Growing a business is difficult, but it’s a whole new level of tougher now that you’re in the middle of a pandemic. It seems all stacks are against you—or are they?
For those running a housekeeping business, here are some ways to turn lemons into gallons of lemonades:
1. Show That You Mean Safety and Health
Pandemics equal loads of guidelines on safety and health protocols. You will also meet dozens of people wary of going out, let alone invite strangers into their homes.
The excessive levels of fear and anxiety are understandable, but you cannot let them bring your business down. One option to use these negative emotions to your advantage is to show you mean health and safety:
- Invest in tools and equipment such as bleach with sodium hypochlorite as the primary ingredient, alcohol and other disinfectants, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the staff.
- Inform your would-be customers of the business’s health protocols. For example, you check everyone’s temperatures and symptoms regularly. You send them a list of cleaners who will wear protective clothing.
- Get certifications from the state, if necessary.
2. Expand Your Services
Being in the housekeeping business already gives you a chance to add one in-demand service: janitorial.
According to ZipRecruiter, the need for janitors soared to 75% in March 2020 because of the pandemic. From 2014 to 2019, it grew by less than 2% annually.
If you don’t want to start from scratch, look for janitorial franchise opportunities. You can already have access to marketing, administrative, and operational processes. Franchisors can also help you set one up and look for the right target market.
3. Maximize Social Media for Promotion
With more people staying at home, most are using the Internet and on social media. You can use the same tools to grow your business:
- Advertise on popular social media accounts. According to Statista, Facebook is the most-used site, followed by Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
- Run polls and contests or give away vouchers, discounts, and coupons.
- Take the time to answer questions and concerns from your followers.
- Create sharable content, such as infographics, memes, GIFs, and videos.
- Run ads. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest can already provide you with sound analytics report for effective decision-making.
4. Focus on Your Local Area
Do you know that over 45% of all Google searches are local? According to HubSpot, customers don’t actually enjoy traveling too far for their needs. Nearly 95% of them travel for 20 minutes or less for their essentials.
For your business, it could mean you need not look far for a target market. You can already begin in your neighborhood. It can even provide you with these benefits:
- Lower advertising costs
- Reduced operating and overhead costs (you might already run your business at home)
- Better scheduling of appointments
- Fast service
- Higher efficiency and productivity (you can cover more properties for a lesser amount of time)
It’s valid to feel afraid and overwhelmed, but you can choose not to let them control you. With these four ideas, you can spend more time thinking about how to grow your housekeeping business this year.
