Just like any other business, landscaping and lawn care companies can benefit from marketing strategies. While word-of-mouth can be helpful in a small town, it's important to reach out to a wider audience to gain more clients.
It is reported that 90% of businesses use some form of marketing, and many of them, about 60%, use digital marketing. There are more ways to grow your business now than ever before, so using marketing can help you stay up-to-date, reach new customers, and scale your business.
Take a look at some of the best lawn care and landscaping marketing strategies you can use in 2024 and beyond to succeed.
Why your lawn care and landscaping business needs marketing
Having a great business is one thing, but getting people to know about it is another.
All businesses know that finding customers can be tough, especially when things are busy. And because the world is seasonal, your workload will change throughout the year.
That's where marketing comes in. Marketing helps you find customers and let them know that you exist. It can also help you stay busy during the slower months.
Knowing your target market brings power
Lawn care and landscaping can include many different services, from tree care to pest control to basic mowing and trimming.
It's important to understand your area of expertise and the types of customers you're targeting. This could depend on factors like lawn size, neighborhood demographics, and the specific needs of homeowners in your area.
It's important to understand the basics of landscaping and lawn care before you start marketing your business. This includes understanding customer expectations, what your competitors are offering, and industry best practices. Once you have a good understanding of these things, you can start developing informative, engaging, and effective marketing materials.
Remember, all landscaping businesses start somewhere. By doing your research and following industry best practices, you can set yourself up for success.
8 Marketing ideas for lawn care and landscaping businesses
Here are some of the best marketing ideas for lawn care and landscaping businesses:
1. Build a strong website and leverage SEO
Your website is a key tool for making your business visible and reputable.
Most people use the internet to find the services they need, so it's important to have a website that shows up when people search for lawn care services in your area.
To make sure your website shows up in search results, you need to use SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is the process of optimizing your website so that it ranks higher in search engine results pages (Google, for example).
Here are some of the basics of SEO:
- Use relevant keywords in your website's content. This means using the words and phrases that people are likely to use when searching for lawn care services in your area. Platforms such as SEMrush provide this service and the basic tools are free.
- Create high-quality content. People are more likely to link to your website if you have content that is informative, engaging, and helpful. Blogs, video introductions, and interactive menus are good examples of this.
If you want to know the basics of SEO in more depth, then check out our post where we dive right into it.
2. Have a referral program
With a referral program, your happy customers can easily recommend your services to their friends and family. You can offer incentives, such as discounts or free services, to encourage customers to participate.
To get started, add a referral program page to your website and include information about it on your business cards. You can also mention your program during customer interactions.
Over time, your referral program will help you attract new customers and grow your business.
3. Nurture a social media presence
Setting up a Facebook business page is a good way to advertise your services to people who are already spending a substantial portion of their time scrolling there. Through such a page you can:
- Add contact details, website link, and relevant information
- Post updates, offers, and scheduling
- Promote yourself with posts
That’s one social media channel. But we’d recommend using modern platforms such as Instagram and TikTok as well, since companies such as lawn care and landscaping work well with visuals. Take good, clear photos of your work, and you can post your most recent landscaping projects online and show the world what you’re capable of.
You can even use social media platforms to promote reviews from your satisfied customers.
4. Invest in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
Today's technology makes it easy to advertise your business online.
You can use online advertising networks to reach a specific audience and attract new customers. These networks show your ads to people who are interested in your services, making them more likely to respond.
According to Emily Welsh, the Demand Generation Marketing Manager at ClockShark, the pay-per-click (PPC) format “means paying for your advertisement each time someone clicks on it. This type of marketing encompasses a variety of platforms, such as paid search advertising (like Google Ads) or paid social media (like Facebook Ads).”
While the cost might seem a lot, PPC can be cost-effective, especially when the returns start coming in.
Emily Welsh says, “PPC can be a powerful strategy to target your potential customers who are actively searching or who are currently in the market for lawn care and landscaping services. This way, you ensure your brand is visible to those in need and potentially convert them into paying customers.”
With PPC, you can target your ads to specific keywords and demographics, so you're only paying to reach people who are likely to be interested in your services.
One of the great things about PPC is that you can use retargeting to show your ads to people who have already visited your website or interacted with your brand in some way. This can be a great way to stay top-of-mind with potential customers and encourage them to convert.
Emily also mentions the key points when running a PPC campaign: “... would be to conduct thorough keyword research on your paid search campaigns, create compelling ads that highlight unique selling propositions, optimize your website to easily guide the customer to your product, and continuously monitor your PPC campaigns to ensure your budget is properly disbursed.”
If you're looking for a way to reach more customers and grow your lawn care business, PPC is a great option to consider.
5. Claim a Google Business Profile
When marketing your landscaping business, it's important to make sure you're meeting customer expectations.
One way to do this is to create a Google Business Profile. This profile will help your business show up in search results when people are looking for landscaping services in your area. It also makes your business look more professional and trustworthy.
Setting up a Google Business Profile is easy and only takes a few minutes. Just visit this link and follow the instructions. You can have your profile verified and ready to go in 15 minutes or less!
6. Co-market with a relevant business
Working with other businesses can be a great way to reach new customers and grow your landscaping business.
Find other businesses that offer similar services or have a similar customer base. Then, reach out to them and see if they'd be interested in partnering with you. This could involve co-marketing initiatives, cross-promotion, or even joint service offerings.
By working together, you can reach a wider audience and generate more leads for your business. It's a win-win situation!
7. Leverage reviews and testimonials
Happy customers are the best advertisement for your landscaping business!
When you finish a job, ask your customer for a quick review. You can post these positive reviews on your website, social media, and other marketing materials.
Studies show that most people read reviews before choosing a company. Positive reviews can help you attract new customers and build trust in your brand.
Collecting and sharing customer testimonials is a great way to:
- Show potential customers the value you offer
- Build trust and credibility for your business
- Attract new customers and grow your business
So next time you finish a job, don't forget to ask your customer for a review!
8. Develop a strong email marketing campaign
Email marketing is a powerful tool that many businesses use to reach their customers. It's a great way to send targeted messages to a large group of people, and it can be very effective in promoting your landscaping business.
According to Jenn Nelson, Sr. Email Marketing Manager at ClockShark, “What’s great about email marketing is that you have the opportunity to speak to your customers on a 1:1 basis.”
Not only that, email marketing is so effective because you can:
- Reach a large audience: You can send emails to thousands of people at once, which is much more efficient than other marketing methods.
- Target your audience: You can segment your email list so that you only send messages to people who are interested in your services.
- Personalize your messages: You can use email marketing to send personalized messages to your customers, which can help you build relationships and trust.
- Track your results: You can track the results of your email marketing campaigns so that you can see what's working and what's not.
Jenn Nelson emphasizes the importance of email marking: “There isn’t any other channel out there that’s comparable to email when it comes to closing deals. Yes, people spend most of their time looking at videos and socializing with their friends on social media, but business gets done in the actual email inbox.”
Overall, email marketing provides a powerful and cost-effective way for lawn care businesses to connect with customers, promote services, build relationships, and drive sales.
Elevate your lawn care and landscaping business with marketing strategies
Marketing your lawn care business is essential for attracting new customers and growing your business.
Stay active and engage with potential customers regularly. Post regularly on social media, respond to inquiries promptly, and follow up with leads. See what's working and adjust your strategy as needed.
Building a successful business takes time and effort. Don't get discouraged if you don't see results overnight. Keep working hard and implementing these tips, and you will eventually see success.
If you are looking to increase your business efficiency, check out our blog post on the best lawn care apps. These apps can be used to track labor costs and create shift schedules. You will save money and have more time to focus on what you do best: providing excellent lawn care and landscaping services to your customers.
