photo by Frank Rave

How Do I Promote My Window Cleaning Business

For window cleaners starting out everywhere, it can be daunting to approach the marketing aspect of your business. You may have your techniques down, your prices set, and gear in check. But when it comes to gaining new customers, knowing what actions to take can seem out of reach and frustrating. 

For that reason, this week’s Window Cleaning University article will go over ways to promote your window cleaning business that professionals use and get real results with. We at Window Cleaning Resource want to remove the stress and relieve you of the questions and pitfalls you may face when tackling marketing yourself.

We know that you’ve got what it takes! All you need is a little help from your friends. We’ll discuss marketing tips and materials that will be able to help you in three different window cleaning categories: residential, storefront, and larger commercial.

So, let’s get into it!

Marketing Materials

The first thing you’ll want to do to get your business started is to establish your image. We know, we know: image ain’t everything. You’ve got experience, personality, and that contagious energy everybody’s dying to get a piece of! But, having a consistent image for customers to relate to is essential, as advertising yourself will get stuck inside their minds when they see it posted all throughout the town. 

How do you convey your awesome skills and personality through “materials,” you ask? That’s where WCR’s marketing materials come in! Window Cleaning Resource offers a plethora of marketing materials, from door hangers to postcards, to fliers to mailers. All of these materials can conveniently be placed on residential customers’ doors, storefront customer counters, or in the hands of larger commercial customers’ building managers. These materials can also be reused digitally as online posts on social media platforms. Plus, if you’re not sure how to convey your awesome personality through graphic design, we’ve got the help for that, too! Dial (862) 266-0677 and we will be able to help you create content in no time to put on Business Cards, Door Hangers, EDDM, Fliers, Postcards, and more! Give us a call to find what would best suit your business’ needs as you get on your feet. We can help you create logos and update templates that already exist on our website so you can show off your skills as best as possible. 

Once having these materials, you’ll soon learn how easy it is to brand yourself, which brings us to our next topic: having an online presence with a business profile.

Reviews & Word-of-Mouth

We’d like to take a moment to revel in the power of reviews and tried-and-true “Word-of-Mouth.” This phrase is something we hear all the time when it comes to growing a business. It is the most common way that people learn about businesses, and since it’s usually coming from someone they already know and trust, it provides way more incentive for them to immediately go in the direction of that business that served their friend or family member so well. 

So, how do you get that first customer to start spreading that word-of-mouth like wildfire? The honest answer to this question is to start small. We don’t mean microscopic to the point of barely moving - that won’t get you anywhere. But, at the same time, we don’t want you to stress yourself out by tackling too much. Since you have an interest already in window cleaning, get your foot in the door by cleaning windows for friends, family members, and friends of friends for a discount. Take videos of yourself doing it for social media. Take pictures for your website so you can create more marketing material. Every little bit of imagery helps - especially when advertising how beautiful and shiny you can make someone’s home or business! 

Now, in the short term, this may seem like a nuisance. “I’m not going to make much money this way, what’s the point?” Well, think of it this way: this humble way of starting out not only helps you practice, but it gives the folks you service the incentive to spread the word. Doing someone a favor such as providing a great discount can make you look like a window cleaning superhero. Generosity can get you to great places, and being generous to the right people can turn your business into an empire. 

Now, in no way are we saying to sell yourself short. You know your skills, you know what you’re worth, and you aren’t a charity. But, this brief stint of discounted window cleaning to people you know can open your business up tenfold. What’s more, you can convince them to scratch your back, too. Discuss developing a trade-off: you’ll provide discounted window cleaning for an excellent review on your online profile. You can also offer future discounts for every referral the customer makes that follows through. This type of generosity, in the beginning, will make you attractive to customers, and give you the opportunity to prove your worth.

Once the great reviews start piling up, so will the customers - and this time, you won’t have done the legwork to approach them first. Once you gain some traction and create an incentive for customers, reviews for your business will start pouring in. Reviews are something we look at when we want to know if the shoe fits if it’s worth it, and if people can trust the company it comes from. The same goes for window cleaning. If folks find your services great, incentivizing them for a solid Google, Facebook, Yelp, NiceJob, or Angie’s List for a discount will bring in so many customers, that you’ll have to expand your business.

Good Old Fashioned Door Knocking

To gain more window cleaning customers, it is important to focus in on one neighborhood or section of stores at a time. Not only do you not want to overwhelm yourself with the entire town or city where you live, but it would also be overkill and unmanageable for one person if you got thousands of inquiries all at once to clean that many windows. 

Focusing on one neighborhood at a time allows you to learn how to get to know your clients and the psychology behind them. People who live in the same neighborhood are obviously in close proximity to one another, which means word of mouth for your window cleaning business. By tackling one neighborhood with EDDM, canvassing your services to set appointments or for providing quotes, or hanging door hangers on every home, you’ll get the neighborhood talking, or at least catch their eye. The professional prints of your marketing materials will allow people to recognize your brand and think of you when the time comes for them to get cleaning.

Feeling Good? Let’s Get You Going!

Now that you’ve read about some of the ways the professionals have succeeded in promoting their window cleaning businesses, it’s time for you to get out there and become the next window cleaning mogul!

Still Have Questions? Don’t Sweat It!

If you’re still wary about where to begin, no worries - we are here to help you. Please give our experts a call at (862) 266-0677 and we’ll be more than happy to assist you with questions about marketing, our products, or just talk shop. We’re always here for you here at Window Cleaning Resource, and remember - don’t be nervous. You’ll always have an immense support system to back you up with us and our constant flow of resources. We want to see you succeed and are here to help you get there.