Advertise a Cleaning Business

Advertising is necessary for generating customers and growing your business. To successfully market your cleaning business, you must understand your target audience and tailor your approach to their needs and desires. Use multiple advertising approaches to get the best results.

Steps

Using Paper Advertising Materials

1. Brand your business with a slogan and logo. Your logo and slogan go hand in hand. A slogan works best when it is accompanied by a logo. Your logo should be clear and easy for your audience to understand. Your slogan should be once sentence or less.
   • Have another person review your logo to see if it makes sense. If it takes a long time to understand it or figure out what it is, you need to change it.
   • If you are trying to convey that you are trustworthy and reliable your slogan might be “A clean you can trust.” If you are trying to convey the versatility of the services you offer, you may say, “No mess is too small” or “There’s not any mess we can’t handle.”
   • Other good slogans may be “
2. Create a business card. Your business card should appeal to your target audience and reflect your personal style. You may take a look at other cleaning professionals to see what cards are standard for your industry. No matter what design you choose, your business card should have the following information:
   • Your name
   • Title of company
   • Address
   • Phone number
   • E-mail address
   • Website
3. Create a flyer. Your flyer should be brief, eye-catching, and to the point. Draw your customers in with a catchy headline (e.g. No time to clean? Let us take care of it!). Focus on the information that your customers need to know such as the benefits of your business, any special promotions, why your business is better than the competition, and your contact information.
   • If you do not want to create a flyer from scratch, there are many templates available online.
   • Remember to appeal to your target audience.
   • Use a font that is easy to read and speak directly to your customers by using the word "you" in your flyer.
   • If you plan to contact higher income families, you may post flyers in high-income neighborhoods with small children.
   • If you are looking for busy adults, you may post your residential cleaning services in the business district.
4. Use direct mail. Direct mail is good for targeting a certain neighborhood or geographic area. You can either mail out advertisements yourself or use a direct mail advertising company. The United States Postal Service has a direct mail delivery service that allows you to choose an area based on demographic data. This is a more affordable than going through a company.
   • A postcard is best. Present an offer, coupon, or incentive to use the services.
   • You may say, "Mention this postcard and receive 10% off your next appointment."
   • Keep track of the number of customers you receive based on this method. You may decide to discontinue or keep using it depending on how successful it is.
   • You may also use flyers for direct mail, but they will be more expensive.
5. Contact your local Small Business Development Center Business (SBDC) Advisor. Your local SBDC offers free research and advisory services. This gives you access to local market and demographic research reports that are specific to your business. Visit the SBDC website to find your local office.
   • This is a great tool to use so you do not have to conduct a ton of market research on your own.
   • The SBDC can also provide information about other suppliers in your area.

Advertising Online

1. Develop a website. A website establishes your online presence. Your website should clearly state the services you offer, your prices, and your contact information. Spend time on the search engine optimization for your website. This will help you appear at the top of searches for cleaning services in your area.
   • Cater your website to your target audience. Visit other websites that appeal to your audience and see the designs and keywords that they use.
   • You can build a website using a content management system, writing HTML and CSS codes, or using a website design application. If you are new to this a Choose a Content Management System such as Wordpress is best.The system will guide you through the building process and already has themes and plugins. All you have to do is provide the information about your business.
2. Use social media. Social media is good for local cleaning companies and provides an easy method for your customers to share your business with their friends. Social media also makes your company more relatable and human. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn are ideal for cleaning services.
   • Use YouTube to talk about your services and distribute video testimonials from happy customers.
   • You can provide exclusive specials and discount codes to people that follow you on these platforms.
   • You can also post examples of the work you have done.
   • Use a platform that your audience uses. Facebook is best for adults of all ages, but Twitter and Instagram offer you less access to the adult population.
3. Set up a Facebook business page. Facebook allows you to set up a business page. You will need to choose a business category for your page (i.e. Local Business or Place), enter your business information including your logo, a description of your business, and contact information. You will then have to agree to the Facebook terms for business pages.
   • Ask your family and friends to like and share your page.
   • Try to post at least a few times a week with interesting links, quick tips, deals and promotions, or other content that will get your page more likes and shares.
   • Use the Reach More People feature to spread the word about your business as well.
4. Use paid ads on social media. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn allow you to place ads on their social networks. You can target the ads based on demographics, geography, interests, or past behavior. You can measure the success of your ad by pay-per-clicks to your business website or by linking your ad to some measurable action (e.g. registering for an event, signing up for your newsletter, purchasing services). To set up a paid on Facebook:
   • Go to your Facebook business account and click create ad.
   • Choose the budget for your ad. You can pay per day or set up a lifetime budget for your ad. The amount of money you spend depends on how often you want your ad to run and the audience you are trying to reach.
   • Choose your audience based on location, demographics, interests, what they buy, etc.
   • Choose a picture and language for your ad. Facebook can help you with this.
   • Monitor your ad using Facebook's conversion tracking system. This will let you know if your ad is causing people to make purchases or visit your website.
5. Monitor your online reviews and social media presence. Customers often talk about their experiences online. This can help or hurt your business. A positive recommendation can go a long way and a negative review can deter other people from using your business. Addressing complaints and resolving the issues is a good way to win back a customer.
   • Interacting with customers online also shows that you are friendly, personable, and care about your customers.
   • You could also thank customers for positive reviews and for using your services.
   • Set up a Google Alert so you are notified when anyone discusses your business.
6. Encourage your customers to leave reviews. Set up profiles on different review sites such as Yelp, Angie's List, Google, etc. Ask your customers to leave a review and let them know that you would really appreciate it. Include a link to your review profiles on your website and social media pages.
   • You can also do a monthly giveaway for people who leave reviews. Tell your customers that they will be eligible for a monthly drawing if they leave a review.
   • Always thank your customers for leaving a review.

Doing In-Person Advertising

1. Go door to door with flyers. This is an inexpensive and effective way to get new customers. Focus your distribution on the areas where your target audience lives or works. Include a unique coupon on the flyer so you can track how many customers you gain from this approach.
   • You may have the opportunity to speak with some potential customers if they are around when you are handing out the flyers. Be sure to have a quick description of your business.
   • In the residential cleaning sector, the most likely customers are higher, dual-income families and elderly people who are unable to clean their own homes. These customers are likely looking for quality, convenience, and a competitive price. Post flyers in neighborhoods where this population lives.
2. Generate publicity. Always be thinking of your business when you are out and about in your community. Think of everyone as a potential client. Even if they do not need your services, they may know someone that needs your service. Look for opportunities to get your business out there.
   • Go to small business breakfast and lunches offered through your local chamber of commerce.
   • Volunteer your cleaning services to a charity event to get your name out and develop a good reputation.
   • If you are trying to gain new commercial cleaning customers, networking and getting referrals from other business is your best bet.
   • Keep your business cards with you everywhere you go. You always want to be prepared.
3. Do excellent work. The most important thing is getting a reputation for excellent, skilled, quality work at a reasonable price. You must show that you are thoroughly reliable and consistent. A happy, loyal customer is one of the best advertisements you can ever have.
   • Follow up with your customers after you provide a service to see if they are satisfied.
   • You may not be able to slash your prices, but you can provide superior service.
   • If a customer has a complaint, listen and do not argue with the customer. Ask the customer if there is anything that you can do to fix the situation. Offer the customer a discounted or free cleaning the next time they use your services.
4. Reward loyal customers. Customers want to feel like they are important. Don't save all of your coupons and discounts for your new customers. Provide incentives for customer referrals and let them know how much you appreciate their business. They will tell other people about the great service that you are providing.
   • Give a free cleaning or a gift card to the customers who send you the most referrals or for long term customers.
5. Join a professional organization. Professional organizations offer networking opportunities and resources for your business. You can also learn from experienced professionals in your industry. Good associations for the cleaning industry include:
   • Building Services Contractors Association International
   • Association of Residential Cleaning Professionals
   • International Janitorial Cleaning Services Association
   • Cleaning Management Institute

Tips

• Advertising can be expensive and time consuming, but it is an investment in your business.

Related Articles

• Start a House Cleaning Business
• Make Your Own Cleaning Solution
• Start a Residential Cleaning Business

Sources and Citations

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