Market A Problem + Solution — Not A Random List of House Cleaning Services
Updated: Oct 7
Do you ever sit down to advertise your house cleaning business and think:
“What am I actually supposed to say?”
Maybe you start writing:
Bathrooms.
Kitchens.
Vacuuming.
Mopping.
Dusting.
And yes, those are all things you may clean.
But here is something I learned when I first started my house cleaning business over 18 years ago:
Sometimes people don't need another list of cleaning services.
They need a reason to hire you.
And one of the first marketing lessons I learned came from a landscaping business.
1. How I Learned to Market a Problem
When I first started my house cleaning business, I started it with a coworker.
We knew how to work hard.
We knew how to clean.
But finding that first client?
That was new.
Her husband had purchased a landscaping business earlier that year.
Someone had advised him to advertise more heavily during certain times of the year.
For example:
During the beginning of the year, Spring was coming.
People were thinking about their yards.
Later in the year, leaves were falling.
Different seasons created different reasons for homeowners to need landscaping help.
That got me thinking.
At the time?
It was October.
The holidays were coming.
People were going to be:
shopping
decorating
cooking
working
preparing for family
getting ready for guests
And somewhere in the middle of all that?
They still had to clean the house.
So I told my coworker:
“We can do the same thing.”
That was when I really started thinking about marketing around a problem people were already dealing with.
2. Our Homemade Holiday Flyers
We made our own homemade flyers.
Nothing fancy.
I had Thanksgiving-colored ribbons somebody had given me, so we tied the ribbons onto the flyers.
Then I personally drove around different towns and communities and walked door to door for about two hours placing those flyers on people's doors.
Our business was called:
Clean and So Fresh!
We did not have:
a professional marketing company
a fancy logo
expensive advertisements
beautiful professional photos
We started with what we had.
I even made us a little website.
And gal...
😂
That website was basic.
I put our names, phone number, business mission and some information about us.
And because our business was brand new?
I even wrote that we had:
NO RECOMMENDATIONS OR BUSINESS REVIEWS.
Yes.
I actually put that on the website.
😂
Maybe I was a little too honest.
But I also explained that even though our business was new, we were not new to hard work.
We were ready to clean.
3. One Flyer Sat on a Refrigerator for More Than Two Years
Years later, one of my clients told me something I never forgot.
He owned a successful heating and air-conditioning business.
He and his wife had found one of our homemade flyers.
Instead of calling immediately?
They put that flyer on their refrigerator.
And it stayed there for:
More than two years.
Then his wife needed surgery.
Now they had a problem.
They needed some help with the house.
And that old flyer?
They still had it.
They called us.
When I met them, he joked with me about that very honest little website I had made years before.
By then, I had already taken the website down.
I told him:
“We don't need the website.”
😂
By that point, I already had real clients who could give me recommendations.
But think about what happened.
The fancy website wasn't what sat in their kitchen for two years.
My simple homemade flyer did.
And when they finally had a problem that required cleaning help?
They remembered us.
We ended up cleaning for that family for years.
That taught me something important about marketing:
People may see your marketing before they need you.
Your message may sit there.
They may remember your name.
Then one day something changes.
Surgery.
A busy season.
Family coming over.
A new baby.
Work gets crazy.
The holidays arrive.
And suddenly:
“You know what? I could really use some help cleaning this house.”
That's why the message matters.
4. Don't Just Sell a Random List of Cleaning Services
Our flyers did not only say:
“We clean houses!”
followed by:
Bathrooms
Kitchens
Vacuuming
Mopping
Dusting
Bedrooms
Homeowners already know what house cleaners generally do.
Our holiday message focused more on what was happening in their life.
They were busy.
They were shopping.
They were decorating.
They were cooking.
They were preparing for guests.
And we could help take some of the regular house cleaning off their plate.
That is a very different message from:
“LOOK AT EVERYTHING I CLEAN!”
Instead, you're saying:
“I understand what you're dealing with, and my cleaning service may be able to help.”
That's:
Problem + Solution Marketing
5. Don't Just Sell the Cleaning — Sell the Help
Today, homeowners may still have many of the same problems.
Some households have two people working.
Some parents are trying to keep up with:
work
children
appointments
errands
school
family
the house
Then their day off comes.
Do they really want to spend the entire day cleaning?
Some people do.
Some people don't.
And some are willing to pay someone else to help.
That's where your cleaning service comes in.
You are not promising to fix somebody's whole life.
You're solving one problem.
They need the house cleaned.
You provide house cleaning.
Simple.
But your marketing can show them why that help might matter right now.
6. There's a Reason for Every Season
This is why I like seasonal marketing.
Different seasons may create different problems for homeowners.
Think about:
Spring
Maybe they're tired of winter dust and want the house refreshed.
Summer
Children may be home more.
Family may be visiting.
There may be more traffic through the house.
Back-to-School
Schedules start getting busy again.
Parents may be juggling work, school drop-offs, homework and activities.
Fall
Schedules change.
The weather changes.
People begin preparing for upcoming holidays.
Holidays
Shopping.
Decorating.
Cooking.
Visitors.
Parties.
Family.
A whole lot going on.
That is why I say:
There's a reason for every season.
Your job is to ask:
“What problem might my potential client be dealing with right now?”
Then think about how your cleaning service can help with that one problem.
7. Use This Simple Problem + Solution Formula
Let's make this easy.
Use:
Problem → What They'd Rather Be Doing → How You Can Help → Result
Here's what I mean.
Holiday example
Problem:
They are trying to clean while shopping, decorating, cooking and preparing for guests.
What would they rather be doing?
Getting ready for the holidays and spending time with their family.
How can you help?
Take some of the regular house cleaning off their plate.
Result:
One less thing for them to worry about and a cleaner home for the holidays.
Now you can turn that into a simple marketing message.
Instead of:
“Holiday Cleaning Available!”
you could say:
Busy getting ready for the holidays? Let me help keep the house clean while you focus on shopping, decorating, cooking and getting ready for your guests.
See the difference?
You're still advertising house cleaning.
But now the homeowner can understand:
“Why might I need this service right now?”
Another Example — Spring
Instead of:
“Book Your Spring Cleaning Today!”
think about the actual problem.
Maybe the homeowner is ready for a fresh start but doesn't want to spend the whole weekend cleaning.
Your message could be:
Ready to freshen up the house for Spring but don't want to spend your whole weekend cleaning? Let me help take some of the cleaning off your list.
Simple.
Nothing fancy.
You don't need some big advertising-company vocabulary.
Just:
Problem + Help.
8. Your Marketing Message Can Affect Who Responds
Remember something we talked about when learning about clients:
The way you market, price and describe your service can influence the type of clients who contact you.
Not control.
Influence.
There is a difference.
For example, imagine your advertisement says:
CHEAP CLEANING! LOWEST PRICE! CALL NOW!
What is the main thing you're marketing?
Price.
Now compare that with:
Busy getting ready for holiday guests? Let me take some of the regular house cleaning off your list so you can focus on everything else you're trying to get done.
That's a different message.
Now you're talking to someone who has a problem your service may help solve.
That does not guarantee every person who contacts you will be your perfect client.
Of course not.
But your marketing message is helping people understand:
who you help
what you offer
why they may need you
and how your service fits into their life
That's much clearer than screaming:
“I CLEAN!”
😂
What If You Have a Hard Time Writing Your Own?
Now maybe you're thinking:
“Okay, Nigellie. I understand the idea. But I still don't know what to write.”
I got you.
I created a separate lesson to help you use AI for one simple job:
Brainstorming Problem + Solution Marketing Ideas
Not letting AI run your business.
Not copying robotic advertisements.
Just helping you get past that blank screen when you don't know what to write.
In that lesson, I'll show you how to give AI information about:
your season
your local area
the type of homeowner you're trying to reach
their problem
the service you actually provide
and the result you're trying to communicate
Then AI can help you brainstorm ideas.
You choose the idea.
You fix the wording.
You make it sound like you.
AI helps with the brainstorming.
You stay the business owner.
Before You Move On — Turn One Cleaning Service Into a Solution
Let's practice.
Pick one season.
Maybe:
Spring
Summer
Back-to-School
Fall
or:
The Holidays
Now answer these four questions.
1. What problem is the homeowner dealing with?
2. What would they rather be doing?
3. How can my cleaning service help?
4. How do I want them to feel afterward?
Now turn those answers into:
ONE simple marketing message.
Not ten.
One.
Do not worry about making it perfect.
The goal is to start training yourself to think:
Problem first. Service second.
Because your potential client doesn't wake up thinking:
“I wonder which cleaner offers mopping today.”
😂
They are thinking about their problem.
Your marketing helps connect that problem to the service you provide.
Final Takeaway
When I first started my house cleaning business, I did not know some fancy name like:
Problem + Solution Marketing.
I was simply paying attention.
The holidays were coming.
People were busy.
They needed help.
We cleaned houses.
So we put those two things together.
That simple lesson has stayed with me for more than 18 years.
You do not always need:
fancy advertisements
a fancy logo
a fancy website
complicated marketing language
You need to understand:
Who am I trying to help?
What problem are they dealing with?
How can my cleaning service help with that problem?
Then tell them.
Simple.
Remember:
Don't just market what you clean.
Market the problem you can help solve.
There is a reason for every season.
So give your potential client a reason to need your help during that season.
Happy Business! You Got This!
Stay Bonafide — keep growing and glowing.
Quick Questions. Clean Answers!
1. What's the difference between marketing my services and marketing a problem + solution?
A service list tells homeowners what you do.
Problem + solution marketing helps them understand why they may need you.
Instead of only saying:
“Bathrooms, kitchens, vacuuming and mopping,”
you connect the cleaning service to something happening in their life.
2. Do I need a fancy website or logo before I start marketing?
No.
I didn't have fancy marketing materials when I started.
Our homemade flyers were simple.
The important part was getting the message in front of local homeowners.
You can improve your materials as your business grows.
3. Why should I think about different seasons when marketing?
Because the homeowner's problem may change during the year.
Back-to-school problems may be different from holiday problems.
That gives you different reasons to talk about your cleaning service.
4. What's the simple Problem + Solution Marketing formula?
Use:
Problem → What They'd Rather Be Doing → How You Can Help → Result
Keep it simple.
5. What if I can't think of what to write?
You can use my:
lesson.
Use AI to help brainstorm ideas.
Then change the wording so it sounds like you and your business.
6. Should every advertisement list all of my cleaning services?
No.
Sometimes you need a service list.
But every marketing message does not need to list everything you clean.
Sometimes one clear problem and one clear solution can make the message much easier for the homeowner to understand.
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