More than half a million landscaping businesses tend to yards and gardens across the US. So how can you make your landscaping services stand out from that many competitors?
Marketing your business is the best way to get your name out there and attract new clientele.
When many people think of marketing, TV, radio, and newspaper ads come to mind. But there is a more modern way of marketing your business that doesn’t break the bank!
Online marketing is entirely scalable to your needs. Whether you’re running a one-person show or have several sites across the country, online marketing is flexible to your needs. It provides new and future clients with easily accessible information and helps them get to know your business before they hire you.
But where should you start? The key is to build an online presence. Together, a website, social media presence, and supporting links will spread brand awareness.
To break it down, here are 12 online marketing tips to get you started. These small steps come together to build an online presence that ensures people find you!
1. Up to Date Landscaping Services Website
A website is an essential element of your online presence. All your other marketing materials and methods should link back to your website. It acts as your online base of operations for all information your clients need.
A landscaping services website doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. In fact, a simpler site is more likely to give off a professional impression.
The main things to include on your website are the following:
- Contact information
- About Us section
- Description of services
A contact form or contact information is crucial for converting visitors into customers. Otherwise, they’ll have no way to get in touch to employ your services.
An About Us page allows people to get to know your business. Even a landscaping company that now spans several states started somewhere. Reading about your origins helps customers believe you are honest and worth trusting with their landscaping needs.
Just as crucial is a services page. People need to know the full scope of your business and how you can help them. Whether or not to include prices on this page is a highly debated topic, so you’ll have to decide what works best for you.
2. Google My Business Listing
Have you ever searched for a local business but been bombarded with results from miles away? That’s one of the downsides of trying to find a business online. To combat this, many people use map apps like Google Maps to search for local companies.
If they need a landscaper, they may search for landscaping services in Google Maps. They’ll move around the map looking for well-reviewed businesses close to them.
First, you must register your business and location with Google My Business. That ensures your business appears on the map. Then, add as much helpful information as possible, such as your website, phone number, address, and photos.
3. Online Reviews
As explained, business listings allow other people to read reviews of your services. Customers are far more likely to trust a company with positive reviews!
Of course, you can’t review your own business. But you can ask your best customers to leave a review of your services to start building up a base of reviews.
Your website is also a great place to share reviews and testimonials. Testimonials are usually longer than a review, a paragraph rather than a sentence. Just a few of these, along with some high-quality photographs, can do wonders for your branding.
Rather than have a separate testimonials page on your website, some companies have them scrolling at the bottom of every page. Whatever page your website visitor is on, they can see pictures and comments from real people recommending your services.
4. Social Media Presence
Social media marketing is one of the most modern ways to build your online presence, especially because Americans spend an average of 2 hours and 14 minutes on social media per day! If your business pops up in their social media feeds, that’s the first hurdle down.
With all the social media apps available, choosing the right one to focus on can be overwhelming. The key is to identify your target audience rather than trying to appeal to everyone.
For example, imagine a business that works on residential properties of older adults. Facebook would be a great starting point, as 72% of 50 to 64-year-olds use it.
If you’re targeting more millennial customers, try Instagram. It’s the perfect platform for showing off high-quality images of your work. That should entice customers who want landscaping that looks just like yours.
What about a landscaping company that works on commercial properties? In this case, a LinkedIn account is a powerful tool for looking professional. But for the best results, combine this with an Instagram account full of images and testimonials.
What should you post on your social media accounts, and how often? That in itself is a big subject, worthy of its own article! For more social media marketing tips, visit https://www.zambuki.com.
5. Social Media Ads
Having a social media presence is a great way to build your brand. But if people can’t find your account, they won’t follow it. Social media ads exist to fix that problem.
On platforms like Instagram, you can pay for a post to show up in users’ feeds. They’ll still see your content even if they’re not following you. This helps create brand awareness and get your business on more people’s minds.
6. Share Free Information
Everyone loves to get things for free! But offering free services or services at a discounted rate can cheapen their worth.
Customers will expect special prices to continue. They may drop your services when they’re not on a special offer.
Instead, offer your customers free information.
Landscaping customers, particularly residential ones, are interested in their gardens. If you offer free information on the subject, it will keep them on your site for longer.
What information could you offer?
Could you make charts that show when in the year certain plants flower? Customers will love downloading a free PDF like this that they can use.
What about a small e-book about garden maintenance? That will attract customers interested in gardening while promoting your brand.
This information has a second benefit; it builds customers’ trust in your brand. When you share information that shows you know your stuff, they’re more likely to trust you enough to hire you. You make yourself an authority in the area, which helps build credibility.
7. Deliver Consistent Content
One of the best ways to share free information is through a blog or news feed on your site. Your posts can be as short as 300 words, and you share landscaping tips with the community.
This method can be even more potent because each blog post has its own URL. Therefore, people can share it online. As your lawn tips start circling Facebook groups, each click brings more and more people to your site.
As well as building your credibility and client base, written content boosts your SEO. Having content that visitors stay on your site to read boosts your ranking on search engines. And that leads to even more customers reading your content and sharing it with others.
8. Automated Email Marketing
Email marketing campaigns are one of the most effective ways to stay in people’s minds. Customers may not act on the emails you send immediately; it makes you their first port of call. When they need landscaping services, they’ll look for that email they just received from you.
An email newsletter is one of the best ways to build a list of email addresses. You could compile all the content you’ve posted within a week or month into an online newsletter. Allows people to subscribe to your site, and you have a link straight to their inbox!
Along with content, add some deals or specials with a clear call to action and links back to your sitethat converts people into customers. And make sure the process is automated, so you don’t have to allocate time to it every week or month.
9. Direct Mail Marketing
Direct mail marketing might not sound like an online strategy, but it can be!
However, you deliver your mail is up to you. Many businesses post flyers to neighbors of their customers. They may offer a special deal as they already have a client in the area or a more general offer.
Either way, the direct mail must link to your website.
Honestly, most people are unlikely to search a website just because it popped through their door. That is unless you make it easier for them.
Using QR codes on your direct mail means all they have to do is open their camera. Then your webpage of choice is now open on their phone, and it’s easy for them to get in touch.
10. PPC Campaign
PPC stands for pay-per-click marketing. It’s an advertising strategy that involves having your advert high up in a search engine or on social media. But you only have to pay for the online ad each time a customer clicks on it.
Therefore it’s low risk as you don’t have to expend much capital. But it’s a high reward because your ad only appears when people have searched for your service. They are all real customers, actively looking for a business just like yours!
Google and Facebook are some of the most popular PPC ad platforms, each with pros and cons. Choose the one that’s more often used by your target audience.
11. Business Listing Sites
Price comparison sites are one of the most popular ways to compare companies. Nowadays, it goes beyond insurance companies. Any local business can be compared to its competitors on various sites.
These sites may compare company rates or just reviews. But if your business isn’t listed, no customers that use those sites will make it to your website! Ensure you’re listed on sites like Next Door and Yelp to reach these customers.
12. Market Most Ahead of Peak Season
One of the biggest mistakes you can make with your marketing is getting the timing wrong. If landscaping service needs to jump in spring and summer, that’s when to market yourself, right?
Not at all! By that point, it’s too late. Competitors have already swooped in and stolen your potential clients.
On the first day of spring that a customer thinks about hiring landscaping services, your brand should already be on their mind. They don’t need to search the internet for a business, because they’ve already heard of yours. Instead, they dig out that flyer or find that Instagram post from the week before and immediately get in touch.
That means the time to ramp up your marketing is before your services are in demand. Of course, the prime time will differ, depending on your local climate and the type of services you offer. But once you’ve identified it, don’t miss it!
Stay Up to Date With Digital Marketing Trends
These are the 12 best ways to market your landscaping services online in 2022. But times are constantly changing, especially on the internet. New trends may come about in the next 6 to 12 months that turn online marketing strategy on its head.
To ensure your business stays ahead of the game, keep up with our digital marketing articles. We publish the latest trends as soon as they surface. Whatever business you run, our marketing tips will keep you ahead of your competitors.
