Email Marketing for Carpet Cleaning: A Comprehensive Guide

What is Email Marketing for Carpet Cleaning Businesses?

Have you ever seen an email from one of your favorite brands with a deal you couldn’t resist? That’s email marketing. It’s a way to market directly to people who have already shown interest in your brand.

For carpet cleaning companies, email marketing is an integral part of the overall marketing strategy, along with social media, paid ads, and SEO. Since carpet cleaning lends itself to repeat business, sending emails can keep your services top-of-mind so past customers book with you again next time.

In addition to reminding old customers when it’s time to book carpet cleaning, you can use email marketing to:

• Nurture leads who have expressed interest in your service

• Educate customers on the value of keeping their carpets clean

• Offer seasonal promotions and special services

• Follow up with customers you’ve already quoted

• Ask customers for testimonials after you’ve finished the job

Like any other marketing strategy, it requires some upfront work. But with the right tools and strategies, it can pay off big time.

Why Do Carpet Cleaning Businesses Invest in Email Marketing?

Carpet cleaning businesses invest in email marketing because of its high ROI. You can earn $42 for every dollar you spend on email marketing, which makes it one of the most profitable ways to market your business!

Here are a few other important benefits of email marketing: 

• It’s cheap: Unlike Google Ads and paid ads on social media, you won’t have to invest a ton of money upfront to start seeing returns.

• You can automate it: Carpet cleaners can automate welcome messages, reminders, follow-up communications, and other important messaging. This keeps you communicative even when your schedule is packed.

• It keeps customers up to date: Rolling out a new carpet cleaning service or special promotion? With email marketing, you can quickly update all those customers who might be interested.

• It builds trust: You can share tips and advice that help your customers understand the value of your services. This positions you as an expert in your field.

• It gives you insights: Email marketing analytics can tell you what your customers are interested in so you can tailor your messaging—and even your services—to increase revenue.

ServiceTitan also has pre-built email marketing templates that allow you to create professionally designed emails with your logo, images, and call-to-action buttons that encourage clicks.

With so much information at your fingertips, you can fine-tune your email marketing efforts to send cleaning solutions to the right people.

What Types of Emails Do Carpet Cleaning Businesses Use the Most?

Seasonal services and repeat business are two of the most important ways carpet cleaners drive revenue. That makes email marketing a perfect marketing strategy for business owners, with messaging like: 

• Email newsletters: These let you share news, updates, and general information your subscribers might be interested in. For example, you can use email newsletters to educate customers about why they might need carpet cleaning, such as indoor air quality, pest prevention, and a brighter home or office.

• Promotional emails: Spring and fall are often popular times for carpet cleaning. If that’s true for your business, you can boost revenue during the off-season with promotional emails to advertise holiday cleaning, special deals, and more.

• Lead nurturing emails: This email sequence targets potential customers who have asked for a quote or expressed interest in carpet cleaning but haven’t booked with you yet. You could follow up on these leads with before-and-after pictures to show your value or highlight the importance of the service they’re interested in.

• Feedback emails: Asking for and managing feedback is important to your reputation. With ServiceTitan, you can automate emails asking for feedback and manage your reputation in the same app. 

• Upsell emails: Trying to sell Scotchguard and baseboard cleaning? Use upsell emails to target customers who have already had their carpet cleaned with messaging about extra services they might be interested in. 

As your business grows, you might also consider sending emails about important events, case studies, and new services you offer. 

How Can You Create an Email Marketing Campaign for Your Carpet Cleaning Business?

Great email campaigns start with a solid strategy. You’ll need to grow your audience, define your goals, choose your email type, and then pick the audience segment you want to send it to. After that, you’ll need to track the performance of your email to fine-tune future efforts.

Here’s a step-by-step walkthrough of how you can put this in place:

1. Create an email list

Chances are, you already have some email addresses from former customers. If you do, you’re off to a good start. But even if you don’t, you can build your email list with lead-generation forms across your website.

These small forms ask for a customer’s name and email address so they can opt-in to receive marketing communications from you. Here are a few ways to do this:

• Newsletter sign-up forms: Put forms on your website at the end of blog content, your sidebar menu, or even on your homepage.

• Website pop-ups: You can also create pop-ups with tools like OptinMonster. These can be welcome pop-ups when people first visit your page, pop-ups that appear at a certain point as readers scroll through the content, or exit-intent pop-ups that appear as they leave.

• Lead magnet forms: These are forms people need to fill out to access a resource like a carpet cleaning guide or webinar. This gated content can help collect contact information and tell you what people are most interested in at the same time.

2. Define your campaign’s goals

Ideally, every email subscriber would purchase from you, but realistically, you’ll need to win them over first.

That’s why it’s a good idea to think about what you want your email campaign to do for your business.

For example, you might want to:

• Welcome new subscribers and get them to visit your website more often.

• Encourage new bookings with social proof.

• Encourage repeat bookings by re-engaging older customers.

With your goal in mind, it’s time to start thinking about the content of your email newsletter.

3. Choose your email type

What is your campaign about? There are many different types of emails you could send depending on what content you have and what your goal is.

A few examples might be:

• Lead generation emails

• Lead nurture emails

• Customer retention emails

• Re-engagement emails

Whatever you choose, make sure the content is geared toward your goal. For example, a new subscriber might prefer information, while an old customer might be more interested in news and updates about your business.

4. Segment your audience

Audience segmentation is when you split customers into groups (or segments) to ensure each segment gets emails that are relevant to them. For example, you might split your audience into segments based on:

• Location

• Whether or not they have an open estimate

• How long has it been since they booked

• Commercial vs. residential customers

• Type of services they requested

• Amount spent per cleaning

The more precisely you segment your audience, the more likely you are to create campaigns that appeal to them and achieve your target goal.

With ServiceTitan Marketing Pro, you can create email campaigns that are connected to the rest of your customer service data. This lets you send hyper-targeted emails based on when customers last booked carpet cleaning, how much they spent, what ads they clicked on, and more.

This information also updates in real-time as customer relationships evolve, creating precise segments for better targeting and conversions.

5. Track the results

Once you’ve sent your email, it’s time to watch the metrics roll in. If you’re unsure whether your numbers are good or bad, compare them with email marketing benchmarks for your industry to see where your carpet cleaning company stands.

Some important metrics are:

• Open rate: How many customers opened your email?

• Conversion rate: How many customers completed the action in your CTA?

• Click-through rate: The percentage of your audience that clicked on a link in your email.

• Forwards and shares: How many people forwarded or shared your email?

• Soft bounce rate: How many emails can’t be delivered to an email server for temporary problems?

• Hard bounce rate: How many emails fail to delivered to an email server?

• Unsubscribe rate: How many people unsubscribed from your list divided by the number of emails delivered?

• List growth rate: How fast your email subscriber list has grown over a specific period.

These metrics will give you a valuable snapshot of the customer journey. But with standalone email software, you’ll only get information related directly to a customer’s reaction to your email.

With ServiceTitan, you can track the whole customer journey. Since the software is also connected to your booking and revenue numbers, you can see which emails generated the most revenue for your business.

What Are Some Email Marketing Ideas for Carpet Cleaning Businesses?

Having trouble thinking of what to email your customers? The good news is that you probably already have more content than you think. From case studies to limited-time offers, you can repurpose some of your existing ads and long-form content into email marketing content that appeals to your target audience.

Here are a few ideas for email marketing campaigns:

1. Before and after case studies

A picture is worth a thousand words. Send customers before-and-after pictures of carpets you’ve cleaned so they can see the value of professional carpet cleaning.

To demonstrate your attention to detail, you can include multiple pictures that highlight an entire room before and after carpet cleaning, the results of deep cleaning, and any details like corners, tough stains, or baseboard cleaning to demonstrate your attention to detail. 

Case studies can also show images of satisfied customers and your team to make your business feel more human. This helps your business seem more friendly and approachable, helping encourage your audience to book with you.

Before-and-after case studies are ideal to send to leads that have already expressed interest or received a quote, but haven’t booked with you yet. They may just need a little push to see your offer's true value.

2. Customer testimonials

Testimonials provide powerful social proof. When your audience sees that past customers loved the work you did for them, it builds trust in the quality of your service.

You can incorporate testimonials in your emails in a few ways. Longer testimonials can be the entire subject of an email, while shorter ones can go near your call to action to encourage customers to book with you.

Online reviews are a huge business driver, so you should also automate emails that request feedback after every job.

With ServiceTitan’s Reputation feature, you can view and manage all your reviews in one place as part of your overall carpet cleaning marketing strategy. Once reviews come in, you’ll see them appear on a consolidated feed so you can respond quickly and match reviews to technicians.

3. Limited-time offers

Limited-time offers can help drum up new business during slow periods in the cleaning industry. These offers give customers a sense of urgency, knowing that they are only valid for a limited period.

For example, you could create a campaign for a one-month-only deal on a new cleaning service  you want to promote or for holiday offers when customers are likely to have guests over.

This can help get your foot in the door with new customers so they see the value you offer firsthand. If a special promotion helps them book their first cleaning and they love your service, they’ll be more likely to book with you again at your standard rate.

But balancing that urgency with a realistic booking window is important, especially for larger jobs. Try experimenting with the length of your offer to see what time frame is the most successful.

4. Informational newsletters

Carpet cleaners can use newsletters to share information about cleaning services and build brand awareness. This could be anything from short tips to entire blog articles. A few examples of info you might send are:

• Tips: Shorter tips can be a good way to create a quick email that’s easy to read. For example, tips could include how to get certain stains out of carpets or how to keep your carpets free of pet dander.

• Guides: Guides are longer and may include a step-by-step process for doing something more involved. For example, you could make a guide on what household cleaners to use on upholstery and carpets between professional cleanings.

• FAQs: What do your customers commonly ask about? You could take these questions and turn them into an FAQ email. For example, you could include information on how to prep your home for a cleaning appointment.

• News: Is your company moving to a new location? Are you announcing new services or a customer event? Emails with this type of news content keep your regular customers in the loop.

What Are Some Email Marketing Best Practices Carpet Cleaning Contractors Should Know?

While it's easy to get started with email marketing, a successful email marketing strategy requires following some key best practices.

Segment your email list

Segmenting your email list means grouping your subscribers by category. Then, when you send emails, you can send them to a smaller group rather than your whole list.

This helps boost engagement because you can create customized campaigns for each segment based on your customers' demographics.

For example, you could send case study emails to leads who have received a quote but haven’t booked with you yet. Carpet cleaning businesses can send different promotions based on whether the client is in the commercial or residential niche.

An important aspect of segmentation is that the more categories you have, the more targeted your campaigns will be.

Write compelling subject lines

A high-quality subject line is key to more clicks and revenue. But when you write them, it’s important to balance catchy and professional. 

Here are a few important tips for subject lines:

• Spammy tactics will trigger spam filters. Text in all caps or phrases like “100% satisfied” and “Act Now!” could land your email in the spam folder.

• Keep it short. Less than 50 characters is ideal so that your subject line doesn’t get cut off.

• Be descriptive and clear. Ask a question or include your promotion in the subject line to make readers want to click on your email.

Two good examples might be:

• “Professional tips to make your carpet spotless”

• “How to clean your carpets for the holidays”

It’s also a good idea to A/B test subject lines if you have two similar versions and want to see which one works (more on that below).

Personalize your emails

You can go beyond segmentation in email marketing and address your customers directly with merge tags. These tags will automatically modify content to fit each customer’s preference, making emails even more relevant to them.

With ServiceTitan, you can also add merge tags to personalize email campaigns.

For example, you can create an email with a greeting that says, “Hello {CustomerName},” and when the email is sent, the software will replace the tag with their name.

For quotes, you can also send customers personalized content blocks that remind them of the quoted price with an {EstimateNumber} merge tag.

This helps customers feel like you’re addressing them personally rather than just sending them a boilerplate email.

Create special promotions and discounts

Special promotions and discounts can create a sense of exclusivity for loyal subscribers and customers or for those who have already asked for a quote.

For example, you could send a special loyalty offer for past customers who booked with you more than six months ago. You might also send a special offer to commercial customers, such as schools that need carpets cleaned before September.

Boost your success with leads who have already received a quote by reducing the price slightly while they’re still deciding. Or, create a referral promotion as a cost-effective way to reach new homeowners who need cleaning services.

Create email sequences

Email sequences can help you stay top-of-mind with a series of emails related to each other.

For example, an email sequence for a new quote might be:

• A follow-up email reminding them of your quote.

• A case study or testimonial showcasing the value of your services.

• A special promotion offering them a small discount on their first carpet cleaning.

Or, you might create a sequence after you’ve completed work for someone with emails like:

• A request for their feedback on your services.

• Maintenance tips on how to keep their carpet fresh.

• A reminder to re-book with you in six months.

Remember that the intervals between emails in a sequence should vary depending on your situation. For new leads, you may want to schedule emails close together while they’re still deciding. On the other hand, past customers might benefit more from a monthly sequence to help remind them about their carpet maintenance over the longer term.

Have clear CTAs

When you send emails, always have an action in mind that you want your target segment to take; this is called a “call to action” or CTA. This could be to book a quote, schedule a follow-up cleaning, or read more on your website.

It’s important to make your CTAs clear with bold buttons and short text. Make it visible with bright colors on CTA buttons that stand out early in your email.

It’s also a good idea to choose just one call to action per email so customers don’t get overwhelmed by too many choices. Your content should point toward one clear, concrete action they can easily take in a few minutes.

Plan for special occasions

Many customers spend weeks planning special occasions like Christmas get-togethers, back-to-school season, and summer holidays. Special occasion emails will work better when customers are still in the planning phase.

If you send your special occasion emails early, you’ll have a much better chance of being their first pick for seasonal carpet cleaning.

Save these emails well in advance and schedule them to go out when planning for special occasions starts to cross their minds.

A/B test your campaign

Not sure about which messaging works best? Each business has a unique audience; standard advice will only go so far.

That’s where A/B testing comes in. It’s when you send two variations of the same campaign to two customer groups. After it’s sent, you can check your metrics to see which ones performed the best.

For example, you might A/B test:

• Images in your campaign

• CTA button text, colors, or placement

• Subject lines

• The first line of your email

Keep in mind that A/B testing works best if the change is small. If you send two completely different campaigns, it will be hard to tell what element made the difference.

If you put in the effort, you’ll be much better positioned to make your email campaigns a strong element of your marketing strategy!

The Bottom Line

Email marketing is one of the best tools for your carpet cleaning business. In addition to things like PPC, Google Ads, SEO, and social media, it can be a huge revenue driver to boost your cleaning services. It can also boost repeat bookings.

When a compelling, personalized campaign lands right in people’s inboxes, you can create the top-of-mind awareness that makes your business a household name.

With carpet cleaning software like ServiceTitan, you can take your campaigns to the next level. Connect your entire digital marketing strategy with the rest of your business data for a complete picture of your customers, revenue, and business growth.

ServiceTitan is an all-in-one platform for carpet cleaning business management and carpet cleaning marketing. From marketing and lead generation to field operations, payments, and reputation management, ServiceTitan is your A-Z tool for unlocking better performance.