How to Get Cleaning Clients: The Marketing Strategy

So you want to start a cleaning business…

 

Let’s face it, everyone has considered starting their own cleaning business and one point or another. Many have gone through with it and actually gotten started. My very first business at the age of 19 was, you guessed it, a cleaning biz. I used to go around cleaning appartment building while I wasn’t studying at uni (studying is a generous term for the amount of work I did at university…) I realised then what is even more apparent now; cleaning is pretty simple. There are no technical skills involved, no specialised equipment in regular cleaning and really doesn’t take long to develop a process that works in pretty much any house or building. So why do so many people struggle? Because they can’t find work…

Due to the low barriers of entry and the fact that practically anybody on Earth can actually do the job, the industry is absolutely saturated. Competition is fierce and it’s really marketing which makes the difference. So, how does one stand out in such a competitive environment? How do you actually get your foot in the door and start winning clients and contracts?

Let’s dive in…

 

How to get Cleaning Clients: Marketing your Business

The very first step is identifying your USP (unique selling point). With so many competitors, you need to ensure you stand out from the pack in some form. Your USP is generally either service differentiation or additional services. Ideally a combination of both.

When I started my first cleaning business, it was stock standard. There was nothing that stood out and nothing to differentiate from competitors. So after about 6 months, I transitioned. I began offering environmentally friendly products. All citrus based, no chemicals. In addition, I offered a free energy consultation while the cleaning was taking place. This helped households save power with a few simple tips (I completed an online ‘green consulting’ certification before I began offering this). Business took off. Nobody in Australia was doing what I was doing. Make sure you do something similar.

Business name, logos etc are really not that important in my mind. As long as they’re not unprofessional or completely irrelevant to the industry you’re in, you’ll be fine. Now, onto the specifics of how to get cleaning clients.

USP: The factor or consideration presented by a seller as the reason that one product or service is different from and better than that of the competition.

 

Digital Marketing

Step 1: A Professional, SEO optimised website

The first step in your digital marketing strategy, when establishing your business, should be to create a professional, well-layed out, well-presented website. This should contain all the information your potential client may need. it should also be SEO optimised for relevant keywords. I won’t go into specifics here. You can either get the website done for you (we charge as little as $600), or you can learn the basics of WordPress and make it yourself. There are a million resources online for this… wpbeginner is a great one.

 

Step 2: Add a Google Business Page

You know that map that pops up when you search for something on Google? The businesses on there have Google Business Pages. You should have one too. Not only will you appear in local search results, it improves your SEO score, helping to get your website placing higher for specific search terms related to your business. Be sure to monitor the reviews though. Respond to the negative ones in a professional manner and don’t let them go unnoticed.

 

Step 3: Create a Facebook Page & Run Ads

Facebook is still the 800 pound gorilla of social media. And yet, it’s significance has begun to fade. Younger demographics are flocking away from Facebook towards Instagram and Snapchat, while the older crowd appear to be growing a little more wary of what Facebook is really upto. To top it off, as a marketer, you can’t even reach most of your audience without paying for the priviledge.

Well, so be it. Facebook advertising is still likely the most effective place to put your money if you want to drum up more business. Hone in on your demographic and get specific to geographic areas. Offer specials to locals. Target receptionists or those who handle the administration of businesses. These are often the people that are in charge of organising the cleaning services. Target stay at home mums and young professionals with specific ads relevant to each.

 

Direct Marketing

Call-Email-Call

If you want commercial work, this is still the most effective way to get it. Get a list of businesses, call them up and ask for the person in charge of organising the buildings maintenance (i.e cleaning). Get their email and send them through a proposal. Call them back to see if they’re interested. They may already have a service… Find out when that contract is up and put the information in a database. Call them a couple of weeks prior and let them know why you’ll do a better job. Offer them extra value. People are more likely to stay with what they know unless the alternative is WAY BETTER. Be that much better.

Sure, this is a time consuming process but it still works. Just ensure you have your cold calling skills up to par. Businesses get dozens of calls from cleaning businesses wanting to clean their premises. Approach indirectly, don’t go in for the hard sell. Find out what the client needs, make them your focus. You will win.

 

Sales Letters

A vast improvement on the humble flyer. Businesses send out flyers like the plague and they swamp recycling depots in the same manner. You have to stand out.

When someone opens their letterbox and pulls out a pile of mail, what do you think they do first? They shuffle through it, pull out the important stuff AND the stuff they can’t identify, meaning it’s intriguing and they don’t know what it is exactly. This second category is what you want for your marketing material. The rest? Goes straight into the bin, which is usually located close by.

The best way to create this intrigue is to put your sales letter in an envelope. If you want to be really good, write the address and even better, the occupants name, on the envelope. Otherwise a blank envelope will still do. Now when it’s picked out of the letterbox, there’s a much greater likelihood it will see the kitchen table of the premises you’re trying to target. Then your letter is pulled out and hopefully it’s good enough to get the call or email. In addition, you can add a business card or fridge magnet to ensure you stay present for potentially calls in future. I’ve had calls 6 months down the track from this tactic.

Yes, it may be a little more expensive than just printing flyers, but the results are 10x better. This tactic pays for itself.

 

Other Ways to Get Cleaning Clients

Business Networks

Ahh the good old networking event. Yes, these still work. I don’t believe they are for everyone though. When attending an event at your local business hub or chamber of commerce, there’s a fine line between being memorable & getting your message across to being pushy and quickly forgotten. Do not be one of those people who hands someone their card at first introduction. Why would that make anyone want to use your services? They can use a google search if they just want to find any random somebody…

The point of networking events is to establish a relationship with other members of the community and to look to provide them as much value as possible. I  don’t even hand out a card unless someone specifically asks for it. At that point we’ve usually been conversing for some time and they have a clear understanding of what I offer and what I’m like to deal with as a person. Let’s face it, we like dealing with people we like.

 

Want help bringing in new clients? We offer digital marketing services specialising in cleaning businesses. Get in touch to find out how we can help you.

Alternatively, we’ll set up a complete cleaning business for you AND bring in the customers. Check out the business setup option.