting company. By guest blogging, submitting your pages to relevant directories, and providing valuable material that other people want to share, you may utilize link building to establish your authority.

On the other hand, anyone who uses black hat techniques, such as low-quality methods and spam, will be punished, no matter how big their business is.

Local SEO – Local SEO is the same as SEO but tailored to local search engine results. This implies that the material you generate and distribute should include information about your business’s location, city, or town.

Consumers and home service providers both benefit from Google’s preference for local content. When you have the right tools to target people in your location, your adverts and content will be more successful.

Understanding Local SEO

Here’s how MailChimp explains local organic search results:

After analyzing the behavior of users during trillions of searches, Google figured out that people seeking certain types of businesses need results from their immediate area. That’s why Google’s local search algorithm includes a proximity factor, which is a fancy way of saying that Google takes your location into account when you search for a local keyword (a query with local intent). This happens even when the searcher doesn’t include a city name or “near me” in their search.

Long-tail keywords have a large role in local SEO. To locate words that describe your painting company’s services and mention the location, you may use tools like Google Keyword Planner. Using these keywords in your article can help you rise in the ranks of search engine results.

How To Know If Your SEO Is Working

Measurability is one of SEO’s finest advantages. In order to learn more about your website’s visitors, including their origins, paths to your site, and activities while they’re there, you may use Google Analytics. Using this data, you can take advantage of the fact that a certain search phrase is directing users to your site and incorporate this keyword in your content.

How Can Local SEO Help Grow Your House Painting Business?

Let’s go a little further and see exactly what these services can achieve for your business.

Improve Your Online Visibility

Painting companies that get their name out there are more likely to expand and grow. You have the opportunity to appear at the top of search engine results by executing an effective local SEO plan.

Even if customers don’t click on your links on your website, they will still notice your brand. As a result, your company’s name and products become more recognizable to them. This is a great approach to increase your brand’s visibility over time!

Boost Your Local Sales

The ultimate purpose of an SEO strategy should be to assist you in increasing revenue. In fact, this is exactly what local SEO can achieve for your painting business. Having a Google My Business account is one way to get your business in front of more local clients.

Outrank All Of Your Competitors

As a result of employing local SEO techniques, you’ll be able to outrank your rivals in the Google search results and attract clients who otherwise would have opted for your rivals. If people see your website first, they’re more likely to click through.

Generating Organic Traffic For Your Site

Search Engine Watch conducted a study that arrived at some incredible findings: 63 % of people use multiple devices to find a local business.

Four out of five searches via mobile devices lead to a purchase, often within a few hours, the survey said. Compared with other devices, the mobile phone showed the highest conversion rate, with nearly 80 percent of mobile phone searches ending in a purchase.

When consumers in your area search for the services you provide, it’s critical that you show up in local search results. And the best way to achieve it is through a local search engine optimization approach.

You Need SEO For Business Success

In order to be successful and relevant in today’s business environment, Search Engine Optimization is a must-have. SEO is essential for painters. Even if you have a great service, you won’t be found online if you don’t have SEO. To put it another way, customers can’t discover you when they search for what you do online.

If you’re in the painting business, knowing your local customers better than anyone else might provide you an edge over your rivals in the home service industry. It’s an excellent chance for you if they’re depending only on outbound marketing or are simply hoping for the best with their websites. This happens more often than you think.

There’s no need to start off with a huge budget – start small and build up as your business grows. Keep in mind that SEO is a long-term process, not a sprint!

The Top 18 Social Media Post Ideas For Painting Businesses To Engage Your Online Audience and Save You Time

Posting organic content in today’s world is crucial for social media success. Keeping up with posting daily to your social media sites can be very time consuming – and you don’t want to be spending all of your valuable time creating content that your social media followers might not even see or want to read. This is especially crucial if you, as the painting business owner, are creating this content.

In order to simplify the social media process, we have put together this easy to follow social media post ideas list. These top post ideas will help you stay relevant and engaging on social media while saving you time.

Before you start posting though, you need to get to know your audience!

Discover Your Audience In Depth

Knowing who your audience is will make creating content for your social media THAT much easier!

You’ll want to know your audience’s

likes and dislikes
interests
pain points
biggest questions
age

If you are trying to figure out who your target audience is, check out this blog post on how to define your target audience where we walk you through a few steps that will help you identify who is already engaging with your company (and your competitors) and how to utilize that information to establish a clear target group.

To get you started, most painting businesses have an active audience that mainly consists of women 35-65 that live within 20 miles of your location. They are normally the primary decision makers in a household. Also, the household income is in the top 40% in the area.

Now, the age may skew younger or older depending on your location, but this is a good jumping off point.

1. This or that

As a painting business, you can ask people what cabinet color they prefer in a kitchen. This dark set or that bright white set.

There are a number of things that you can compare using the “this or that” post option.

2. A, B, C or D

This type of post is similar to “this or that” but instead, you are giving them four different options to choose from. You could post a question such as “If you could choose one thing to update in your home right now, what would it be?”

With this question, post four images such as a new kitchen, interior painting, exterior painting and bathroom remodeling and have them share their feedback. This can help you figure out ads to run and pain points to touch upon in upcoming posts.

3. Customer Review

Customer reviews are one of the most impactful posts you can put out there, yet you rarely see it being done by most businesses. This type of post allows you to toot your own horn a bit while letting others know that your previous clients have been absolutely satisfied with your services.

You can showcase reviews that have been left for your company on Facebook, Google, etc., videos that customers have shot on their cellphones, or even emails or text messages that you have received about your work.Does your business not receive many reviews? Here are 10 proven ways to get more online reviews for your business!

4. Story Time

There is nothing more engaging to the human race than storytelling. It goes back to the time of cavemen. So, why not use this to help liven up your social media?

This could be a story about you and how you started your business. It could be a story about one of your clients and their story of how you have made something in their life better through your services. It could even be a story that discusses why a client chose you over someone else to tackle their home project.

The story post allows you to connect with your audience on another level while establishing yourself as a personable brand. It’s a very humanizing post type.

5. Showcasing Styles

If you offer a wide range of choices in your work, let them know! Show off various styles and options within the services you provide. If you are a home remodeling company, show off a few different kitchen styles and ask your audience which they would pick for their own home.

Showcase your abilities to your audience will help them understand exactly what your company is about and the kind of work you do.

6. Transparency

When creating this type of post, you’ll be taking something that isn’t typically discussed in your industry, and share it with your social media audience. You’ll need to make it very clear for the customer to see, such as how your business operates or how you estimate work with integrity. Offer them a deep dive into your processes.

Transparency posts are engaging because they help you build a relationship with your audience. Discuss topics on which your followers are desperate to learn more about.

7. Business Details

If you are a painting company, including business details such as the process of making an estimate or how long it typically takes to complete a project can attract social media followers who are in need of your services. This is a topic that not many companies speak openly about.

You could also share the training process for your employees and how you only hire experienced professionals. Your followers will be glad to know that there won’t be just any average joe painting their home.

This type of post gives you an opportunity to showcase your professionalism.

8. Customer Spotlight

This post can be focused on one of your customers and the project that you helped them with. Shining the light on a customer will make them feel great, and more likely to share your social media post with other potential customers. This is a great way to get your business in front of new eyes. In fact, try to tag the customer that you are highlighting if possible.

This also shows how much you care about your clients and helps them to feel more connected with your company.

9. Quick Tips

Quick tips are social media posts that showcase a helpful tip or trick for something relevant to your industry. These can be beneficial as they will provide your audience with the knowledge they need to take advantage of a daily situation.

With someone who has as much experience and knowledge in your industry as you do, start sharing some helpful tips! If these valuable tips will help somebody, they are going to think of you every time they use it.

10. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

FAQ social media posts are great because they answer the questions you get asked most often! This is perfect for businesses that have social media accounts that get a lot of comments or messages. Instead of replying to each message, share it with your social media audience so everyone can get the answers to their questions without having to ask them.

[Bonus Tip – If a question is really popular, be sure to add it to your website as well to help with your SEO]

Ask your question in the opening line of the content with the answer written out below. This is how you turn frequently asked questions into questions that are no longer asked, saving you time in the long run. These work really well as videos too.

Need help?

Get templates to the top 18 social media posts to engage your online audience and save you time!

11. Before and After

As a home services business, before and after posts are a must! Showing your social media audience the before and after of a project will help them to understand how your services make a difference!

If possible, be sure to use a picture taken from the same angle with similar lighting. Try to use images that have stark contrast, such as going from light paint to dark paint or vice versa.

12. Feature Your Employees

We can guarantee your employees will love the fact that you take the time to showcase them, what they do for you, and how much of an asset they are to your company. When you share social media posts that include the team members, it helps to provide a friendly face behind your business and that will make your audience feel more connected!

People want to do business with people.

13. Comparison

The comparison post can relate to anything within your industry and it simply compares one thing to another. This could be comparing different brands of paint and how they are used, types of flooring, the quality of one painting process vs. another etc.

14. Pros and Cons

Anything that relates to your business can be a comparison with benefits and drawbacks. This can be in relation to your industry, your competitors, or things that your customers are doing.

What are the pros and cons of hiring a company who specializes in kitchen remodeling over a general contractor? What about one coat of paint vs two?

Be sure to highlight the situations where your business comes out on top!

15. Customer Generated Content

This is a piece of content that was created by someone who has used your services. This could be a photo of them in their new kitchen or a testimonial that they may have written about your business on their personal profile. Anything that is published by one of your customers is customer generated content.

When customers see you sharing their posts about your business, this encourages others to do the same!

16. Talk About Trends

There are trends that are relevant in every industry, which is why social media users are so engaged with content that discusses them. Trends can be anything from popular paint colors to tile and flooring patterns and accent walls.

If you have your finger on the social media pulse, share some of these trends with your audience and provide some insight about them. They may just see something that catches their eye! This also sets you apart as an expert in your area.

17. Long Form Content

You want to make sure that you are also posting long form content here and there. This consists of longer videos and blog posts that allow you to really share your message. Longer form content can be used when you want to explain something that is beneficial for your social media audience and internet browsers alike!

Some popular long form content topics that we have seen work for painters are as follows:

Popular color trends for the year
Tips for painting children’s rooms
One coat vs two coat
Warranty explanation
Pros and cons of certain paints or paint brands

18. Community Related Posts

If you are a local business, you should absolutely be talking about community-related activities. For example, you can talk about projects that your business has completed around the community. So, when people see that your company has done work on a common spot around town, they are going to think of you every time they see it!

You should also post about any charity work that your business has done.

Want To Know More?

This is just the start when it comes to creating engaging content that helps get you more clients!

If you need help creating social media content for your business or if you would like it done for you, contact IFTS today at 412-715-6266 to discuss a social media plan that is a good fit for you and your business.

Bonus! Get these templates sent directly to your inbox along with an instructional video on how to make personalized edits! Click the link below!

18 social media posts to engage your online audience and save you time!