There are thousands of technology companies that try to make websites seem complicated so they can justify high costs.  Some of these companies charge thousands of dollars for services that don’t produce real results.  A well-designed website is extremely important if you want to grow your business, but if you’re a small or mid-sized business you probably don’t need a $3,000 website. What you need is a site designed by someone who understands both technology and painting.  Here are three things painting company websites must have to attract customers.

Get to the point – Your average customer is only going to spend seven seconds looking at your site before they decide whether your business is a candidate for their job.  If they can’t find the basic information they’re looking for in those seven seconds – your name, the services you provide, the areas you serve, and a quick way to get in contact with you – they’re going to move to another site that’s easier to navigate.  This information needs to be front and center, and it needs to be obvious enough to draw customers’ eyes quickly.

Explain your services – Your customers want to know that you’re an expert in the services you provide.  Google wants to know that the content on your site is helpful and informative.  You can do both of these things with “content” – pages on your web site that explain the services you provide.  Bullet lists are less effective than paragraphs detailing how a job is done.

At a minimum, painting company websites should have pages of content on major services, like interior and exterior painting, commercial painting, and any other coating you provide.  If you want people to find your company’s website when they search for companies that provide specific services like popcorn ceiling removal or wallpaper hanging, you’ll want pages of content for those services, too.  Ideally, your website will have at least 20 pages of content specific to your company, or to the painting services you provide.

Establish trust – Once people find your site and see that you can help them with a paint job, your company will make their “short list” of people to research further.  But before customers call you, they’ll want to know about the work you’ve done recently.  Was it done correctly?  Does it look nice?  Were your customers happy with the work?

To give customers peace of mind, your website should help answer these questions.  Because of the work they represent, painting company websites should feature photos. Be sure to take photos of your finished projects and post them on your website. If you have the opportunity to take them, before and after photos can be especially impressive. When customers are happy, ask if they would email you a short testimonial for your website.  Having several pictures and testimonials on your website helps customers trust that you’ll do a great job for them, too.

To learn more about how ProPainter Websites can build a personalized website for your company, call us at 855.384.1134 or email Team_PPW@ProPainterWebsites.com.

Like any business, professional painters can perform services most efficiently by focusing on one job.  If you’ve already invested in the equipment needed to paint, you may as well use the equipment for other services that can help you make more money on your investment!

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to get enough work if you’re only quoting paint jobs. This is especially true in areas where cold winter temperatures prevent exterior painting for part of the year, and all paint companies are competing only for interior paint jobs.  It is also true in areas where people visit only part of the year.  Christmas lowers business in many areas, because people are spending any extra cash on presents instead of paint jobs.  In all of these cases, painters have to drop prices to compete, and profits suffer.

One option is to offer additional services during these times.  These services can be offered alone, or only as an add-on to a paint job you are quoting.  If a customer is trying to get several things done and you are able to do all of them, it might be worth paying you more than other painters if they don’t have to manage multiple companies.  Here are three ideas for additional services you can offer.

3 Services Painters Can Offer to Increase Their Business

Hanging (and removing) Christmas Lights – Although few paint companies advertise this service, it’s a great way to make extra money around the holidays.  As mentioned earlier, in some areas, it’s too cold to paint around Christmas. In other areas people don’t want to spend the money at that time of year.  But many people do like having their houses lit for Christmas. And many of them may not be comfortable on a ladder or a roof.  There are also very few companies that specialize in this service. After all, it’s only needed for a couple of months per year.  Finally, one customer provides two jobs – they’ll need the lights removed, too.  And that second visit is a great opportunity to remind them you’re available if they need painting done during the spring or summer months.

Pressure Washing – If customers aren’t quite ready to repaint the outside of their house, but they want it to look better, one option is to pressure wash it.  If you have equipment for painting tall houses, a pressure washing machine might be a great investment for your business.  Alternatively, many people don’t want their house pressure washed due to the risk of water damage and ask for a scrub-washing instead.  Either way, neighbors will notice that the house looks much better. When they ask the homeowners who provided the service, they’ll mention you as both a painter and a pressure washer.  The homeowners may also decide to change the color or add a fresh coat of paint in the future. When they do, you will likely be among the first painters they call.

Specialty Coatings – Not every painter knows how to apply specialty coatings such as epoxy, concrete coating, or tub and bath paint.  Although these jobs are less common, there are also fewer people who can do them. That means there is less competition and potentially more profit to be made.  Just make sure that you’re familiar with which coatings are best and how to apply these coatings before you offer them, so you don’t damage your company’s reputation if they don’t perform well!

These were three examples of additional services painters can offer to increase their business. There are many more that you may want to consider based on your market and what you enjoy doing most.

To learn about how ProPainter Websites can help your paint business gain more customers, call us at 855.385.1134 or emails us at Team_PPW@ProPainterWebsites.com

Unlike many services, painters can’t provide their services from a distance.  For most painters, nearly all of their customers are within an hour radius of their home or office.  Because of this, marketing and sales are all local efforts – the more people who know your name locally, the more business you’re likely to get.

Man sitting on sofa with laptop and a cup of coffee

From that perspective, it might seem like a website isn’t ideal.  Websites can be accessed from anywhere, and there are hundreds of thousands of painters competing for attention online, unlike local advertisements.  Despite this, a website is the most important marketing investment a painter can make to attract new business.  Here are three reasons why this is true.

• • All other marketing efforts benefit from a website. Whether you rely on word of mouth referrals, advertising on the side of your paint truck, or even business cards in a local paint shop, all of these should be displaying your website address.  This is where customers will go to confirm that you are a professional painter with great references, and take a look at pictures from other work you have done to make themselves comfortable with your ability to meet their needs.

• • Customers are more likely to do research online than they are to actually purchase goods and services. Research shows that over half of the US population researches goods and services online before they purchase them.  In fact, customers are more likely research goods and services online than they are to actually purchase items!  When it comes to gathering basic information about whether a service provider can help a customer, the internet has replaced the phone.  Many customers only call businesses once they’ve confirmed the business is a good fit for the job at hand.

• • Local searches are the most likely to lead to a sale. Many people feel like the internet is where people go to purchase goods from large companies like Amazon or Netflix.  However, people are actually more likely to purchase items after searching for local information than they are searching for non-local information!  Eighteen percent of all local searches end in a purchase – and you need to make sure that your company is included in that number!

To learn more about how a website can bring new business to your paint company, call ProPainter Websites at 866-665-1605 or email Team_PPW@ProPainterWebsites.com