Last Updated on August 11, 2023 by The ZenMaid Team
Learn how to use review sites in your favor to passively get more cleaning customers.
In todayโs world itโs an absolute must that you pay close attention to your online reputation. Gone are the days you could ignore technology and social media with minimal repercussions.
You can now own the greatest Maid Service in the world but if people are saying differently online itโs going to hit your bottom line in a major way.
Today, we at ZenMaid wanted to share with you one of the best things you can do to proactively help your business with this: by requesting reviews from all your customers on sites like Yelp, then take advantage of these positive reviews. There are many benefits to doing so as outlined below.
Letโs jump into it:
To start, identify your most popular review site.
This is likely to be Angieโs List, Yelp! or even Google Places (all of which allow users to rate you from 1-5 stars and leave comments about your service). Youโll want to select the site that has the most highly rated reviews and makes your company look the best. Weโre only going to pick a single site to focus on first so you donโt overwhelm your customers, but if youโre having trouble picking between two thatโs a great problem to have (just choose one to start and move your focus to the other in a few weeks or months).
Remember: itโs way better to be at the top of a Yelp search and the bottom of an Angieโs List one than to be in the middle of both. Get a high rating from multiple customers on a single review site and it will drive new customers to you. Once youโve done that, focus on the next rating/review website.
Step 1 โ Ask all of your customers for reviews after their first cleaning and periodically after (every 3-6 months)
After every customersโ first appointment you should be reaching out to confirm they had a great experience with your services. If they did, itโs a perfect time to ask at the end of the email for them to drop you a review on the site youโve determined is best for you.
Youโre much more likely to get reviews from long time customers and these reviews tend to be better on average (they stick with you for a reason!). With this in mind itโs important to also reach out every couple of months to a client that has been consistent with you to not only ask for a review but also to make sure youโre still doing the same work they loved on day 1.
Atย ZenMaidย we recommend reaching out at least once everyย 3-6 months.
Benefits of having reviews for your cleaning business:
On the marketing side, more ratings means youโll be regarded more highly by potential customers who visit that review site. Each time someone clicks on your rating page theyโll not only see the great marketing youโve done for your service but also social proof from real customers of yours that speak directly to the quality of your work.
Added benefit:
Did you know asking your customers’ for feedback and a review is also something that benefits your business even if no one reads their rating? Simply asking (getting the actual review is good too) will enhance their perception of your service going forward (assuming they liked your service) and make them less likely to churn (leave) in the future.
In other words just asking for a review will enhance your reputation. Poorly run Maid Services donโt ask for reviews because theyโre afraid of feedback. At the very least you can show you care about customer feedback to improve your service, right?
Shameless plug: ZenMaid can automatically follow up by email with all your customers after their appointments and can be easily customized to ask for reviews on sites of your choosing.ย Imagine your business getting more and more reviews with no additional work on your part!ย Set up your email templates once and weโll do the rest.
Step 2 โ Add the review site youโve selected to your signature on all company emails
Note: Make sure to link directly to your review page so viewers donโt need to navigate there on their own.
When customers email you theyโll be reminded to leave a review if they havenโt done so already. Any time youโre conversing with a partner or vendor theyโre one click away from seeing the quality of service they work with in you.
Finally, when potential customers email in with questions and inquiries theyโll always have a chance to click directly to your reviews to help their decision (in your favor).
The best part about this is by adding it below your signature youโre showing your reviews to people in a very non-obtrusive manner. Itโs a pleasant way to share why they should work with you!
Shameless plug #2 โ With ZenMaid weโll work with you to both identify your best review sites and to customize your signature so all your automated emails push people toward this page!
Step 3 (optional) โ Paid advertising
The majority of review sites offer advertising, usually in a pay-per-click fashion. The way these ads will work is a simple process where you bid to show up above other search results as a โsponsored linkโ and if you get clicked on you pay a small fee for that visitor.
These ads will show the reviews from your customers, so having good ones can really be the difference between wasting money and effective advertising. If youโre doing PPC already youโll probably want to consider doing it on your best review site once youโve implemented the first two steps of this article.
Implementing the advice in this article should take you a minimal amount of time (send an email blast to all your current customers asking for reviews then add the site to your signature) but the benefits can add up quickly. As your reputation improves online youโll get more cleaning customers who are in turn more likely to leave you a review. Do this for about a year and youโll see a big difference in your growth with minimal work and time invested.
Want to see if this advice works?
Check out ourย cleaning business softwareย reviews for ZenMaid atย Capterra.
Weโve only just started asking for reviews but are already building a few good ones (no bad ones, thank goodness) and have added the link to our email signatures (see below).
Let us know if this advice works for you!
Also, if youโre a customer already pleaseย leave us a reviewย on how you rate yourย maid service software.
You and your Maid Service deserve a little peace and quiet. Sign up for your free trial today atย ZenMaid.comย and discover the freedom and clarity that ZenMaid can bring to your Maid Service!
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