Cleaning up your digital marketing act

Cleaning is a competitive business. Whether you’re running a company with staff or you’re a sole trader with a local client base – you’re up against the big boys who pay thousands for adverts online and offline and have the capacity to bid for the biggest contracts. 

So how do you get noticed in a saturated market? As a digital marketing expert my advice is to create a marketing campaign that sticks in clients’ minds and gets you the attention your company deserves. It is much easier to get your company ‘out there’, without spending a small fortune, than it has ever been before using resources that are readily available.

As a small/medium business owner, you might not have a huge marketing budget but don’t fret. There’s something free, far reaching and full of potential at your fingertips. You probably log on at least once or twice a day anyway. Yes, I’m talking about social media. Love it or loathe it, your social media presence is essential. If you’re not online, you’re nowhere. 

Social media has been vital for growing my own business, growing the businesses of my clients and generally making sure my brand is recognised and trusted. Social media marketing is vital for your financial growth and is a real game changer for every type of business. 

Power of social media

The power of social media as a marketing tool is one every small/medium business owner should be using, every day. Posting updates, photographs, quotes and memes may seem a world away from dusting and polishing, but the results are proven to be well worth the effort.

Letting people know who you are, where you’re located and where you can send your cleaning crews, are important messages which you can send out for free. So why aren’t you? It can be as easy as picking up your phone.

Google it and see 

Type in ‘cleaning company’ on Google. The majority of the companies holding the top spots all have Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and other social media profiles. The one’s that don’t are missing a trick. They may rank highly on Google, but where’s the proof of their success? 

Social media is an accessible medium and is a platform to show off how good you are. Customers can see what you’re about, your staff, your values and more importantly the results you achieve. It creates a feeling of openness and transparency, that customers appreciate.

Word of mouth referrals are great but having a positive testimonial on your Facebook page for others to read, is forever. It’s old school marketing in digital format. 

What do I post?

The first rule of social media marketing is to keep it relevant. Don’t confuse potential and current clients by posting content that doesn’t relate to your company, your brand or your industry. Make sure your personal accounts don’t get confused with your business accounts, keep them separate.

Keep jokes work-based. Your professional profiles should showcase your business, not your weekend selfies. Combining interesting, factual and fun facts about your business seems to work well for most businesses.

Posting 'before' and 'after' shots of jobs (ask the client’s permission beforehand) and writing blogs giving cleaning tips showcase your skills and are a great way to drive traffic to your website.

Keep your messages clear and focused by putting together a series of campaign ideas. A simple trick to keep yourself organised is to create a marketing calendar. You can plan your social media posts in advance and if you’re feeling adventurous, look into sites such as Hootsuite to schedule social media posts. You could also consult digital media agencies to create an engaging and effective social media campaign. 

But I hate social media...

Tough! You may not enjoy combing through social media profiles but this isn’t about you and your preferences, it’s about growing your business. With over 1.86 billion Facebook users worldwide, 13 million UK-based Twitter users and approximately 150 million Instagrammers, social media is free, easy and necessary.