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How to market your cleaning business

It seems like everybody needs a cleaner these days. In fact, the demand for domestic cleaners in the UK rose by 29% in 2018, a figure which doesn’t take into account the high number of commercial cleaners currently in employment. As such, setting up your own cleaning business is definitely a savvy and likely lucrative move, especially with the equipment so easy and cheap to source.

However, considering how sought-after cleaners are, you’ll be facing plenty of competition, meaning that half the battle will be convincing enough potential customers to choose your business over others. You will also need to persuade them that it’s more worthwhile to use your service than taking on cleaning tasks themselves.

To successfully grow your business, a sound marketing strategy is imperative, combining different methods to draw in as many people as possible. This isn’t just important in the early stages either. As Tradesman Saver notes, self-employed cleaners need to keep their business relevant through an evolving marketing strategy, as “even if you already have a number of loyal existing clients, all companies lose business from time to time.”

So, how exactly can you market your cleaning company?

Set up a website

In an increasingly digital world, your online strategy will be your most effective way to improve your brand’s visibility. This starts with your website, which can give your brand an online hub to help potential clients find you. Once users access your site, they can learn what your business does, why people should use your services, and even book your services. With 70-80% of consumers researching a brand online before making a purchase, having a good website is an essential way to secure business.

It’s therefore essential to create a professional-looking site that’s easy to access and simple to navigate on web, mobile, and tablet devices. Research shows that judgements on a company’s quality are 75% based on its website design, while 88% of visitors are unlikely to return to a website after a bad experience. Consequently, it’s well worth hiring professional website designers to develop and design your site for you.

Devise SEO marketing strategies

To increase your site’s visibility in the organic results pages of search engines, you’ll need to employ search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies. A well-optimised website will appear in the results when users search for keywords relevant to your business, which make it easier to increase traffic and convert clicks into custom. Research has shown that good SEO strategies can generate conversion rates of up to 14.6%, compared to just 1.7% for traditional marketing methods like direct mailing.

The key components of a successful SEO strategy include keyword optimisation, relevant onsite content like blogs and video guides, and an effective link building strategy to secure high-quality inbound links back to your site. Optimising your Google My Business listing is another useful SEO strategy, letting you list pertinent information about your business that people see when they Google it, such as its website, opening hours, and reviews. However, SEO is not an easy nut to crack, especially with the number of metrics search engines like Google use to evaluate websites. As such, it is recommended that you consult with specialists to tailor a strategy that’s right for your business’s needs.

Use social media to your advantage

With around 2.65 billion people worldwide using the likes of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, social media has become an indispensable marketing tool. These platforms have also made it easier than ever to advertise to your exact target demographic. In fact, 73% of marketers believe social media marketing has been “somewhat” or “very effective” for their businesses. With “cleanfluencing” also gaining huge traction in recent times, there’s never been a better time to use social media to promote your cleaning company.

To develop a strong social media marketing strategy, you must first conduct market research to figure out which platforms your audience uses, information that you can then use to accurately target them. For instance, Instagram is most popular with internet users aged between 18-29, while Facebook is used by people of all ages. Next, you should research your competitors to identify the social media practices they’re implementing, and determine whether what works for them will also work for you.

Once you have all of this information, you can think about how exactly you’ll use social media to target your audience. This will include considering the kind of content you’ll post—tips and before and after cleaning snaps are particularly impactful—and the type of adverts you’ll use. Again, getting social media specialists to help hone your strategy is strongly advisable.

Utilise offline marketing methods

Traditional methods of marketing can give you a more well-rounded, multi-faceted approach that allows you to reach as many people as possible. Since your customer base will most likely be focussed on your local area, it’s also an invaluable way to target your audience. Traditional marketing can be an extremely effective means of securing business, and statistics have shown that 40% of consumers will make an online purchase after being influenced by an offline advert.

One method to employ is putting adverts in local newspapers, especially as people tend to trust this more than online marketing approaches. Another useful strategy is to network and build relationships with others. Even if the people you network with don’t directly become clients, the referrals they can bring in could still raise your profile. There are countless other ways to network with fellow professionals in your industry, from attending trade shows to joining a community association. You can even try and build partnerships with other cleaning businesses—perhaps approach a car washing company and ask if they’ll refer their customers to you, and vice versa.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Davies .