Business Tips Straight from Your Customer

Customer Research

We hope this research helps you make the most of your online presence and digital marketing investment to attract quality business from homeowners.

FrogTape^® surveyed 525 homeowners who have hired a professional painter in the last three years.

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Where are Homeowners Finding & Vetting Painting Contractors?

Customer Reviews

Pro Painters' #1 Online Asset

Word of mouth or a personal recommendation has long been considered the top way for painters to get new customers. In the digital age, that translates to online customer reviews.

• More than half (51%) vetted their selection by looking up reviews of the contractor they hired.
• More than one third (37%) looked up multiple contractors’ reviews, making it part of their selection process, not just vetting.
• Coming full circle, Google is the top destination for online reviews, with 74% of review seekers looking there (65% of total sample.) That’s more than the next two answers put together.
• Yelp and Angi tied for a distant second/third place with 36% of review seekers visiting each (32% of total sample).
• Even a personal recommendation from someone they knew was considered less influential in homeowners’ choice of a painting contractor than online reviews – 38% vs. 55%.

Most Common Qualifier: Location

Word of mouth or a personal recommendation has long been considered the top way for painters to get new customers. In the digital age, that translates to online customer reviews.

• Over 150 added “near/near me,” “local,” “in my area” or a city name or zip code
• 88 added qualifier “house,” “home,” or “residential”
• 89 specified “interior,” “exterior” or “design”
• Other common qualifiers homeowners are searching for include:
  • “best,” “good,” “quality,” or “top/top rated”
  • 10 specified “budget,” “affordable,” “cheap,” or “inexpensive”
  • “Experienced,” “licensed” or “insured” showed up in 10 responses

Home Service Websites

A surprisingly popular resource

Contrary to some negative views in the trade, the survey suggests that these are popular with homeowners – especially Angi and to a lesser extent, sister site Handy.

Of the total 525 surveyed…

• 73% visited a home services website
• 59% requested a quote (80% of those who visited)
• 57% hired a painter through the site (79% of those who visited)

Angi dominates home service websites

• Of those who visited a home services site, 55% visited Angi (40% of total sample)
• Of those who got a quote on a home services site, 58% requested a quote from Angi (34% of total sample)
• Of those who hired a painter through a home services site, 43% hired through Angi (25% of total sample)

Business Website

An important tool for vetting and selection

The pro’s website was ranked the second most influential online information source for homeowners.

The fact that more homeowners reported visiting the site of the painter they ultimately hired (45%) vs. visiting the sites of multiple painters (29%) suggests that websites are used more for vetting a paint contractor or confirming a decision than as an early-stage selection tool.

The website attributes that most influenced selection were:

1. Before and after project photos
2. Customer testimonials
3. Finished project photos
4. Including pricing information on the site

The website attributes that least influenced selection were:

1. Professional, up-to-date site design
2. General company profile/description
3. Having a quote request form
4. Owner and employee pictures/profile

The social media account attributes that most influenced selection were:

1. Positive comments
2. Customer testimonials
3. Pictures of projects