Hi DLM,

What sets you apart from other cleaning companies?  What makes your company unique?

~Berta

First, you need to know what sets you out from other cleaning companies. Do you have a different service that they do not offer? Are your rates cheper? Are equipment state of the art? Once you know this, understand who your target is and start marketing.

There are plenty of marketing tactics that can get you ahead of the competition. You can do email marketing, social media, telemarketing, direct marketing. Just make sure that the tactic that you choose can reach your target market.

Hope this helps

Natalie

I see some great ideas , Damien.  How are you coming along? Let us know!

Joleen

Firstly, start an intensive 'word of mouth' campaign.

You have nothing to lose by approaching various segments aggressively and show them

you are a new deal in town just starting out and offer 'introductory' rates for services.

No job is too small to take on, there are others who will not do the smaller jobs.

Be professional, be aggressive, the work is out there, go and carve yourself the market

share you need to survive and thrive. Most of all, make sure you do a better job than the

other guy. You can build a reputation on that and that will also build relationships and sales.

Most cleaning services don't have well set up websites. What you can do is to make one with well-targeted everyday cleaning problems

Step one - Target local. Make sure your website is the first to show up when a person quickly searches "_______ cleaning company/service" - If I fired my inhouse cleaners at my school, it's likely that I might even look for "school cleaning company, local cleaning company, or even outsource cleaning" - for more information on how to optimize your website for search engines, you might want to consult professional if websites aren't your thing.

Step two - Make sure your website shows up on mobile search, as it's the newest internet search trend. You don't really need an optimized website for this. Submissions of your business to sites like Yelp, Google+ Local, or having a facebook brand page can do unspeakable wonders in having your services found through - yes it's been mentioned - word of mouth. You can also opt in to manage your company's brand presence through social media marketing, a topic which deserves its own page.

Step three - Offer freel cleaning advice in the form of videos - leave the small things for customers to figure out themselves, and when they're looking for big professional work, you will be the first on their mind when it comes to reliability. YouTube, and HowStuffWorks are great places to feature your expertise, and direct them to your cleaning company services.

Source: I do work for businesses who need help with their online presence, and much of that advice is repeated.

This question is in all reality an important business consideration which should have been asked and answered before you actually set up your business start.

Your focus needs to be one of simply 'doing a better job than the other guy at a better price'.

As you appear to have already formed your LLC, at least you'll have a reply to address to direct your marketing efforts and as long as you have budgeted funds

exclusively to acommodate this. You must aggressively go after your competition and beat them hands-down in all areas of what it is you are providing the

account. Adopt a position of going head-to-head with your competion. 

Understanding your competition and knowing what makes them successful is a very necessary sensibility. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses will aid you in

formulating a strategy or plan. For instance; should  they expend a fairly large amount of money in direct advertising, you can actually use that against them by letting

your potential clients know that you would rather not do that, in order to pass along a real savings to your clients in the form of reduced costing to them.   

Offer limited time discounts. Take one day per week to go door-to-door with flyers and handbills, establish a presence and introduce yourself to the people who make

physical plant or operational decisions.

A website is a good platform; however, most unsolicited e-mail to companies are deleted without being opened by the recipient. As soon as they see it is

advertising, it is gone as junk mail. Do not rely on everything you send out not being deep-sixed and immediately forgotten. You will not get anywhere sitting at a computer

hacking out catchy advertising. Work on the idea that you will do 'a better job at a better price', this gets people's attention. Get you business card into the faces of as

many people as you can. Do the leg-work and knock on doors. Join an organization such as Rotary International; this will give you immediate access to the business

leaders, owners and managers of any given community.

There is no easy or quick solution to your question, and as I stated it should have been asked and answered before you did anything else. it will take hard work and dedication

to establish yourself. Be aggressive. The work is out there, go and hammer out your share.

The best way to market yourself is by focusing on what makes your Cleaning Company unique!  If you don't have anything now....come up with something...

Maybe order custom candy bars...and leave your branded chocolates on the pillows...

Something that will create a buzz...and get your customers talking about you

The first thing I would suggest would be to drop a discount coupon off to the people you have already cleaned along with a survey asking were that satisfied with thier last cleaning. Carpet cleaning is a service that a customer can use more then once and reengaing them could be profitable. Your current customers have already used you and are aware of you.

The survey should ask what things they liked about you and things you could do to improve. Then you can create a unique marketing messages from thier feedback or fix certain practices in you business that could be hindering your past customers from referring you to friends. From the surveys you will also have testimoinals that you can use in you marketing message. Its much cheaper to impress past customers then to acquire new ones. But when you use the past ones in the marketing for new ones you are on to something.

This works!

Lee