Base Coat Marketing
#1 in Painting Contractor
Painting and coating contractor-focused digital marketing agency running SEO, paid search, LSA, and reputation management.
- Founded
- 2008
- HQ
- Wilmington, NC
- Team
- 6-15
Editor’s Choice — honoree press kit available
Access press kit →Founder
Meet the founder
Austin Houser
Founder & CEO
Austin Houser is Chief Brainiac at Base Coat Marketing, which he founded in 2008 originally as Houser Media before refocusing exclusively on digital marketing for painting and coating contractors.
Editorial
Editor’s take
Base Coat Marketing positions itself as a dedicated digital marketing partner for painting and coating contractors, offering SEO, paid search, LSA, and reputation management under a model built around market exclusivity and predictable lead flow. Their stated focus on established contractors — rather than startups — signals a clear fit for operators seeking consistency and growth at scale. Transparent month-to-month pricing ($3,000–$5,000/month), a 30-day qualified-lead guarantee, and weekly mastermind calls reinforce a structured, accountability-driven engagement.
What they do
Services
SEO
Organic search built specifically for painting and coating contractors, aimed at reducing long-term dependency on paid leads. Base Coat frames it as 'Search Everywhere Optimization,' extending beyond Google to AI answer engines and directory surfaces where homeowners research repaint projects.
Google Local Services Ads
Managed LSA campaigns focused on earning and maintaining Google Guaranteed status for painters, which tends to be the highest-intent channel for residential repaint inquiries. Bundled with call tracking so contractors can separate LSA-sourced jobs from PPC and organic.
Google Search Ads
PPC campaigns tuned to repaint-intent keywords (interior repaint, exterior painters near me, cabinet refinishing) rather than broad 'painting' terms that attract DIY traffic. Paired with LSA so the two channels complement rather than cannibalize each other.
Website Design
Custom contractor websites built to convert estimate requests, with integrated online estimate booking so homeowners can self-schedule 24/7. Designed to professionalize contractors competing against franchise brands like CertaPro and Five Star Painting.
Reputation Management
A three-part program covering review capture, listing management across 350+ directories, and 'reputation recovery' to reinstate reviews lost to Google filter changes. Positioned as a defensive moat in a vertical where star ratings heavily influence estimate win rates.
Job Recruiting
Recruiting campaigns aimed at sourcing qualified painters, which Base Coat treats as a growth bottleneck on par with lead generation. Uses the same ad infrastructure as the client-acquisition side, redirected at trade hiring.