There’s nothing better than the ‘feel-good’ feeling we get when somebody does something special for us that is unexpected. It doesn’t have to be extravagant, just a small gesture that makes you feel important. Cute animals that the hotel maids leave for you, mint candy, not touching your iPad while cleaning, and so on. Heck, even the complimentary water bottle can do wonders. Unlike these small efforts and gestures, cleaning business marketing is like rubbing on a stubborn stain on the carpet, and it will take some elbow grease.
Developing an effective cleaning business marketing strategy involves defining your brand, transparent communication, and delivering the best possible. By implementing smart marketing strategies, you can effectively determine how to communicate with your potential clients.
Effective marketing is not a one-time job; marketing in the cleaning industry is more than just about selling your services. Instead, it’s about selling an experience. As a cleaning service provider, your primary goal should be to understand your customer's needs and to serve those needs. With careful planning and experimentation, you should know only some marketing strategies are built for your cleaning business.
The cleaning industry is a billion-dollar sector globally. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in addition to 2.3 billion jobs, the cleaning industry is expected to grow around 10% by 2026. If we dig deep into the statistics, according to American Cleaning Institute (ACI), average Americans spend around 6 hours a week cleaning their home. With this much demand, residential cleaning is expected to generate about $ 40.38 billion in revenue by 2025.
These numbers are familiar. What has changed is how vital advertising for cleaning businesses has become. So what do you think you know about janitor services, and what do you want to learn?
Understand the Pillars of Marketing
Let’s start with fully understanding what marketing is and how it can benefit your business. Understanding the cornerstones of marketing will help you develop a comprehensive strategy for advertising your cleaning services.
Hyper Targeting
The biggest mistake cleaning business owners make is trying to serve anyone and everyone. It would be best to stay laser-focused and clear on the ideal client range you want to serve. Try to remain honest and avoid saying yes to jobs to make money.
Product
Products are tangible items, but in our scenario, a product can be a quality service. A better understanding of your marketable niche will help you to decide how to promote your cleaning business.
Price
One of the key elements to running a profitable cleaning business is pricing. Decide on the price points where you want to begin offering your services. Forethought and consistent pricing will help lay the groundwork for client negotiations and service agreements.
Promotion
No matter how much the cleaning business is growing in popularity, new clients aren’t just going to appear out of nowhere. Promoting a business involves more than one element to communicate your message effectively, including - advertising, public relations, social media, video marketing, search engines, Google Ads, and many more.
Multi-Touch
We live in a noisy and fidgeting world. If you try to offer your product or service to a targeted client, it would be like standing in a crowd of thousands and focusing on one individual in particular. What will be your chances of that person hearing you? Find other ways to stand out without being too pushy or salesy.
Importance of Marketing for Cleaning Business
Whether you’re responsible for a single operation, a group cleaning task, or a franchise network, you will likely understand the importance of marketing for your cleaning business. Having strong marketing strategies is critical to keep thriving in the field. Marketing allows you to nurture leads, position yourself as an expert, and ensure to win over your competitors. The success story of every business largely depends on its marketing strategies. It can help boost growth and grow the number of consumers.
- Marketing creates better revenue options
- Sets better goals for your business
- Builds a reputation for your brand
- Helps to boost sales
- Improves decision-making
It is the best solution for expanding your brand development.
The purpose of structuring a comprehensive marketing plan is to help you establish a clear understanding of your business goals and mission. Deciding on the services you will offer is the first step. Whether you specialize in a home or commercial cleaning business, working on a cleaning business marketing plan will help you decide who your target clients are and how and when you should advertise.
Most Effective Cleaning Business Marketing Tips
Every cleaning business can be divided into three sections - the cleanings, the marketing, and the backend. As you know by now, in this piece, we’re discussing marketing ideas for a cleaning business, easier said than done. With the myriad of shiny ideas out there, it could get difficult to decide what’s best for your cleaning business.
Cleanup the Messy Schedules
Put a stop to the hassle of dealing with spreadsheets and sticky notes. Most of your job in the cleaning business includes staying organized and up to date. A little scheduling can make that task easier - Picktime is the perfect choice for an unshakable cleaning business. Manage multiple tasks and tech effortlessly with Picktime. Whether you need help managing your team’s schedule, tracking service listings, customer profiles, cash flow management, or regular reminders at multiple locations, Picktime is the one-stop solution. With 24/7 email support and a user-friendly interface, you can count on Picktime so your business will never miss a beat.
Picktime is a free cloud-based cleaning scheduling software tailored to serve every business need within a few clicks. Using Picktime, you can be available 24/7 and add as many services as possible. No advance payments are required and you can easily access the most powerful features in the blink of an eye. With a secured database, you’ll get a customizable booking page and a book now button for your website so your clients can do self-bookings anytime from anywhere. Not only this, users will receive automated SMS & email reminders for rescheduled, canceled, and recurring appointments. They can sync their calendar (Google/Apple/Outlook) with the Picktime calendar. By combining people and technology, Picktime is revolutionizing the way cleaning professionals manage their businesses.
So set up your business with Picktime today, and only interfere when a job is done and ready to be invoiced.
Get Certified
Obtaining third-party certifications in the industry could take years to complete. On the other hand, having a certificate is not compulsory to operate in the cleaning industry, but it can be another added benefit to set you apart from the competition. Getting a certificate can make you look more credible and trustworthy in front of consumers. For new owners trying to build a client base, applying for certification can take valuable time away from startup and marketing activities. Therefore, narrowing down the list of certs best suited to your business and vision is important. Acquiring ISSA, IICRC, or Green Seal certifications can be a great start while marketing your business.
Be Strategic About Your Brand
Your business branding will ultimately decide whether your business will survive or not. Your brand is more than your company name, logo, or color. It’s a feeling people will get after experiencing your services. Branding encompasses everything from the services you’re selling to how you interact with clients. To stand out, you need a strategic approach to your branding. To do this, we must take into account a few factors such as
- First impressions
- Company culture
- Cleaners’ Appearance
- Consistency of quality
- Social media reputation
- Discounts & offers
When your business’s look and feel are professional, clients tend to take you more seriously. Develop a logo & color scheme that can be used in all communication with the public and potential clients to make your service more memorable. Stimulate with giants like Mcdonald’s or Nike. When thinking of these brands, you’ll probably read ‘Just do it’ in your mind. Likewise, your business name and logo should be inspiring, recognizable, and related to the services you offer.
Employ the Right People
Employing staff goes hand-in-hand with the strategic planning of your business. Your team is the face of your cleaning business, and they’ll be the first your clients will interact with. How they speak, present themselves, or interact with customers is the utmost important factor to consider. With a plethora of information available, hiring the right people can be challenging. It is imperative to understand that dividing the process into subsets can ensure a smooth process.
Though there are many steps, the first step would be to write an effective job description and a draft of a list of questions you want to ask the applicants. Ensure the questions are relevant and well-thought-out. Also ensure that the hired people are trustworthy, qualified, and properly trained.
Learn About Your Targeted Customers
It’s crucial to be clear about who you want to work with. If you’re unaware of your target clients, your marketing efforts will fall flat. Start researching, and your potential clients could be in a specific area with different needs and interests. By understanding their demographics and creating an ideal avatar, you can craft customized messages for them. Once you do that, you can use that knowledge to improve your marketing ideas for the cleaning business.
Leave a Leave-Behind
A leave-behind is a souvenir or freebie that you can leave at a site or client’s home after the service. This will work as a whammy for commercial cleaners-
A. It will make your clients feel pampered.
B. It’s a quick and inexpensive way to remain on top of their mind.
C. It shows your client that you care about them.
You can also use it to generate leads and promote your services. You can use pens, notepads, thank-you notes, magnets, or holiday-specific cards. It would be best if you branded them with your name and contact information after the service. Going the extra mile for your customers will show them that you value your business and client’s experience.
Build a Conversion-Focused Website
Your website will be the home base for your business. Every business needs a website. It’s a non-negotiable requirement for online businesses today. Building a new website is a no-brainer. It's even the most effective way to attract new clients while simultaneously giving way for prospects to contact you. Keep your website refined, simple, and personal. A website is your business card, brochure, service description, and sales assistant all wrapped in one. It will serve as a guide to help people understand your value, show off your work, and share engaging content. The website should drive the visitors to take specific action.
A First Impression Lasts a Lifetime
Be sure to roll out the red carpet and give a 5-star service in the first booking. First impressions are critical to gain to make your clients keep coming back to you. The key is to stay authentic to connect with your customers in a meaningful way. Please set up a customer service policy and ensure that every team member is well-trained. To get the best, you should go the extra mile to show your customers you value their experience the most. You can accomplish this with goodie offerings, such as welcome packs, thank-you notes, prompt replies, and special offers.
Network with Other Local Businesses
Alright, we get it. Building a website, giving souvenirs, or hiring the right people is essential. But what would be the point of all this if you have no connections to advertise your business and grow clientele? Join some local chambers of commerce to connect with other professionals. Attend trade shows, register for community events, build business partnerships, and reach as many prospects as possible to make people aware of your existence in the industry. To ease your clients using Picktime, you can integrate with other business tools - PayPal, Square, Stripe, Google Meet, MS Teams, Zoom, Skype, WordPress, Wix, Weebly, CRMs, Mailchimp, Facebook Pixels, and many others.
Build A Habit
Habits are more vital than reasons. Create offers to build habits in your clients. Offering occasional giveaways and exclusive offers are some of the best ways to increase traffic in your cleaning business. There’s no specific reason, but a customer may not always rebook the services even if they’re fully delighted with your work, but if you’re successful in building a habit, you will keep getting the bookings. A giveaway can be as simple as offering a $100 gift card, or discount to get visitors excited.
Invest in Search Engine Marketing
As most consumers have shifted online, even the most traditional businesses are considering turning to digital. Search engine marketing is the most viable and cost-effective way to understand customer needs in key moments. SEO is the most competent and effective marketing plan to grow your online presence. A few reasons cleaning businesses should look forward to SEO to be successful
- Effective SEO strategies result in a high ranking.
- It’s the best way to understand the voice of your consumers.
- Local SEO leads to more engagement, leads, and conversions.
- Specific keywords help the potential buyer to track your services.
- Online paid marketing ensures getting the best output in a certain time.
- It can help build trust, reputation, and recognition among competitors.
- It’s a long-term strategy.
Offer Holiday-Themed Cleaning Services
From Easter to Diwali to Christmas to Hanukkah, there are plenty of special days when people get together and celebrate. With lots of preparation and post-event cleanup bookings, these can be the most lucrative days for cleaning business owners. With plenty of opportunities to capitalize, you can start offering special customized offers for the holiday season. To give impeccable on-time services, use Picktime and get a detailed report of all your team’s performance, total revenue, top services, upcoming bookings, and other account activities.
Utilize Social Media
Along with a website and special offers, getting the hang of social media can be a powerful tool for your cleaning business. Social media is the best approach to growing your cleaning business sustainably. Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, Twitter, or Snapchat register on any according to your target clientele. But you can’t just register and call it a day, though. Make sure to use the best of these platforms.
Invest in CRM Software
The core purpose of CRM software is to facilitate customer and sales relationships. CRMs can store, organize, and share client information to ease connections. It tracks user activity across online channels and guides them into your sales. The completely automated process saves you loads of time and resources. It encourages customer feedback, assists with logistics, and establishes a consistent methodology.
Grow Your Email List
According to the research, more than 50 percent of consumers accept that marketing email positively or negatively influences their purchasing decisions. No matter the size of your business, email listing is vital in shaping the success of your janitor services. Creating a comprehensive email list takes time. Some effective ways to go beyond traditional methods are
- Regular content updates
- Loyalty and referral programs
- Exclusive updates
- Discounts & deals
- Exit intent pop-ups
- Social media
Add your Services to Lead Generation Sites
Listing on online directories is a great way to bring new business in with little effort. Websites like Yelp, Google My Business, NextDoor, and Angi are the most common go-to directories. By finding you on these websites prospects, can learn about your services and book you directly from your cleaning business website. A business with up-to-date information, reviews, and images attract more visitors and convert them into paying customers.
Offer Free, Value Added Content
Who is the king? Content is king! Content marketing is the heart of most successful marketing campaigns. There is no doubt that content marketing delivers resounding success. According to the reports published in 2021, content creation is the top priority for 80 percent of marketers. Sharing quality content consistently related to your industry can help in establishing your credibility, build trust, and strengthen your reputation. Share engaging content regularly to keep your followers interested. This can include blog post links, special deals, before or after photos, cleaning tips & tricks, and so on. Use content marketing to educate your readers. By sharing a mix of educational and sales-focused content, you can grow your business reach and encourage your potential clients to choose you over anyone else.
Art of Video Marketing
Every business needs video marketing, and this idea isn’t new. What has changed is how important video marketing has become for every type of business. Videos are the second most popular content type on social media for increasing engagement. With the technology available at our fingertips, watching tips and instructions for cleaning your home is easier than ever. Videos effectively communicate and bring new values to your cleaning business marketing. Here are a few tips for making compelling videos:
- Present yourself in a good light
- Talk about your users
- Keep it short and get right to the point
- Show your users you’re more than just scheduling software
- Add client testimonials
Earn Referrals
Happy customers are the best reward and marketing tool. When you have a great rapport with your clients while providing top-notch services, satisfied customers will be delighted to refer your services to others. A few benefits of referral marketing:
- Customer trust referrals more
- Better customer retention rate
- Increased marketing reach
- Valuable data
- Unexpected ROI value
- Increased engagement
- Social media boost
Use Emotional Marketing
What does it mean to do things #LikeAGirl?
A brand that sells feminine products flipped the old-time insult ‘like a girl’ by launching a bold campaign in 2014 showcasing all the amazing things women are doing in sports and the world. Always brands used emotions to make the audience reconsider their perspective. The campaign has won an Emmy, the Grand Clio award, and the Cannes Grand Prix award. And this is only a glimpse of how powerful emotional marketing can be.
Dig a little deep and understand why customers are choosing your cleaning services. Once you do that, you can build an emotional connection with them—giving you better chances of offering your services to the prospects.
With a comprehensive marketing plan, you can build a memorable brand to support your cleaning business and help it grow. Have an effective cleaning business marketing strategy, impress your clients, gather the tools you need to get more clients and earn more on every job.