Best way to advertise a new business?

Ompl

Hello

Does anyone care to share what they found was the best way to promote or advertise their new business venture.

We are in the process of setting up a new cleaning company. Both website and app are currently being developed. Once they are ready we plan to advertise using google ads and facebook.

Our target audience will be busy parents, working professionals and airbnbs. Initially we will only operate within a 40km radius of our main premises.

We have a budget of ~1000euro, is this realistic? Should we be looking at other advertising options? What worked best for you?

Darc19

Very few people will allow strangers into their home in the current pandemic.

I don't think you've thought this through fully.

jimmii

Yeah this is definitely a tricky time for this. €1k really isn't likely to get much reach either to be honest. Realistically €1k per month minimum would have been the sort of figure you would have been looking at if you were starting this in normal times. The best thing about starting this now is that you didn't try and start it last summer!

A specialist office deep cleaning company seems like a better idea with how things are currently with offices either being empty and you go in and keep the place ticking over and making sure everything is safe or, for offices with peolle back, going in and doing a full deep clean on all services a couple of times a week and making sure all sanitizers etc are kept stocked. Only problem with that is that i would imagine all the cleaning companies that were previously targeting the same markets as you are now targeting that market. Previously you might have been able to carve out a niche servicing airbnb properties but thata obviously all but gone right now.

McCrack

Can you give more insight into where/how that 1k min per month should be spent?

Clazbeag

Often social media competitions get hundreds of entries. Not sure of the quality of this reach etc but it can get your name known locally. Often they need you to tag friends so even more people know. Facebook says it doesn't allow it but I've seen loads so don't know the technicalities but maybe worth a shot?

Best of luck with your new venture!

PhoenixParker

The negativity on this forum is crazy.

OP most people I know find house cleaners through word of mouth from people they know, facebook neighbourhood groups and very local ads (eg in the local supermarket noticeboard).

I'd start by targeting those possibly with some form of referral scheme, discreetly joining the relevant Facebook groups and keeping an eye out for requests and organising adds on any noticeboards you can find. Targetted leaflet drops can also be effective as i know cleaners in my area who got started that way. Budgetwise I've no advice I'm afraid.

bobbyy gee

I wanted to set up a naked cleaning company
but i did not get many job seekers

Soulsun

LinkedIn

silver2020

I'd wait until the current covid crisis is over, then I'd build a reputation for trust and target mature people. They cannot do as much cleaning as they used to do and in many cases like a bit of company too.

You could look at local bridge groups, advertise in local church publications and look at areas that you can sponsor in the locality. Example would be a clean-up week which is usually run by local resident associations.

For the type of business, boots on the ground and talking to the right people / groups will be better than an advertising budget

jimmii

PhoenixParker wrote: »

The negativity on this forum is crazy.

OP most people I know find house cleaners through word of mouth from people they know, facebook neighbourhood groups and very local ads (eg in the local supermarket noticeboard).

I'd start by targeting those possibly with some form of referral scheme, discreetly joining the relevant Facebook groups and keeping an eye out for requests and organising adds on any noticeboards you can find. Targetted leaflet drops can also be effective as i know cleaners in my area who got started that way. Budgetwise I've no advice I'm afraid.

Negativity or people with actual businesses who understand what it is like to start a business and understand what it costs to promote a business and know what its like running a business right now in this environment being realistic?

jimmii

So are you rebranding your parents business or just starting from absolutle scratch? Given your parents have probably spent years developing a customer base that must surely be the best place to start. There will hopefully be plenty of goodwill towards you due to their history with the family. Its going to be way cheaper than going about getting new clients in. Did you take on board any of the suggestions in previous threads about keeping some sort of link to the existing company?

PhoenixParker

jimmii wrote: »

Negativity or people with actual businesses who understand what it is like to start a business and understand what it costs to promote a business and know what its like running a business right now in this environment being realistic?

No.

People giving unasked for advice and making giant leaps while also presuming the op has done no market research or isn't familiar with the industry they're planning to operate in. Also presuming that they themselves know more about the specifics relating to the business the OP is planning then the OP themselves.

House cleaning isn't rocket science as a business and good cleaners are like gold dust.

Lots of people who had a regular cleaning lady stopped using her in March. Whenever this pandemic ends they will be looking at their options. That state of flux is in and of itself a massive business opportunity. In fact many are already looking because theyre in their houses more and having your house cleaned doesnt necessitate close contact with your cleaner. Most people prefer to leave the house when their house is being cleaned.

The OP asked about marketing strategies not for business advise.

jimmii

Fair point! But at the same time so long as people are being constructive and trying to help then its probably for the best. This situation is slightly different from the norm as the OP does have family history in the industry that we already know about. The negativity is also a decent dose of realism too to be honest.

Darc19

A poster should be informed of genuine negatives.

Nothing I see in any response so far is not worthy of consideration.

It's a fact that the target of the op simply does not exist at present.

Air bnb has fallen dramatically

Work from home has meant "busy couples" have more time.

And whether you like it or not, people will be concerned about strangers coming into their homes.

And offices are trying to keep costs down

Possibly there are other angles - but with at least two house cleaning companies ceasing trading recently, it does not bode well.

pgj2015

1,000 per month is crazy in my opinion and not needed. word of mouth is where most of your customers will come from. also set up a web site and google site and facebook.

Be well and win

If not done so already, speak to your local Leo. There are also grants for website developement if it allows for transactions

Don't underestimate Parish newsletters, they can often be free or cheap. Most parishes put them up online via their websites or facebook pages as well.

Talk to your local newspapers, some of them may do a PR type story for you, especially when so many events are being cancelled they are desperate for stories to fill pages. Same applies to local radio, many of them do a business show once a week, or set up a competition with them, "Winner gets their house cleaned for free" . It's often about publicity

ironclaw

Just on the tech / social / digital advertising side of things:

- Don't spend a penny (or do it yourself) unless you are absolutely sure what you are doing. Facebook, Google etc will gladly take your money and you may as well be burning it in a barrel. Anyone can create a few Ads on facebook and think the numbers look great, but it's quite a different thing to have those Ads convert and land you leads and sales.

- If you decide to advertise online, invest your money in speaking with someone who knows how to advertise online in your niche. There are plenty of cowboys out there so be careful. I'd highly recommend undertaking all the free courses available from Facebook and Google themselves prior to reaching out to a marketing agency/free lancers.

- Avoid UpWork and Fivver. Work local with people you can call in your own timezone and potentially meet in person.

- Your website needs to be top notch and convert to sales. You need to have your offer front and center and make it beyond easy for someone to get in touch with you. The amount of websites where it's impossible to find a number or email is harrowing.

- Most people don't like to talk. If they email you, they want you to email them back promptly. If you can't email back promptly, don't have an email or contact form on your site as if you ain't getting back within an hour, your sale is already gone.

ladiesman217

Hi. I can see where people are going from with stating that people may not want strangers in their house, but i suppose the best thing is, is to test the market, Surveys etc. Reach out to people and groups on FB, Insta etc. One of the key elements to advertising is making sure the design of the advert be online ad or physical is the design of it. Make sure it looks professional. If the design is shoddy then the perception is that the service is shoddy.

ladiesman217

ladiesman217 wrote: »

One of the key elements to advertising is making sure the design of the advert be online ad or physical is the design of it. Make sure it looks professional. If the design is shoddy then the perception is that the service is shoddy.

^^This. The same analogy applies to operating a business website. The the website looks ropey then..