This article was updated on July 15, 2022
In 2020, people’s homes were transformed into offices, classrooms, and exercise studios. With all the extra commotion, more people were looking for extra help to keep their homes clean. In fact, recommendations for cleaning services on Nextdoor increased by 30% in 2021.
Many of these transformations are here to stay. This means that the need for an extra set of hands is still prevalent. This guide will provide a useful tool kit of advertising ideas to help you get the word out about your cleaning business to potential cleaning clients.
What's Ahead:
You may not be sure how to start developing ads for your house cleaning service business. Don't worry, there are many examples you can look at for inspiration. In general, ads have visuals, a tagline, ad copy with supporting details, your business branding, and a call-to-action. Follow this format and a few proven principles and your ads have a great chance to deliver results:
Last year, cleanliness took on a new meaning. No longer was a clean home just freshly vacuumed carpets and sparkling granite countertops. A clean home meant safety for themselves and their loved ones. This idea is unlikely to change anytime soon.
To that end, it’s important to reassure your customers—both in terms of your professionalism and respecting their personal boundaries. In your advertising messages, this could mean highlighting specific policies, including:
Whether you advertise using a flyer or an online platform, reassure your customers first and foremost. And always keep a pulse on the latest CDC safety guidelines in case any critical preventative measures change.
Understanding your target demographic is one of the most important parts of advertising your small business. Home cleaning services are a perfect example of a sector that's usually geared towards locals–which is why creating a Business Page on Nextdoor can be a great way to reach and engage with your community.
Claiming your page is free and easy. With it, you'll be able to:
Peachy Clean, a small business based in Austin, Texas, is an example of a local company that gets most of its new clients from Nextdoor. The company's owner, Maria, credits the success her company has been able to achieve to the trust her community puts in their neighbors on Nextdoor.
An astounding 72% of the American population uses some form of social media–and the majority of this demographic uses social media at least once a day.
While many people believe that ads on social media are much more about clothing, makeup, and other consumer goods, service-based businesses can easily tap into the same market.
In fact, according to MyHouseCleaningBiz, a New York City-based cleaning company named MyClean generated over $17,500 in sales over 7 months using Facebook ads.
So, how can your business utilize any given social media platform to enhance your house cleaning advertising efforts?
As a small business, you probably don't have an entire department dedicated to handling your social media presence– that's okay. All it takes are a few simple tricks for you to establish your brand voice and start reaching your audience on everything from Instagram to TikTok.
CleanZilla Cleaning, an NYC-based cleaning company, is a prime example of a small business that's captured the power of social media. Their Instagram page boasts over 2,600 followers, and they even have highlighted stories with customer reviews.
Setting up a 'refer a friend' program is an advertising idea that benefits all parties involved.
On your end of the equation, incentivizing referrals will help to bring in new business. Your existing clients can receive discounted cleaning sessions as a result. And best of all, new clients will enjoy a spotless home. That's a win-win-win.
As a business owner, advertising is all about generating a healthy ROI, and using a referral system can help you avoid sinking money into campaigns that don't pay dividends. Just be sure to:
Best of all, referral programs are a free form of free business advertising.
What could be more personal than going into someone's home, caring for their belongings, and providing them with a safe and clean environment in which to live (and work, exercise, and go to school)? The nature of the home cleaning business means your advertising strategy should reflect the personal touch rather than be cold or corporate.
One way to add that familial feel to your local business is through in-person flyers and brochures.
By delivering your cleaning ads directly to people's homes, you put a face to the business and you can answer any questions a potential client may have.
While emphasizing your safety protocols is one way to advertise your services, there are other strategies you can use to bring the human element into your house cleaning ads.
Let your customers get to know the people who are responsible for keeping their homes squeaky clean. Maybe one of your employees has decades of professional cleaning experience. Or maybe they have a way with even the friskiest of cats. Clients will feel more connected as you share with them your employee appreciation.
Whatever it is, give your client base an opportunity to get to know your employees. They might feel more at ease letting your team see their dirty laundry (literally).
Your social media pages or your Nextdoor Business Page are ideal places to put this idea into action.
Cleaning needs can vary widely between each client. While some homes may need a monthly deep clean, others might benefit from a basic weekly package. Advertising custom services is another way to gain your customer’s trust and establish a reputation for excellence with your small business.
Consider the following ideas to incorporate into your advertising strategy:
Get inspired: Great Green Cleaning markets their customized packages as ‘concierge services’ and allows customers to choose from specific "lifestyle support services" like plant care, dog walking, and even yoga instruction.
Whether you decide to try one or all of the ideas above, implementing a few new advertising strategies for your home cleaning business is a fantastic way to make the year ahead a success. Whether it's through Google Ads, Facebook advertising, or other pay-per-click ads (PPC ads), these ideas will help you land your next cleaning job and keep new ones coming in. Although some of the strategies above require an initial investment of resources, you'll likely be thankful you took the plunge when you start seeing results.
The new year brings an opportunity to start clean with your digital marketing and advertising strategy. To start off on the right foot, consider creating a Nextdoor Business Page to communicate with the customers who matter most: your neighbors.
Sources:
Reuters. P&G raises forecasts on sustained demand for cleaning products. https://www.reuters.com/article/procter-gamble-results/pg-raises-forecasts-on-sustained-demand-for-cleaning-products-idUSKBN2751GQ
Pew Research Center. Social Media Fact Sheet. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
Nextdoor. Small Business Week: Peachy Clean, Austin, TX https://blog.nextdoor.com/2019/05/06/small-business-week-peachy-clean-austin-tx/
Claim your free Business Page to get started on Nextdoor. For resources on how to use Nextdoor to stay connected with your local customers, pertinent news affecting businesses, and more, follow us at @nextdoorbusiness on Facebook.