How This Fresh Coat Franchisee's Social Media Marketing Plan Helped Him Grow His Business

At the end of 2023, Fresh Coat Painters franchisee Matt Boden started using social media platforms such as TikTok and LinkedIn to reach a broader audience. Almost immediately, the franchisee of the industry-leading residential and commercial painting franchise began seeing success. In fact, he has already closed up to 20 projects from social media alone. 

“Around November of last year, we really ramped up social media and started posting outside of the norm of what a typical painting company does or a franchise does,” he said. “That's when we really started ramping up all of our efforts and seeing a bigger incline in sales.” 

The decision to start focusing on social media was made to reach a broader demographic, particularly younger homeowners who are active on these platforms.

“I wanted to think outside the box a little bit and start reaching different demographics because not everyone is 50, 60 or 70 years old,” said Boden. “So I definitely wanted to start reaching newer homeowners who are on all these platforms.” 

Creating the Most Engaging Content

To optimize social media engagement, Boden experimented with different types of videos and posts, refining his approach over time. What he discovered was that a more personal and genuine approach was effective in boosting engagement.

“Trial and error was crucial,” he said. “Trying different things, seeing what videos worked, what posts work, and just really kind of fine tuning it as we were going through. What we found is that a more personal, more genuine approach to it really helped engagement with all that.”

When choosing what content to use, Boden focuses on both videos and photos. “The videos really helped give that story and visualization as we're walking through any of the projects or types of topics that we're talking about,” he said. “And the photos help kind of pull that all together. Because they're seeing more and more of our brand and our painters and what we're doing is just resonating more and more when they see those videos.” 

Boden’s platform of choice for promoting his business has been LinkedIn, which generates anywhere from 30 to 250 impressions per day, including likes and comments. Because LinkedIn's algorithm keeps posts visible for longer, Boden sees more engagement compared to platforms like Instagram, where posts quickly disappear in the feed.

“The algorithm on LinkedIn makes it so that as soon as somebody touches it, it goes back to the top and it just kind of recycles the same process,” he said. 

Keeping It Professional but Personable

When choosing content, Boden focuses on delivering a professional message in line with the Fresh Coat Painters brand. “We never want to go too far outside the box and make us look silly or goofy, but we like to have a little fun too, on some of the posts that we have,” Boden said. “So anytime that we do that, I always keep that top-of-mind making sure we stay aligned with what the brand is trying to do.” 

For other franchise owners who want to promote their business through social media, the important thing is to be genuine and authentic. It’s also vital to actively engage with customers and establish yourself as the face of the brand.

“That's how you're going to get out there a lot more,” Boden said. “I still get noticed all the time in the grocery store and places like that since we started. So, really just be the face of your franchise.”

For more information on franchising with Fresh Coat Painters, visit: https://1851franchise.com/freshcoat.