RubyEffective branding is key to getting your small business to spread. Maid in the Shade is an example of how two women with an entrepreneurial spirit and dedication can create a successful business with hard work and solid branding. They’ve been in business for almost 20 years now, and have a staff of over 30 people. They consider their branding to be an important part of their business’ development.
Maid in the Shade wanted to emphasize that they were not just providing their clients with cleaning services, but giving them more quality time in their lives. This could mean more time for family, friends, projects and recreation. For commercial clients, the value of Maid in the Shade would be that they could increase employee productivity and gain more respect from their clients by always having a clean workplace. Another element they wanted to portray in their image is that they are well-established, professional and trustworthy.
The Maid in the Shade logo, which they call “broomy”, has been a key element in their branding. The logo is of a smiling broom with sunglasses. This catchy image sticks in people’s minds and helps them to stand out among their competitors. They receive a lot of positive feedback about their cute name and logo.
Maid in the Shade has used various means over the years to build their brands. They have used Yellow Pages ads, ads in local papers, flyers, networking and search engine marketing. Their recently updated website helps build their image by using a Flash animation on the home page, quality content explaining their experience and commitment to quality, and easy to use navigation and forms. The clean, professional look of the website has earned a lot of compliments and helped create the image that they are a well established business. Since they launched the new site, they have seen a higher percentage of visitors filling out the “request a quote” form, which often leads to more business.
Beyond all of the marketing, Maid in the Shade builds its business by being the reputable company it claims to be. Keeping customers happy has helped them maintain steady growth while keeping their current clients.
