I grew a home cleaning #startup from 700K€ to 13M€ revenue in 2 years.
Here's how I scaled the customer acquisition.
[ #marketing 🧵 ]
Here's how I scaled the customer acquisition.
[ #marketing 🧵 ]
1/ Paid Google (SEM)
I always begin with organic demand.
People googling for "home cleaning" are doing it for one purpose: buying. Amount was low (800/month), but it's a stable source of clients if you do it right.
I always begin with organic demand.
People googling for "home cleaning" are doing it for one purpose: buying. Amount was low (800/month), but it's a stable source of clients if you do it right.
1.1/ Optimizing a good Google Ads setup took only few weeks.
At this point I was only focusing on purchase-intent keywords such as "home cleaning" or "window cleaning," so campaign setup wasn't very complex.
By Google Ads I was able to identify the best terms for SEO.
At this point I was only focusing on purchase-intent keywords such as "home cleaning" or "window cleaning," so campaign setup wasn't very complex.
By Google Ads I was able to identify the best terms for SEO.
2/ Organic Google (SEO)
You can only get handful of the potential Google traction with paid, so SEO was the next channel to nail.
Local competition was non-existent so I dominated all relevant SEO visibility in just 3 months from when I started.
You can only get handful of the potential Google traction with paid, so SEO was the next channel to nail.
Local competition was non-existent so I dominated all relevant SEO visibility in just 3 months from when I started.
2.1/ 3 step SEO tactic:
1. Create landing pages for all the relevant keywords (60 landing pages).
2. Source a lot of lifestyle blogger backlinks to all the landing pages (5-10 links / landing page).
3. Push Google Ads traffic to relevant landing pages.
1. Create landing pages for all the relevant keywords (60 landing pages).
2. Source a lot of lifestyle blogger backlinks to all the landing pages (5-10 links / landing page).
3. Push Google Ads traffic to relevant landing pages.
2.2/ Google's impact
By dominating Google I got weekly acquisition up to 100 which created a good baseline for the future.
Basically we got at least 100 new customers every week by doing nothing else. CAC was very profitable due to SEO.
By dominating Google I got weekly acquisition up to 100 which created a good baseline for the future.
Basically we got at least 100 new customers every week by doing nothing else. CAC was very profitable due to SEO.
3/ PR
Our SEO acquisition improved every time there was something positive about home cleaning in the news. I didn't even have to be about us.
I started to do monthly organic PR to improve Google's performance.
Our SEO acquisition improved every time there was something positive about home cleaning in the news. I didn't even have to be about us.
I started to do monthly organic PR to improve Google's performance.
3.1/ PR process
1. Decide what magazine you want to be at
2. Read couple of articles
3. Contact the journalists directly (email, LI, Twitter)
4. Pitch your story using the same angle you learned at 2
5. Profit
1. Decide what magazine you want to be at
2. Read couple of articles
3. Contact the journalists directly (email, LI, Twitter)
4. Pitch your story using the same angle you learned at 2
5. Profit
3.2 / PR results
- Our brand awareness (brand searches) started to increase.
- ROI was 1000-2000 eur /article whatever was the magazine. I was able to calculate the ROI from improved SEO performance and direct purchases.
- Our brand awareness (brand searches) started to increase.
- ROI was 1000-2000 eur /article whatever was the magazine. I was able to calculate the ROI from improved SEO performance and direct purchases.
4/ Micro-influencers
Another thing I learned from my SEO project was that micro influencers used our referral system a lot.
A local house mom could acquire 100 new subscription clients yearly basis from their 500 Instagram followers.
Another thing I learned from my SEO project was that micro influencers used our referral system a lot.
A local house mom could acquire 100 new subscription clients yearly basis from their 500 Instagram followers.
4.1/ Micro-influencers
I started systematically acquire more.
Strategy was combined with SEO (when there was a blog) so there wasn't huge pressure for incredible ROI.
These collaborations were really cheap so overall CAC of whole acquisition was profitable anyway.
I started systematically acquire more.
Strategy was combined with SEO (when there was a blog) so there wasn't huge pressure for incredible ROI.
These collaborations were really cheap so overall CAC of whole acquisition was profitable anyway.
4.2/ Influencers
Originally the big influencers were not interested about us because our brand was unknown.
At this point I started to get other collaborations as well.
Originally the big influencers were not interested about us because our brand was unknown.
At this point I started to get other collaborations as well.
4.3 / Influencer ROI
Biggest lifestyle influencers were waste of money. Most expensive blog post I bought was 15K eur and acquired only one client.
Rockstars and TV hosts worked. I could even calculate ROI from the amount of organic acquisition during an IG story.
Biggest lifestyle influencers were waste of money. Most expensive blog post I bought was 15K eur and acquired only one client.
Rockstars and TV hosts worked. I could even calculate ROI from the amount of organic acquisition during an IG story.
5/ Facebook & IG
For a B2C brand FB & IG was a no-brainer but very tricky to get to work in a scalable way (increase the budget and keep it profitable).
For a B2C brand FB & IG was a no-brainer but very tricky to get to work in a scalable way (increase the budget and keep it profitable).
5.1/ FB&IG
First campaign setup was tailored ad sets (8) for the current buyer personas.
"Wine glass or vacuum cleaner" ad for 30s women and "beer or vacuum cleaner" ad for 30s men etc.
This strategy got me to 2000 eur weekly spend with profitable CAC but it was the limit.
First campaign setup was tailored ad sets (8) for the current buyer personas.
"Wine glass or vacuum cleaner" ad for 30s women and "beer or vacuum cleaner" ad for 30s men etc.
This strategy got me to 2000 eur weekly spend with profitable CAC but it was the limit.
5.2/ FB&IG
It was also a very high maintenance campaign.
With a budget of 2000 eur / week you need to constantly come up with new, clever content.
It's very ad hoc.
It was also a very high maintenance campaign.
With a budget of 2000 eur / week you need to constantly come up with new, clever content.
It's very ad hoc.
5.3/ FB&IG
The killer content was found 9 months after I started.
A video campaign where we asked the cleaners common myths such as "why would you want to be a cleaner?"
It was so authentic in trust building I was able to scale the weekly FB&IG spend to over 10K€ week.
The killer content was found 9 months after I started.
A video campaign where we asked the cleaners common myths such as "why would you want to be a cleaner?"
It was so authentic in trust building I was able to scale the weekly FB&IG spend to over 10K€ week.
5.4/ FB&IG
It also reduced the channel maintenance because I was able to drop the whole mega campaign structure completely.
I had only one campaign: 18+ everyone in our areas.
And it was extremely profitable.
Content sure is the king.
It also reduced the channel maintenance because I was able to drop the whole mega campaign structure completely.
I had only one campaign: 18+ everyone in our areas.
And it was extremely profitable.
Content sure is the king.
5.5/ FB&IG
But it's very hard to come up with a killer content that literally works for everyone.
I also used the same content for cleaner acquisition, recruiting and funding round.
Coming up with that is another story:
mariluukkainen.fi/how-to-make-pe…
But it's very hard to come up with a killer content that literally works for everyone.
I also used the same content for cleaner acquisition, recruiting and funding round.
Coming up with that is another story:
mariluukkainen.fi/how-to-make-pe…
5.6/ FB&IG
This was btw when our brand really became a local top-of-mind brand.
Google brand searches skyrocketed from couple of hundreds per month to over 4000 /month.
This was btw when our brand really became a local top-of-mind brand.
Google brand searches skyrocketed from couple of hundreds per month to over 4000 /month.
6/ Events
Yes, there was also a lot of offline channels.
The company was already doing baby expos when I started.
I built our expo stand at baby expo once. Horrible experience. I also figured out that lazy millennial super users (who I represent) are not visiting such places.
Yes, there was also a lot of offline channels.
The company was already doing baby expos when I started.
I built our expo stand at baby expo once. Horrible experience. I also figured out that lazy millennial super users (who I represent) are not visiting such places.
6.1/ Event iteration
You can find people that have more money than time from expos for wine, tech and expensive hobbies.
All of them very good places to sell a home cleaning service.
You can find people that have more money than time from expos for wine, tech and expensive hobbies.
All of them very good places to sell a home cleaning service.
6.2/ At @SlushHQ we also went a bit further: we had Rasperry Pi beacons at toilets to track toilet lines live.
Got a lot of clients but also developer applications.
Good, because it was tricky to figure out how to win devs from cool blockchain startups as a cleaning company...
Got a lot of clients but also developer applications.
Good, because it was tricky to figure out how to win devs from cool blockchain startups as a cleaning company...
7/ Radio, billboards, metro stations...
With a healthy base of SEO acquisition I had some extra budget in our marketing mix for testing every month and it was still profitable.
I tested literally everything.
With a healthy base of SEO acquisition I had some extra budget in our marketing mix for testing every month and it was still profitable.
I tested literally everything.
7.1/ Tips for offline channels:
1. You can optimize costs a lot. Find a quiet season (not during elections etc) and get visibility almost for free.
2. Know your customer. When would they listen to radio and which channel?
3. If you don't know (2), call and ask. They'll answer.
1. You can optimize costs a lot. Find a quiet season (not during elections etc) and get visibility almost for free.
2. Know your customer. When would they listen to radio and which channel?
3. If you don't know (2), call and ask. They'll answer.
That's it.
Oh yeah, also:
8/ General tips to handle a very large marketing mix and a huge budget in multiple countries...
Oh yeah, also:
8/ General tips to handle a very large marketing mix and a huge budget in multiple countries...
8.1/ Build a recruiting pipeline just in case.
I handled everything in 3 countries almost alone which was too much.
The hockey-stick scaling phase was during the FB video campaign and lasted for 3 months. After that our business was suddenly huge and I was late in hiring.
I handled everything in 3 countries almost alone which was too much.
The hockey-stick scaling phase was during the FB video campaign and lasted for 3 months. After that our business was suddenly huge and I was late in hiring.
8.2/ Gather all the information in one place.
I had a huge Google Spreadsheet with everything.
1. Weekly basis acquisition
2. Buyer personas
3. Landing pages
4. PPC campaign setup
5. Influencers
Etc.
Everything. You can't maintain the big picture if information is scattered.
I had a huge Google Spreadsheet with everything.
1. Weekly basis acquisition
2. Buyer personas
3. Landing pages
4. PPC campaign setup
5. Influencers
Etc.
Everything. You can't maintain the big picture if information is scattered.
8.3/ Create a foundation of cross-functional communication.
Meaning keep everyone posted about what you do.
I posted weekly report on Slack, including:
1. How many customer we acquired and what was CAC
2. By doing what
3. Based in that, what happens next
Meaning keep everyone posted about what you do.
I posted weekly report on Slack, including:
1. How many customer we acquired and what was CAC
2. By doing what
3. Based in that, what happens next
8.4/ By doing that you'll welcome the whole team to work with you for the same goal: growing the company together.
Growth is always teamwork.
Growth is always teamwork.
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