Advertising Predictions for Carpet Cleaning Businesses

2013 is officially kicked off. So I want to get right to what I believe is happening in the advertising world for cleaners.

Since the latest Google updates, it's become somewhat unpredictable in how rankings will show.

Now that the postal service has launched EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail), lots of things changed.

And what about Val-pak, RSVP, Angie's List, Groupon, and other advertising sources?

I'll tell you my predictions:

Google will continue to be an excellent source for cleaners to get new clients for little money. However, rankings will continue to bounce around. Many cleaner sites will lose ranking due to poor content on the site. Having a solid internet marketing plan will continue to be one of the best advertising investments a cleaning company can make.

Every Door Direct Mail will become more popular. As small businesses see advertising the USPS is doing, more will catch on. But only the smart marketers, who do it properly, will continue to use EDDM. This will continue to make EDDM a great advertising source.

The Yellow Pages... ah, never mind. Everyone knows where it's headed.

Coupon mailers like Val-pak and RSVP will rise in popularity due to less advertising dollars spent on yellow pages. This can be a great opportunity for some companies. But BEWARE... coupon pricing isn't the market you want to get stuck in.

Groupon will continue to lose popularity. Other companies like Living Social, Dealfind, and other local Groupon-like sites continue to dilute their market share. Many companies were disappointed Groupon's lack of customer service (I know I was). Nonetheless, some cleaners will still use Groupon with some success.

Newspaper will continue to decrease. Subscribers are at a low due to many people getting their news online. But for some cleaners who service communities with the majority of residents 60+ years old, newspaper can still be a great advertising source.

Radio will get an increase in advertisers. Many companies don't know where to spend ad dollars, so they turn to radio. For many cleaners, radio will be a bust if the campaign isn't designed properly. Remember, for most cleaning companies, the only way your client will hire you is to call you. People don't write down phone numbers from radio commercials.

Whatever you do, make your advertising get you clients! Work your marketing plan to list everything you need to do in 2013 to grow your business. Then make the plan happen by working on it daily.

How to Create an Effective Print Advertisement

Print advertising can be an important component of a business. It provides an affordable option for reaching a large reading audience. It also has the advantage of ensuring an active audience. With television or radio advertisements you run the risk of having the audience tuning out to go to the bathroom, or heading into the other room just as the advertisements are beginning. This creates a loss in the potential coverage through those mediums. With print, you can be assured that whenever the customer comes across your advertisement, they are actively reading. They may just scan over the ad, but at least they won't be out of the room, so your message will get across. It is important to understand how to create an effective print advertisement to maximize the attention of the reader. To do this, you need to remember two important things.

The first component of an effective print advertisement is to ensure that your message is clear and concise. It is important to understand that you are only guaranteed the reader's attention for a short period of time. If your ad is too lengthy, you run the risk of losing the reader and having them turn the page before they get to the core of your message. You need to make every word in a print message count. It is all about using those few precious seconds to put an indelible message into the mind of the reader. You want them to remember your core message well after they have turned the page.

The second important idea to remember about creating an effective print advertisement is that you want to hook the reader and draw them to your product. The goal of advertising is to pull the reader in and entice them. You need to make them want to come into your store, or go to your website and buy your product. Whether you do this by advertising a sale, or mentioning the latest hot ticket item, is up to you. There are any number of things that could entice someone to bring their business to you, but it is important that you include something out of the ordinary that will grab the reader's interest and draw them to your company.

No matter what you are trying to advertise, from a new store opening to the arrival of the latest up-and-coming product, an effective print advertisement can be a great method for promoting your business. Just make sure that you remember the basics - getting your message across and getting the customer in the door.