Marketing strategies for landscaping business
Do you want to start a landscaping business and do not know where to start? Are you wondering how to market your business? Then this article is the best for you if your services include lawn mowing, creating beautiful landscapes with water features, or even golf holes. From social media page advertising to the use of care flyers, there are a lot of marketing strategies that you can use.
To start a landscaping business, you will need, a walking mower, edger, clippers, rakes, leaf blower, gloves and safety glasses, a trailer for your car, and many other commonly used landscaping equipment. As the business grows, you will need other equipment like a chemical sprayer, hoses, wheelbarrows, and seed spreaders.
Almost 500,000 business operates in the field in the US. With a growth rate of 2.5 % per annum. As a landscaping business owner, competition for customers is increasing hence a need for a great marketing strategy. Whether working on commercial or residential properties, there are many ways to market your business. It takes time to understand each strategy because no one would want to invest in a strategy that does not return on investment.
Among the so many marketing strategies, we have filtered the 9 most effective landscaping marketing strategies for you to consider.
1. Develop Brand Recognition for your Landscaping Business.
It is no doubt that having an ideal brand name pays off. It can help you gain client loyalty, charge more for your service and get new clients cheaply. A recognized brand allows you to hire top talents which will be an advantage against your competitors.
To achieve all this, you need to strategize and incorporate a strong business name. You need to get the name and logo right. This is the first branding decision for any business and probably the most critical. Both the name and logo should speak to the customer with ease in memorability.
Also, you should tell a nice story to people. Any interactions with media or clients should be an opportunity to grow your landscaping business. A good story makes people connect more and feel being part of your journey. If on an online platform, ensure you share your content regularly. Consistency shows that you know what you are doing and people can trust you.
Remember, online presence is not enough, go to where your potential customer is. As a landscaper, your potential clients are commercial or residential homeowners. Interact and engage with people to let them know what you do. Creating a brand also means offering magical experiences. Customer service should be above and beyond. The cost of great customer service cannot be compared to what you will get from a repeat customer.
You can consider branding your landscaping business, contacts, and logo on your most visible equipment as well as your work garments. As you move around, people can spot your contacts and call you when in need of your service. Also, it shows how much the brand can be trusted and will draw more people to your social media pages.
2. Have a Portfolio
A portfolio will showcase the projects done before that you think were the best. Keep updating your portfolio after new landscaping projects are done. Put images of the landscaping projects to make a good impression on the potential lawn care customers. Ensure the images are clear with unique designs. You can use a professional photographer or a graphic designer to help you create good images that attract visitors who go through the business portfolio.
3. Create a website for your Landscaping Business
A website will tell your potential lawn care customers about everything related to your business. Display images about your information, your packages, and everything about your business. Nowadays, most business if not all operates online. Businesses use a website to attract their clients and convert them to buyers. Hence, use a web designer to create for you a trustworthy online image for your landscaping business.
The website should bear your logo, show reviews, and give contact information and the terms and conditions applied to your business. Generally, let it convince the customer to trust you without them meeting you face to face.
4. Start a blog or a Vlog for the Business
Do you have a website for your business? Then it means you can publish articles on landscaping topics. Well-written content which is well SEO optimized can rank on google searches and bring traffic and quality leads to you. Landscapers who blog increase their leads by more than 100% when compared to those who don’t. Use keyword research tools to know what your target customers are looking for.
Recording videos, edit them, and post in YouTube is also an impactful way to showcase your work. The videos will also appear on your website. If the work is too much, you can outsource a professional videographer or content writer to do the work for you. The use of the right keywords is essential to pay off your efforts. Strong content will establish your authority in the industry and build trust between you and your customers.
There are so many questions your potential clients might have; they will visit google. Your blog will address these questions and help increase the likelihood of conversion. Write the ‘how to’ articles that will showcase your knowledge on the topic and bring trust to your customers. Depending on the content provided, your blog readers will become your clients.
5. Ask for Referrals and Reviews after each service
Having satisfied customers who can leave a review about your work is one of the biggest ways to promote your landscaping business. Potential clients will trust your work depending on the experience of past clients.
When you deliver quality services, they will likely follow your online platforms, leave positive comments and refer you to someone else. This is a plus to the growth of your landscaping business. You can also start a referral program, where current clients get a discount on services after bringing a new client to your business.
For best results target your top clientele first. They are more likely to bring quality referrals. These clients advertise your work, put you ahead of any competition, and eliminate any doubts about your existence.
6. Make use of social media platform
Social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook attract so many internet users. Your landscaping business can join the platforms and use them to its advantage. You can share photos and text about what your ideal clients are concerned about.
It is estimated that more than 500 million Facebook users spend approximately 700 billion minutes on the app. Your customers must be among these statistics, hence social media is a must-have. The landscaping business has an advantage since clear pictures and videos can be taken for visual content.
Understand what people love about social media. They love to learn about services and products and love to get promotions and special deals. It is through social media that clients engage with a brand and are able to leave feedback. As a landscaper, showcase your ideas and solutions by interacting with your clients on platforms where you exchange ideas.
Checking what your competitors are doing and using it as inspiration can help you discover the best ways to post on social media. Some of the posts you can make include;
- Your blog contents
- Giveaways or exclusive offers
- Company’s Volunteer work
- Upcoming news or events
- Positive reviews
- Before and after photos of your work
7. Market your services Before the Peak Season
Landscaping peak season typically starts in spring to fall depending on your location. You cannot wait till the season starts to meet customers. Use advertisements that will reach clients who will remember you once they need your services. Contact your customers more often to ensure they do not give the landscaping contracts to someone else. Remember this is a business and your competitors are also striving hard to gain clients. Do not lag behind waiting for the busy season to start.
Timing is very important. Plan way ahead to reach customers before they make their buying decisions. Have a plan to distribute flyers and email marketing that communicates to the customer what they need. During the low season, ensure your social media platforms showcase your top jobs and reviews from happy clients.
In addition to marketing, ensure you have the right workers, equipment, and supplies before the season start. Each of these investments can have a significant impact on the cash flow and hence need proper paperwork and not a last-minute rush. During the low season, you will be able to measure your marketing capabilities and know if you really need a marketing consultant. Imagine waiting until the last minute then you are overwhelmed with marketing activities. It would be a great loss to your landscaping business. Hence, plan on the low season and start your marketing to win a wide base of clientele.
8. Participate in Local Events and Shows.
Build your brand by networking. Networking will happen in community events, trade shows, or even meet-ups. Don’t forget to bring your print marketing materials and be prepared to shake a few hands. The more people you shake hands with, the more likely you will find new contracts.
Also, in events, you get to connect with other similar businesses who can send referrals to you. However, do not partner with landscapers in the same industry as you. For example, if you are in commercial then partner with residential landscapers. These people can send clients on your way as you send clients on their way. Partnering with those from the same industry is not a good idea since you are all targeting the same people.
9. Make Use of the Email Marketing Strategy
Email marketing in your landscaping business in a proper way to maintain your current customers and find new ones. If you are good at what you do, then it will not be difficult to keep your clients happy and come back to use your services as well as refer you to someone.
Email marketing strategy in your landscaping business will be effective if you target your ideal clients. Although it is difficult to reach each and every potential client, take a look at who your customer is and market to them. Look at your local market and know where to get started. If dealing with residential properties, perhaps you can look for people trying to sell their houses and need their lawns taken care of. Also, elderly people who need help in maintaining their yards can be ideal clientele.
Now, when it comes to email marketing, ensure that the email is engaging. If you really want people to read your message, then let it be interesting. The subject line should be captivating, and keep their attention with an interesting message. There are online resources that can help you come up with an enticing email message.
Send your clients lawn care postcards since they have a well-branded logo for your business. Even those who skip the message, will see the Logo and have an idea of what the email is about.
In conclusion, it is essential to market your landscaping business. There are so many strategies to apply but we gave you the most important ones and must have to ensure your brand is visible. The most important is to ensure that your brand has its corner by coming up with a good name, logo, and customer service. You can brand these in your work garments to ensure people recognize you as you work. Ensure that in all the marketing efforts, you are aggressively going to the potential customer. Marketing is not the very incredible part of marketing, but for your landscaping business to thrive, you must do it anyway.
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