How Painting Contractors Can Keep Busy During Winter

Winter is a great time of the year for a number of activities: celebrating the holidays, engaging in winter sports like skiing and snowboarding, making snow angels… Unfortunately, exterior painting isn't included in this list. Given the low temperatures and the precipitation, most painting contractors take a hiatus from exterior painting during the winter months. While this may be a welcome vacation, it can also make for a very boring three months and, worse yet, a decrease in profits. Though it's tough to compensate for the business lost during this time, there are a number of ways that painting contractors can reorganize and refocus their business model in order to keep busy despite the cold weather. Here are some of our suggestions: 

Do more interior work.
This one's fairly obvious. Put your talent and materials to good use by redirecting your business and marketing efforts towards interior painting. Though this tends to bring in a little less money than exterior work, it's an excellent way to build customer connections, stay on the community's radar, and keep your team active. Highlight your past interior work on social media and review sites, and reach out to former customers to see if they need any touch-ups. This is the perfect time of the year to make interior painting a priority. 

Reach out to apartment complexes.
One way to gain more interior painting jobs is to market to apartment complexes. Given the high volume of these jobs, you can charge a lesser rate for your services and still make a considerable profit. The key is to retain talent and ensure your team doesn't hibernate all winter long. Light apartment jobs during the winter will keep them working and ready for the next season.

Focus on marketing.
You've got a little time on your hands right now – why not make the most of it? Take this opportunity to put more effort into your marketing campaign. Go through your web pages and improve your search engine optimization (SEO) by incorporating better key words and internal linking. Do more hands-on marketing by creating and sending company newsletters. Put some work into that blog you've been neglecting. Really, when it comes to promoting your business, you can never do too much.

Work as a subcontractor.
Stay busy by looking for subcontractor work in your area. Large home improvement teams are often in need of painting professionals, providing you with a great opportunity to put in extra hours over the winter. 

Drop your rates.
If it seems like nobody's biting on interior work, try lowering your rates to attract clients. Offer "winter specials" on your services and advertise the reduced prices on social media and via email newsletters. Not only does this bring in business, but clients will remember you down the road for your superior customer service. 

Take up holiday lighting installation.
Get in the holiday spirit and help brighten people's lives by installing holiday lights. Most people don't enjoy braving the cold to put up their lights, and this produces a huge market for contractors. Train your team on light installation, make flyers, and advertise your services to your top clients. Aside from keeping your team occupied, this is the perfect way to get new leads for painting, staining, window cleaning, and other services that you offer throughout the year.