Not many years ago, marketing for some businesses like office cleaning meant filling office parks with flyers and giving out business cards.
However, those days are long gone and to get office cleaning contracts, you need to take a systematic approach that involves both traditional marketing like PR, referrals & networking and online marketing.
This can be quite challenging, but the opportunities for growing business that come with this approach is certainly worth the hard work.
Janitorial Services Marketing Strategy
If you wish to sell your office cleaning services in an efficient manner, you will first want to know your target market. For instance, if you’re looking to focus on small businesses, then you don’t want to direct your marketing efforts to huge establishments or corporations. Assess your current customer base and then concentrate on the most profitable clients as well as those who are satisfied with your services and give referrals.
If you have just launched your business, you may want to consult other janitorial businesses or those that fit your target market. It’s important to know what such clients want and this information will help you mold and tweak your marketing campaign. Develop a competitive rate and determine what services you should include in a standard office cleaning package.
You should also search for ways to make your business stand out. You want potential customers to see you in a distinct manner and not just a regular office cleaning company. For instance, you could implement an environmentally aware or green approach, which includes using cleaning products that are certified as eco-friendly and safe.
Digital and Online Marketing
According to The Janitorial Store, conventional clients do almost 60% of their decision making based on what they come across on the internet before reaching out to you. This is a stat that makes it imperative to have a robust and comprehensive online presence in order to market your business and manage your reputation. The key is to offer both existing and potential clients useful, relevant and up to date information. Utilize popular social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to reach out to potential clients with videos, articles as well as news regarding your services.
Create a site that includes a blog, where you can update your audience as well as a FAQs page where they can quickly get answers to the most common inquiries. You may feel intimidated if this is your first time, given you have to learn a lot of things including search engine optimization. However, do not let this discourage you as the rewards are certainly worth it. Also, in this day and age, getting those contracts requires a good online presence which is achieved by proper marketing and optimization. Hiring an experienced marketing agency to develop an effective SEO strategy is well worth the investment.
Conventional Means
We may call them traditional, but some of these marketing techniques are still useful today. Encouraging your clients to refer you to other individuals is one such example. You can ideally ask them for honest reviews and testimonials which you can post on your website and social media pages.
Networking is another handy approach. You should make the effort to participate in social and charitable events. Donate and sponsor charitable groups and your word will spread to other businesses and individuals in the area. This will make your name pop-up every time an office requires cleaning.
Closing The Deal
Generating deals via online marketing, networking, referrals and advertising are just a few of the elements that your strategy should consist of.
It’s important that you close the deal with a potential client and this is where walk-through comes into the picture. Each business premises is unique and it’s almost never possible to determine the tasks required or even the price until you inspect the space and talk with the client.
Assess the rooms and features like windows and floor coverings. Ask the potential customer what they want to be done. Ask how often they need the premise to be cleaned, when the tasks are to be done as well as their budget. This information will help you create a schedule and pricing that matches the needs of the client. A cleaning check list would be helpful for this process
