I bet it is agreeable when I say gaining clients for your business is the number one skill anyone must achieve to be able to see some successes on any level in the cleaning industry.
Since the internet is such a massive influencer for businesses of all types, and yes even cleaning businesses, it is a client generation tactic that can’t be ignored if you want to reach more potential clients.
Thus, I’ve decided to put together this little guide of 7 highly effective yet creative ways on how to gain cleaning clients online. Some will cost money, some not so much; but if each are done right they can prove to bring some serious business to your company.
Ready to get started with the first one on the list? Here is it:
1.Create a website optimized to capture leads
Having a website to attract business at a bare minimum is a must.
But… Having a website that is even slightly optimized to capture potential customers that visit your site and open up the opportunity to communicate with them is a much more powerful way to ever see some sort of return on your website.
This can be done by making sure your phone number is easy to find, have a contact page, an email collection form, and maybe even a live chat.
But before you think setting up a website and letting it sit will solve all your issues; how do you plan on getting relevant people to it? The next tip will help with that…
2.Engage in “Search Engine Optimization”
Also known as “SEO,” search engine optimization is, in basic terms, the process of optimizing your website to give you much greater odds of ranking in search engines like Google when someone searches for a relevant term to your website.
Most often people will be searching for things like, “cleaning services in florida” or “maid services in texas.” Of course they will vary, but part of the process is finding what people are searching for related to your business.
The biggest player in the SEO world is Moz, and they’ve put together a great resource for beginners on the process of SEO. Worst case scenario you can always hire someone to do it for you if the process is too time consuming for you.
3.Engage with your local community on Facebook
There are tons of local groups over on Facebook that are made for entire states, counties, or even specific towns / cities.
Engaging with people on them and just getting your name out there can be a powerful way to get some people to start recognizing you as an authority as the “go to” cleaning person in your area.
A good rule of thumb is to never try self advertising by saying things like, “I’m offering cleaning services, contact me to get a quote!.” Instead, focus on offering value for anyone seeking advice and you might just get people coming to you asking for help next time they need some cleaning done.
For instance, you can start broad conversations and respond to comments – your goal being to showcase yourself as an expert in matters of cleaning. This is called soft-marketing.
4.Some good old fashioned cold email outreach
I bet you know what cold calling is, and this works in the same way but with email.
This tactic is probably going to work best for those cleaning companies out there that offer services to other businesses because their contact information is often more readily available then an individual’s information is.
You can gather emails simply by going to the company’s website, searching for the person in charge, and writing in to them about your services, why they will help them, and why they should choose you. You’ve got to get your selling face on, write up a professional yet personable email, and hope that you get some responses.
What if you can’t find the person in charge contact info? Well, contact someone else (or even the generic email they provide) and ask to be put in contact with the person in charge with such decisions.
5.Angie’s List
This company puts some serious money into advertising their website all over TV and the internet.
In return, it’s like having a million dollar advertising budget for free. Think about it, they spend all this money to get people to come to Angie’s List to get services just like yours.
So while yes, it technically isn’t just like having a million dollar advertising budget is; it just goes to show how big this website really is. In turn, all of the potential clients that go through this website every single day is enormous. Getting on board of this opportunity and perfecting your listing may be a very great way to bring in cleaning clients online.
6.Craigslist is still going strong
While Craigslist might not be the newest and hottest new website to find clients these days (like #5 on this list is), it still brings in millions of visitors a month to its website.
Some are looking to buy vacuums, some are looking to buy cars. Others are renting x, x, and x; but, some are going to the site to look for local services. And yes, I still think there is opportunity in putting up a listing on Craigslist explaining your services and the benefits of them.
Best part? It is 100% free, which means there is nearly no risk to setting up a post for your services.
7.Last but definitely not least… Groupon
Everyone loves a deal, and lots of people susceptible to impulse buys. This is exactly what I see Groupon as, the ultimate place to get deals and impulsively buy things.
Maybe not everyone impulse buys, but they definitely set it up in a way that would allow people to easily spend more than one planned on to. I mean, who can resist a deal so good when they know it might not be there tomorrow?
The biggest resistance people seem to give me when I suggest the idea of giving out coupons for their services is that they won’t make much money. The thing to remember is this; you don’t want to make money on the first initial cleaning session you offer. If you do, it will most likely be minimal. You just want to break even and that is all. From there, you will hope that people come back recurringly and buy at regular prices for months to come.
It’s basically a “break even” way to get clients. So while you might be giving out your services for very minimal prices the first round, you will see returns the second time you go for a cleaning. Once you start looking at the long-term goal, you will realize the true benefit in doing this and how amazing it can be for your business’s growth.
Conclusion
A major tip that I thought I’d give before ending this list of ways to gain cleaning clients is this:
Don’t spread yourself too thin.
What I mean by this is that you should try focusing on one of these tactics at a time. Once you master one (or prove one simply isn’t a tactic you wish to further pursue), you can then move onto the next one to master. This way, you will better be able to concentrate all your efforts into one place rather than trying to be everywhere at once.
Take it one step at a time, prove whether or not a certain tactic works for you (or not), from there you can then move outwards and try more tactics. This will surely enable you to get the most out of your time and efforts and you will much more likely be able to realize a great return on investment in regards to both time and money.
Click here to discover more ways to find cleaning clients locally.
About Author
Dustyn is the owner of CleaningZoom.com, an authority source on starting and growing a cleaning business. CleaningZoom offers resources for all small business owners alike that are interested in the cleaning service industry.
