Maid service promotion: is word getting out about your maid service business?
Setting up a business seems hard enough. But it doesn’t matter how good your cleaning company or your cleaning company software is if you don’t have houses to clean.
And for you to have houses to clean, people have to know about you and your company. Which means you are not just in the house cleaning business, you’re also in the business of promoting your business. You’re in charge of getting the word out.
This week, we’ll talk about how you can begin getting the word out and make sure the word gets heard.
So, grab your coffee.
Speaking of coffee…
Click here to access the Launch & Learn Intro with links to all posts
Starbucks has ridiculously loyal customers
So loyal that they’ve lent the company over a billion dollars in the form of preloaded funds on either physical gift cards or digital Starbucks cards. And, over a hundred million dollars go unused. As in “1 followed by eight zeroes” million.
Imagine it: Not only do customers give Starbucks a huge interest-free loan, but they also pay about 10% additional, in the form of unused funds on the cards.
Why?
“Loyalty,” you say? But why are the customers so loyal?
Because.
Trust.
A loyalty program like the one Starbucks uses is a great example of a promotion tool. And there are plenty of promotional tools around, but you have to gain attention before you can gain loyalty.
So, whether you decide on a “Liter Laney” sign spinner or a vehicle wrap for your company cars, trust is a non-negotiable.
“Liter Laney” in action
Attention is fickle
Here are the three phases of an effective promotion cycle:
- Attention – saying what you do.
- Trust – doing what you say.
- Loyalty – what your customers say you do.
First, all of your advertising or selling promotions should be reinforced by your core messaging.
Way back in week one of the Launch & Learn series, we talked about how important it is to get clear about your customers and your brand. Until you’re clear about those two things, you cannot communicate clearly and persuasively about what it is you do.
Wait.
You did do that work, didn’t you? If not, consider this a friendly challenge to do so now – as in today. You can’t be persuasive if you aren’t clear.
All that said, human attention is fickle. That’s why 300 hours of video get uploaded to YouYube every minute. You have to be willing to experiment.
Here’s a couple of shortlists of attention-getting ideas:
| Online
SEO Google My Business Content Marketing Video Social Media |
Offline
Vehicle wraps Ads in local publications Flyers Roadside signs Coupon mailers |
Say what you do clearly and compellingly. Say it a lot.
People trust people
Trust is at the center of the attention-trust-loyalty equation.
You doing what you say you do, and doing it consistently, day in and day out, is what causes trust to grow.
The standards you maintain for everything, from clean floors to uniforms, are key to the success of your business. Here’s why.
We do business with people we know, like, and trust. We also recommend those we know like and trust to our friends and family. In fact…
Get this…
92% of people around the world trust a word of mouth recommendation more than any other form of marketing.
Do what you say you do and do it well. You’ll be building up a trust account that will pay off handsomely in the final phase.
Click here to access the Launch & Learn Intro with links to all posts
The word that matters most in maid service promotion
The marketing experts call word of mouth a form of earned media and it comes in many forms, but basically it’s the tweet or review or article that says good things about you and your business.
“Earned” means you don’t own the source of the information. It’s offered freely by customers and 3rd parties.
Considering the “92%” statistic above and nature of the cleaning company business, word of mouth could be your most powerful means of promotion. The best part is your customers are more credible than you when it comes to selling you and your business.
It’s worth mentioning again the importance of your messaging. The more memorable your pitch is the easier it is to repeat. The better you do at earning trust and loyalty, the more often it will get repeated.
It’s a virtuous cycle. The referrals and recommendations of existing customers are key to getting new customers. Which provides the opportunity to earn the trust and loyalty that drives word of mouth.
Don’t make this mistake
When you first start up a business, you have to be laser focused on acquiring new customers. There’s no way around it.
But a common mistake that happens over time is the exclusive focus on the hunt for new customers causes a new business owner to overlook the value and promotional power of existing customers.
From day one, make use of the virtuous cycle of word of mouth marketing with every customer you acquire. See them as the fuel, not a tool, for promoting your business.
From day one, build the kind of business that will keep your existing customers very very happy.
Before you buy your Holly Housecleaner spinner sign…
Your Launch27 cleaning company software has built-in promotion capability. You can find three creative ways to use that capability here.
For example, Gift cards are an excellent promo device, especially as the Holiday season approaches.
Who wouldn’t like a little help getting things spruced up for Thanksgiving or Christmas, right?
Yes, you are in the promotions business now. Get started with your Maid Service Promotion Principles.
Give them something to talk about!
Hoveringly,
Ellie