Any business owner knows, success starts with finding high-quality leads. Whether you’re a painting business owner, professional painter, or a painting contractor managing a larger team. Using a strategic approach can open the door to better painting jobs and more leads.
According to the American Coatings Association, “the U.S. paint and coatings market is forecasted to grow by 2.3% in volume and up to 5.3% in value by 2025.” This not only highlights the potential opportunities within the industry. But is also shows the importance of using strategies to capitalize on this growth.
In this article, we touch on 12 strategies to get more painting contracts. You’ll learn how identifying your target customers is the first step. Once you know who they are, you can refine your website’s messaging to resonate with them. This sets the stage for using online platforms to attract valuable customer leads. (These are things like online directories and your Google Business Profile.)
We’ll also discuss ways to leverage social media and lead generation sites. And how to use email campaigns with personalized messages to nurture potential clients. Looking to optimize your existing customers? Then read our advice on referral programs, trade shows, and innovative online marketing strategies. You’ll find helpful information about evaluating your progress. This way, every lead turns into your next painting contract.
Be sure to check back often for updates! Keeping up with the latest trends and strategies in the painting industry ensures your business stays competitive and ready to grow.
The First Step is to Define the Target Market and Service Area
To secure more painting contracts, it’s crucial to know exactly who you’re targeting. Casting a wide net without a clear focus won’t get you very far. Start by asking yourself these key questions.
- What areas does my painting business serve?
- Who are my ideal customers?
- What services do they need—exterior painting, interior painting, or commercial painting?
For painting business owners, painting contractors, or anyone involved in painting contracting, having a deep knowledge of your target audience is the foundation of success. Without it, even the most skilled professionals can struggle to secure steady painting jobs.
The SBA has Free Resources to Help You
Luckily, there are free resources and tools available! These help you define your market and craft smarter strategies. One such excellent resource is the SBA’s Market Research and Competitive Analysis guide.
Market research is a crucial step that blends consumer behavior with economic trends. This helps you confirm and refine your business approach. Gather and analyze demographic data, such as age, income levels, location, and interests. Doing so can help you understand where the opportunities lie and what challenges you might face.
Consider these guiding questions to sharpen your focus on your market.
- Is there demand? Identify whether customers need your painting services.
- What’s the market size? Determine how many people could become potential clients.
- Where are your customers located? Understand where your audience lives and whether your business can reach them.
- What about competition? Check how saturated your market is and identify gaps your business can fill.
- How do you price competitively? Research what your target clients already pay for similar services.
Getting these answers will give you insight into your audience’s needs and behaviors. You can tap into existing resources online to save time. Check databases on trends and demographics. Conducting direct research can provide deeper, more specific insights tailored to your business. Consider using customer surveys, interviews, or focus groups.
Once your target market is defined, then you can make the most of the following approaches.
1). Regularly Check Government Lead Generation Sites
You should regularly check out nearby opportunities on the SAM.gov website or explore your state’s procurement and contract opportunity websites. Every state typically offers these valuable resources. Government contracts can be a powerful tool for painting contractor business growth!
These opportunities not only help generate more leads and job leads but also elevate your credibility. This is by positioning your business as a trusted professional service provider. Tapping into government contracts enables painting contractors to secure steady projects. You also avoid downtime during slower seasons and expand your reach.
2). Increase Visibility Through Search Engines
Landing painting contracts begins with being visible in online search results. Your website is your digital storefront, and first impressions matter. Paint an attractive picture for your website visitors by including these essential elements:
- Service descriptions detailing your painting jobs.
- A compelling About page that showcases your expertise.
- Before-and-after photos of interior painting, exterior painting, or commercial painting services.
- Positive reviews or testimonials from satisfied customers.
- A blog with helpful tips like “How to Choose the Right Exterior Paint” to engage potential customers.
- Accurate contact details, including your business name, phone, and email.
To boost your online reputation and local SEO, sprinkle location-specific terms into your content. Include your city, nearby landmarks, or local neighborhoods. This helps search engines connect your painting services to a relevant target audience in your area.
Prioritize Setting Up Your Google Business Profile for Local SEO
An essential step for painting business owners is focusing on Local SEO to attract local job leads and quality painting leads. Start by setting up your Google Business Profile. This process is crucial for getting your business noticed in local searches. It also generates visibility for the painting services you provide.
When setting up your profile, take the time to fill out every detail. Don’t rush through it! Pay particular attention to selecting the Primary Category for your business. Since painting can cover a range of services, choose a category that accurately reflects your role as a contractor.
If a specific option like “painting contractor” isn’t available, opt for broader terms, like “contractor”. Refine your profile by adding secondary categories like “painting contractors” or “painting.” You can also list all your additional services to give potential customers a clear picture of what you offer.
To stay competitive, this optimization process should become a regular part of your workflow. Think of it like cleaning up after a job. Once your profile is fully optimized, it becomes a powerful tool for securing local job leads and standing out in your area.
With Your Profile Setup, it’s Now Time to Build Local Citations
With your Google Business Profile ready, the next step is to build local citations. Local citations are online mentions of your business that include your name, address, and phone number (NAP).
These are crucial for helping potential customers and search engines find you. To get started, you can use tools like BrightLocal to identify the best local citation opportunities, many of which are free. BrightLocal can also help you track your progress and monitor your local growth within the local pack and other Google Business Profile features.
Building citations isn’t just about visibility. It boosts your credibility as one of the top local businesses in your area. It also helps you get links that have local citations, strengthening your SEO efforts. With the power of Local SEO at your fingertips, ignoring Google’s platform would mean missing out on one of the most effective tools for growing your business.
Painting companies should use Google as a digital lawn sign! Showcase your services to anyone searching for trusted painting professionals in your community. Just like a real lawn sign, it’s visible, targeted, and a great way to bring in more painting clients where it matters.
3). Harness the Power of Paid Ads
Investing in paid ads is a smart way for painting contractors to bring in new customer leads and grow their business. Platforms like Google and Facebook are excellent tools to run targeted ads and generate painting leads. The best part? These platforms often offer free credits when you sign up. This gives you an opportunity to test the effectiveness of paid ads without immediately dipping into your budget.
Google Ads is a proven way to target customers with a strategic approach while ensuring your business name appears at the top of search results.
Make your ads highly effective by geo-targeting your specific area. For instance, if you cater to downtown real estate agencies, showing your ad to suburban contractors won’t make sense.
You can even offer free estimates or discounts in your ads. This encourages homeowners, property managers, or commercial clients to contact you. And these small incentives can go a long way in securing new leads.
Be sure to also set a clear budget and review the performance of your ads. You want to make sure the money you’re spending is turning into painting contracts.
4). Get Involved in the Community
Connect with your community is a great way to build trust and attract new painting leads. Consider offering free lessons or workshops at local venues. These could be at the library, Home Depot, or a community events that focus on homeowners. Many people are eager to learn practical skills! Homeowners want to learn how to stain a deck, choose the right paint for a front porch, or address home maintenance issues. Sharing your expertise not only shows that you care about your community. It also positions you as the local expert in painting services.
To further engage with potential clients, join local Facebook groups and be an active participant. Homeowners often post photos asking for advice on repair projects or improvement ideas. Painting-related questions are surprisingly common. This is your chance to provide helpful insights, demonstrate your knowledge, and subtly showcase your skills without coming across as pushy.
When you show up consistently, whether teaching, commenting online, or offering helpful advice, you become a trusted, approachable resource in your community. Being friendly, enjoyable, and genuinely supportive goes a long way. Over time, these efforts can lead to valuable painting jobs and continuous painting leads. All while strengthening your reputation as the go-to expert for painting needs in your area.
5). Collaborate with Marketing Companies
Partnering with lead generation services or hiring marketing companies can take the stress out of finding leads while you focus on delivering excellent painting jobs. These services are especially helpful for sourcing contracts with general contractors, real estate agents, or government agencies.
Find businesses specializing in construction companies, home improvement businesses, or painting contractors to align with your niche. Always clarify your budget and ask for guarantees — such as a set number of new leads per month.
6). Invest in Paid Leads and Exclusive Painting Leads
Paid leads can connect you with potential customers who are ready to hire professional painters. For one-person painting companies or commercial painters expanding their services, this can save time and effort. These vetted leads often lead to higher conversion rates, meaning more contracts with less legwork.
Before choosing a lead generation service, read reviews and ask about their success rates. Focus on platforms that connect you with local businesses or customers in your area.
7). Leverage Email Marketing for Local Businesses
Email marketing is one of the most reliable ways to stay on the radar of potential customers. Nurture campaigns are perfect for keeping touchpoints warm with general contractors, real estate agents, and even current customers.
Keep your emails engaging by providing educational resources like “Tips for Maintaining Painted Walls”. Or you can send promotional offers like “10% Off Your Next Project.” Personalization goes a long way, too! Address prospective customers by name and reference specific needs like interior designers’ preferences or upcoming residential projects.
8). Optimize Website and Sales Funnel
Your website should do more than look good. It should convert visitors into actionable leads. Make it easy for users—future services rely on that smooth user experience.
- Make sure the site runs well on mobile devices and looks polished. This gives you credibility among professional painters and construction companies alike.
- Add lead-generating forms to gather details about potential partners or painting services. This lets you follow up quickly.
- Experiment with A/B testing for headlines, calls to action, or promotional banners.
The more you refine this process, the easier it will be to connect with high-quality leads and make more painting contracts.
9). Use Phone Leads to Drive Engagement
Not all leads live online. Phone calls offer a personal touch that can set you apart as a professional painter.
Train your team or handle inquiries with professionalism and helpfulness. Use tools like tracking software to measure phone lead performance, and take notes for follow-up. These additional efforts show potential customers that you genuinely care about building relationships.
10). Develop Cost-Effective Marketing Strategies
You don’t always need a big budget to attract painting contracts. Word of mouth referrals and door-to-door marketing are classic techniques that still yield results.
Social media campaigns—especially Facebook groups—are excellent for connecting with local businesses or community projects. Use these platforms to share posts featuring house painting jobs, commercial painting challenges, or referrals from satisfied customers.
Don’t overlook traditional methods either! Use business cards, print advertising, or lawn signs placed near your completed projects. These marketing materials keep your name visible in the local market.
11). Address Challenges and Continual Optimization
Common issues like low-quality leads, outdated contact details, and increased competition can slow your progress. Overcome these with strategies that prioritize timely follow-ups and an organized approach to lead tracking.
Set reminders to connect with potential customers the same day they inquire about painting services. Address any obstacles immediately, whether that’s setting up a call or sending an email.
12). Measure and Refine Success
Track progress using measurable metrics. Keep an eye on cost per lead, conversion rates, and seasonal demand for painting jobs. Always ask happy clients what motivated them to hire your painting company for insights into what works.
Switch gears when certain strategies aren’t paying off. Always look toward future services and scalable methods to grow your business further.
Summary
To secure more painting contracts, rely on a mix of methods rather than sticking to one. Build long-term relationships with general contractors, property managers, and satisfied customers who can bring in additional referrals. Evaluate your progress regularly to stay ahead of your competition. With the right strategies and focus, your painting business can attract high-quality leads and secure new business.
Get More Painting Contracts With MarketSharp
MarketSharp makes life easier for painting business owners and contractors. All by simplifying lead generation and keeping everything organized. Our smart tools, like Jobsite Radius Marketing and automated follow-ups, ensure you capture every lead and stay connected with potential clients. With features that handle emails, scheduling, and even call scripts, you can focus on growing your business without worrying about missed opportunities or tedious tasks.