September 13th through October 15th is national Hispanic Heritage Month which means companies around the world are trying to cultivate relationships with Hispanic prospects and consumers, especially those in the commercial cleaning industry. Nielsen reports that Hispanic purchasing power will reach $1.8 trillion by 2021 – making the Hispanic market one of the most important demographics to target. In addition, according to SmallBizTrends, more than one in three internet users utilize social media as a tool for researching and analyzing brands, products, and services, so whether or not your company is active on social media, your clients and prospective Franchisees are. As the industry stands today, marketing on social media has a large influence on how businesses promote their brand in a relatively affordable way. For franchises and commercial cleaning businesses specifically, engaging in social media is essential for property managers, clients, and prospective Franchisees gain insight into your company culture, customer service, and reputation. Below are eight reasons why Hispanic marketing via social media is essential for the success of a commercial cleaning business.
- Social Media Gets The Word Out
Social Media gives you the opportunity to connect with your prospective Franchisees, clients, and internal staff. According to Statista, “77 percent of the United States population has a social media profile.” Therefore, when you post on a social media platform, you are reaching your target audience in much greater numbers. This helps spread brand awareness and increases the likelihood of a potential Franchise sale. Furthermore, building a social media strategy that is relevant to the Hispanic culture will help increase word-of-mouth, organic awareness, which is oftentimes the most powerful.
- Improves Search Engine Rankings
It is proven that search engine optimization is extremely important for achieving higher page rankings and helping drive traffic to your business site. While social media doesn’t directly increase search engine rankings, Social Media Examiner states that “more than 58% of marketers who have been using social media for one year or longer see improved search engine rankings.” For commercial cleaning companies, this is key in solidifying cleaning contracts from property managers as they too are searching social for their next cleaning firm to use. One in four millennials are Hispanic, so they too are exploring the web for potential business opportunities, customer service reviews, and brand reputation.
- Social Media is Cost Effective
Social media is free advertising, so brands should be taking advantage of it. Hispanics with a household income of $100k – plus are projected to grow 23 percent which is a target audience marketers do not want to miss. For commercial cleaning firms, this opens up many opportunities for those searching for both Master and Unit Franchisee ownership models. If you want or need to increase the exposure on your posts, you can boost your post and pay a small fee, instead of paying a huge expense for traditional, paid adverting.
- Social Media lets you “humanize your brand”
Social media helps you create a professional, yet impersonal approach in sharing information about your company and the brand culture versus a traditional website. While you may be helping promote your brand’s culture, marketers should also utilize social media as a tool to cultivate relationships with Hispanic followers and stay relevant – content is key for relevancy. With proper messaging, people understand your business, its services, and products. According to Blue Fountain Media, “over 51 percent of marketers claimed that taking the time to develop relationships with consumers showed positive results in sales.” This is also true for Hispanic consumers.
- Increases website traffic
Social media sites have areas where you can link contact information and website addresses. This creates larger website traffic than just heavily relying on your website. This can help boost sales because typically the more website traffic you have, the more sales you receive. According to Blue Fountain Media, “without marketing your business on social media, your inbound traffic is limited to your usual customers.”
- Reputation Management
This is essential for a business because you can both highlight the positive feedback while also managing negative reviews quickly before the situation escalates. The Hispanic market is heavily influenced by word-of-mouth reputation and the perception your brand has online, therefore, it is important that all reviews are handled in a timely, positive manner.
- Competition management
Do you have high competition in your market? Take some time on various social platforms and complete an audit of your competitors. This will help you compare your tactics and approach to others in your industry and give you a good idea of where your brand’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities may lie. You can complete a copy of this audit with the Hispanic market as well. This may provide you with a clear picture of where to focus messaging, your goals, and expectation for marketing efforts.
- Offers Excellent Customer Service
People want their issues solved with persistent speed. Social media gives you the opportunity to respond quickly and effectively. Responding online not only shows your audience the effort you’ve taken to resolve their issue, but it also leaves the perception that your company is forward thinking, progressive, and customer service focused. In a highly competitive industry such as commercial cleaning, this is essential for reaching out to prospective Franchisees, property managers, and staff.
As a commercial cleaning firm, it is imperative to build a strong marketing strategy, find your target audience, and develop key messaging that is both relevant and topical, especially when targeting the Hispanic market. If you are interested in learning more about how social media can improve your business or would like to inquire about Anago’s Master Franchise model, please contact Judy Walker at judy@anagocleaning.com.