Vacuums: Knowledge Marketing

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Effective marketing in the commercial cleaning industry takes more than an ad campaign. It takes the ability to move the conversation forward in all mediums. When education becomes a core business philosophy, a company gains a more knowledgeable customer base, an engaged marketplace, an enlightened brand and a healthier business.

So what does knowledge marketing mean? Take the innovation of the lightweight backpack vacuum in the late 1980s as an example. The machine had the potential to be a game changer, but the marketplace proved resistant to accepting an unfamiliar product and a new way of cleaning.

A former contract cleaner, the founder of the fledgling company focused on a science-based, public relations driven strategy that relied on a few innovative concepts, including Cleaning for Health and Team Cleaning. Since 1987, the company has directly or indirectly published hundreds of articles, case studies, and even initiated research papers. This strategy won over skeptics and helped grow the company into a worldwide phenomenon.

In knowledge marketing, messaging follows the facts. So whether in an ad campaign, a case study or a product release, the focus should be on the key differentiators that drive the conversation as well as product sales. The initial draw might be a discussion on ergonomics, productivity or indoor air quality, but the interaction is made, and the attention then turns to the product.

Customers see the difference between empty marketing copy and substantive information. All messaging should focus on relevant, real world experience and verifiable, third-party facts. Instead of “green-washing,” demonstrate a company’s commitment to the planet through its sustainable products and business practices, its environmentally focused partnerships, or its achievement of the highest industry green and efficiency standards or ratings.

In our online and interconnected society, knowledge marketing is becoming even more effective and inexpensive to conduct. With social networking, online videos and virtual how-to guides, new ways to engage and inform potential customers are growing every day.

Jacalyn High is the Director of Marketing at ProTeam, the Vacuum Company.

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