Before you start marketing, understand something important: do not rush to fill your schedule. Getting too many clients too fast will scatter you across different towns, hurt your service quality, and cause burnout. Start slow and grow organically.
This chapter covers offline marketing that brings in local customers at a manageable pace. You will learn how to target specific neighbourhoods, position yourself as premium without competing on price, and build a client base that fits your schedule.
What You Will Learn
- How many clients you actually need based on your schedule
- Why offline marketing beats online ads for cleaning businesses
- How to use door hangers effectively in target neighbourhoods
- How to position your service without price gouging initial cleans
- Additional offline methods to supplement door hangers
- Why you should never discount your rates
How Many Clients Do You Need?
Before you market, answer this: how many clients do you need?
If you work solo and want to clean four days per week with two homes per day, you need eight weekly clients or sixteen bi-weekly clients. If you have school-age kids and work shorter hours, adjust these numbers.
Start with one or two clients. Fix problems early while delivering exceptional service. Perfect your systems before you scale.
Why Offline Works Better
Online marketing through Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram, or Craigslist creates three problems:
- You target a huge area and end up with clients scattered across different towns
- Too many platforms overwhelm you with complicated learning curves
- Saturated competition makes it hard to stand out
Offline marketing solves these problems. You target specific neighbourhoods where you want to work.
Your Pricing Approach
Most cleaning companies charge high rates for initial deep cleans, then lower rates for maintenance. This trains clients to see maintenance as lower value and encourages price shopping.
You will charge one rate from the start. During the first visit, clean fewer rooms to stay within reasonable time. By the third or fourth visit, the entire house reaches maintenance standard at the same rate.
This approach gives you several advantages:
- You avoid price gouging clients
- You filter out disaster homes looking for one-time bailouts
- You establish recurring revenue immediately
- Your efficiency improves over time while your rate stays the same
When you market, advertise that you never charge premium rates for first cleans. This separates you from competitors.
Door Hangers
Door hangers are your primary tool. They reach exactly the homes you want to clean. A door hanger hangs on a doorknob, made from sturdy cardstock with a hole or handle slot at the top.
Give people a reason to contact you. Include a specific offer:
- Sign up for bi-weekly cleaning and receive your fourth cleaning free (approximately $150 value)
- Download our free guide “Essential Home Cleaning Tips” at [your website]
- New clients: We never charge premium rates for first cleans
The fourth cleaning free offer works best because it requires commitment to regular service. It provides a 25% discount across four cleanings while ensuring clients commit to ongoing work.
Choosing Neighbourhoods
Walk neighbourhoods during daylight and place hangers on homes that appeal to you. Look for well-maintained properties that show homeowners value their space. Take notes on which streets you covered so you can track results.
Creating Door Hangers
Use Canva templates and online printing services like Vistaprint. Start with 100-250 hangers to test your design and offer before ordering more.
Flyers and Bookmarks
Use flyers when door hangers don’t work. Some homes have only locks without knobs. Some days are too windy or rainy for door hangers to stay attached.
Slide flyers through mail slots or place them in mailboxes where local rules allow. Post them on notice boards at supermarkets and community centers.
Skip traditional business cards. They provide too little space and get thrown away. Create bookmarks instead. They cost the same but give you room for useful information people will keep.
Your bookmark might include:
- Top cleaning tips for busy homeowners
- How to remove common stains
- Natural cleaning solutions you can make at home
- Your contact information and offer
People keep bookmarks in kitchen drawers where your information stays accessible.
Other Offline Methods
If door hangers and flyers don’t bring enough response, here are other methods you can try:
- Fridge magnets: After your first cleaning, leave a magnet with kitchen cleaning tips and your contact information. Every time your client opens the fridge, they see your business name.
- Car magnets: Vehicle magnets from Vistaprint turn your car into a moving ad. When you park at a client’s home, neighbours see your business name. When you finish cleaning, place door hangers on nearby houses.
- Real estate agents: Visit real estate offices in your target neighbourhoods. Purchase inexpensive dusters in bulk and create packages with a duster, flyers, and bookmarks. Some agents will call immediately while others will keep your information for later.
- Referral marketing: Once you have satisfied clients, referrals become your most powerful tool. After each cleaning, leave a card asking for Google reviews or Facebook mentions. You can offer referral incentives where both parties receive discounts, but this is often unnecessary if your service is excellent.
- Business networking events: Community networking events provide opportunities to meet potential clients and referral partners. Check with your local small business office about networking events. Look for groups like BNI, chamber meetings, or Toastmasters. Attend one event per month and bring bookmarks.
Pacing Your Marketing
Start with door hangers in one neighbourhood and see what response you get. If you need more clients, add flyers to community boards and visit a real estate office. If you still need more, try another neighbourhood with door hangers. The key is not overwhelming yourself with more inquiries than you can handle. You can always speed up marketing if response is slow. Pulling back after overwhelming yourself damages your reputation because you can’t respond quickly to everyone who contacts you.
Protect Your Rates
Never discount your rates. When you discount for one client and others find out, it devalues your service. Current clients get annoyed when they discover new clients pay less.
Protect your existing customers by never reducing your prices. Prices should only go up.
If a potential client asks you to reduce your rate, say: “I don’t discount because that would be unfair to my current clients.” Say this even if you have no other clients yet. You will have other clients eventually, and this statement positions you as established and professional.
The only exception: if a client really wants you to bring their entire house to full maintenance standard in one clean instead of over three to four visits, and you really want this client, you could offer one extra free hour on the first visit. This is not a discount. You are still charging your full rate. You are simply adding time to accommodate their specific request.
Key Takeaways
- If asked to reduce rates, say it would be unfair to current clients
- Start marketing slowly to avoid overwhelming yourself
- Focus on door hangers that target specific neighbourhoods where you want to work
- Position your service by never charging excessive rates for initial cleanings
- Use the fourth cleaning free promotion to ensure clients commit to regular service
- Create bookmarks instead of business cards for more value and visibility
- Try other offline methods only if door hangers don’t bring enough response
- Pace your marketing by starting with one neighbourhood and adding more as needed
- Never discount your rates because it devalues your service and annoys existing clients