My son has been teaching me how to use Twitter and I've been trying to learn more and stay up on the latest technologies, especially as it relates to spreading my brand, spreading my message, and keeping in touch with clients. Twitter can even play a role in the usually unchanging communications and marketing of a cleaning service. Just because we're cleaning services, brick and mortar, mops and brooms, doesn't mean we have to stay 10 years behind everyone else. I know maid service owners who still do not use email in their business, and I know some who don't have a website yet.
I want to be a sponge (no pun intended) and soak up all the training, new techniques, marketing trends, and business tips I can get. If we're not learning and growing, we're shrinking and getting dumber! Technology will leave us behind if we don't stay up on it. That doesn't mean we need to spend money and waste time on every single new trend or technology, but the opposite is usually the case. The cleaning industry tends to be 10 steps behind the times no matter what. It helps if you like tinkering with technology as I do, but if you don't, it's important that you keep up with what's changing and how you can utilize free and cheap technology to grow your business, spread your brand, and nurture your clients.
A good friend and colleague, Rhonda Shuker or Dynamic Maids sent me this great little Twitter Case Studies eBook. I found it pretty informative and thought I'd pass it along:
I've used Twitter to notify people in my demographic area when we have some last minute deals on openings for cleaning, and I've used Twitter to notify those followers of the latest exciting things that are happening with Cleaning For A Reason. I used Twitter to instantly post a picture of me sitting in the Texas senate gallery when we were receiving a proclamation on behalf of Cleaning For A Reason. It's fast, easy, fun, and most of all an amazing way to stay connected to clients and colleagues. I know most people will use Twitter socially, but I think a blend of fun, personal, and business is a great way to benefit from this medium. Go over board in any direction and I think it loses it's effect if you are hoping it will have some business value. But, if your primary audience is business, not social, then do share your special offers to your exclusive group of Twitter followers and train them to expect great deals from your tweets.
My son-in-law, and UT Professor, John Jones is an expert at Twitter and all forms of online social and business communications. He was recently interviewed on FoxNews in Austin about "Social Networking Etiquette". I'm proud of him for getting FREE PUBLICITY, of course, but also for doing such a good job on the interview. I just had to share this with my friends:
Whether you Tweet, blog, Facebook, or all of these and more, it's important that you monitor ROTI (Return On Time Investment). If you you are wasting endless amounts of time on something that doesn't produce some value, don't do it just because everyone else is. Instead, find ways to make those mediums produce some results. Blogging improves your organic search results, Facebook is a great tool for keeping current information out there--information that you want the public to have (hopefully), and can even be used as a business website if you need one fast, easy, and free.
Don't be left out of technology. Have fun with it, and constantly think of how you can creatively turn these modern communications into tools for growing your maid service, touching your prospects, and nurturing your existing clients! Have fun! Oh, and I hope you'll follow ME on Twitter!
