The pandemic made your cleaning company marketing strategy more important than ever before. Here are some creative ways to help your plan continue to thrive.
While many businesses struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, the commercial cleaning industry remained as important and critical as ever—perhaps even more so with the increased demand for disinfecting and other services. As the world adjusts and reopens, more and more businesses will need to contract with commercial cleaning companies. And because the demand is so high, it’s crucial that you have a cleaning company marketing strategy that will set your business apart from the rest.
As early as the first month of the pandemic back in March of 2020, Google search interest in commercial cleaning services rose 25%, with other related searches showing similar increases. People are more concerned with cleanliness and disinfecting work areas than ever before, given the severity of the virus and the ease of transmission.
The increased interest is certainly good for the cleaning business, but it’s also becoming more challenging to secure work without a tight cleaning company marketing strategy. One reason is simply the amount of competition out there. Still, another reason might be that some cleaning companies are failing to show how they will be an accountable partner for reducing and preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses for businesses.
Manage cleaning checklists and keep your staff up to date with cleaning guidelines using Janitorial Manager. Sign up for a free consultation to learn more!
Not sure where to start with a cleaning company marketing strategy? Here are seven ideas to get you started.
1. Adhere to official guidance.
Before you can get an effective marketing strategy in place, you may want to adjust your cleaning practices to conform to the latest advice and guidance issued by public health officials. The CDC, EPA, and OSHA all have updated information and recommendations to keep the risk of transmitting COVID-19 to a minimum, especially as a cleaning business. Customers will likely want to see that your business is doing what it can to keep everyone safe, so this is a critical area to keep up with, as the guidelines do change periodically.
2. Update your online presence and marketing materials.
It won’t do much good from a marketing perspective to simply follow the advice of official organizations if your customers don’t know that you’re doing so. Promote your new practices on updated websites and social media profiles. If you use direct mailing or other traditional components of a cleaning company marketing strategy, include this information there as well. Don’t make people come to you and ask, as you’ve likely already lost them to someone else who volunteered the information. Show the public that you’re dedicated to safety for both them and your teams as a pivotal part of your marketing approach.
3. Beef up your content.
In addition to promoting your commitment to public health recommendations, distribute or make available content that shows your expertise in combating the virus that causes COVID-19, along with other viral and bacterial contaminants. Keep a regular blog on relevant topics. Write social media posts sharing best practices for cleaning properly. In this way, you demonstrate a high level of knowledge as well as a general concern for public health, both of which will make your business look much more attractive against competitors who don’t go the extra mile here.
4. Expand your geographic target area.
If you’ve kept your cleaning company marketing strategy to a specific local region, consider offering your services to a broader radius of potential customers. If you can find a sustainable way to provide cleaning services for businesses that are a little bit outside of your current area, you may find a lot of opportunities as companies look for the safest cleaning services out there. Do the math to make sure it works in terms of costs to get to places that are farther away as well as how much revenue such jobs would generate, but otherwise, now could be a great time to expand to areas that were previously thought to be out of reach.
5. Advertise your technology
Platforms such as Janitorial Manager can be largely helpful for modern cleaning practices because of how much they help with remote interactions. If you’re using Janitorial Manager, you can bid on jobs, perform inspections, and communicate with clients in real-time, all without ever having to be physically present in front of someone. The popularity of remote interactions has increased dramatically in the wake of COVID-19, and much of that popularity is probably here to stay. Let current and potential customers know that they can rest easy by communicating with you almost entirely remotely and that you’re prepared to continue to do an outstanding job even if the pandemic still hinders face-to-face interactions.
6. Double-down on corporate social responsibility
Working within your community is always a great way to show off your company values, and there’s no better time for this than now. Give to local charities to help in the fight against COVID-19. Participate in community activities, whether virtual or otherwise. Show that you’re committed to helping in the fight even outside of being a fantastic cleaning company. If you have the resources to help in any way, this can give a tremendous boost to your cleaning company marketing strategy.
7. Communicate
Above all else, your cleaning company marketing strategy should focus on communication with customers and potential customers. Let them know that you’ll be there for them anytime, especially with software like Janitorial Manager, and be a resource for them when they have questions. Certainly, your expertise should be limited to the cleaning business and stop short of giving health advice. Still, if you can offer people information about things like best cleaning practices, etc., or at least point them in the right direction, your business will likely be one of the first to come to mind when someone needs cleaning services.
Remember, too, that these marketing strategies are valuable all the time, and not just when there is a public health issue.
Streamline project management, schedules, client communications, job monitoring, and so much more with Janitorial Manager. Schedule a free discovery call with us to see all that we can do for you!