Commercial Cleaning Email Marketing: 8 Powerful Campaigns + Templates (Part 1)

If you want to start a commercial cleaning email marketing strategy, you’ve come to the right place.

The commercial cleaning industry is usually a very profitable venture for small businesses. The industry is relatively recession-proof, but successful entrepreneurs know that smart marketing and continued growth are critical to its success and survival.

Email marketing can give you massive leverage. Why? Emails help you nurture personal contact with the customers. They are effective in pushing customers further in the sales funnel, turning your visitors to customers, and transforming customers into loyal ones. Plus, it’s easy to set up an email pipeline that is both automatic and drives more conversions.

Many people have written off email marketing as a sales technique, but what a lot of them don’t know is that email marketing has a 2x higher return than cold calling. Also, email is as close to free as it gets, yet many companies fail to use it as a tool. Even worse, they tend to use it in a way that can either be recognized as spam to email filters or with wording that turns off customers.

You’ve been in the business for a few years and you’ve probably heard a lot about what to do and not to. But whether you just need an injection of fresh ideas or a starting point to get to a better place, here are eight email styles that will grow your cleaning business, helping you get the right message, at the right time, to the right person.

In this article, we’ll show you the first 4 out of 8 email campaigns: Prospecting, Nurture Emails, Cancellation Emails, and Reactivation Campaigns. So, here we go!

 

Prospecting – Cold emails and LinkedIn

There’s a common myth among salespeople that prospecting emails are a waste of time these days. It’s a hard myth to disprove since, in 2019, email open rates were only 22%! But a recent survey found that 80% of buyers prefer communicating with sellers via email. 

Email prospecting is a way of ensuring that you’re emailing people who fit your target audience. You could see it as similar to cold-calling, but using customers’ preferred method of contact – email, not phone. But the targeted message tools in our Cleaning in Motion pipeline allow for filters when sending out cold emails or LinkedIn invitations, so that you reach the right people at the right time, with the right message.

On LinkedIn this is much simpler as the platform will let you identify the target audience. Then it’s just a matter of messaging them to confirm whether they are interested in your cleaning service. 

As a general rule, cold emails tend to be disruptive but rarely go over the top. You want a potential customer’s attention and this can be done using keywords that will capture them, including praise for their current work but also pointing out what can be improved and how (by hiring your services, of course). 

Your Cold email should have 3 key aspects: 

1. A strong email subject line

Including a first-name basis and a short and sweet approach.

 

• • {name} a decent proposal

• • {companyname} – Cleaning in motion

• • {name} When can I send you the video?

• • A persistent person is hard to find!

• • {name} your commercial cleaning company is about to change

2. An engaging email body

Which is personal, not too long, and tells recipients what’s in it for them.

 

• • To better understand the length, think it should be shorter than the average blog, but longer than the average tweet.

• • The sweet spot is 50 to 125 words. 

• • With customers receiving up to 150 messages per day, yours needs to be short and direct. 

3. With measurable success

Including best practices and performance tracking. 

 

• • Our email pipeline tool and our Cleaning in Motion team can create a whole list of prospecting emails for your target, with a CRM that will let you monitor the performance of messages and use some amazing automation features. 

For example:

Another example: 

Subject: It’s time for YOU to clean up your act!

Hi {{contact.first_name}},

I’m sorry to inform you this way, but it’s time to clean and scrub and wash and polish and leave the workplace as pristine as possible. I’ve never met anyone who likes cleaning, and it was probably one of the most dreaded chores when we were kids. And now that our moms aren’t here to yell at us – well, let’s just say that your floors are getting pretty dirty!

Do yourself a favor and call JAN-PRO Cleaning and Disinfecting! We’ll help you get your workplace into shape in no time with our commercial cleaning services, regardless of the size of your business or the traffic. You can start by giving me 15 minutes on the phone so I can show you how JAN-PRO Cleaning and Disinfecting customers see their costs reduced while increasing quality assurance.

{{user.email_signature}}

And another one: 

Subject: It’s time for YOU to clean up your act!

Hi {{contact.first_name}},

I’m sorry to inform you this way, but it’s time to clean and scrub and wash and polish and leave the workplace as pristine as possible. I’ve never met anyone who likes cleaning, and it was probably one of the most dreaded chores when we were kids. And now that our moms aren’t here to yell at us – well, let’s just say that your floors are getting pretty dirty!

Do yourself a favor and call {your company}! We’ll help you get your workplace into shape in no time with our commercial cleaning services, regardless of the size of your business or the traffic. You can start by giving me 15 minutes on the phone so I can show you how {your company} customers see their costs reduced while increasing quality assurance.

{{user.email_signature}}

Nurture Emails

Well done! You’ve taken the time to provide valuable content and your customer replied wanting to know more. Now, you need a little help from our Cleaning in Motion team in order for these leads to become real opportunities that can generate cleaning contracts, or at the very least further interest in your cleaning company. 

Keeping in mind that an average prospective customer will evaluate more than one cleaning company before choosing you, this is the time to be assertive and direct with what you offer. But you can also establish some kind of rapport with them. 

These folks aren’t ready to buy just yet, but the goal here is to stay connected and build up trust. Your subjects are still super important and you can improve open rates by asking questions. But the first sentence of your email is probably the most crucial part. 

If you didn’t do it before, now would be a good time to personalize your emails, which can be as easy as adding a {{first.name}} to your automation. According to a study by Direct Marketing Association, segmented and targeted emails generated 58% of all revenue for the marketers surveyed, and 36% of revenues were driven by emails sent to specific target selections.

For example: 

Another example:

Subject: Update your business the right way!

Hi,

Improper disinfecting and cleaning practices create opportunities for disease transmission and antimicrobial resistance- to you, your team, and your customers.

Most cleaning and disinfecting products don’t work against disinfectant-resistant pathogens like MRSA and COVID-19- putting your workplace health at risk.

{your company’s product} gives lasting value along with the {your company} signature quality cleaning that eliminates 99.99% of disease-causing pathogens.

Learn more about {your company’s special product/technique/technology}

Create a safer workplace with exceptional value- disinfect your space with {your company}.

Want to know more about our cleaning and disinfection systems?

Give us a call today!

And another example:

Subject: Top 3 Reasons To Have Your Office Carpet Professionally Cleaned

Hello {{contact.first_name}},

Are you guilty of neglecting your carpet? It may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to cleaning, but if you don’t take care of it, dirt and dust will build up over time and eventually cause problems. These can range from just a runny nose to lots of downtime from allergies and colds. 

Cancellation Emails

Cancellations are inevitable in any business. Even the most loyal, long-term customers who you thought would stick around forever and be always interested in what you had to offer may one day stop replying out of the blue. 

Maybe your offers didn’t click with them. Maybe your rates were not what they were looking for. Maybe they weren’t nurtured enough to realize the full benefits of proper cleaning in their workplace. Or they simply found someone willing to do it for less than you. Whatever the case, cancellations don’t always mean the end of your relationship with a customer.

Your existing database is pure gold if you know how to use it. And a second chance is all you need. An effective cancellation campaign will encourage your customer to seize the opportunity to come back to you, and this happens because it is easier to get the old customer back than onboard the new one.

There are many things you can point out in a Cancellation email and here are the ones that have shown the best results for us: 

Offer something new or attractive

Like a discount for returning or shopping incentives or a referral program. This way, you can kill two birds with one stone: get a new potential client and keep an old one on the hook.

Suggest an alternative

Like if your cleaning company offers different options, such as a daily, weekly, monthly or in-depth cleaning. This way, you will save the customer and get a chance to re-engage them with other types of services.

Offer a freebie

If they come back to your cleaning company there is the option of a bonus cleaning service or feature you can always add in that your competition charges extra for. 

Drum up interest for future developments

Which can be what a beta-tester is for software. If you’re planning on improving your service or including new options, you can offer these customers something that no one else has. 

For example:

Another example:

If you give us another chance, we’ll win you back with our quality of service, professionalism, and dedication to our clients. In fact, we’re so sure of this that we guarantee 100% satisfaction. If for some reason you aren’t content with the results, we’ll make it right within 24 hours!

Take another chance on us! After all, we’re {whatever your company is} for a reason!

I hope to work with you again soon,

{{user.email_signature}}

And, another one:

Hello {{contact.first_name}}, 

You may be unconvinced about our services since we last worked together. A lot has changed in the world, including our services, which have improved. 

Sure, every cleaning company says they have 

 

• • Top-notch cleaning services.

• • Quality control.

• • Professional personnel.

But what makes us different from the others is that we do all that and guarantee results for our clients. In fact, you will find all of the benefits listed above have improved dramatically since we last worked together. 

If you don’t believe me, then take it from Jim and Nicole:

“Not only are they awesome people, but we feel they made our space safe and sanitized so we can maintain our services.”

Want guaranteed results like Jim and Nicole? 

Then, click here to schedule a meeting about {your company}’s improved deep cleaning services!

{{user.email_signature}}

Reactivation Emails

So, after investing time and energy into creating your perfect email list, getting leads and nurturing them, and even re-recruiting some of the cancellations, some of your customers don’t want to come back. They’re not clicking your emails anymore or just rejecting your messages. 

This happens a lot and many of our own clients come with us with a pile of sent proposals that haven’t gone anywhere. It’s easy to lose interest and it happens in everyday life as well. But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t be persuaded to give it another go, right? Sometimes customers just need a little push and that’s where reactivation emails come in. 

A few things your reactivation emails should have:

 

• • A great subject line

 By this time you’ve probably realized this is a must for any type of email, but when trying to re-engage subscribers, first they have to open your email. 

 

• • Directness

Personalizing your email will show the customer you know them and understand what they need.

 

• • Great timing

 Don’t wait too long to send your reactivation emails – contact customers before they forget who you are.

 

• • Enough testing

You can’t know for sure what will work for your audience without testing it. Testing elements like subject lines, content, or email frequency and timing is essential to optimize your pipeline.

 

• • Be helpful

To increase the chances of a subscriber’s reactivation, send them helpful emails that are personal and relevant.

Remember the goal of a reactivation campaign is to get the customer back, so your emails should always include a call to action that leads to further steps in the sales process without being pushy or salesy. This can also be included as a p.s. to make it stand out from the rest of the email. 

For example: 

Another example:

Subject: Let’s reconnect!

Hi {{contact.first_name}},

My name is {{user.name}} and I represent {your company}.

I provided your company with a customized commercial cleaning quote in the past and would love to reconnect to discuss some of the new and exciting offers available to your business! 

We distinguish ourselves from other cleaners by our custom cleaning and disinfecting plans and cutting-edge technology. I’m certain that {your company}’s services would be an asset to your business! 

I’d love to learn more about your company’s needs and draw up a proposal for you. Can we schedule a time to chat? 

I look forward to serving you, 

{{user.email_signature}}

And another example:

Subject: How do you Feel about Your Workplace’s Cleanliness, {{contact.first_name}}?

Hi {{contact.first_name}},

We spoke some time ago. I wanted to remind you that we provide exceptional commercial cleaning services, so if your business is looking for a new Commercial Cleaning provider, then {your company} is the company to beat! 

We know you have your choice of Commercial Cleaning providers in your area, so I’d like to set up a call to discuss how we can better serve your business and offer you a custom proposal. 

I look forward to being in touch, 

{{user.email_signature}}

The Bottom Line

When it comes to email campaigns, there are so many different types of communication you can send out, because there are so many types of contact you can engage with your customers. Your best bet will always be to set up a message pipeline that can automate these different emails to your various customers.

Click here to read Part 2 of the Best 8 Email Campaigns every commercial cleaning company should have.

Do you need help putting all of this in practice? Schedule a call with one of our experts today!