Caution: Marketing Ploys to Watch Out For

So you’ve started your cleaning company, and are fired up and ready to get the word out ASAP. Or, you’re in the season where you are ready to scale your business because you’re feeling too comfortable where you are. I get it! I still enjoy looking at different marketing avenues from time to time, wondering what the best use of my time and money is. Because as much as marketers want to help you, remember you have the ultimate power to drive your services in the spotlight in a way no flashy advertisement can. How? Well, keep reading to find out!

Before I discuss how you are the best walking advertisement for your company, let me share with you three marketing ploys I would watch out for. This may not be the case for every cleaning business. In fact, I welcome you to email me and tell me a success story or a tip, because just like you, I’m still learning and open to learning from my community, an approach in sales I completely missed.

1. Groupons - Depending on what type of clientele you are aiming for, I will just say to be cautious with coupons. It makes me wonder why a company needs to make money off a service. Are they not confident in their prices?
2. Calls From Miscellaneous  Organizations I remember I got a call from some department at the University of Louisville.  The gentleman wanted to know if I wanted to have my logo on the sports calendar. I thought, “wow! That would be great to have that exposure.” So I fell for it and signed up. It was $299, and you know what? I never heard from anyone to this day that said they saw my logo from there. Keep the cash; it’s not worth it at the beginning!
3. Local Magazines Many neighborhoods or areas have local magazines. You’ll spend about $200 a month for a tiny spot in the magazine. It seems like a worthwhile expense- connecting with local families in the communities you want to clean. But again, no one has ever mentioned seeing my professional ad and logo from these. There went $2,500.00 down the drain.

4. Certain Networking Groups Be careful when you have to pay an expensive fee for networking groups. There are some that are helpful (I will share at another time) but groups that require you to meet with a certain amount of one-on-one and offer referrals. You have to be careful because your word is gold. Recommend someone/a business you know will genuinely take care of your clients. You need to refer to a group/service/product you genuinely believe someone will benefit from based on your experience and or/relationship. Make sure your referrals come from a real place.  When you’re in a required “quota” group, your word can diminish under pressure. Plus, you’re giving others your time, and that’s something you don’t get back.  

I hope I saved you some headaches and some money. But like I promised, I will tell you the best way to advertise your company is by delivering on your promises. Show up on time, offer friendly service, work with integrity and attention to detail, because word of mouth is the best gift anyone can give. However, you have to earn it and value it as the priceless gift that it is.

 If you want to learn more about the #1 strategic way I connected with my high-end clients, you won’t want to miss my masterclass. Be sure to follow me on IG to know when the class is being offered!