Commercial cleaning business owners who strategize lead generation increase opportunities to expand their client base and keep their business growing.
Improved lead generation results in:
Higher-quality leads
More commercial cleaning clients
Increased revenue and profit
These expert tips offer effective online and offline methods to generate new leads and grow commercial cleaning contracts.
Online methods for commercial cleaning lead generation
Since 98% of consumers use the internet to find information about local businesses, it makes sense for commercial cleaners to use online lead generation strategies. The best leads come from various digital marketing platforms to increase the visibility of your cleaning service business.
Local SEO
Effectiveness: 5/5
Cost: High cost
When performed correctly, local search engine optimization (SEO) ranks your cleaning business at the top of Google results, where it can earn 54.4% of all search traffic.
Local SEO is a long-term strategy to improve the online visibility of your commercial cleaning business. Unlike a paid advertisement, SEO is based on organic search results.
Local SEO strategies include:
Update your Google Business Profile, especially phone number and location information
Make your website mobile-friendly
Optimize your website with keywords and keyword phrases
Improve metadata, such as title tags and descriptions
Post fresh, high-quality content on your website
While some companies perform SEO in-house, it can be time-consuming to learn, implement, and track.. An SEO expert specializes in refining website content and measuring site rankings and conversions so you get the most out of local SEO.
Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)
Effectiveness: 4/5
Cost: High cost
Pay-per-click advertising gives your commercial cleaning company increased visibility online.
In PPC advertising, you pay only when someone clicks on your ad. By bidding on relevant keywords, advertisers can rank at the top of the search engine results page when users search for commercial cleaning services.
→ For example, if someone searches for “office cleaning” or “carpet cleaning,” the search engine displays your ad.
PPC displays ads to your target market and encourages potential new clients to visit your website or landing page. The most common PPC advertising platform is Google Ads.
PPC ads immediately drive traffic to your website, and you can easily control their advertising costs. But once you stop paying for ads, your company’s online visibility disappears unless you’ve invested in other digital marketing methods.
Email marketing
Effectiveness: 4/5
Cost: Low cost
Businesses use email marketing because it’s a low-cost and effective way to connect with qualified leads.
Effective email marketing requires a segmented audience and personalized, targeted messages. The extra time investment pays off—segmented email campaigns have a 14% higher open rate and a 75% higher click rate than non-segmented email campaigns.
Commercial cleaning companies use email marketing to:
Advertise discounts or offers to potential customers
Follow up on open estimates
Remind customers to renew cleaning contracts
Offer seasonal cleaning tips
Other email marketing strategies include automating campaigns, practicing good list management, and implementing metric tracking for email marketing results.
Lead magnets and landing pages
Effectiveness: 4/5
Cost: Medium cost
Lead magnets and landing pages work together to attract ideal customers to your website and provide an avenue to interact with your cleaning company.
A lead magnet offers a resource to potential clients in exchange for their contact information, such as their name and email—the more valuable the resource, the more effective the lead magnet.
A lead magnet could include a how-to resource, newsletter, or template. Potential new customers use a form on the landing page to fill out their information before receiving the resource.
→ Create landing pages for different lead types, such as for an industrial facility or medical office.
Effective landing pages feature:
A minimal design
A clear call to action
Persuasive text
The form should be short and ask only for the necessary information so website visitors can complete it quickly.
Social media marketing
Social media organic posting
Effectiveness: 3/5
Cost: Can do it yourself
Since the average person spends about two hours on social media daily, businesses can profit through strategic social media marketing.
Identify which platforms your target audience uses and the types of content that generate the most responses or shares. Statistically, videos rank at the top, with 91% of businesses using video as a marketing tool in 2023.
Your content should align with your message while still being engaging, such as humorous posts, spotlighting employees, or awarding giveaways.
Social media ads
Effectiveness: 3/5
Cost: Low cost
Social media ads also work to attract janitorial leads. Popular social media platforms for advertising include:
Cost depends on the platform, ad type, and budget. For instance, your ad could take the format of an image, carousel, or video. Typical pricing models include cost-per-mille (CPM), which measures the number of impressions and PPC ads.
→ Combine your online lead-generation efforts with offline methods for maximum results.
Offline methods for commercial cleaning lead generation
Offline lead generation involves marketing your business among cleaning industry associates and your community. The best lead generation consists of a combination of the following strategies.
Networking events
Effectiveness: 5/5
Cost: Free
Attend networking events to meet other business owners and professionals in your industry and community.
Besides simply exchanging business cards, networking events are an opportunity to form long-term professional relationships.
→ New and established business owners benefit from networking, increasing the chances of free leads for your commercial cleaning business.
Networking events can include:
Cleaning industry association conferences, workshops, expos, and trade shows
Local Chamber of Commerce events
Community business or professional group events
Join professional associations such as the International Sanitary Supply Association and the International Janitorial Cleaning Services Association to find industry-related events. Consider joining national or regional associations related to your company’s specialty. Connect with local business groups to learn about scheduled events in your community.
Referral programs
Effectiveness: 5/5
Cost: Low cost
Referral programs use your current loyal client base to generate new referrals. Word-of-mouth is highly effective at generating exclusive leads.
Create a program to incentivize referrals. This could include:
Free services or products
Discounts
Other special offers
You can offer rewards to referrers, potential new clients, or both. Once you’ve established your referral program, advertise it to your clients.
To increase effectiveness, connect your program to your customer relationship management. This ensures you truly nurture your leads, engaging them at every stage in the client journey.
To continue to gain referrals, your company needs to deliver high-quality service and maintain customer satisfaction consistently.
Vehicle branding
Effectiveness: 4/5
Cost: Medium cost
Think of vehicle branding as a mobile billboard for your cleaning company, whether you use a full wrap or just your company name and phone number.
The colors and fonts you use on your company vehicles should align with your brand. Keep the design clean and simple and avoid excess text. Since company vehicles promote your business, ensure they stay well-maintained and clean.
Vehicle branding works long-term to increase visibility and sets your large or small business apart from the competition.
Partnerships and cross-promotions
Effectiveness: 4/5
Cost: Low cost
Partnerships and cross-promotions connect your commercial cleaning company with other people or businesses to generate cleaning and janitorial service leads. They may include:
Construction business owners
Event and facility managers
Real estate agents
Tourism professionals or short-term vacation rental owners
Property managers
Partnerships and cross promotions increase business, provide additional business advertisement, and work to expand the reach of potential leads.
Community involvement
Effectiveness: 3/5
Cost: Free
Business owners may engage with the community through monetary donations or as part of a volunteer effort.
Community members will connect your brand with a good cause. Involvement could include:
Sponsoring a community event
Contributing to a charitable community activity
Participating in a job fair
Creating a donation drive
When community members need commercial cleaning services, they’re more likely to remember and recommend your company.
Direct mail campaigns
Effectiveness: 2/5
Cost: Medium cost
Direct mail provides a tangible connection with your audience. Campaigns are the most effective when business owners choose a target audience and message. For instance, send a postcard or flier to specific types of businesses within a particular area.
Other direct mail strategies include:
Use eye-catching colors and fonts
Create compelling content with concise words
Offer an incentive, such as a discount or coupon
Track direct mail campaign performance with call-tracking phone numbers, coupon codes, or unique URLs. Analyzing results allows you to adjust campaigns for better lead-conversion rates.
Use online and offline marketing methods to generate high-quality leads, increase visibility, gain referrals, and grow your cleaning business.
Learn more about how to grow a commercial cleaning business
Lead generation is an essential part of commercial cleaning business growth. But often, businesses lack the resources to follow up or nurture leads to their full potential.
Aspire commercial cleaning business software’s industry-specific tools empower cleaning contractors to improve operations. The integrated functionality of cloud-based software automates processes so contractors can maximize opportunities, close more sales, and grow profit.
Visit the Aspire Software blog to learn how Aspire empowers contractors to run and grow their cleaning businesses.
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