Marketing is crucial for cleaning businesses looking to attract new customers and grow their presence in a notoriously competitive industry. Through marketing, businesses can showcase the services they provide and create the differentiation that is needed to attract clients.
Well-executed marketing strategies increase brand awareness and build a positive reputation that sets your business apart from others. It’s no surprise that in today’s digital age, these strategies must include building a strong online presence and leveraging various marketing channels to target potential customers effectively.
While we’re still in the first quarter of the year, now is the time to implement effective marketing strategies to boost your business success in 2024. You can get the ball rolling by implementing the following nine strategies:
1. Identify your target audience
Creating or updating a marketing strategy begins with identifying your target audience and determining your potential clients’ needs and preferences. This process involves both demographics and psychographics.
- Demographics: Commercial clients generally include property managers, office buildings, and retail establishments. When promoting your services, emphasize features that are important to the client demographic you are targeting (such as eco-friendly methods).
- Psychographics: Consider the attitudes, values, and preferences of your target audience. Some clients may prioritize the quality of cleaning services while others focus on the price.
2. Establish a strong online presence
Customers who book cleaning services typically do so by placing a phone call or requesting a quote through an online form. Your marketing strategies should include creating a user-friendly and SEO-optimized website that drives viewers back to a phone number or form submission. Doing so will help improve visibility on search engines and attract potential clients searching for cleaning services.
Be sure to prioritize a clean, easy-to-use, and responsive design that looks professional and works well on both desktop and mobile devices. Along with focusing on the website’s aesthetic, optimize your content for SEO by using relevant keywords and well-structured information.
3. Turn to local SEO and online directories
Local SEO can be a powerful tool to make your cleaning business stand out, and keywords play a crucial role in improving your website’s local search ranking. Be sure to identify local service-based keywords and incorporate them into your website’s content.
Additionally, listing your cleaning business on online directories and review sites helps to increase your online presence. Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews, which can make your business more attractive to potential clients.
4. Consider paid advertising and promotions
Compelling promotional offers and discounts plays a key role in attracting first-time customers and ensuring they become fans of your business. By utilizing Google Ads and social media advertising, it’s possible to target potential customers in your local area who are actively searching for cleaning services.
Offer enticing deals, such as a percentage discount for new customers or bundle deals for multiple services. Be sure to monitor the effectiveness of each advertising campaign, adjusting and optimizing accordingly.
5. Set up call tracking
A great number of customer leads come from phone calls. Call tracking can offer valuable insights into your marketing efforts and customer interactions. For instance, it can pinpoint the specific ads and marketing campaigns that generate the most calls. It can provide comprehensive data to help you better understand customer inquiries and preferences. Call tracking can also reveal trends and patterns in customer behaviors that can inform future marketing decisions.
The data collected through call tracking lets you fine-tune your marketing and customer service efforts through:
- Keyword performance analysis: Analyze which keywords and search queries generate the most phone calls, allowing you to refine your SEO and PPC campaigns.
- Attribution modeling: Determine the most effective touchpoints in your marketing funnel, helping you allocate your budget more efficiently.
- Call recording and analysis: Train your staff, address customer pain points, and improve overall satisfaction by analyzing recorded calls.
6. Make time for content marketing and blogging
Investing time and resources into content marketing can help you attract potential clients, establish authority in your region and the industry itself, and drive engagement. Start by developing a content calendar with topics relevant to your audience, such as stain removal tips. An effective content calendar should include suggestions for publishing frequencies, topic ideas, and target keywords for SEO. Consider using a variety of content formats (such as videos, infographics, and interactive cost calculators) alongside written material to further bring your services to life and connect with potential customers.
Remember to share your content on social media channels. Encourage reader engagement by asking questions or requesting feedback.
7. Market through email
Email marketing will not only help you increase lead generation, it can also help grow loyalty among your existing customer base. The first step in setting up email marketing is to build a robot email distribution list. You can accumulate subscribers by offering valuable content, exclusive deals, or helpful tips in exchange for their email addresses. Having an opt-in form on your website or collecting email addresses through social media campaigns can help you expand your subscriber base.
Incorporate bold or italic text, bullet points, and images to make your emails visually appealing. Maintain a clean, professional look and avoid excessive graphics that may slow the loading time or get flagged as spam.
8. Manage your online reputation
One of the most effective ways to maintain your business’s reputation is to encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews. Think of them as valuable advocates for your business. But don’t let your customers do all the talking. Respond to both to positive and negative feedback posted about your business online. Doing so demonstrates your commitment to delivering a top-notch customer experience and will help you win potential clients’ trust.
Proactively staying engaged with your reviews across various platforms, such as Google, Yelp, and social media, allows you to address any concerns promptly and rectify issues if needed.
9. Build partnerships through networking
Form strategic alliances with related businesses by collaborating with real estate agents and property managers. You can tap into their industry expertise and client base, resulting in mutual benefit. For example, agents and managers can recommend your services to their clients, while you offer them discounts or special offers on your cleaning services.
Your involvement in the local community can further improve brand recognition and foster trust among potential clients. Engaging in sponsorships for local events, such as charity runs or school fundraisers, or volunteering for community clean-ups demonstrates your company’s dedication to keeping the area clean and well-maintained.
Keep looking ahead
Stay on top of the latest cleaning industry trends and be ready to adapt your strategies as needed. Keep an eye on your competitors and seek out new growth opportunities based on your clients’ feedback. With a well-rounded marketing plan you’ll increase your brand awareness, drive more leads, and, ultimately, gain more customers.
