Residential, as well as commercial cleaning industries have become an excellent source of income for small business owners. The key markets aren’t saturated with large companies, entry fees are reasonably low and overall, the industry is rather resilient when it comes to recession. However, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for growing business to service without a proper marketing strategy in place. Whether you’ve just started your fist cleaning business or you already own one and need some fresh ideas to revitalize your business, here are seven marketing tips you can use to grow and expand your cleaning business.
1Finding the right market
Type of work offered by cleaning services varies from one company to another. While some prefer working on houses and residential customers, other companies focus on cleaning commercial buildings. There is a number of different cleaning niches, including cleaning carpets and rugs, upholstery, windows, wall and ceilings, and so on. When it comes to companies still in their start-up stage of business, it is best to keep the focus narrow and specialize in one specific area. Once the business starts growing, you can easily diversify and include a wider customer range.
2Building a professional image
Once you’ve decided on the right market for your business, it’s time to focus on building and maintaining a professional image. Branding is essential, so make sure to include your company’s logo on everything, from invoices and marketing materials to company vehicles and worker’s uniforms. Furthermore, your employees directly represent your company, so make sure to work on their appearance by making sure their uniforms are always clean and tidy. If you’re in over your head with running your business, then you might consider investing in a professional image consultant.
3Creating an online presence
We use the internet to research literally anything, from ticket prices and product availability, to nearby restaurants and driving directions. In this day and age, not having a strong online presence can be detrimental to up-and-coming businesses. Make a website detailing the types of services you offer and try to make it mobile-first or at least responsive, so you don’t get penalized by search engines. Work on your social media profiles and engage all your customers on a regular and individual basis. This guarantees a satisfying user experience they could tell all their friends and coworkers about.
4Realtors are your best friend
When it comes to marketing a cleaning business, your number one ally will always be the real estate agent. They not only have excellent social connections due to the nature of their work, but they mostly deal with refurbishing and selling houses and buildings, most of which need to be cleaned before they could be put back on the market. Do an online search for realtors in your designated area and set up a meeting. Chances are you’ll be leaving that meeting with a deal that is lucrative, but also mutually beneficial.
5Don’t forget about networking
One of the easiest ways of building brand recognition is getting involved with the community. This can be done by putting up flyers in the parts of town with the largest circulation of people, finding bulletin boards, as well as office buildings and large shopping centers. When making flyers, use a clear, bold headline which clearly describes your cleaning services and why you’re better than the competition. Get involved in local events and community sponsorship opportunities, you’d be surprised how many customers you can attract in a short amount of time.
6Consider using classifieds and yellow pages
Advertising in classifieds and Yellow Pages is still a thing and people still use them to promote their businesses. You can start with a small classified with a couple of lines of text or issuing an add in your local Yellow Pages. Focus on a strong selling point you believe could resonate with potential customers and highlight the benefits of hiring your company. Office Cleaning Sydney experts recommend including an enticing call to action, which can include free estimates.
7If the marketing strategy is good, use it again!
No matter what marketing campaign you use and how well they’ve performed, creating a new campaign each time you want to advertise your business can take a lot of time and resources. The target market won’t change anytime soon and even if you change up your marketing piece, the message you send remains the same. And if you have a strong message with compelling reasons on why your business is better and different, than slightly altering and repeating your marketing campaign might actually be the best possible strategy.
We live in a time where branding and marketing are everything. People are more likely to hire a business they have heard of, whether it’s from a friend, coworker or from an ad they saw in the local newspapers. Attracting new customers isn’t really that difficult if you commit your time and effort into devising a proper marketing strategy and remaining patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your business. If you offer products and services which are better than the competition and you treat customers as real human beings, then it’s only a matter of time before your business grows and starts raking in the profits.
