Demand for household and business cleaners has never been greater, the last year particularly has seen a large spike in people looking for cleaners in their own homes, as they are spending much more time at home working. As such there is a growing number of people starting their own cleaning businesses. Wether you are an individual looking to start your own cleaning business, or a company looking to grow – we have complied our top 10 tips that every cleaning company should know about.
Choosing a name
Choosing the right name is a tricky task, as its the first impression potential customers will get of your business. Do you want a play on words (Maid To Shine), Do you want to state the obvious (WeClean), do you want to use your name (Clare Cleans), do you want to convey your ethos (simply perfect cleaners), whatever you choose make sure you are happy with the image it conveys.
Defining your brand
Once you have a name you need a logo, and a colour scheme that will work for both your clothing, and your brand presence (logo/web/marketing/leaflets). Blue is an obvious choice, many shades to choose from and its obviously associated with water and therefore cleaning, but we have seen many great examples in bright colours. A great starting point is to look at some uniform ideas and when you choose a colour you like, build your company colour scheme from there.
Creating your web presence
You could start with a website or begin with a social media presence.
To get a website you will need a URL (website address) that reflects your business name. You can buy these from a number of places like 123-reg, and once you have that you can set up business email accounts, and a website. You can install wordpress and use pre-built themes to build your website, or get the help of a web design company to build you a custom website.
A good start on social media is a facebook page, which you can use as the hub of your marketing activity, to showcase your work, get feedback and reviews, and get new customers.
Get a personalised Cleaning Uniform
Cleaners need a uniform that is comfortable and durable, while looking professional. We have a range of Aprons, Tabards & Tunics for Cleaners that can all be embroidered with your business logo for the ultimate professional touch. Many businesses will compliment a Tabard with a contrast colour polo underneath in their brand colours, and for a more casual look we have a range of hoodies and t-shirts to suit every type of Cleaning Company.
Getting your first customers
We always recommend starting by reaching out to existing contacts, friends and family, and people they know. Having a new cleaner into your home can sometimes be a daunting experience, and people are much more likely to hire you if they know you through a friend as a starting point. Do a great job, and they are almost guaranteed to recommend you to other people, and you can build from there.
This is a great way of free, effective advertising. Other things you can try are facebook ads, google adwords, local press adverts.
Set your travel and skill limits
How far are you willing to travel? What types of properties can you realistically manage? Are you insured (for example if you enter a million pound house and break something are you covered). Its important to set your limits early on, and stick to them. It will be better to turn away business in the long run, than stretching yourself.
Setting your prices and promotions
Take a good look at your competitors pricing, can you be competitive with them? Do you need an edge? Will you charge by the hour, or by the job? Will you try and upset – e.g most people might want 2 hours a fortnight, can you sell them 3?
Promotional ideas include: facebook competitions (like this post and follow us for a change to win your first clean for free), first clean for free when you start using us, get your 5th clean for half price, recommend a friend for a £20 voucher, sell gift vouchers.
Social Media for Cleaning Companies
Its always a good idea to see what the local competition is up to on facebook, and what types of content they are creating and posting. Take a look at some for inspiration, and if you see a pattern, you just know its working for them, and therefore can work for you too.
Good content will get shares and likes, spreading your message, and can get you new followers and ultimately new business.
Some ideas of what content you could post include: Reviews from your REAL customers, photos of your uniform, photos of your team in action, before/after photos of a cleaning job, a list of the services you offer, staff profiles, special offers, ask questions (what do you look for in a cleaner etc). Remember to use social media as the opportunity to engage with your customer base, answer questions honestly, and use a professional tone of voice in your communication.
Gather feedback
Its always useful to find out what your customers really (really) think of you! Firstly this will help you improve your business, and secondly because its always handy to have nice reviews to use in marketing. Its proven that seeing great reviews of a company is more likely to make you use them yourself.
So be sure to constantly ask your customers for feedback if you think you have done a good job for them.
