Sometime in your painting business you may get to the point where the phone may stop ringing, leaving you wondering how to get more painting customers calling again.  Advertising can be very expensive.  When the phone is not ringing, and the bank account is shrinking, it is hard to think about spending money on marketing in order to attract customers. Before you go out and try to apply for a loan to rent a huge billboard, check out these low-cost marketing ideas:

Free Online Listings

Hopefully, you have already signed up for a free Google Business listing.  If not, do it now!  You may show up at the top of a google search in your area, even if you don’t have a website.  Be sure to check out any other free listing services like elocal.com, yellowpages.com, and a whole load of other free listing sites available.  The more your painting business name is out there, the more likely you are to get a call.

Positive Online Reviews

People are drawn to positive reviews. Ask loyal customers to leave a positive review for you.  You can either direct them to a website where your business is listed, or request a review you can post on your website.

Yard Signs

You don’t need anything fancy.  Make sure your business name and phone number are both prominent in the sign.  You really don’t need much more information than that.  Too much information on the sign will make it cluttered and hard to read.  You only need a few yard signs that you can move to different locations.

Business Cards

Business cards aren’t expensive.  Pass them out everywhere.  Tack a few on the bulletin boards at banks, stores, and other public locations.

Vehicle Advertising

Something as simple as a magnetic sign on your painting vehicle will let others in the neighborhood know about your painting services.

Charity Giveaway

Charity auctions are a great way to get positive exposure while helping a good cause.  Be creative to offer something of value, that may cost you some time, but not too much money.

Prize Drawing

This is a great option for your local county fair or community day.  Have people sign up with their emails.  You could offer a particular service or a gift certificate to the winner.  You could also choose to offer all contestants a consolation prize such as 10% off any painting service.

Community Sponsoring

Depending on what level of sponsorship you choose, this could get expensive.  Often, you can get your painting business name on a program or t-shirt for a pretty reasonable cost.

Social Media

Set up free business pages on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Pinterest.

Network with other contractors

It is always good to have a list of contractors skilled in areas other than painting you can refer to your customers.   Electricians, plumbers, roofers, masons, handymen, etc. can all be great referral sources for you.  Make sure you tell the contractor when you refer them.  These fellow contractors will be happy to get a recommendation, and will hopefully do the same for you.

Diversify

You may need to offer some additional services such as power-washing or deck staining in order to broaden your potential customer base.

A Quality Website

An attractive website doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars. Many web hosting companies offer free templates to help you get started.  A website for your painting business doesn’t need to be complex.  Keep it simple.  A few pages showcasing your painting services, along with clear contact information is all you really need.  The key is to have the website set up properly in order to rank high in your local search engine results.  Don’t forget to add your web address to your Google Business page, your Facebook page, and any other free listings you may have.

Door Flyers

Door flyers or brochures can be helpful, but be selective in where you place them.  Don’t just randomly place them in homes.  Target the neighborhoods where you want to get painting jobs.  Don’t waste your time placing flyers in neighborhoods full of renters.

Reference Incentives

Go back to some previous customers and tell them about your incentive program.  You could offer a small cash reward (maybe $20) for any referrals they give that turn into paying jobs.