This episode of Smart Business Moves brings on special guest Gemma Beylouny from Rejoice Maids to talk social media marketing.
Gemma is a bona fide marketing expert who has been putting in a lot of time and energy in marketing her business. Gemma shares her strategy of marketing on social media and in particular, Instagram. Watch this episode by clicking the link below and learn what Gemma has to offer!
Highlights Summary
Context. Gemma owns Rejoice Maids. The transcript writes the name as “Jordan Aids” and “Rejoice Mates,” so please confirm the spelling. She has run the business for 10 years and said she spent the first five just trying to survive. She credited training through Foundations and ARCSI, along with experience, for her growth since then. A capable manager now runs her office, along with one of her daughters, so Gemma focuses almost entirely on marketing. She said she found it’s what she loves. She called herself a slow learner, although she’s only been doing social media seriously for about six months. Liz said she admires that Gemma posts without waiting for perfection, getting a minimum viable product out and improving it. Gemma accepts that some posts will be imperfect, though her exact phrasing is garbled in the transcript.
Facebook drives sales. Gemma said most of her sales come from Facebook, not Instagram. Her Instagram is connected to Facebook, so she uses both. She said owners should pick the platform where their market is. In a big city like Atlanta, that might be Instagram or Twitter. In her suburban area, each subdivision has its own Facebook group, so Facebook is her main platform.
Posting schedule. Gemma spends about five hours a day on social media, Monday through Saturday, with Sunday off. Video takes the most time because of editing. She posts every weekday and plans her themes on a weekly calendar.
- Monday is a live video, which she admits she often skips.
- Tuesday is “Positivity Tuesday.”
- Wednesday is a short cleaning tip.
- Thursday spotlights a local small business, such as a Malaysian restaurant. Every other week, this alternates with a new segment called “Cooking for George,” featuring her husband.
- Friday is “Fun Friday.”
She also updates her Stories daily with bright colors and light, funny moments, such as a chameleon trying to blend into her roses.
Ninety percent of posts don’t sell. Gemma said about 90% of her videos never ask for a sale. Their purpose is to show she’s part of the community, because seeing her face regularly builds trust. She said nearly every post still has a purpose and connects back to the business. For example, she said even a lawn mower outside connects to what happens inside a home.
Paid ads. Gemma’s most recent ad was a single boosted video that ran for 15 days in August at a cost of $150. She said that was enough, because her content was already reaching nearby cities.
Getting help from Facebook. After about two years of buying Facebook ads, Gemma left Facebook a long, frustrated message saying she was paying them and not getting help. Facebook then assigned her an advisor named Hunter, who worked with her for three months. He taught her to stay consistent, build a team, and keep following up to build a foundation. She also pointed viewers to the business profile section of a Facebook page, where owners can add details like services, and noted that Facebook constantly changes its features.
Reels, Stories, and IGTV. Gemma described Instagram Reels as a newer, less powerful version of TikTok, then still in beta. She said her seven-year-old granddaughter introduced her to TikTok. She said short Reels work well as Stories, and that Instagram cuts off longer videos. For anything over about two minutes, she now posts to IGTV and reformats the video for Facebook. Her advice was to decide where content will go before making it, so it can be reused.
Editing apps. Gemma films on her Android phone and frequently switches editing apps, which she said typically cost $10–$15 a year. She said WeVideo is good for longer videos. Her current favorite is VivaVideo, which is cheap, works on Android, and is free with ads. She paid a few dollars to remove the ads. She warned that some apps get buggy after a few uses, and said once you learn one, the others are easy to pick up. She also asks her younger employees which apps they use.
Slow, real growth. Gemma’s page had about 683 followers, and Liz noted that only 41 of the people who liked it were Gemma’s Facebook friends. Liz said her own page is the opposite, with likes coming mostly from friends and other cleaning business owners, which doesn’t help her get clients. Gemma said she never asks friends, relatives, or clients to like her page. She prefers slow growth from people who genuinely want to follow her. All of her personal accounts are branded “Rejoice Gemma,” so they connect back to the business.
Analytics and SEO. Gemma reviews Facebook insights and Google Analytics about once a month but said she doesn’t dwell on them. She cited Gary Vaynerchuk, whom she called her “coach in my head,” for the advice to stop worrying about metrics and keep creating content. The transcript garbles his name, but the reference is clear from context. She said staying active helps SEO because Google sees the business is “alive.”
YouTube. Gemma said she was excited to start a YouTube channel with help from her daughter Nicole, whom she had just hired. “Cooking for George” will be its own segment there. She also plans to add blog posts to her website, which Liz noted would create backlinks. Gemma maintains her own website.
Print and email. Gemma said she pays for a magazine cover ad every two years as part of her strategic plan, to thank the community and remind people the business is still there. She had also just signed up for Mailchimp and was excited to learn she could include videos in client emails. Liz said she might add a short video to her own daily reminder emails, linking clients to her social media pages.
Closing. Gemma said she was 48 and loving her work. Liz noted that’s not something you often hear from cleaning business owners. Liz said she’d probably message Gemma for more help.
