Main channel
Reaches the older, trust led customer where she already is.
Trust and teamBefore and after proofLocal Devon lifeReviews, Age UK and eco
Rhythm: about 3 posts a week, plus stories
UK Case Files
UK Case File · Molly Maid
Social Content and Measurement for a Local Cleaning Brand
My part of the assignment was a 12 month marketing plan for Molly Maid South and East Devon. Here I focus on the content, the messaging and how I planned to measure it.
The Assignment
Plan the marketing for one real franchise
The task was to write a marketing plan for a real brand. I chose Molly Maid South and East Devon, a premium home cleaning franchise. Molly Maid has worked in the UK since 1984 and is the best known home cleaning brand in the country. This franchise was barely a year old when I wrote the plan.
The owner wanted more good enquiries without lowering the quality the brand is known for. I worked from a briefing with the owner and from public research.
The service is strong.
Local people just do not know it is there yet.
The national name is famous, but the local business had little proof of its own. It had very few local reviews and a Facebook page that was almost silent. It was also the highest priced option in the area, so it could not win on price.
The question I set out to answer: how do you earn trust in a place where most people hire a cleaner they already know?
Content Strategy · 1
Who the content is for
A small team and a tight budget meant the content could not speak to everyone. I led with older, trust led homeowners, who care more about a reliable team than about price. Busy working professionals came second. They want their weekends back. I turned both groups into personas so every post had a person in mind.
Content Strategy · 2
Your home in
trusted hands
This was my big idea for the campaign. It takes the one thing rivals cannot copy, a fully employed, trained and insured team, and turns it into a warm promise. It answers the worry both personas share, which is letting someone they do not know into their home.
Key Message
A fully employed, trained and insured team you can trust, every time.
Every post, advert and review request comes back to this one line, so the campaign feels the same wherever a customer meets it.
Content Strategy · 3
Which channel does what
The local Facebook page already existed but was barely used. The easy win was to bring it to life instead of starting from nothing. I gave each channel its own job and its own content pillars.
Second channel
Visual proof, and a way to reach younger professionals.
Before and afterThe team and branded vansBehind the scenesLocal Devon
Rhythm: 2 to 3 posts a week, plus the odd reel
Most of this content already exists in the daily work of the cleaning teams, so it costs little to capture. I also planned two short photo shoots a year so the feed never runs dry of real photos of the teams and homes.
Content Strategy · 4
Sample posts and copy
I designed three sample posts to show how the idea would look on a feed. Each one sits under a content pillar and speaks to a persona.
Example Caption
A regular team you get to know, so you feel comfortable about who is in your home. Our cleaners are fully employed, trained and insured, because your peace of mind matters as much as a spotless home. Book your free quote today.
Written to go with the trust message post.
Search Ad Concept
Trusted Home Cleaning Across Devon | Fully Employed, Insured Teams
Reliable, professional domestic cleaning across Exeter, Topsham and Torbay. A regular team you get to know. Book your free quote today.
I also grouped suggested search terms by what the searcher wants. These were brand, core service, trust and one-off jobs.
Review Request Message
Hi [name], it was a pleasure cleaning your home today and we hope you are happy with everything. If you have a moment, a short Google review would mean a lot to us and helps other local families find a team they can trust.
A gentle follow-up sent after each clean, to build local proof.
Working Inside Their Brand
Every piece uses Molly Maid's own colours, so the content feels like the brand people already know.
- Navy#0A2358
- Rose#D27D96
- Blush#F3CED7
- Soft Pink#FBF1F3
Measurement
How I planned to measure it
I wanted the owner to see what was working and move money to it. So the plan sets what to track, how often to check it and what to do with the answer.
- Tag every enquiry to the channel it came from, using the business's own CRM, so spend is not guesswork.
- Check the numbers every month and move budget from weak channels to strong ones.
- Retarget people who visited the website but did not enquire.
- Check suggested search terms in Google Keyword Planner before launch.
- A return forecast and a risk plan, with a fix for each risk.
01
Monthly enquiries
Checked monthly in the CRM02
Cost per enquiry
Checked monthly, per channel03
Enquiry to customer rate
Checked monthly in the CRM04
New customers
Checked monthly05
Google reviews and star rating
Checked monthly06
Social following and engagement
Checked monthly, as a secondary measureThis is a measurement plan. I did not run live analytics or report on real campaign results for this project.
Making It Happen
A pre-launch month, then a year of activity
The plan starts with a month of setup before any money goes live. The Google profile, social pages, review system, first photos and leaflets are ready on day one. After that the main channels run all year, with leaflet drops each quarter and an early Age UK push.
The Thinking Behind It
Planned with SOSTAC
The content sits inside a full plan. I built it with the SOSTAC model, and each stage fed the next.
S
Situation
Audited the market, competitors, digital presence and brand. Most gaps were in marketing, not in the service.
O
Objectives
Three goals for 12 months. More good enquiries, more local reviews and more recurring revenue.
S
Strategy
Market penetration built on trust, not price, with two audiences and one big idea.
T
Tactics
The RACE model. Reach people, get them to act, turn enquiries into bookings and keep customers.
A
Action
Who does what, what it costs and when, starting with the pre-launch month.
C
Control
Monthly KPIs, a return forecast and a risk plan.
Key finding: the brand was already in the right place
I mapped the local market by price and by trust. Molly Maid already sits top right, with the highest trust and the highest price. Agency franchises such as Maid2Clean and Time For You sit in the middle, and budget independents sit lower on both.
So the position did not need to change. Customers just could not see it yet. That is why the plan is about visibility and proof, with content doing much of the work.
Looking Ahead
A ten year view
Once the local base is solid, the plan grows in three more directions. Each is riskier than the last, so each comes later.
- Market development. Holiday let and Airbnb owners and letting agents, with a changeover landing page and local search ads.
- Product development. Add-on services such as oven, carpet and window cleaning, plus a loyalty and referral scheme run through the CRM.
- Diversification. A gentle clean and friendly check-in for older residents, built on the Age UK Devon link.
I also mocked up two pieces for these later stages.
Any new service or partnership would need the approval of the franchisor first.
What I Took From It
- 01
Find the real gap first. A strong service can still struggle if local people have no proof of it. Reviews and steady, real content are how you build that proof.
- 02
One clear promise repeated everywhere is stronger than many clever ideas.
- 03
Decide how you will measure a channel before you start posting on it.
- 04
The best plans use the tools a business already owns before buying new ones.
Notes
The mock-ups and persona illustrations were created with help from AI image tools. They are concept designs made for a university report and were never used in a live campaign. The research behind the plan comes from public sources and a briefing with the client. Brand names, logos and the review excerpt shown belong to their owners. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by Molly Maid.
Marketing in Practice (BEMM215), MSc Digital Marketing, University of Exeter. 2026. Student assignment.