Smart Marketing for Cleaning Companies -- Stop Doing What You've Always Done

Growing a contract cleaning company beyond the owner-reliant model takes a lot of hard work—and smart marketing.

When you first started your business, you likely created a marketing plan. (If you didn't, stop everything and read this article.) As you enter a ramped-up phase of growth, however, it's time to revisit and revise that plan. Marketing strategy and tactics must evolve as a company grows.

Don't skip this step. Getting complacent with marketing, and doing what you've always done, is a recipe for disaster. Want to tackle new territories, expand to new verticals, land bigger clients, or in any other way grow beyond what you're doing now? Then you need a new approach.

Smart Marketing for Cleaning Companies

Here are 5 smart marketing tips to update your marketing plan as you grow

1. Change Your Message

Years ago, marketers tried to appeal to everyone and hope that a percentage would buy. But it's no longer enough to use a singular marketing message with all buyers. The more targeted and personalized you can get, the more successful you'll be.

If you're growing your business by expanding into new verticals, you need an in-depth understanding of these new customers. For example, a BSC who currently cleans office buildings but wants to work with medical facilities and schools will need a different message for each vertical because each has unique needs and challenges.

Expanding into a new market may also require a change in messaging. What resonates with business owners in one city, state, or region may not ring true in a different area.

Do some research. What differences do you see between your current client base and the new one you'll be pursuing? Do they have unique needs and expectations? Where do they turn for information on hiring cleaning contractors? Will you face new competitors and, if so, what sets you apart?

Once you've painted a complete picture, analyze how your messaging needs to change to address this unique client/area. This messaging will need to be updated across all your marketing channels – your website, social media pages, marketing kits, etc.

Construct a compelling story that illustrates how you are different and better from the competition and—most importantly—how you will solve their problems and make their lives easier or better.

2. Become the Expert

Trying to ramp up growth in your current market? In that case, you've probably already done a good job of spreading the word about what you do, how it helps, and how it's better/different than the other guys.

Now, it's time to establish your company as an authority in your industry. To make your company the first that comes to mind when they think commercial cleaning, you need to make it clear you are the go-to expert.

This doesn't happen overnight. It takes time to build up credibility. To start, focus on “thought leadership” marketing. Create and share content (via your company newsletter, blog, social media, etc.) that provides information your ideal customer will find useful.

One important type of content to start creating? Case studies. This is especially important as you branch into new verticals. Develop case studies specific for each new customer category (bank, hospital, school, etc.) and explain the specific problems you helped solve. This allows prospects to see that you can help their specific type of business, which is important when you're not yet known as the go-to service provider for their industry.

Take this information sharing a step further. Offer to speak at industry events and at those geared toward your target audience. Pitch yourself as a writer or expert source for trade publications. Take advantage of any such opportunity to share your knowledge within the industry and with your customer base.

Finally, be open to new ideas. Leaders in an industry are among the first to try new technologies or experiment with alternative systems. Take the lead in trying new things and share your innovative wins in press releases, blogs, and on social media.

3. Focus on Referral Marketing

When you start your commercial cleaning business, your marketing focuses almost singularly on one task—generating leads. You want to get your message in front of as many prospective buyers as possible.

That approach makes sense, and can continue (to some degree) during the expansion phase. But now is the time to shift about half of your marketing dollars and time toward referrals.

Why? Referrals from existing clients are the best and most cost-effective way to get highly qualified leads and grow your business. Just consider these stats:

• It costs 5 percent more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep a current one.
• Loyal customers are 5x as likely to repurchase, 5x as likely to forgive, 4x as likely to refer, and 7x as likely to try a new offering.
• A 5 percent increase in customer retention can increase a company's profitability by 75 percent.

Now that you've built a base of happy clients, it's time to start tapping into them strategically to fuel your company's growth.
Want ideas for creating a successful referral program? Check out this article and this one.

4. Partner Up

Think about complementary services you don't offer but that your customers need. Consider partnering with non-competitive businesses in those areas on joint promotions. Examples might be landscaping companies, electricians and plumbers. This can be a no-cost, high-reward activity with the potential to help you reach loads of new customers.

You can leverage partnerships for everything from delivering local educational sessions to property managers, to offering service bundling at a discount. Get creative and dream up clever ways to make these collaborations mutually beneficial.

5. Employ New Tactics

Earlier, we said industry leaders need to be innovative. That extends to the types of marketing tools you use. Ready to grow? Try a new tactic to reach new prospects.

• Mobile: Nearly 70% searching online do so from a mobile device, not a computer, and 61% of those people will abandon a site that doesn't look good on their phone or tablet. If you haven't already, now is the time to upgrade to a responsive website.
• Online Advertising (Adwords, Pay Per Click): Although referrals are extremely important, being found online in today's mobile world is equally important. Prospects are searching for services online and ads are the first things they see in their search results. Many cleaning companies are using Pay Per Click advertising successfully to drive leads to their website.
• Social Media/Email: If you don't about terms like “sales funnel” and “tripwire,” it's time to do some homework. Social media and email marketing can be incredibly powerful for B2B services, but selling a $5,000 cleaning contract isn't the same as selling a $10 product. You'll need to learn how to use educational content (or targeted ads) lure people to your email list, and then how to nurture them from prospect to buyer.
• Video: There's no question that video is hot in today's online world. Creating written content still matters, but if you're not yet using video to tell your story, you're missing out. You can use it to demonstrate the equipment you use, showcase your best employees, answer common questions, and more.

As you continue to reach higher and higher levels for your business, make it a habit to reevaluate your marketing strategies. The most successful business owners are always looking for ways to expand and innovate to create new opportunities.

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