4 Marketing Strategies that Have Already Worked for Landscapers

Source: www.TurfMagazine.com

In a competitive industry like landscaping, being the best isn’t always enough. You have to out-market the other guys to ensure you get your share of the desirable jobs. Problem is: marketing can be costly and frustrating, especially when you’re trying to find the right strategy. Who has the time — or money — to waste on trial-and error? Here are four proven marketing actions that have generated revenue for landscape and lawn care professionals that you can use for your business.

1. Target Prospects Selectively for High-Quality Leads

One of the easiest ways to waste money on your marketing is to market to every man, woman and child in your service area. Use your resources wisely. Deliver your message to only the prospects who are most likely to be interested in and qualified to use your services using a targeted mailing list.

  • The business: Schmechtig Landscaping, Mundelein, Illinois
  • Strategy: The company targeted highincome residents ($300k+) in high-value homes ($775k+) with an elegant, aesthetic postcard and mailed to their list three times.
  • Results: After sending out a total of 41,000 postcards, Schmechtig Landscape generated 39 responses. From those calls, they closed two design projects and two maintenance calls that added up to $108,000 in revenue!

2. Include a Valuable Offer and Potentially Get a 1,300%+ ROI

Your ROI is your return on investment. It’s how much you get back in revenue after you subtract what you spent, and it’s vitally important to understanding the success of your campaign. Like I said earlier, landscape contractors face a lot of competition. Give your prospects a reason to try your business: a great deal. Then, when you wow them with your service and attention to detail, they’ll be your customers for life!

  • The business: Cotleur & Hearing, Jupiter, Florida
  • Strategy: Not only was Cotleur & Hearing’s postcard attention-grabbing, it included three valuable offers: a free landscape audit ($400 value), $250 off landscape services and 10 percent off landscape installation services
  • Results: The landscaper spent $3,550.46 on the postcard campaign and estimates it generated about $50,000 in revenue — a 1,308% ROI (return on investment).

3. Market Consistently to Close 80% More Jobs

  • The business: Tri City Sprinklers, Loveland, Colorado
  • Strategy: The landscapers sent out 500 to 1,000 postcards per week to new homeowners in their area, as well as established homes valued at $350k or more. They knew their recipients wouldn’t all be ready to invest in a new sprinkler system or yard design right away, so continuing to mail their postcards week after week made sure that when their prospects were ready, Tri City would be top of mind.
  • Results: Tri City Sprinklers & Landscaping attributed about one-third of their jobs over the course of a year — about 170 total — to their postcard campaign. These jobs generated $180,000 in revenue.

4. Use Trust Elements to Attract 72% More Business

As landscapers, you need to establish a high level of trust with prospects before they will do business with you.

You get up-close and personal with your clients’ homes. You learn their schedules. You let yourselves into their yards, even when they’re not there. Trust is of the utmost importance.

Here are good ways to help prospects get comfortable with you: a photo of yourself and/or your team, a money-back guarantee and testimonials or reviews. Positive reviews influence 72 percent of consumers to trust a local business more.

Of course you’re going to say you’re great. That doesn’t mean your prospects are going to believe you. Let your customers do the talking. This is very important when it comes to online marketing, too. In fact, 88 percent of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. Make sure you are asking your happy customers for reviews.

  • The business: Green Lawns, Dover, Delaware
  • Strategy: Green Lawns’ postcard uses two effective trust elements to help establish credibility with their prospects. The first is a small photo of the owner, Bill Sapp, with his daughter, and a short paragraph explaining why and how he runs his business. The second is a series of three testimonials from happy customers.
  • Results: Green Lawns planned to mail their postcards out to their mailing list three times. After just two mailings, they generated $10,000 in revenue.