Best Free Marketing Tools for Painters

Are you using the right tools to market your painting business?

Often referred to as a marketing stack, the tools you use to market your business must integrate seamlessly into your daily workflow.

We often see contractors using marketing tools that cause workflow issues or simply don’t move the needle. So, we created a complete list of free tools specifically for painting contractors.

The complete list of free marketing tools for painting business owners

The list we compiled is based on our experience both in the marketing and professional painting industries.

These are the same tools we used over the last 10+ years to scale painting businesses just like yours. That’s right! We know these tools work since they’re some of the same tools we use to generate repaint leads for our clients!

Let’s jump in!

  1. Google Business Profile
  2. Get a Website (Paid)
  3. Setmore: Estimate Scheduling
  4. Later: Social Media Management
  5. Tawk.to: Live Chat
  6. Google Analytics
  7. Google Search Console
  8. Google Page Speed Insights
  9. Moz Local: Free Listing Score
  10. Google Trends
  11. Answer The Public
  12. Hemingway Editor
  13. MailChimp
  14. Omnisend: Subject Line Tester
  15. Hotjar: Website Monitoring
  16. Google Optimize
  17. Hunter.io: Email Scraper
  18. Zero Bounce: Email Verification
  19. Pixabay: Stock Images
  20. Canva: Design Templates
  21. Trello: Project Management
  22. HubSpot: CRM
  23. Zoho Invoice
  24. Joist: Invoice + CRM
  25. Zoom: Video Estimates
  26. BONUS: Arrivala Review Handout Generator

Digital Marketing: Essential Tools

We organized this list by importance, so let’s start with the tools that will have the most significant impact on your painting business.

1. Google Business Profile

There is no excuse not to have a well-optimized Google Business Profile if you own a painting business. It’s free, and it’s relatively easy to set up. More importantly, your painting business will not rank on Google Local Search or Google Maps without this!

In fact, because this tool is so important, we dedicated an entire article to creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile. If you haven’t done this already, you’re leaving painting leads on the table.

2. Get a Website (Paid)

Ok, this one might not be free, but it can be inexpensive, and you need a website. Without a website, your competition will always have the upper hand. If you want to grow your painting business, it’s time to get a website.

  • Google Sites

    At the time of writing this article, Google Workspace starts at just $6/mo. It includes a custom email address with your domain, 30GB of cloud storage, AND a website builder.

    This solution works great for those on a budget. However, Google Sites is missing some of the standard features of more robust website builders, like Squarespace. We only recommend this for new painting businesses trying to get on their feet.

  • Squarespace

    Starting at $14/mo, Squarespace has a feature-rich website builder that is great for small painting businesses. With over 100 templates to pick from, there is sure to be an option that works for you. While you give up control over SEO ranking factors like site speed and file compression, you’re getting a nice-looking site that will convert visitors into painting leads.

  • Custom website

    A custom website can be expensive, but the return on investment can be huge. On average, you can expect to spend around $10,000 for a professionally built website. Yes, that’s a lot of money.

    At Base Coat Marketing, we take a slightly different approach by creating a custom website in 30 days with no setup fees, no contracts, and guaranteed results. We’re exclusive to only one painting company per region, so if you’re interested in learning more, first check our availability below.

Regardless of which platform you choose, make sure you have a website. It can take 3-6 months to rank your website organically in Google, so get it set up now; you’ll thank yourself later.

Setmore

3. Setmore: Estimate Scheduling

If you want to turn website traffic into booked estimates, you need an online booking application. We have found success with Setmore. They offer a free plan to get you started.

Setmore integrates directly with your existing calendar to prevent double booking. You can even add an appointment booking widget to your website and send text message reminders to reduce cancelation rates.

Later Social Media Management

4. Later: Social Media Management

This is one of those “work smarter, not harder” tools. If your painting business has more than one social account, you need a social media manager; it’s life-changing. Schedule posts, respond to comments, and find new hashtags to increase visibility. Later is free and integrates will all the major social media platforms.

Speaking of social networks, make sure your painting business is using them!

  • Facebook

    As the reigning OG, Facebook is as popular as ever. Your business needs a Facebook Page to stay relevant in this industry. 

    Tip: Rearrange the tabs on your Facebook Page to feature Photos and Reviews. Ensure your reviews are positive and add before/after photos to encourage visitors to contact you.

  • Instagram

    Instagram is arguably the most important social network for professional painters. With a focus on photos, this is the place to feature your work.

    Tip: Invest time into planning before/after images on every job site. Blank walls don’t photograph well, so ask your customer if you can help move their furniture in exchange for a quick photo.

  • Twitter

    While not as critical as the other social platforms, there are still over 68 million monthly active users in the United States. This is a great place to reshare your posts from Facebook and Instagram.

  • LinkedIn

    This is the best social platform for generating new commercial painting leads and network with other local business owners. Target a particular business by locating the decision maker’s contact information, or start your cold outreach directly on LinkedIn. Regardless of how you use this platform, we recommend creating a business page and resharing the posts from your other social platforms here.

  • YouTube

    Create a few “evergreen” videos of your painting business to help increase the visibility of your business in Google search results. It’s no secret that Google loves to serve videos in search results. Capitalize on this. A simple “how-to” video or even a brief introduction to your business while on a job site can help drive more traffic to your website.

  • TikTok

    As a relative newcomer, TikTok is an excellent tool for generating viral content. While the audience on TikTok is on the younger side, there is still a large demographic that will fit your residential target market (over 59% of the 79 million monthly active users, to be exact). We recommend reposting whatever videos you generate on TikTok to your other social platforms.
    (Source: Statista)

While you don’t need to be on all of the platforms we listed above, we recommend committing to at least Facebook and Instagram. It is easy to share posts between these on social networks. Also, they’re both great for building customer trust, brand awareness, and generating new traffic to your website.

5. Tawk.to: Live Chat

You must provide your website visitors with as many forms of communication as possible. Prominently featuring your phone number in the header, adding a contact form to every page, and using live chat on your website all provide visitors with options to use their preferred method of communication.

Tawk.to is a free service that checks the last box. This live chat widget integrates seamlessly with any website and even includes a mobile app so you can chat with your website visitors directly from your phone.

Search Engine Optimization Tools

Ranking organically at the top of page one in Google for your target keywords — It’s the holy grail of digital marketing, which is why we dedicate so much energy to it. The SEO tools I’ve listed below all serve an important role in growing your painting business online.

Search Engine Optimization

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