Derek's 2014 advice to pick one social platform and dominate it still works, but the platforms he listed have changed and Google+ no longer exists. Today, deciding what to post on social media for business matters more than choosing a network, and short video, reviews and real faces do most of the work.
The Original Tip Does It Still Work? Then vs. Now What to Post Weekly Posting Rhythm Build Your Brand Measure What Matters Quick Summary FAQ
Editor's note: This article first appeared in August 2014 as Tip #29 in CBT's Guerrilla Marketing series by CBT co-founder Derek Christian. We've kept the original tip below and added an October 2026 update on what to post on social media today. Google+ shut down for consumers in 2019, and the original's links to Google+, Twitter for Business and a 2012 audience study are no longer available.
The Original 2014 Tip: Social Media for Business
Pick your social media playground and dominate it!
Since the addition of social media to the brand marketing and customer engagement tools, I've stuck with my mantra: Pick one and dominate it!
So what are your choices? And what are the best practices for businesses using them?
Google+ is the social network with the most moving parts AND the biggest SEO boosting potential. Why? Because Google runs the most used search engine that connects to your website, making it and its different connecting sites the #1 traffic driver to your website. One login gains you
- Gmail and Google Calendar
- Google+ profile
- Google+ page(s)
- Google Places (and reviews)
- Google AdWords (pay-per-click)
- YouTube Channel
- Snapshots
- Picaso Web Albums - photo sharing
- Blogger - blog site
It's important to know what all Google controls because using and connecting all of these can make your efforts more effective. Check out Google+ Business and Google+ for Brands for ways your business can maximize your time and marketing budget.
Facebook is the social network with the most users aged 18 - 60, and these people are looking for quick, newsy information, not sales and specials. They want to be a close, active community with each other, not just with you. So if engagement - Likes and Comments - is your objective, this might be your top pick. Facebook also owns a number of other connected sites you can use to increase and improve engagement:
- Facebook - social networking
- Instagram - photo sharing
- WhatsApp - SMS and messaging app
- Oculus VR - gaming
- Moves - fitness tracking app (imaging helping your staff track their calories burned each day!)
Check out Facebook for Business for ways your business can maximize your time and marketing budget.
Twitter is the social network used by consumers who expect and create frequent, short, single-idea posts; the dominant user on Twitter is the 25-54-year-old woman with an income of $25,000 - $49,000/year. Twitter users are highly social and usually easy to engage, though the time frame for engagement is about 30 minutes; that is, once a post is about 30 minutes old, it's past history and not likely to be found, favorited, or retweeted.
Check out Twitter for Business for ways your business can maximize your time and marketing budget.
Target Marketing in Targeted Social Networks
These three are and are expected to remain the social network leaders in the foreseable future, but for some serious target marketing campaigns, check into the types of users who prefer other social networks like
- Reddit - "press conference" like bulletin board site used primarily by 25-34-year-old males
- StumbleUpon - discovery engine with paid advertising opportunities, used primarily by 18-34-year-old women
- Tumblr - discovery engine used primarily by 18-34-year-old women
- LinkedIn - great network if you're looking to barter with local businesses to reduce your costs and to expand your service market, used primarily by 35-54-year-old professionals
Does "Pick One and Dominate It" Still Work?
Yes. Choosing one main platform and doing it well is still the most practical approach for a small cleaning company with limited time. A neglected profile on four networks does less for your brand than an active, consistent presence on one.
The platform map in the original is what has aged. Google closed consumer Google+ in April 2019, and Twitter is now X. Pew Research Center's 2025 survey found that 84% of U.S. adults use YouTube, 71% use Facebook, 50% use Instagram and 37% use TikTok, while X sits at 21%. Our verdict: the tactic has evolved, and the bigger question today is what to post on social media for business rather than where to post it.
Then vs. Now: How Social Media for Business Has Changed
The core goal is the same, but the platforms, formats and path to a booking have all shifted since 2014.
Social Media for a Cleaning Business in 2014 vs. Today
| Factor | 2014 | Today |
|---|---|---|
| Leading platforms | Google+, Facebook and Twitter | Facebook and Instagram for most residential companies, plus YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn for commercial accounts |
| Main formats | Text updates, links and photos | Short vertical video, photo carousels, stories and photos |
| Who sees a post | Mostly people who already followed your page | Followers plus people the platform recommends your content to |
| Where reviews live | Google Places and review sites | Google Business Profile, Facebook and Yelp, with reviews often shared again as social posts |
| Main job | Engagement and SEO help from Google+ | Brand awareness and trust that lead to a search, a review check and a booking |
The reach row matters most. Instagram head Adam Mosseri has explained that Feed includes posts from accounts you don't already follow, and that most of what people see in Reels comes from accounts they don't follow. A useful post can now reach homeowners who have never heard of you, which makes content quality more important than follower count.
What to Post on Social Media for a Cleaning Business
The best social media posts for a cleaning company show your work, your people and your expertise. Most of the social media post ideas you'll find online fit into six groups, and a cleaning business can fill each one from its normal workweek. If you're starting your social media presence from scratch, CBT's guide on how to promote a cleaning business through social media covers platform setup and promotion. This section focuses on the content itself.
Before and After Posts
Before-and-after photos are the strongest proof a cleaning company can post, because they show the result a prospect is paying for. Shoot from the same angle and in the same light, and keep the space clean of personal items. Our updated tip on before-and-after photos covers how to take and use them. Short videos of a grout line or oven door coming clean work well as reels.
Team and Behind-the-Scenes Posts
Clients let your team into their homes, so showing who those people are builds trust. Post staff introductions, work anniversaries, training days and the van being loaded in the morning. This kind of company culture content also helps with hiring, since applicants check your social media accounts too. For ways to celebrate your staff in public, see our updated tip on employee appreciation ideas.
Cleaning Tips
Short, useful tips give people a reason to follow you even when they don't need a cleaner yet. Think stain removal, how often to wash shower curtains or what not to use on stone countertops. Tips also position you as the expert, which makes the eventual call easier. Keep each one to a single idea that fits in a caption or a 30-second clip.
Reviews and User-Generated Content
Sharing a client's review as a graphic or reposting a client's photo is user-generated content, and it carries more weight than anything you say about yourself. Ask permission before you repost, and never edit a review's meaning. Keep the rules in mind as well: the FTC's 2024 rule bans fake reviews and incentives conditioned on positive sentiment, and it requires insider reviews to disclose the connection. If you offer anything in exchange for reviews, check the details with your attorney.
Local and Community Posts
Local posts tell the platform and your audience where you work. Share a charity drive you support, a local event you attended or a shout-out to a neighboring business. Our updated tip on cause marketing for cleaning businesses shows how to join a community cause without making the post about you.
Offers, Used Sparingly
Promotions belong in the mix, but they shouldn't dominate it. Derek noted in 2014 that Facebook users want "quick, newsy information, not sales and specials," and that still holds. Save offers for genuine seasonal moments such as spring cleaning, move-out season or the holidays. When you want to put real money behind an offer, a targeted campaign usually does more than an organic post, as our guide to running Facebook ads that convert explains.
A Simple Weekly Posting Rhythm
A realistic rhythm for most cleaning companies is three to five posts a week on your main platform, posted on the same days each week. Consistency matters more than volume, since a schedule you can keep beats a burst of daily posts that stops after a month.
Many owners find it easier to assign each day a theme so they aren't starting from a blank page. A simple content strategy might look like this:
Sample Weekly Social Media Content Plan
| Day | Post Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Cleaning tip | A 20-second clip on removing hard water spots |
| Tuesday | Before and after | A kitchen deep clean shown as a two-photo carousel |
| Wednesday | Team | Meet a cleaner, with their favorite part of the job |
| Thursday | Review or user-generated content | A recent five-star review shared as a branded graphic |
| Friday | Local or community | A shout-out to a local charity or event |
Swap in an offer only once or twice a month. Instagram stories are a lower-pressure place for quick, unpolished moments between your main posts, such as a crew photo before the first job. Batch-shoot photos during a normal week and schedule them ahead so posting doesn't depend on a free afternoon.
Don't forget Google. Your Google Business Profile lets you publish updates, offers and events with photos and videos, and those posts appear to people already searching for a cleaner. Reposting your best weekly photo there takes a minute and reaches high-intent prospects.
How to Build a Brand on Social Media
You build a brand on social media through consistency, a recognizable voice and real faces. Those three elements turn a feed of cleaning photos into a company people remember and recommend.
Consistency
Use the same logo, colors and business name on every platform, and match them to your vehicles, uniforms and website. A prospect who sees your van, then your Instagram, then your Google listing should know instantly that it's one company. Consistent timing helps too, since followers learn when to expect you.
Voice
Decide how your company sounds and keep it steady. A residential maid service might be warm and lightly humorous, while a janitorial company serving medical offices will want a more professional tone. Write captions the way your best office manager talks to clients on the phone.
Faces
People hire people, especially for work inside their homes. Put the owner and the team on camera regularly, with their permission. Social media marketing for small business works best when the business clearly has humans behind it. Our guide to using Instagram captions and visuals to promote a house cleaning business has more ideas for showing personality. For hashtag and follower-building tactics, see our top tips for marketing a cleaning business on Instagram.
Measure What Matters on Social Media
The numbers that matter are the ones that lead to bookings, not likes. Track three things each month: how many people saw your posts, how many interacted with them and how many quote requests came from social media.
Each platform's built-in insights show reach and engagement, so check them monthly to see which post types perform best and make more of those. For bookings, add UTM tags to the links in your profiles and posts. Google explains that utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign let Google Analytics show which campaigns send traffic to your site.
Finally, ask every new client how they heard about you and record the answer. If social media is producing quote requests, keep going and consider putting more into it. If it isn't after several months of steady posting, change the content before you change the platform.
Quick Summary
- Knowing what to post on social media for business matters more today than choosing among a long list of platforms.
- Derek's "pick one and dominate it" advice still works, though Google+ is gone and Twitter is now X.
- Rotate before-and-after photos, team posts, cleaning tips, reviews and local posts, and use offers sparingly.
- Build your brand with consistent visuals, a steady voice and real faces, and track results with UTM links and client surveys.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best posts show your work, your people and your expertise. For a cleaning business, that means before-and-after photos, team introductions, quick cleaning tips, client reviews and local community posts. Use offers sparingly.
Three to five posts a week on your main platform is a realistic target for most cleaning companies. Consistency matters more than volume, so choose a schedule you can keep and plan posts a week or two ahead.
Facebook and Instagram suit most residential cleaning companies, while LinkedIn fits companies selling to commercial clients. Pick the one where your customers already spend time and post there consistently before adding a second platform.
Only with the client's permission, ideally in writing. Leave out house numbers, family photos, mail and anything else that could identify the home or its owner, and check with your attorney if you're unsure about consent or privacy rules in your state.
Author
Recommended Reading
Here are a few related picks worth your time.
First up, there's Can a Cleaning Business Make You Rich?, which walks through typical cleaning business profits by company size, realistic profit margins and the pricing habits that separate high earners.
Another one worth checking out is Social Media Content that Makes Customers Call, where you'll find the case for writing social posts around the customer's problem and benefit instead of your company's features.
You might also like Sales & Marketing: It's More about Your Content than where you Post It, which breaks down content ideas such as employee recognition, local news and cleaning expertise that give your posts something worth saying.
It's also worth reading 6 Ways To Use Video Marketing Properly, which covers six practical tips for short cleaning videos, from lighting and stable footage to a strong call to action.
To finish, take a look at Why Are Online Reviews Essential & How to Get Them, covering the reasons online reviews shape a cleaning company's reputation and how automated review requests help you collect more.
