
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!
- Google Business Profile
- Get a Website (Paid)
- Setmore: Estimate Scheduling
- Later: Social Media Management
- Tawk.to: Live Chat
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Google Page Speed Insights
- Moz Local: Free Listing Score
- Google Trends
- Answer The Public
- Hemingway Editor
- MailChimp
- Omnisend: Subject Line Tester
- Hotjar: Website Monitoring
- Google Optimize
- Hunter.io: Email Scraper
- Zero Bounce: Email Verification
- Pixabay: Stock Images
- Canva: Design Templates
- Trello: Project Management
- HubSpot: CRM
- Zoho Invoice
- Joist: Invoice + CRM
- Zoom: Video Estimates
- 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.
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.

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.

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!
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.