Looking for new leads for cleaning services? Here’s where you can find them.
Every janitorial company needs a source of leads for cleaning services, maintenance services, and anything else they offer. Even with a full roster, you always want the ability to grow your business. At the very least, you need leads if one or more of your current clients depart.
If you have plenty of cash to burn, it’s not too hard to get leads. You can buy them from lead providers or even hire companies to source leads for you. However, if you’re working on a tight budget, there are other ways to find leads.
And in case you’re also short on time, there’s some good news. While you can put as much time into lead generation as you want, there are also strategies you can use that don’t require a lot of time. It’s a win-win situation for busy cleaning business owners.
Now then, where can you find these leads for cleaning services, as well as the other services you offer? Let’s take a look.
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How to choose the right marketing outlet
One point worth noting when we’re talking about some of these budget-friendly places to find leads for cleaning services is that they aren’t all equal. Social media platforms can be a rich source of leads if you don’t mind putting in a little time. You do have to choose carefully, though.
For example, sites like LinkedIn are ideal for most business networking. But if your target audience is younger businesses, such as start-ups or youth-themed retail shops, you might find sites like Instagram or TikTok are better for reaching the right people.
If you focus on other small and medium-sized local businesses, you may also have luck going door-to-door with business cards and pamphlets about your work.
The lesson here is to know your audience. You’re busy, and you want to get the biggest return on your investment. That’s true whether your “investment” is money or time.
9 Budget-friendly sources of leads for cleaning services
So, where are we going to find these leads? Here are 9 free or inexpensive ideas for building interest in your work.
1. Nextdoor. Nextdoor is an online neighborhood forum where people discuss everything from traffic to weather to finding professional services. It’s not the most direct form of marketing, since you’re mixed in with every other conversation going on. However, it only takes a few minutes to post your offerings, and it gets your name in front of a lot of people.
2. Referrals. Referrals from your happy customers are gold. These provide the social proof that someone may need to give you a chance. Referrals help you build a connection with prospects, and they establish a level of trust that you have to work hard for otherwise.
3. Reviews. Reviews take referrals one step further. People look to sites like Google and Yelp to get a sense of the kind of work you do. If you can convince your happy customers to write reviews for you, that will go a long way in winning over leads for cleaning services.
4. Social media. I won’t say much about this here, since we covered it above. Just remember that you don’t have to be on every single platform. Find one or two social sites that you like, and that your audience likes, and go for it.
5. Door-to-door. I think this one is worth covering again, too, in a little more depth. There’s nothing better than speaking to someone in person if you want to establish a connection. Other small business owners understand what you do and they’ll admire the effort it takes to get out and talk to people. While this can take a lot of time, you can also schedule yourself to make visits one or two mornings each week. That way, it feels more like a necessary task (which it is), and less like something you have to try to fit in when you can.
6. Verify your Yelp listing. It’s free to claim your Yelp business listing. Plus, this gives you the ability to respond to online reviews.
7. Pay-per-click ads. You’ve seen these on Google, other websites, and sites like Instagram. Pay-per-click ads are targeted ads you only have to pay for when someone clicks on your ad. You can filter your reach and specify parameters like geographic regions, certain keywords (like commercial cleaning), and demographics. As for pricing, you specify how much you’ll pay each day, say $10, and your ad stops running when you hit that point. You can run ads on Yelp, in Google search results, or your favorite social media platform.
8. Local free publications. Many cities have free weekly or monthly publications that usually carry local interest stories, neighborhood news, and listings of local events. These can be great advertising spaces, although the price can vary significantly depending on the location and other factors.
9. Become an underwriter. Public and community radio stations need sponsors and underwriters to help fund their operations. Rather than long commercial breaks, these underwriters are mentioned in short segments introducing a program or show.
Remember, any steps you take to advance your lead generation are steps in the right direction. And you don’t have to spend a ton to get a decent return on your investment. Nor do you need to do everything all at once. Give two or three of these ideas a try and see what happens. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Make your next bid your best bid. From workloading to maintenance schedules, Janitorial manager can help you organize your entire operation. Schedule a free call with Janitorial Manager and make your work easier and more profitable.