5 pressure washing advertising ideas to attract clients

Key takeaways

• List your company on business platforms and make sure they have an easy way to get in touch with you
• Engage with your community and complementary business owners by hosting booths at local events, trade shows, and conventions
• Leverage the power of physical ads by running sales promotions via direct mail

Most property owners only need pressure washing occasionally. This means that as a pressure washing business owner, you always need to be on the lookout for ways to attract potential clients. To help expedite your business’s growth, there are affordable advertising options that can help you with lead generation so you can turn new sales into long-term clients. 

5 pressure washing business advertising ideas

Advertising doesn’t have to be unaffordable for small business owners. From traditional techniques like direct mail and trade show booths to newer options like social media video ads and email marketing, there are many offline and online pressure washing advertising ideas you can use to reach your target market and drive more customers to your brand. 

Here are five pressure washing advertising ideas you can use to take your business to the next level.

1. Make an exclusive offer to new email subscribers

Effective email marketing is an excellent way to draw in new customers and retain existing ones. As you’re growing your email list, consider offering a special promotion to encourage subscriptions. 

A good offer can make all the difference in making a sale. In fact, 80% of shoppers are more likely to buy from a new brand if they find a discount. Creating an offer exclusively for new email subscribers—such as a flat rate discount—can also help you build your list. In the future, you can remarket to these contacts as often as you want.

One way to promote your offer is with a pop-up on your pressure washing website. Potential clients will see your discount as they’re learning about your services, which can help you win high-quality leads. Email marketing software like Constant Contact and Mailchimp offer pop-up templates to make your setup process easy. Plus, many of these tools let you automate emails so your offer can instantly land in your new contacts’ inboxes as soon as they sign up.

2. Promote your business on local online platforms

As potential customers research the pressure washing business that’s right for them, they’ll likely come across various online platforms that list relevant businesses in their area. Think of these sites as a gateway to customers, and be sure your business is listed and completed with all the information they’d need to consider you for the job.

On Yelp, there are many consumers who are ready to connect with pressure washing companies like yours. In fact, 57% of users reach out to a company they find on Yelp within a day. If you want a chance to be one of the first local brands they discover, consider running Yelp Ads to make your business stand out.

Yelp Ads allow your business listing to appear above relevant search results and on competitors’ pages. Businesses with Yelp Ads get 2.5x more leads—and you’ll only pay when someone clicks on your ad. What’s more, you can set your own advertising budget for better control over your marketing spend.

First, make sure to claim or add your Yelp Business Page and spruce up your online presence before you run your ad. Updating your company details—including your business name, phone number, website, and service area—can give your potential clients the information they need to learn more about and reach out to your brand. 

As with your website, you can also upload high-quality photos and videos of your techniques and completed jobs on Yelp.

3. Run video ads on social media

Organic (that is, unpaid) social media marketing campaigns don’t always reach people outside of your current following. However, paid social media ads let you show up in the feeds of your target audience, whether or not they’re following your brand.

Video ads can be particularly eye-catching—especially since apps like Instagram and TikTok are prioritizing videos more than ever. You can film a simple video of your pressure washing process, show before-and-after video footage of your pressure washing jobs, or get in front of the camera to explain how pressure washers work. Then, add a call to action (CTA)—like “learn more by [website URL]”—to your caption or right on your video using a free video editor like iMovie or Shotcut.

Most social media platforms offer pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, which means you’ll only pay when someone engages with your ad—including likes, comments, and link clicks. As a result, this digital marketing idea is more cost-effective than more traditional ads, which sometimes require you to pay upfront to reach a mass audience that may include only a small portion of your ideal clients.

4. Share a sales promotion through direct mail

Consumers spend more time engaging with physical ads than with digital ads. When you want to target homeowners in a specific neighborhood or ZIP code, direct mail can help give your local business an advantage over the competition. Placing an ad right in a potential customer’s mailbox increases the odds that they’ll have a meaningful interaction with your brand.

You can make direct mail even more effective by giving clients a time-sensitive reason to reach out about your pressure washing services. Share a sales promotion that includes a CTA that emphasizes how it won’t be around forever. A few examples can include:

• Make your first appointment for 30% off, this week only!
• Flash sale: Call for 50% off services before January 31
• Book a service for an instant discount—first come, first served

Use the USPS direct mail cost calculator to estimate how much you’ll need to spend on this pressure washing advertising idea. On average, you can spend as little as $0.64 per household you reach.

5. Run a booth at a local event

Even as digital communication grows more widespread, many of our most important connections continue to occur face-to-face. Chatting in person can help you better read people’s reactions—including body language and facial cues—so you can build rapport and make the most persuasive pitch.

If you want to reach potential clients in your service area, an in-person pressure washing advertising idea to consider is running a booth at a relevant local event. For instance, many homeowners attend home and garden shows, while real estate and building professionals—who can provide regular referrals—might attend trade shows and conferences.

You can speed up lead generation with this pressure washing marketing strategy by offering enticing rewards in exchange for contact information. For instance, you can:

• Provide free swag, such as branded mugs or cord holders, that your target audience can use
• Offer special discounts on your pressure washing services
• Do a business card drawing with a desirable prize (like a free driveway pressure cleaning)
• Offer a prize wheel that includes a mixture of low-cost and high-value prizes

Attracting new customers to your pressure washing business

While growing your brand through word of mouth is an excellent way to win new customers, doing that takes time. You can get more proactive about your growth by incorporating paid but affordable advertising techniques into your marketing strategy. 

Both online and offline ads can help your company get in front of property owners who may be interested in your services—even if they’ve never heard your company name before. Plus, many modern pressure washing advertising ideas—including video ads, online business postings, and local event marketing—let you reach the most relevant consumers for a reasonable price.

More traditional advertising methods like using direct mail and manning booths at local events, trade shows, or conventions can also boost your pressure washing business without busting your budget.

As you continue to develop your advertising plan, be sure you’re putting your best foot forward with a memorable brand experience. Check out these small business branding tips to help you stand out in the industry.