You’ve got a green thumb and an eye for creating beautiful landscapes, but you aren’t getting the kind of business you want. Don’t throw in the towel! Instead, try to market your landscaping using some of these ideas.
With perfectly trimmed hedges and grass that’s always the perfect shade of green, a stunning lawn sells itself.
But as a landscaping business owner, that doesn’t mean you don’t need a strategy to market your landscaping business.
Every homeowner desires curb appeal. With near 1 million people specializing in landscaping services, competition is high.
A marketing strategy will create awareness among your target audience, strengthen your reputation, and increase sales.
Here are 15 marketing tips to make you the go-to landscaper for every homeowner on the block.
1. Expand Your Brand
If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to build your brand up.
Think of your ideal customer, and how their needs and values relate to your business. Start with your mission statement and consider your own ethics and the ethos of your company.
Lawn care marketing strategies begin with your company name and branding. This should remain consistent across all marketing tools. You should have a logo, slogan and color theme that relates well to your brand and audience.
Promote your brand using the following methods:
- Business cards
- Company vehicles (graphics and decals)
- Brochures
- Employee Uniforms
- Office signage
Make sure contact information is noticeable and easy to find. It should be present in all marketing materials. If you need design help, use an online platform such as UpWork. You will find talented freelance professionals for graphic design and print projects.
It’s important to find your niche and determine your target audience up front. This way you can make sure you’re reaching the right customers. Take a look at this guide for more brand development tips.
2. Develop Digital Presence
Not having a website could mean many missed sales opportunities.
From the moment someone views your website, you have less than 20 seconds to make a good impression. Fail to do so and they hit the back button and move on to your competition.
Make your website creative, visual and easy to navigate. Help viewers find the information they seek.
Be sure to include:
- List of services
- Photo gallery
- Service areas
- About us section
- Customer testimonials
- FAQ’s
- Contact us
Having a company blog will better optimize your website and providing more resources. If you have an e-newsletter, make sure viewers can sign up on your website.
3. Strengthen Your Online Reputation
People trust online reviews. 84% of the population values them as much as a testimonial from a friend.
Before enlisting your services, people are looking up your company online. They want to know about the experiences of your past and present customers.
Ask friends, family, and happy customers to rate their experience online. This will boost your standing and can also help with SEO. You’ll want a good presence on Google, Angie’s List, Yelp, and Facebook.
Be sure to follow proper reputation management methods and respond to reviews. Show you value the online community’s feedback by answering questions and interacting.
4. Get Social Standing
Being active on social media gives you a chance to engage with potential customers on a personal level. The key is to be consistent across all channels. Use branded hashtags, geotags and keywords in your captions.
Here are the most important platforms to be present on:
Instagram
Post your best imagery here. Interact with customers and the community to expand your following base.
Facebook
Post photo galleries of your work and encourage customers to leave reviews. All your business information and contact details should be present. Share relevant landscaping articles and company updates to your followers.
Pinterest
Post pins of your best image assets that link back to your website.
Twitter
This won’t be your main channel but is still helpful to be present on. Share relevant industry articles and interact with community leaders.
Houzz
Post all your projects on Houzz. Include great visuals and keyword rich descriptions. Ask past and current clients to review you here.
YouTube
Post testimonials and how-to videos here. If you have the budget, a drone video can make an impact.
LinkedIn
As a business owner, you should be present on LinkedIn. You never know what leads can come up with your connections.
To break into a specific market, consider influencer marketing. This could be a homeowner with a lot of influence in your community. Offer free or reduced services in exchange for them supporting you on their social channels.
5. Get Friendly with Google
Many of your potential customers go to Google to search for local landscaping services.
To increase your ranking on Google, it’s important to optimize your website. Determine your local and branded keywords and apply them to the content of your website. Also pay attention to title tags, headlines, and meta tags.
Consider an AdWords campaign to boost traffic to your site. These lawn care advertising ideas can help generate new online leads.
6. Optimize Online Business Listings
Help customers find you by being present on relevant business listings. List your business on Google, Yahoo, Yelp, and Bing.
Other online and local directories include Yellowpages, BBB, Manta, Angie’s List and Citysearch.
All business pages should be consistent and up to date. Have your contact information (website, email, phone) and business hours easy to locate.
7. Target Your Leads
To reach new customers, consider a local mailer campaign.
Postcard mailers are an affordable and easy way to get eyes on your business. Make sure the design is visual and on-brand. Include a call to action such as a first-time customer discount.
Local mailers let you target areas based on home incomes or neighborhood locations. Flyers and door hangers are other lawn care advertising ideas that work.
8. Execute an Email Marketing Campaign
Email marketing is a great way to stay in touch with your customers and potential leads.
Use an automated service such as MailChimp to design and deploy your campaigns.
Communicate company updates, specials, and seasonal highlights. This can also be a way to share blog posts or landscaping guides.
When designing your e-marketing template, include social links and contact information. Here are more email marketing tips for a successful campaign.
9. Get Involved in Your Community
Community involvement strengthens your reputation and can bring about new leads. Use this as an opportunity to showcase your brand values.
Give back to the community by making donations, sponsoring a local event, or planting trees in the park.
You should also get involved in your online community. Write guest articles or posts for local publications and blogs. Contribute as an industry expert to get links back to your website.
10. Create a Referral Program
Referrals are your friend, and a great way to expand your business roster.
Incentive customers to refer a friend by offering them something in return. Loyalty programs are also popular and keep customers returning. Offer a discount or a free service on you.
Ask satisfied customers if you can promote your business with lawn signage. If the sign is well designed, they will likely say yes. Friends and family may also let you place signage in their yards.
11. Be Sales Savvy
Don’t let leads go stale.
Follow up with new leads without being pushy. Use your automated email service to send friendly reminders about upcoming specials. Ask current customers for feedback and have them complete a survey.
When nurturing leads, you should set yourself apart from the competition. What can you offer to make your customer’s lives more convenient?
Consider an online payment portal on your website. Or look for ways to better your communication methods. Use landscaping apps such as Leafsnap or Turfgrass Management to help your customers.
12. Get Some Swag
People love free stuff.
Put your company name and logo on products people can use. Have your employees or family members double as brand ambassadors. They can help pass out your swag and promote your company.
A few products to try that relate to the landscaping industry:
- Reusable water bottles
- Universal cell phone charger
- Earbuds
- Cell phone stand and grip
- Hats
- Sunglasses
- Can koozie
- Sticky notes
Custom lanyards are also a popular branding tool. Learn more about why they work.
13. Gain Respect and Give It Back
As a business owner, it’s important to treat workers, vendors, and customers with respect. Your main priority should be gaining and maintaining trust.
Be selective when it comes to hiring employees or engaging in partnerships. Enlist reliable vendors who share your business values.
Remember that you get what you pay for. Market your landscaping business further with quality equipment. Learn more about which companies offer the best leasing equipment for your business and values.
14. Don’t Be Afraid to Network
Get your name out there by attending home shows or going to events. Rent a booth at a conference or consider hosting an event of your own.
When planning your own event, use a location that showcases your hard work. This can be at your own home or in the backyard of a loyal client. Make it a garden party theme or outdoor luau.
Host the event before your busy season. This is when homeowners are looking for landscaping services.
Barter services with your customers to save on budget. Exchange a lawn care for cooking, party planning, and table/chair rentals.
15. Research and Review
Evaluate and analyze your marketing methods. Learn what works and what needs tweaking.
Use Google analytics to measure your website metrics. Strategize and adopt new practices if needed. Pay close attention to your customer’s feedback and ask them what you can do to serve them better.
Keep an eye on your competition. Learn from their victories and mistakes, and determine how you can do it better.
Market Your Landscaping Business, for Lifelong Customers
Following these 15 tools will allow you to successfully market your landscaping business.
It’s important to note that your marketing plan is only as effective as the service you are offering.
You can bring in hundreds of new customers, but you want to ensure they keep coming back time and time again.
Offer excellent quality of work every single time. To further win loyalty and create a lifelong customer, train employees in the art of customer service. Follow these 6 customer service tips for creating and cultivating a solid customer base.
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