Window washing is a long-established business that has traditionally relied on equally long-established marketing methods—word-of-mouth referrals, flyers, and billboards, for instance. But these days, there are more marketing strategies than ever before, and if you’re looking to grow your local window-washing business, you’ll want to leverage all of them.
Discover effective window-washing marketing tactics and dynamic customer retention strategies to reach more clients, maintain more clients, and expand your small business.
Build a strong online presence for your window-washing business
After you’ve started your window washing business, it’s time to continue growing your clientele. When it comes to growing your small business, the best place to start is the Internet. Now more than ever, neighborhood businesses need to be highly visible online. This is especially true if you don’t have a brick-and-mortar location.
Even if you do have a physical storefront, clients are more likely to learn about your local business online than by coming into your shop. In fact, 72% of US consumers rely on Google search to learn more about businesses in their communities. And here’s another important fact to keep in mind: 57% of consumers say they always or frequently read online reviews before choosing to visit a local business, making the quality of your online presence equally important.
Here’s how to start building your online presence to attract window-washing customers and book more appointments.
Create a mobile-friendly website
When creating a website, leverage tools or platforms that offer top-notch mobile optimization. This will ensure anyone on a mobile device can see the text and images of your website correctly sized, without having to zoom out or scroll.
Use SEO to boost local search visibility
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of leveraging the right fields, text, and other features of your website so that search engines can scan them correctly. When done with care, SEO optimization can improve your ranking on search engines—that is, it pushes your website higher up in an organic search list (separate from sponsored placements) without you having to pay a dime. And the higher you are on a search engine list (like Google, for instance), the more likely it is that customers will see your website.
You can ensure SEO optimization on your website through:
- Keywords – Identify the keywords and phrases that your potential customers are most likely to type into a search engine, such as “window washing near me.” Then, incorporate those keywords in your website’s text copy.
- Keyword placement – Use the highest-value keywords in the top section of your home page, as well as on desired landing pages for inbound traffic.
- Local identification – Include your location in text in multiple places on your website. You can easily accomplish this by listing which counties, cities, and zip codes you serve.
- Technical SEO – Finally, you might consider working with an SEO expert to fulfill the technical side of SEO optimization. They can help you incorporate meta descriptions, quality backlinks, internal links, header tags, image alt text, and more.
Claim and optimize your Google business profile
As mentioned, a majority of consumers use Google to search for nearby businesses, so claiming a Google Business Profile is a must. It won’t cost you any money, but you’ll want to invest time in continually maintaining your presence.
After you claim the business and verify your management of it, you can follow the on-screen steps to populate and update the contact and business information fields and add photos and posts.
As the default search engine for many consumers, Google profiles are likely to hit near the top of a brand name search. What’s more, customers can rate your business and leave reviews, which can help entice potential clients to choose your small business over another.
Leverage online reviews to build trust
As mentioned, many customers rely on reviews to decide whether or not to give a company their business—and you can use this to your advantage with customer experience marketing.
Just consider how John Consigli, a Hillsborough, North Carolina plumber, more than doubled his business after claiming his free Nextdoor Business Page, which had already collected nearly 50 recommendations from satisfied customers.
To ensure you receive reviews for your local window washing service, consider:
- Requesting Google reviews from customers as part of a wrap-up process
- Asking customers for feedback and reviews that you can post on your website (along with before and after photos of their exterior windows)
But it’s not just about receiving reviews. Another crucial aspect of effective customer experience marketing is responding to reviews to further engage with your clients and strengthen your relationships.
Have you received a negative review? Don’t worry—by responding to the customer quickly and thoughtfully, you can resolve the issue and show future clients that you prioritize customer satisfaction.
Utilize digital marketing channels for even greater reach
In addition to a quality website and a Google Business Page, it’s smart to leverage other digital window-washing advertising channels to connect with even more potential customers and take advantage of dynamic marketing tools.
Social media marketing
You don’t need to create a profile on every social platform—overextending your social footprint can lead to an enormous time drain that costs much more than these platforms’ “free” cost of use.
Instead, identify the platforms that:
- Are important to your target demographic (for instance, older individuals are more often on Facebook)
- Provide measurable value in terms of brand building and convertible window cleaning leads
- Align with your business type and model
Once your profile is set up:
- Engage with your audience by sharing relevant content and responding to comments
- Post about deals or new services
- Leverage paid advertising and built-in ad management tools
On the right networks, social advertising can be a powerful tool. Consider how father-son duo Rey and Michael of Canseco’s Gardening Services grew their business by 40% in six months on Nextdoor by utilizing Nextdoor Ads Manager to offer free quotes.
PPC online advertising
What if you only had to pay for the cost of a postcard if the customer read it and responded with a call or website visit? This is exactly what makes pay-per-click (PPC) advertising so desirable—you’re only charged when a user clicks on your ad.
Plus, you have the flexibility to adjust your ad messages, targeting, and spending (including setting tight limits) whenever you need in order to maximize your ROI.
Email marketing and SMS campaigns for customer retention
On average, the cost of acquiring a new customer is five to seven times higher than the cost of retaining a current customer. To that end, it’s important to invest in efforts that will keep your current customers coming back.
Fortunately, you can utilize email marketing and short message service (SMS) campaigns to send emails and text messages with:
- Reminders to schedule their next appointment
- Special offers or discounts
- Personalized thank yous for their continued loyalty
- Useful content, such as window care tips
Effective offline marketing tactics for window washing
We’ve talked a lot about the importance of digital marketing tactics, but that doesn’t make offline advertising strategies any less important (or effective). By combining both approaches, you can enhance your marketing efforts and attract more customers.
Neighborhood promo distribution
A simple flyer left by the front door is a classic for a reason—it tells potential customers that you’re local and stopped by in person to introduce yourself.
You can also reach out with paper window washing advertising in the form of:
- Door hangers
- Direct mail postcards
- Local newspaper inserts
- Inserts in multi-coupon mailers
To track their effectiveness, provide different discount codes for each tactic, segment, and campaign that new customers can use. You can also include a “Where did you hear about us” question during the customer intake process.
Local sponsorship opportunities
Another offline window-washing marketing opportunity is engaging directly with organizations in your community. This can include sponsoring:
- Local events, such as annual festivals, parades, or fairs
- Hometown sports teams and arenas
- School teams, activities, and fundraisers
Why Nextdoor is a powerful platform for window washing advertising
Nextdoor is the network where neighbors connect with each other and with local businesses, making it the ideal place to get in front of your window cleaning customers.
There’s simply no platform that’s more plugged into communities at a neighborhood and town level, which means you can pull in more business within the areas you want to serve. Rita Shelley used that approach—targeted messaging to nearby zip codes—to successfully launch her startup, Cheeky Spices. She attracted new customers, sales, and website traffic, noting:
“Nextdoor has been such an amazing blessing because you’re reaching people who live in the neighborhood. You’re engaging as a business and as a neighbor. This is what’s unique about Nextdoor. It’s not overcrowded and people are looking for local brands to give the support they need. It’s the entrepreneur’s dream if your initial strategy is to reach local customers.”
Build trust and visibility on Nextdoor’s neighborhood platform
Setting up a verified Nextdoor Business Page can strengthen your credibility as an established, trusted local business and provide a quick and easy way for potential customers to reach out.
We also help small businesses succeed in measurable ways through a range of accessible self-service marketing tools.
Grow your window washing business with Nextdoor
Ready to get started? It’s quick and easy to claim and populate your free Business Page, which you can use to share updates and news through Business Posts. You can also interact with your local community—including searching for and responding to posts asking for the window cleaning service you provide.
What’s more, you’ll get access to the Nextdoor Ads Manager, a comprehensive dashboard that helps you set up, test, and monitor your window-washing advertising campaigns to promote special offers and attract new customers.
Reach local clients, build a loyal customer base, and watch your window cleaning business thrive—it’s all possible with Nextdoor.
Sources:
- Google. Stand out on Google with a free Business Profile. https://www.google.com/intl/ALL_uk/business/
- Forbes. Customer Retention Versus Customer Acquisition. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/12/12/customer-retention-versus-customer-acquisition/
- Marketing Charts. Here’s Where Consumers Get Info About Local Businesses. https://www.marketingcharts.com/cross-media-and-traditional/local-and-small-biz-232363
