Ruth Furman shares PR tips for cleaning companies on MaidCentral’s Smart Business Moves podcast
Ruth Furman recently appeared on MaidCentral’s Smart Business Moves podcast. The show is co-hosted by Tom Stewart, owner of cleaning business operations software developer MaidCentral, and Liz Trotter, owner of Core Profit Builders, a cleaning business coaching company. It was the first time the podcast featured a public relations professional. During the 50-minute segment, Furman answered questions about how a PR strategy can help a cleaning business.
“I am so passionate about this industry because I feel like the information you share and the work you do truly helps families,” Furman said early in the show.
For starters, Furman explained how media coverage can help a cleaning business improve website SEO. SEO companies are now partnering with Furman to improve their results.
Fundamentally, public relations is the development of “digital assets,” she explained. Those assets can be TV or radio news features, quotes in articles or blogs, and other media content pieces. These assets are then used for backlinking to other websites and on social media to support company branding.
“My job is to really help small business owners use their expertise to get seen online in national publications and also in local news media. … I help my clients amplify their voices,” she added.
To do that, Furman said she develops her PR strategy around some fundamental questions she asks her home services industry clients:
Where is your area of expertise?
What do you want to talk about?
What part of your business is the most profitable?
“It’s about really making noise strategically about what makes my clients the most money or what is the most newsworthy, preferably both,” she said.
Furman also emphasized that PR is not a substitute for Google ads, social media campaigns, and a solid marketing plan; it’s a complement to them. Here are a few more ideas she shared to help a cleaning business use PR to boost their business:
Remember your expertise is needed. It’s all in how you use it. News agencies create what Furman describes as “viral clickable content.” That can be a feature story with advice for everyday subjects like spring cleaning or how to get coffee stains out of furniture. As a cleaning pro, you can be recognized as an expert in your field by offering these tips to the media.
Don’t be afraid to “newsjack” popular subjects. There are also opportunities to capitalize on trending topics. On the show, the popularity of the Stanley insulated travel tumblers came up. Furman said a cleaning business owner can be interviewed about how to keep them sanitized. She calls this type of exposure “newsjacking.” It happens all the time and it’s great for cleaning businesses.
If you are doing good in the community, the media wants to know. Companies who are involved in their community have opportunities to build their brand through the media. For example, for cancer awareness month, some businesses may offer free home cleanings for cancer patients. News outlets want to know about it. Even better, if your business partners with another company or nonprofit to help others, that “is infinitely newsworthy to local press,” Furman added.
How do you pitch your business to the media? Be Proactive. While networking, you may have the opportunity to meet a member of the media. If you have their contact information, you can email them a story idea or two. Keep it short, just a paragraph or two. First, you’ll want to study the types of stories the outlet or reporter covers before pitching. That way you craft a pitch around subjects relevant to the reporter and their beat. This is a good way to get on the media’s radar.
Let the cleaning professionals in your business be your company voice. You don’t have to do all the interviews yourself. If you have an enthusiastic cleaning expert on your team, let them be the star attraction.
“Sometimes features pop more if someone has ‘training’ or ‘cleaning’ in their title as opposed to ‘owner’ or ‘founder.’ … The deep cleaners on your team are going to be the face of the company,” Furman added.
Of course, the PR pro also acknowledged that getting media attention for any home services business requires consistent networking and time. If you need assistance with strategy or how to get started, handing some tasks off to a professional may be the best option.
