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Marketing for Carpet Cleaners: 7 Website Tips for 2023

Marketing for Carpet Cleaners: 7 Website Tips for 2023

Carpet Cleaner Marketing Masters

Marketing for Carpet Cleaners: 7 Website Tips for 2023

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Is your carpet cleaning website ranking well on Google? Are you getting traffic but struggling to generate quality leads? It’s possible that your website is lacking essential components or not providing a great user experience, which can hinder lead generation in the competitive home cleaning service industry.

In this article, we will explore 7 crucial website elements your carpet cleaning business needs to convert online traffic into paying customers in 2023.

Let’s dive in!

Carpet Cleaning Website essentials

1. Assess Your Website Traffic

“Technical Warning: If marketing jargon confuses you, feel free to skip to our second recommendation.”

Before we delve into the elements necessary to convert traffic into high-quality leads, it’s important to understand your website’s target audience. It’s possible that your website is ranking well and attracting consistent traffic, but it might not be for the right search terms. To evaluate this, we will focus on two key performance indicators (KPIs): Traffic Source and Engagement Rate (formerly known as Bounce Rate).

Traffic Source

Why is it crucial to know which search terms are driving traffic to your carpet cleaning website?

Consider this scenario: Your website’s content is geared towards residential carpet cleaning services, but you might be ranking for a less competitive term, like commercial carpet cleaning. This means that most of your traffic is sourced from search terms that might not align with your target market.

So, how can you identify the source of your website traffic?

Google offers a free tool called Google Search Console, which provides insights into your organic search performance. For example, under the “Performance” tab, you can discover the search terms your website is ranking for (impressions) and which terms are driving the most traffic (clicks).

Note that this tool doesn’t provide historical data, so you can only analyze future traffic and search actions. Therefore, after setting up your domain in the search console, it’s recommended to wait at least 3 months to gather enough data for informed decision-making.

Engagement Rate

Now that we’ve identified the source of your organic traffic, it’s important to determine why these visitors aren’t converting into leads. The primary purpose of your website is to generate carpet cleaning leads, which usually involve a contact form or appointment booking application. If visitors aren’t engaging with these on-site elements, it can result in a low engagement rate.

First, ensure that you have Google Analytics installed on your website. Similar to Google Search Console, this tool reports on future traffic, so it might take a few months to gather sufficient data for actionable insights.

To find your engagement rate, expand the Acquisition tab and click on User Acquisition.

 

A healthy Engagement Rate in the carpet cleaning industry is 60% or above.

A low Engagement Rate could indicate that you’re targeting the wrong traffic or that your website has a poor user experience.

To identify which pages on your website contribute to a lower Engagement Rate, navigate to the Pages and Screens tab located under Engagement. Next, sort the Views column to display the page with the most views at the top of the list. Finally, filter the Event Count column by “user_engagement.” Since this metric is relative, compare the performance of your most visited page to the rest of your website.

If the most viewed page on your site has minimal engagement, continue reading for more actionable insights.

2. Include a Contact Form CTA on Every Page

To convert website visitors into carpet cleaning leads, it’s crucial to make it as easy as possible for customers to reach out. However, any friction in the process can lead to visitors bouncing off your website. Ideally, you should have a contact form in the sidebar or footer of every page on your website, but implementing this may require some technical skills.

As a simpler alternative, you can add a “Book a Free Quote” button at the bottom of every page. Make sure to color it in a vibrant and attention-grabbing hue, such as red, and link it to your contact page. This provides clear direction to your visitors and increases the likelihood of capturing their information.

Highlight Your Phone Number

3. Highlight Your Phone Number

Just as visitors may prefer contacting you online, some may prefer to pick up the phone and speak with you directly. Make it easy for them by prominently featuring your phone number in the header and footer of your website. Increase the font size and make it bold to ensure it catches their attention.

4. Implement a Live Chat Application

Expanding your points of contact is an effective way to convert website visitors into new carpet-cleaning leads. Live Chat features, such as Tawk, allow you to offer immediate assistance the moment someone lands on your website. Consider implementing a free chat application that enables you to monitor and respond to website visitors.

However, it’s important to note that you should ONLY utilize this feature if you or someone on your team can actively monitor the mobile app for new messages. A delayed response is one of the primary reasons potential carpet cleaning leads fail to convert into paying customers.

What we actually recommend is for businesses to utilize a Chat2TEXT feature that is integrated into a Lead Nurture and Messaging Automation CRM. This way when a lead starts a chat conversation on your website or landing pages, they instantly get an SMS message on their phone and your team gets alerted to hop into the conversation as soon as they can, but in the meantime, the lead is receiving warming messages and questions to keep them engaged and move them along the estimate and booking flow.
 

To learn more about Chat2TEXT and all the other amazing features in the most effective Lead Nurture CRM built for carpet cleaners and home cleaning services, check out CARPET CLEANER LEAD PRO – HERE

 

5. Consider Online Appointment Booking Applications

While some customers still prefer phone calls, it’s important to realize that the younger generations are learning to prefer contactless booking methods. Implementing a simple appointment booking application with automated reminders can make it easier for visitors to schedule a free “quote” and/or a convenient time for you to call them back to provide an estimate, directly while on your website without needing a call, message, or email.

Online booking apps can be highly effective in converting website visitors into carpet-cleaning leads if you understand their strengths and limitations. An example of a reliable application is Calendly, which integrates with your existing calendar to prevent double booking. It can be embedded directly on your website and automatically sends out appointment reminders, reducing cancellations.

There are also online book tools that can help a visitor directly book their cleaning appointment directly into your schedule. While this does sound very attractive and it would appear that this would cut down the need for customer service reps to take calls and book appointments, there are a few things to really consider before trying to fully automate this step of your sales and conversion funnel.

Oftentimes, unless you are positioned as one of the lower-priced, discount service providers in your local marketplace, being able to explain the type of service you provide, the guarantees you offer, and how your company differentiates itself from the low-priced, bait-n-switch providers, is critical to being able to convert more of your inbound leads into booked jobs. While your repeat clients who already know about your services and pricing may find it a convenience to grab a spot in your schedule by themselves, a new lead could easily decide they can get what they perceive as “the same services” elsewhere for cheaper, without having the right context to make an informed decision.

Another common issue with self-booking tools to consider is that you may end up with jobs scheduled on your routes that are at opposite ends of your service area, whereas with the help of a live customer service rep, the customer could have been ok in taking a different day and time that would allow you to maximize your routes.

6. Integrate Website Forms with Email Marketing

Automation can significantly reduce your workload while ensuring consistent communication with potential customers. Leverage a free email marketing provider like MailChimp to create contact forms directly within the platform and embed them on your website. Whenever a visitor submits the form, you will receive a notification, and they will be automatically added to your mailing list. The great thing about MailChimp is that it integrates with appointment booking apps like Calendly, allowing you to capture new appointments as well.

For optimal results, consider creating two email lists:

  • Leads: Add anyone who submits a form, books an appointment, or leaves their email address to this list. Nurture these leads with monthly promotions and relevant content.
  • Customers: Utilize your past customers as a referral source by offering incentives like a monetary reward for each referral or a discount on their next service. Use these emails to request reviews by including a link to your Google Business Profile.

Showcase Your Testimonials

7. Showcase Testimonials and Social Proof on Your Website

Building your online reputation is crucial for attracting potential customers. Therefore, your carpet cleaning website should feature real testimonials and social proof. Testimonials, especially those accompanied by photos of satisfied customers, create a strong connection between the services you provide and your ability to deliver exceptional results. Authentic testimonials and reviews with real stories about how your carpet cleaning services have made a positive impact will establish trust and credibility with potential customers.

 

Testimonials and Reviews

Most customers will leave reviews on your Google Business Profile or on social media platforms. However, if you receive positive feedback over the phone or through email, consider showcasing those testimonials on your homepage or in the footer of your website. Including before/after images with the testimonials can further enhance trust and credibility.

 

Social Proof

For the majority of customers who leave reviews on Google or social media, you can leverage free review embedding tools or plugins to display those reviews directly on your website. One effective plugin for WordPress is “Widget for Google Reviews.” It allows you to showcase your Google reviews and ratings, providing social proof to visitors on your website.

 

Conclusion

By implementing these 7 website tips for your carpet cleaning business, you can optimize your online presence, increase lead generation, and convert more visitors into paying customers. Remember to regularly monitor your website’s performance using tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve your website’s effectiveness.

In summary, the key website elements to focus on for marketing your carpet cleaning business in 2023 include reviewing your website traffic sources, improving engagement rates, incorporating contact forms or “Book a Free Quote” buttons on every page, prominently featuring your phone number, implementing a chat application, utilizing an online quote and estimate booking system, integrating website forms with email marketing, and showcasing testimonials and social proof. Following these tips can enhance your website’s conversion potential and drive more business for your carpet cleaning services.

About the Author: As a business owner in the carpet cleaning and cleaning service industry for over 30 years as well as a marketing consultant and author, with well-over a decade of lead generation experience managing a results-driven marketing agency for Professional Carpet Cleaning and Residential Cleaning Companies, John Clendenning is wildly known as a leading Marketing Expert within the Professional Cleaning Industry.

More Carpet Cleaning Marketing Resources

The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Ads for Carpet Cleaners: Generating Quality Leads

The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Ads for Carpet Cleaners: Generating Quality Leads

Carpet Cleaner Marketing Masters

The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Ads for Carpet Cleaners: Generating Quality Leads

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Unlock the Power of Facebook Ads for Your Carpet Cleaning Business

Every successful carpet cleaning business owner understands the importance of attracting new leads and generating new business. Paid advertising, particularly on social media platforms like Facebook, offers a fantastic opportunity to reach potential customers quickly and effectively.

However, what do you do when your ads, which were once generating a steady stream of carpet cleaning leads, suddenly stop producing results? If you rely on these lead channels, it can be stressful and concerning when the flow of leads dries up.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll reveal the secrets to leveraging Facebook Ads specifically for carpet cleaners. We’ll show you how to create a high-volume lead generation system tailored to the carpet cleaning industry using social media advertising.

So, let’s dive in and explore the world of Facebook Ads for carpet cleaners!

 

Can Facebook Ads Generate Leads for Carpet Cleaners?

Instagram and Facebook Ads For Carpet Cleaners

Absolutely! However, achieving success with Facebook Ads for carpet cleaners requires a strategic approach and a solid understanding of the platform. The types of ads you choose, the content you create, and the visuals you use will significantly impact the performance of your campaigns on social media.

Now, let’s delve deeper into the realm of social media marketing and explore the fundamentals of Facebook Ads for carpet cleaners.

 

Understanding Facebook Ads for Carpet Cleaners

According to Statista, Facebook remains the leading social media network with approximately 2.93 billion active users every month. It’s a platform that attracts users of all ages, making it an excellent choice for reaching homeowners in need of carpet cleaning services.

While Facebook caters to a wide age range from 18 to 65+, Instagram, which is also owned by Meta (formerly Facebook), primarily appeals to users aged 18 to 34. Both platforms offer opportunities to target homeowners, with Instagram being particularly effective in reaching first-time home buyers.

As a carpet cleaning service provider, you hopefully have a clear understanding of your ideal customer profile (ICP). It’s crucial to identify the characteristics shared by your most valuable customers and create a persona around these demographics

Let’s explore how this knowledge can be put into action.

 

Harnessing the Power of Facebook Ads for Carpet Cleaners

Since the majority of Facebook and Instagram users are not actively seeking carpet cleaning services, it’s essential to employ creative strategies to capture buyer intent effectively.

“Buyer Intent (or Purchase Intent): The probability of how close a consumer is to completing a purchase of a product or service.”

Unlike paid search ads on platforms like Google Ads, where users actively search for specific services, Facebook Ads rely on user data to target potential customers. Facebook’s algorithm leverages this data and social interactions to serve relevant ads, making it an incredibly powerful tool for generating residential carpet cleaning leads on a budget.

However, it’s important to note that commercial carpet cleaning leads are better acquired through platforms like Google Ads.

 

Determining the Cost of Carpet Cleaning Leads on Social Media

The cost of carpet cleaning leads on social media can vary, but a good target range is between $15 to $30 per lead. To achieve optimal results, we recommend setting a daily budget between $25 to $40, which amounts to approximately $750 to $1200 per month.

The cost-per-click (CPC) is a critical factor that influences your cost-per-acquisition (CPA). Several factors can impact your CPC, including:

  • Target Audience Size: The larger your target service area, the more cost-effective your leads are likely to be.
  • Competition: Saturated markets generally have higher CPC rates.
  • Targeted Services: Specialized services such as deep stain removal may have a lower conversion rate compared to standard carpet cleaning projects.

 

Comparing Facebook Ads and Google Ads for Carpet Cleaners

As a carpet cleaning business owner, you may wonder whether to focus your advertising budget on Facebook Ads or Google Ads. Both platforms have their advantages and considerations. Let’s explore the pros and cons of each:

 

Facebook Ads: Pros and Cons

Facebook and Instagram, owned by Meta, provide excellent platforms for generating residential carpet cleaning leads at a low cost. The average CPC for a carpet cleaning lead on social media can be as low as $1, compared to $12 on Google Ads, making it an attractive option for exclusive leads at a lower cost.

One drawback of Facebook Ads is the time required to convert a lead. Unlike Google Ads, which directs traffic to a landing page for immediate conversions, it’s best to keep users within the Meta platform to maintain a low cost per lead (CPL). Currently, there is no direct way to book an appointment or estimate on Facebook or Instagram, so outreach is necessary to convert leads generated through these platforms.

Moreover, since there are no specific search queries to target on social media, you’ll need to build custom audiences over time, which can take approximately 30-60 days.

Given the lower buyer intent on social media, a healthy close ratio for carpet cleaning leads on Facebook Ads typically range between 20-45% …but we do have some clients crushing it consistently at a +60% closing rate!

 

Google Ads: Pros and Cons

On the other hand, Google Ads, particularly with a well-optimized landing page, offers high-quality leads but at a higher price point. The cost per booked a cleaning visit using Google Ads can range between $70 to $120. However, since you can skip the outreach step required by social ads, the higher cost may be worth it, considering the value of your time.

Google Ads also excels in generating commercial carpet cleaning leads as business-to-business (B2B) leads are generally harder to acquire through social media.

With targeted search queries, Google Ads demonstrate higher buyer intent, resulting in a healthy close ratio that can range between 40-60%.

 

Building a Successful Facebook Ads Campaign for Carpet Cleaners

Now that we’ve covered why and how social media ads work, let’s discuss the steps to build a successful campaign to attract new carpet-cleaning leads through Facebook and Instagram.

 

1. Create and Optimize Your Business Profiles

If you haven’t done so already, create Facebook and Instagram profiles for your carpet cleaning business.

  • Ensure consistency by using the same name for your Facebook Page and Instagram username.
  • Fill in all relevant information, including service areas, website, and contact details, to provide a comprehensive profile.
  • Link your Instagram account to your Facebook Page. This will ensure that anytime you post to Instagram your Facebook Page will be updated as well (two birds, one stone).

 

2. Set Up Business Manager and Ads Manager Accounts

To start advertising on Meta platforms, you’ll need to create two additional accounts:

  • Business Manager Account: This should be linked to your Facebook Page and Instagram accounts.
  • Ads Manager Account: Connect this account to your Business Manager account.

 

3. Create Engaging Facebook and Instagram Ads

With the foundational accounts in place, it’s time to focus on creating compelling ads. Meta offers various ad types, but it’s best to keep users within the platform to maximize results.

Consider using the following ad types:

  • Lead Ads: Collect user information directly on Facebook and Instagram using custom forms. Capture essential details such as name, phone number, address, and services of interest.
  • Messenger Ads: These ads trigger a new message request on Facebook, allowing for direct communication. This format is effective for job recruiting as well.

Pro Tip: Ads featuring images of human faces tend to have higher conversion rates compared to images of objects.”

 

4. Build Custom Audiences

During the ad creation process, you’ll be prompted to define your target audience. Building custom audiences is a crucial step in creating a successful advertising campaign that can be refined over time. Consider the following audience types on Meta platforms:

  • Demographics: Target specific information such as location, age, and gender.
  • Custom Audience: Create an audience based on user interactions with your website or business.
  • Lookalike Audience: Build an audience similar to those who have engaged with your business in the past.

For Custom Audiences and Lookalike Audiences, consider targeting the following sources:

  • Website: Add a pixel to your website to retarget website visitors on Facebook and Instagram.
  • Customer list: Create an audience from a list of your past customers.
  • Video: Run a “Video View” campaign to build an audience of users who have watched your videos.
  • Lead form: Generate an audience from users who have submitted lead generation forms.
  • Instagram account: Target users who have liked and interacted with your Instagram profile.
  • Facebook page: Target users who have liked and engaged with your Facebook Business Page.

When it comes to demographics, the following targeting options often yield good results:

  • Location: Target your service areas within a 20-mile radius.
  • Age: Focus on the age range of 25-65+.
  • Gender: Consider targeting women, as they tend to engage more with social media ads.

 

5. Monitor and Optimize Your Campaigns

While anyone can create and manage a social media advertising campaign with enough time and resources, successful campaigns often come from experience and continuous optimization. If you’re new to advertising, closely monitor your campaigns, especially during the initial 30 days or 30 conversions.

Once your ads are optimized, check in at least once a week to ensure that your cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-lead (CPL) align with your budget and desired margins. Make adjustments as needed to improve performance.

 

Consider Hiring a Professional

Implementing the strategies outlined in this guide can yield positive results for your carpet cleaning business. However, it’s important to acknowledge that these tasks require time, energy, and expertise.

If you find yourself lacking the resources or knowledge to manage a successful social media advertising campaign, consider hiring a professional digital marketing agency that specializes in working with carpet cleaning businesses. Agencies like Carpet Cleaner Marketing Masters can help set up and optimize your social ads, allowing you to focus on your core business activities.

In conclusion, Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads offer cost-effective ways to generate residential carpet cleaning leads. By understanding the platforms, creating engaging ads, targeting the right audience, and continuously optimizing your campaigns, you can attract new customers and grow your carpet cleaning business effectively.

About the Author: As a business owner in the carpet cleaning and cleaning service industry for over 30 years as well as a marketing consultant and author, with well-over a decade of lead generation experience managing a results-driven marketing agency for Professional Carpet Cleaning and Residential Cleaning Companies, John Clendenning is wildly known as a leading Marketing Expert within the Professional Cleaning Industry.

More Carpet Cleaning Marketing Resources

Our Ads Stopped Generating Carpet Cleaning Leads, Now What?

Our Ads Stopped Generating Carpet Cleaning Leads, Now What?

Carpet Cleaner Marketing Masters

Our Ads Stopped Generating Carpet Cleaning Leads, Now What?

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Oh Crap! Our Carpet Cleaning Ads Are No Longer Bringing in Leads

Every savvy Carpet Cleaning Business owner understands the power of paid ads in attracting new leads and driving business growth, all without the long wait associated with traditional marketing strategies.

After all, who wouldn’t want to be at the right place, at the right time, with the right message?

Paid ads can be a game-changer when they work seamlessly… but what if the ads that used to generate a steady stream of carpet cleaning leads suddenly hit a roadblock?

If you’ve been advertising your carpet cleaning business online for some time, chances are you’ve encountered this situation. And if your lead generation heavily relies on these channels, the sudden halt in lead flow can be quite nerve-wracking.

So where do we start?

 

We do not live in a static world…

Whether you’re advertising on Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, or some other platform, the only real constant is that things rarely stay the same.

“Algorithms, policies, and best practices are guaranteed to change, so what worked yesterday may not work today.”

Digital advertising leaves you at the mercy of the platform to a certain extent, but there are factors you can control that may give you clues as to why your ads have stopped producing carpet cleaning leads.

Let’s dive into some key questions you need to ask to help narrow down the reasons why your ads have stopped producing leads like they used to.

 

Have you made any changes to your ad campaigns?

It’s common to want to change up the wording in your ads, even if they’ve been producing quality leads. After all, marketing is all about testing and tweaking to help improve your margins, and one of the easiest things to change is the wording in your ads.

“Ad campaign changes generally require at least a month to acquire enough data to determine if that change was positive or negative.”

 

Why does it take so long?

Because we’re relying on an algorithm to determine where your ads fit within their platform.

If you’ve made a change and it’s been less than a month, it’s best to wait a full 30 days to get a clearer picture of the effect your change has had on your ad’s performance.

 

Is it recommended that you make changes at all?

If you do decide to make changes to your ads, it’s best to run an A/B Test (also known as a “split test”) rather than changing what worked in the past.

Why?

Because there could be other underlying issues at play, and having a backup to test against provides you with the ability to revert if needed.

 

What changes should you test?

Your ads should be as engaging as possible and speak directly to your target audience. For best results, test your ad campaigns using the following components:

  • Headings
  • Ad Copy
  • Ad Creative/Images
  • Target Keywords
  • Target Audience

In most cases, those that see your ads are likely already looking for the carpet cleaning services you provide, so don’t over-complicate this. Your ads should be about them, and not about your business.

But what if you haven’t changed your ads but noticed a drop in carpet cleaning leads?

Keep reading…

 

Have impressions dropped?

Running ads online is simply a numbers game. If you show your message to a large targeted audience, it should produce results.

When the bottom of your marketing funnel (carpet cleaning leads) slows down, we should start by evaluating the top of your funnel (impressions).

 

Let’s break this down further…

In order to get a new carpet cleaning lead from online ads, you need a lot of impressions/eyes to see those ads.

If your ad impressions have noticeably dropped, it is likely impacting your lead flow.

So why would impressions drop?

We have ordered these potential issues from most likely to least likely:

  • New competition can impact your ability to reach the same number of eyes at your previous budget. If you notice your CPL (cost-per-lead) going up, that could be an indication that you have new competition online.
  • Seasonal changes can impact search volume and buyer intent. These changes tend to affect the carpet cleaning industry hardest between the spring and fall seasons.
  • Algorithm updates on advertising platforms occur EVERY DAY and they can directly impact campaign performance. These changes are typically posted as documentation in the platform’s release notes.
  • Platform or campaign bugs can occur without warning. We recommend contacting your advertising channel’s support to determine if this is an issue.
  • Market shifts such as high inflation or an economic downturn can impact buyer intent. Ask other carpet cleaning companies in your local market if they are experiencing the same downturn.

If others in your local market are not experiencing issues acquiring leads online, but your impressions have dropped, you may be the victim of an algorithm change on your advertising channel.

“Every platform offers several different ad types. Take Google as an example: They offer Search Ads, Display Ads, and Video Ads, just to name a few.”

To complicate things further, these advertising platforms constantly test and add new ad types all the time.

If this is the case, you may need to adjust your advertising strategy to fit a new ad type that the platform may be pushing without your knowledge.

But what if your impressions look consistent month-over-month?

It’s time to dive further down your marketing funnel…

 

Has your CTR (click-through rate) dropped?

When it comes to running ads online, clicks are the name of the game.

In comparison, impressions are just a vanity number as without clicks, you will have no conversions (leads).

 

How do we measure this?

We use a measurable KPI called click-through rate, otherwise known as CTR.

So if your impressions are consistent, what could impact your CTR?

These potential issues have been ordered from most likely to least likely:

  • Seasonal changes can impact search volume and buyer intent. These changes tend to affect the carpet cleaning industry hardest between the spring and fall seasons.
  • Algorithm updates on advertising platforms occur EVERY DAY and they can directly impact campaign performance. These changes are typically posted as documentation in the platform’s release notes.
  • Market shifts such as high inflation or an economic downturn can impact buyer intent. Ask other carpet cleaning companies in your local market if they are experiencing the same downturn.
  • Platform or campaign bugs can occur without warning. We recommend contacting your advertising channel’s support to determine if this is an issue.
  • New competition can impact your ability to reach the same number of eyes at your previous budget. If you notice your CPL (cost-per-lead) going up, that could be an indication that you have new competition online.

Ok, but what if your impressions and CTR appear to be consistent?

It’s time to investigate your cost-per-click…

 

Has your CPC (cost-per-click) gone up?

Let’s propose this scenario: Your impressions and CTR appear to be consistent, it’s early Spring, and no one else in your market is having issues acquiring new business… so now what?

We have one final KPI to evaluate — Your cost-per-click, otherwise known as CPC.

“Your CPC is impacted by supply (target audience size) and demand (competition).”

If you notice the amount you’re paying for clicks has suddenly gone up, new competition has likely entered your local market, or an algorithm change could be to blame.

If new carpet cleaning companies enter the marketplace with a higher bid strategy, your CPC for the same target audience will rise.

If this happens to you, you may want to consider raising your advertising budget or simply pivot your strategy to target a different segment of the market.

 

What is the Blue Ocean Strategy?

In terms of marketing, the Blue Ocean Strategy is the simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost to open up a new market space and create new demand. It is about creating and capturing an uncontested market space, thereby making your competition irrelevant.

Source: https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/what-is-blue-ocean-strategy/

 

How would you implement a Blue Ocean Strategy?

Instead of targeting the general “carpet cleaning” market, which every other carpet cleaning company is after, you may consider targeting a smaller niche or changing your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) altogether.

“In other words, identify a less competitive market and allocate your advertising budget there.”

Seasonal changes can also impact your CPC, as your target audience size may shrink during certain times of the year.

We have ordered the most likely scenarios that can impact CPC below:

  • New competition can impact your ability to reach the same number of eyes at your previous budget. If you notice your CPL (cost-per-lead) going up, that could be an indication that you have new competition online.
  • Algorithm updates on advertising platforms occur EVERY DAY and they can directly impact campaign performance. These changes are typically posted as documentation in the platform’s release notes.
  • Seasonal changes can impact search volume and buyer intent. These changes tend to affect the carpet cleaning industry hardest between the spring and fall seasons.
  • Platform or campaign bugs can occur without warning. We recommend contacting your advertising channel’s support to determine if this is an issue.
  • Market shifts such as high inflation or an economic downturn can impact buyer intent. Ask other carpet cleaning companies in your local market if they are experiencing the same downturn.

If you have evaluated all these possibilities and are still unsure about the reasons behind your drop in leads, it may be time to seek help from experts.

 

Contact Carpet Cleaner Marketing Masters to Fix Your Ad Campaigns

If you notice a drop in carpet cleaning leads from your ad campaigns, it’s important not to panic. Solving these issues alone may not always produce the desired results. In such cases, we recommend scheduling a free strategy call with our ad campaign experts at Carpet Cleaner Marketing Masters.

Our team has extensive experience in digital advertising and can help analyze your campaigns, identify the underlying issues, and provide effective solutions to get your lead generation back on track.

Don’t let a temporary setback discourage you. With the right expertise and strategies, you can regain the effectiveness of your ads and continue generating valuable leads for your carpet cleaning business.

Remember, advertising is a dynamic field, and staying informed and adapting to changes is key to success.

About the Author: As a business owner in the carpet cleaning and cleaning service industry for over 30 years as well as a marketing consultant and author, with well-over a decade of lead generation experience managing a results-driven marketing agency for Professional Carpet Cleaning and Residential Cleaning Companies, John Clendenning is wildly known as a leading Marketing Expert within the Professional Cleaning Industry.

More Carpet Cleaning Marketing Resources

Why Email Marketing is Important for Your Carpet Cleaning Business

Why Email Marketing is Important for Your Carpet Cleaning Business

Carpet Cleaner Marketing Masters

Why Email Marketing is Important for Your Carpet Cleaning Business

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As a carpet cleaning service provider, email marketing might not be a priority in your mind, but it is important to understand that it has the highest ROI of all digital marketing mediums. With an average ROI of 42:1 (that’s 4200%), there is no reason why your carpet cleaning business shouldn’t invest time in this marketing strategy.
(Source: Litmus)

In this article, we will discuss the benefits of outbound email marketing, what kind of results you should expect as a carpet cleaning business owner, and the steps you need to take to set up your first email marketing campaign.

First, let’s start with a simple question…

 

How do carpet cleaning service providers get clients?

Carpet cleaning service providers primarily use two methods to get clients, inbound and outbound marketing. Inbound marketing refers to advertising and content marketing, anything that gets customers coming to you. Outbound marketing is any method of proactively reaching out to prospects, such as email marketing and cold calling.

Inbound marketing has its place, but it can be time-consuming and expensive. In comparison, outbound marketing is less sexy, but the return on investment can be huge.

 

Why email marketing?

Email marketing is a perfect way to reach out to your customers as it is less invasive than phone calls or text messages, it’s easy to set up and profitable.

 

 

What results does email marketing produce?

On average, we see a 2% conversion rate (closed jobs) for email marketing campaigns we run for other carpet cleaning service providers. For best results, we recommend a mailing list of at least 100 contacts.

Here’s what that looks like in the real world: Let’s say your primary lead source is a contact form on your website, and you receive around 50 submissions a month. In just two short months, you have built a sustainable mailing list. Most email marketing providers are free for the first 1000 monthly emails/contacts. So, to get started, you’re just looking at a time investment, a few hours at most.

Where do you start?

 

How to get started with email marketing

 

 

Before you can start sending emails, you need to build a mailing list. For those who want to DIY it, we recommend using MailChimp for its easy-to-use interface, and at the time of writing this article, they have a free plan that allows you to send 10,000 emails/month.

If you are looking for a more sophisticated lead nurture automation that combines everything from emails to text messages, voicemail, and live outreach reminders etc. then we suggest you check out our preferred tool, Carpet Cleaner Lead Pro

 

Start by building your email list

Most carpet cleaning service providers do not have an active emailing list. This makes sense given that email marketing is an underutilized channel in the industry. Fortunately capturing emails is easy, but it can take time.

Let’s review the two primary methods of capturing new contacts:

 

First-party contacts

Any contacts you capture yourself are considered a first-party contact. These are the best leads as they have established buyer intent by providing their contact information, they are familiar with your business, and they are exclusive to you.

The best way to obtain these leads is by utilizing the tools at your disposal — your website.

Whether you go with a service like MailChimp or a full lead automation solution, this step is pretty easy. Simply create a contact form on the platform and embed it on your website. The contact form will function as any other contact form would, but it will automatically add contacts to your new lead mailing list at the same time.

 

Third-party contacts

While we recommend against blatant “cold outreach”, the fact is you can use data aggregators to quickly build a mailing list. This option expedites the process, but you’re purchasing leads that others in your industry have likely tapped into as well. Also, since these contacts are cold, they’re completely unaware of your business so you can expect conversion rates to be a lot lower.

For residential leads, we have found success with services like Leads Please. Simply target new homeowners and define our relevant demographics, and typically for under $100 we can have a new list of 250+ qualified contacts, which is more than enough to get started on a new email campaign!

For commercial leads, we recommend Coldlytics. They have extremely targeted lists, fast turnaround times, and they even verify email addresses before delivery.

 

Create your email template

When it comes to email marketing in the carpet cleaning industry, it’s important to create an email template that reflects your brand’s logo, your Compelling Sales Proposition (i.e. slogan), and color scheme. Keeping it clean and simple is the key to success.

Your email template should consist of a header, body, and footer. The header and footer can remain the same for all your emails, while the body can be customized for each campaign you run. This way, you can save time and focus on the content of your message.

 

 

Personalize your emails using separate campaigns

For carpet cleaning service providers, it’s recommended to have at minimum, two separate email campaigns: one for leads/prospects and one for past customers.

Personalization is the key to effective email marketing. However, it can be difficult to personalize an email without knowing the recipient’s first name. To solve this, you can segment your contacts into categories and tailor your message according to their interests.

By segmenting your contacts, you can send targeted emails that will encourage opens and clicks. This will increase your chances of converting leads into customers and retaining your existing ones.

 

Bucket #1: Leads and prospects

This one is obvious, simply create a campaign that triggers each month with information on the uniqueness of your company, highlights of recent projects along with a promotion or incentive. Tailor your promotions to the season or current events, for example, you could offer a bundle and save discount on carpet and upholstery cleaning services during the spring cleaning season. Other examples include:

  • Introductory offers for specific services
  • Free in-home soil and wear assessment and quotation
  • Pet stain and odor consultation

 

Bucket #2: Past customers

Your past customers are your most valuable resource. These contacts have already experienced the quality of your work and are more likely to hire you again. A personalized email campaign targeting past customers is a great way to stay top-of-mind.

We recommend sending a personalized thank you email immediately after the job is complete. This email should contain a request for feedback in a survey along with a link to review your business on Google etc. The next day, follow up with another email asking the customer to refer you to friends and family. This sequence can be automated so you don’t have to worry about manually sending emails.

Other reasons to email include:

  • Happy Birthday emails are a great way to stay in touch
  • New service offerings — customers love being “in the know”
  • Project stories from other recent customers
  • Care tips for around the home
  • Complementary service offerings, such as a free XYZ with any project over $XXX dollars
  • Free spotting touch-up at 3 or 6 month

 

How to Ensure Your Carpet Cleaning Emails Don’t Land in the SPAM Folder

Email warmup is a crucial step in avoiding the dreaded SPAM folder when sending marketing emails to your carpet cleaning leads and customers. To achieve this, it’s recommended that you send your emails slowly at first to ensure they reach the recipient’s inbox and not their SPAM folder. There are several factors that contribute to inbox placement, including:

  • the age of your domain name,
  • the frequency of your emails,
  • and the quality of your mailing list.

If you’ve recently purchased a domain name, you may have trouble reaching inboxes at scale for the first 6-12 months. Most email providers, such as Gmail and Outlook, use domain age as a weighted factor when determining which emails are automatically marked as SPAM. Additionally, how often you send emails will determine how likely your emails will land in a junk mail folder. It’s recommended that you send no more than once a week, but at least once a month, especially in the beginning. Consistency is key!

Another factor that can contribute to your emails being marked as SPAM is the quality of your mailing list. You may have been provided a fake email or the address could have been mistyped. Sending to bad email addresses can result in the blacklisting of your domain.

To mitigate this, you can upload your email list to a service like NeverBounce. These types of services check to confirm which emails are valid and which are unreachable.

 

Send at the right time for best results

When it comes to the best time of day or the best day of the week to send emails for optimal engagement, there are several schools of thought. For carpet cleaning service providers, it’s best to avoid sending emails on busy days such as Monday mornings or Friday afternoons. For best results, send mid-week on Wednesday or Thursday first thing in the morning.

By following these best practices for email warm up, you can ensure your carpet cleaning emails reach your leads and customers’ inboxes and avoid being marked as SPAM.

 

Track your results

Once you’ve sent your first email campaigns, it’s important to track your results. Most mailing and list management tools have built-in analytics that provides valuable insights into your email campaign’s performance. Use this data to refine your campaigns and improve your results.

You measure the success of your email marketing efforts using the following metrics:

  • Delivery rates are a measure the quality of your domain (see How to avoid the dreaded SPAM folder above).
  • Bounce rates can be used to determine the quality of your mailing list.
  • Unsubscribe rates can be used to determine if you’re sending emails too often.
  • Open rates are a measure of your subject line. More opens = a captivating subject line.
  • Click-through rates are used to determine the effectiveness of your email content.
  • Conversions to determine the overall effectiveness of your campaigns or emails. This is typically measured in calls, email replies, and booked estimates.

 

Conclusion

Email marketing is a powerful tool for carpet cleaning service providers. It’s easy to set up, cost-effective, and has a high ROI. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can build a sustainable email list that generates new business each month. Remember to personalize your emails and track your results to refine your campaigns over time. With a little effort, you can take advantage of this underutilized marketing channel and grow your carpet cleaning business.

About the Author: As a business owner in the carpet cleaning and cleaning service industry for over 30 years as well as a marketing consultant and author, with well-over a decade of lead generation experience managing a results-driven marketing agency for Professional Carpet Cleaning and Residential Cleaning Companies, John Clendenning is wildly known as a leading Marketing Expert within the Professional Cleaning Industry.

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Google Local Service Ads For Carpet Cleaners – Is It A Waste Of Money?

Google Local Service Ads For Carpet Cleaners – Is It A Waste Of Money?

Let’s talk about Google local service ads for carpet cleaners and home cleaning services (also known as Google Home Service Ads or Google Guarantee). What are they – how do they work – what might expect to pay to use these local service ads – how can you get signed up … and is it actually worth it for you to sign up for these.

So let’s dive right into what are Google local service ads. If this is your first time hearing about it, that’s okay, they haven’t rolled out in every market yet. Essentially, these ads started rolling out in 2019 in the US after testing them in select markets starting in 2018.

These ads are devoted to home service businesses and are different than Google Ads (formerly known as Google Adwords) and also different than your Google My Business listing.  However, they do look very similar, so let’s take a look at what this looks like.

So if we do a search here for Carpet Cleaning companies, Vancouver you’ll, see that there are three different ads here at the top.

Google Local Service Ads for Carpet Cleaners
  1. You have your Local Service Ads.
  2. As you scroll down, you see your regular Google Ads (or Pay Per Click ads)
  3. As you scroll down past that you have your Google My Business listings (sometimes referred to as Map Listings)
  4. And finally just past that you have your organic listings.

So, as you can see at the top here, these ads are front and center. They’re the first thing that you see when you do a search and it’s actually quite hard to tell that these are ads. Sure it says sponsored above the row, but to most we searchers this area is going to catch their attention and get clicked.

And if you pull out your smartphone and do that same search on mobile – you’ll, see that these ads are actually taking up almost all of the real estate on the screen. In fact, you can actually barely see the Google ad below the local service ads until you scroll down, so this is really taking up a lot of space when people do searches and it’s going to be the first thing that they see.

If you were a homeowner, that’s going to be the first thing that catches your eye and most likely the first thing that you’re going to click on.

So how do these Google Local service ads work?

Essentially, these are ads that are devoted to select industries in the US and Canada. These industries cover things such as HVAC, carpet, cleaning, roofing contractors, electricians and other service business categories, but the list is certainly growing as this feature get adopted more and more as a viable marketing channel for local businesses.

You can see which industries qualify right now for home service ads by country at this link HERE

And The Google Guaranteed Badge?

You’ll see that there is a Google Guaranteed checkmark and wording with each of these as, but what is Google even guaranteeing?

Essentially, it means that Google is guaranteeing that your business is trustworthy, that your business is legitimate and you are who you say you are and more than that.  Google is guaranteeing that if your customer is unhappy with the service provided that they can essentially put in a complaint and they can get a up to $ 2,000 reimbursement from Google, now, of course, that amount is going to be whatever amount that they are owed depending on the service that is used.

Now you may be thinking that this is pretty risky for them to do. Why would they pay a customer $ 2000? However, here’s the hidden gem or kind of the the fine print to it.

Google will do a background check on every individual in your company who may go into a customer’s home. This includes the business owner as well as doing a background check for insurance and basically making sure that this business is who they say they are and is qualified to do the job. If you meet all of the criteria, you could kind of take yourself one step higher than those kind of scammy low ballers in your area in the minds of the homeowners looking for the services you offer.

Unfortunately, though, if you or one of your employees, doesn’t pass these background checks, you may not be eligible to qualify for the local service ads now.

This does have some fine print that Google has provided basically on what meets a complaint and how someone can actually ask for this $ 2,000, so it is rather difficult for a customer to do.

  • They have to have made this complaint within 30 days of the service.
  • The complaint can’t be on the price,
  • The complaint can’t be on the timeliness.
  • If you cancel and you don’t show up, they can’t file a complain about that,
  • This also doesn’t work for any future services – so if you do anything extra for that customer afterward, that doesn’t qualify under the Google Guaranteed “guarantee”

So in reality it’s really not that risky for them to do, and it’s, actually not that risky for your business to do either.

If you do sign up you will be given a Google local service ads dashboard.  Inside your calls are classified into categories. You basically move them from left to right to see whether or not these calls get booked and you can actually look at the call recording for each individual call.

So you’re gonna be able to see that these are real people and not just clicks. There is always, of course, those issues with Google Ads (PPC), where it’s hard to actually see whether or not that is a real person who is clicking on your ad or not.  But with Local Service Ads you know who the person who called from this phone number is, the call is recorded and even the service that she booked.

The platform actually pulls in some of your reviews from your Google My Business profile, so if you already have a few hundred reviews on there, it’ll, actually pull right into Google local service ads, which is really great.  As we know, reviews are extremely important nowadays and they’re crucial to ranking your business, both in Google My Business as well as the Google Local Service Ads.

So we’re on to the biggest question that everybody has, and that is what should you expect to pay for these Google local service ads.  Now this works very different than Google ads where it’s a pay per call / per per lead and not pay per click… which to many can be a huge relief and feel better.  And these leads can actually be pretty cheap to get and by not paying for clicks that don’t matter and only paying for calls that actually result in talking to somebody on the phone – this can be a game changer for certain businesses.

How Much Do These Leads Cost?

In the carpet cleaning industry it averages around $20 per lead. And remember, because you will be tracking the calls that come in and you can listen to the recording you will know which ones get booked and therefore you  can actually see whether or not these ads are giving you a return on your investment or not.

Let’s say you booked two out of every five calls at $20. That’s a $50 dollars to sell a job.  Now let’s say you’re average job ticket is $350 then it’s, a really good return on your initial investment to land a ‘new’ client, and that doesn’t even take into account your average lifetime value of your clients.

As a side note, if your average job is not in the 300+ range then you may not be positioning your carpet cleaning company in a way that stands out and attracts the very best customers in your service area. 

If this is the case, we need to talk – you should book a complimentary Strategy Session with me where I can help show you have to properly position your cleaning company to be seen as the local authority and NOT compete on low pricing.

So the next question is…

How do you get signed up and how long does it take to get approved for Google guaranteed?

It’s actually pretty straight forward process and you can learn more about it HERE.

Essentially, the process takes anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on your area, how many other people are trying to get approved and how many employees that you have that you have to go through this background check with.  But it doesn’t cost anything to start this process, so I recommend that the carpet cleaners we work with consider stating the approval process well in advance of when they are hoping to test out the platform as another lead acquisition channel.

Some added bonuses of using these Google local service ads is that it actually integrates with the Google assistant voice search.  This is going to be really interesting to see how this works and whether or not it actually drives more leads as the voice search expands in usage in the future.

In Conclusion

I think, if local service ads are available in your area already, it would be worth your time to get signed up and give the program a try. The leads are still pretty cost effective, they gets a ton of visibility at the top of the page and it could be another way to generate leads for your business. 

Ultimately, the more exposure you can get and the more qualified leads that you generate at a positive ROI from different sources, the less you will rely on any one marketing channel and the quicker your business will grow.

Get a Free Internet Marketing Strategy Evaluation

If you would like to have me and my team personally review your online marketing strategy and show you where you are ranking, where there is room for improvement and how we can work together to make this your best year ever and finally get your Internet marketing right, then click below to schedule your Leadflow Acceleration Session now.

What’s Hurting Your Ranking on Google Maps?

What’s Hurting Your Ranking on Google Maps?

Google is really working to clean up spam in the Maps listings

There was a major issue with Google Maps in the recent few years. Companies were setting up fake profiles at PO boxes and fake locations, say at their aunt’s house.

There were SEO companies creating lots of rogue listings for their carpet cleaning and local business clients – this is not something we ever did – but it was pretty prevalent in the industry.  And then there were what we call Lead Aggregators, who are people that just want to sell leads back to the carpet cleaning contractors, and they were claiming Google map listings created with lots of fake information.

Google MapsGoogle has done a massive crackdown on that front, trying to eliminate fake addresses, trying to eliminate businesses that aren’t legit, trying to eliminate home offices and home-home entities from the Google map listings, and recently they’re saying they’ve reduced it by as much as 70%, which is good and bad.

It’s bad in that, if you don’t protect yourself and if you don’t make sure you’re doing everything on the up-and-up, you could get filtered out of the results, and so you need to be aware of the things that could actually be hurting you.  Maybe a past provider did something a bit grey or somebody in your local market did something in order to impact your results that could catch up to you.

So there are a couple things that could be hurting you, or come back to bite you in the near future that may have actually at one point been helping you rank, but aren’t legit.

Number One: You need an office in the city you’re trying to rank in the Google Maps for.

This is one of those things I get into heated arguments with. You know people in the industry who will say “I’m, the biggest company in my area, but I’m, not ranking on maps the next town over, can you get me in the 3-pack over there.”

Well, I can tell you if you don’t have a physical office, I mean a place that Google can look on Google Street View and see that it’s legitimate office that you inhabit, that’s, unique and exclusive to you, your probability of ranking long-term drops as Google is getting better and better and finding these fake addresses.

So let’s say as an example you’re in Doral, which is a little city in in my around Miami, but you want to rank in Miami.  Because your office is in Doral, you will not rank in Google Maps for Miami. In the SEO and Google Maps realm, there are people that will tell you there’s ways around it.  These people that will try and convince you its ok and won’t harm you, but Google wants to serve the most relevant, local listings in their maps, and they want businesses that have a real physical office in the city that they’re trying to rank in. So when they find a fake listing they will suspend it, and they can even go as far as suspending all of your listings, not just the fake one.

Now, if you’re in an area like East Lansing, and you’re trying to rank in Lansing by building your authority by building your citation by doing some of the things I’m, going to share with you, with enough effort and correct action you can often do that, but if you’re trying to rank a PO Box or you’re trying to rank in a city other than the city that you’re in without a physical address, that’s, not going to be a long-term sustainable strategy.

The other thing that could be could be really hurting you is if you spammed, Google with fake locations (and I’m not saying you personally, but if your provider or somebody that you worked with did that) and they set up little micro, Google listings in the surrounding cities that you operate in, and they claimed the pin – and they put you on maps for that… even if you don’t know about those listings, and you’ve got a real location and lots of reviews and lots of authority, there’s a chance that those fake locations could still be somewhere in Google’s database and Google is penalizing you for that.

So what we try to do is take a client that’s not ranking on a map but should be since they’ve got a physical location there in the area where they’re trying to rank is to really go deep and try and find those those non-legit listings and spammy signals, and delete them, merge them, consolidate them and clean up their image in Google’s eyes.  That’s really the best path forward to making sure you’re ranking well when that happens to be the problem

The other thing that could be hurting you is inconsistency of your name, address and phone number.

Google is looking at your profile and it’s almost like your thumbprint on the internet. Everybody’s got a unique thumbprint and your business’s thumbprint is; your company name – i.e the actual legal company name without added keywords or terms to try and rank higher, the exact phone number is attached to your company around the internet and the exact address that you operate out of.  It’s this exact usage of your address, this exact usage of your company name and the same number published everywhere your business is listed is called your NAP.

When we find sometimes there’s inconsistency, such as a slight variation and how a company is listed on Yelp versus Google Maps or there’s, a tracking number that was used on Bing just for the sake of tracking calls, but there’s a different number on Google Maps and there’s a different number over here etc. well that can really reduce your probability of ranking well on Google Maps.

So you want to go in and you want to do a deep dive, find those discrepancies and get your NAP consistent across the web for your primary location and each of your locations if you have more than one legitimate office.  You want to be sure that every location has a distinct thumbprint that’s being referenced, the same exact way

And the other basic gotcha that we often see is having spammed the the city into The company name! So if you are Shamrock Carpet Cleaning and you put “Shamrock Carpet Cleaning Orlando’s Best Cleaners”, because you want to get Orlando into your company name on Google Maps, that’s really a no-no.  Over the past few years, Google has automatically cleaned a lot of that stuff up, but it’s still worth double-checking, because if you’ve got spammed cities or spammed additional keywords that aren’t representative of how you’re, naming yourself everywhere else on the internet, that can hurt you.

not having enough reviews could be costing you rankings and calls

Having reviews on Google, having reviews on Yelp, having reviews on Angie’s List, and anywhere else you can get them really helps.  You see Google scours the web looking for the companies that have a real name, address and phone number in the city that they operate out of that has consistency in how they’re referenced across the internet AND has lots of legitimate reviews from real customers who live in their local service area.

So Google likes to see real reviews on other sites around the web to prove that you are a reputable carpet cleaning service, but let’s not forget that nowadays, your potential client will likely not even call any company that doesn’t have at least a 4 STAR rating and a bunch of recent reviews from within the last few weeks along with your older ones, that prove you are not a risk and worth a try.

So these are just a few of the gotchas you need to watch out for and expert tips you need to know if you want to rank well in Google Maps, and stay there for the long-haul.

I hope you got value from this article.

 

If you’d, like more ideas, strategies and techniques on how to really more effectively market your carpet cleaning business online, I’d like to invite you to grab a copy of our “Ultimate Internet Marketing Checklist For Carpet Cleaners” for free

In this checklist we’ve outlined the most critical things you need to be doing to really maximize your lead flow online. We’ve simplified the entire online marketing equation into a checklist that you can easily identify what you should do next and what you could do to double triple or even 10x the number of leads you’re getting for your carpet cleaning business online

Get a Free Internet Marketing Strategy Evaluation

If you would like to have me and my team personally review your online marketing strategy and show you where you are ranking, where there is room for improvement and how we can work together to make this your best year ever and finally get your Internet marketing right, then click below to schedule your Leadflow Acceleration Session now.