Marketing is often the last thing on a landscape business owner’s never ending to-do list. So it is with social media. Are you allowing competitors to get a jump on your company and missing out on sales by forgetting your online presence? Are you paying enough attention to online marketing?
Here are some common online marketing mistakes that may be costing you money and leads.
Forgetting to update your social media presence: When was the last time you updated your presence? Have you updated your online presence, especially if you have social media icons on your site linking to these profiles? When people go to your Facebook page, does it look like you may have gone out of business? If so, you need to either re-engage on these pages, or consider taking them down entirely. It takes time and resources to develop a strong social presence. You don’t have to be everywhere, just where your target customers are. If you service residential customers, focus your efforts and build a strong presence on say, Facebook. This makes more sense than having a mishmash of abandoned or rarely updated profiles on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Not acknowledging comments or reviews: What do your customers say about you? How do you appear to others when they look you up online? Are you thanking your customers publicly for interacting and taking the time to write a review? Taking this extra step to thank customers shows them how responsive you are and how well you take care of your customers. On the flip side, if there is a negative comment, address it calmly and take it offline as soon as possible. A few negative reviews, mixed with multiple positive ones, won’t sink your reputation. Especially, if it shows that you are personally trying to make it right, or you telling your side of the story in a polite way to help to resolve the situation. If you don’t have many reviews, make it easy for customers to review you by adding a link in a follow-up feedback email to the review site you prefer. If a client has acknowledged your great work, ask that client for a short review to post on your site. Most will be happy to!
Are you tapping into influencer marketing and strategic partners: Have you looked at other ways to share and grow your reach? Consider looking at influencers like popular, local mommy bloggers, realtors, etc. that may have a built-in audience that could benefit from your service, and see if they would consider a strategic partnership or offer advertising options.