7 best landscaping and lawn care marketing strategies for 2021

You’ve heard the saying, “If you build it, they will come.” But rather than knocking it out of the park, you’re stuck warming the bench. You know you should market your landscape business—the right strategy could attract a steady stream of clients to your door. But you’re not sure where to begin.

With lawn care advertising, timing is everything. For the best results, your game plan should begin well before the spring season. But you can still yield excellent results launching your advertising campaigns during a busy season if you follow these marketing tips.

1. Claim your corner of the web

While 92% of business owners say having a website is the most effective digital marketing strategy, less than two-thirds of small businesses have one.

A lawn care website can work wonders to boost business. If you don’t have a website, get one. It’s an excellent way to display photos of gorgeous landscaping jobs you’ve done.

You can list your services and pricing information and let your customers know you’re insured with a landscaping insurance policy. Plus, setting up a site is easier than you might think, thanks to templates that offer out-of-the-box web design. However, you could also hire a designer to create a unique layout.

If you already have a website, brainstorm ways to make it better. Check to make sure potential clients can easily find your hours, location, and phone number. Adding a contact form or scheduling option is a nice feature that lets customers request lawn care services that fit their schedule.

2. Connect with local customers

Whether you live in a big city or farm country, you probably have plenty of potential customers nearby—both residential and commercial. And each requires a specific method to catch their attention.

For instance, residential clients generally think about cleaning up their lawns during two peak times: spring and fall. And you want to make sure your landscaping business is at the top of their mind when they consider hiring for lawn maintenance.

For commercial accounts, late fall and early winter are prime time to contact local businesses because that’s when companies typically address next year’s budget.

No matter if you want to touch base with residential or commercial accounts, a few marketing tricks can help you hit a home run:

• Network in your local market through your local Chamber of Commerce and local and county business associations.
• Hang lawn care flyers on community boards at your local shopping mart and library.
• Put decals, magnets, or vinyl wraps on your vehicles.
• Consider a direct mail campaign that targets homeowners and businesses in and around your service area.
• Use door hangers for advertising landscaping services. Since they’re delivered directly to the customer’s door, they’re less likely to be lumped in with the junk mail in the mailbox.
• Get active on social media—Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are ideal platforms to spread awareness of your business.
• Make sure your lawn care company appears in all the major web listings—Google My Business, Yelp, Angie’s List, and the Better Business Bureau.

These are cost-effective ways to grow your client base, and some are even free. If you start a landscaping business or have been around for years, the key is understanding where your customers look for your services and making sure your business shows up in those places.

3. Create a referral program

You might have guessed that word of mouth is effective. But did you realize just how powerful it could be? According to Nielsen, 84% of consumers trust word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family.

Word-of-mouth customer referrals are one of the best sources to grow your lawn care or landscaping company. They make clients aware of you, put you ahead of the competition, and eliminate objections clients might have.

So, how can you create a referral program that works? First, define the reward you’ll offer. Then, advertise your referral program. Here are a few ideas for referral rewards that are sure to be a big hit:

• $50 credit on their account if their referral becomes a new client
• Discounts on services if neighbors sign up for lawn care or landscaping services
• $50 check or VISA gift card along with a handwritten thank-you note if their referral becomes an active customer
• $25 credit to their account and a $25 coupon to the new customer they refer
• $50 donation to their favorite charity as a thank you for the referral

For the best results, target your best clients first. You’re more likely to get high-quality referrals from customers who love your work, pay on time, and rarely complain.

4. Invite customers to review your business

Customer reviews are an often overlooked advertising idea. But 88% of customers say reading online reviews influences their buying decision, as reported by Inc. Magazine.

While unhappy customers usually let you know, most happy customers will never tell you they’re happy. So, how do you get satisfied customers to step up to the plate? A few proven tips include:

• After every job, give your customers a business card with a QR code that takes them to your Google My Business page, where they can write a review and post it on Google.
• Add a call to action on every invoice or receipt, encouraging them to leave a Facebook, Google, or Yelp review.
• Automate the process of asking for testimonials by sending customer feedback emails each month with a link to a 30-second survey.
• For a more personalized approach, call your customers and go through a feedback or review form with them over the phone.

To increase the response rate, make writing reviews simple. People are busy—they’re more likely to share a testimonial if they know it won’t take much time.

5. Get customers to come to you

Capturing online reviews is an excellent way to encourage potential customers to connect with your lawn care business. But there’s another way to target “warmer” leads: online ads. You can get customers to come to you using pay-per-click (PPC) advertising on Google or Facebook.

Google captures over 92% of the search engine market, according to the online database Statcounter. Now, think about your perfect client typing “lawn care service near me” into the Google search bar. Wouldn’t you want your business to be the first to pop up? It can, with Google Ads.

It’s a fast way to grow brand awareness and increase business because you’re getting in front of consumers actively searching for your service. If you have a Gmail account, you can use that to create a Google Ads account. Once you’re there, the platform will walk you through choosing an advertising goal, setting your budget, and creating ad groups.

Facebook Ads are similar because they’re a quick way to target people more likely to utilize your lawn care or landscaping services. And SproutSocial reports that 73% of Facebook users in the U.S. check the platform daily.

On Facebook, you can choose an ad format that matches your goal. For example, you might showcase a single image, video, or slideshow to capture your audience’s attention. For the best results, drive traffic to a landing page on your website tailored to the specific services promoted in your ad.

6. Use social media to your advantage

Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have a prominent place in the daily lives of most consumers. Around 7 in 10 Americans use social media, according to the Pew Research Center. And your landscaping company can join the major leagues by adding social to your advertising strategy.

Just remember that using social media for business is different from how you use it in your personal life. Instead of sharing pictures of your cat or what you ate for lunch, your social content should center on things your clients care about:

• Lawn and gardening tips
• Before and after photos of your work
• Positive reviews or testimonials
• Giveaways, deals, and exclusive offers
• Sharing your blog content
• Company volunteer work
• Company news or events

You might also analyze what your competitors are doing to see what’s working well in the lawn care space. Don’t copy them—but using your competition as inspiration can lead you to discover new ways to interact with your clients.

7. Establish authority and expertise with a blog

Consumers want to feel good about their decisions. To help them feel confident in their choice to hire you, demonstrate your expertise and know-how through a company blog.

There’s a bonus to consider: Online content can also increase the number of consumers finding your site on Google. Incorporate SEO (search engine optimization) by focusing content around topics your clients are interested in. To advance your SEO and increase your blogging success:

• Research important keywords using search engine data
• Write compelling and intriguing blog post titles
• Add links to other site content to encourage readers to stay longer
• Make your blog easy to read and include actionable tips

Remember that blogging is more than writing articles and hitting publish. It’s about building a relationship with your readers to establish trust.

Landscaping marketing strategies: Conclusion and summary

In many ways, landscaping services sell themselves—they can increase curb appeal, raise home value, and beautify the outdoor space. But after getting your landscaping license, investing in all the right lawn care equipment, and hiring the best talent for your lawn care business, it’s tough to grow your profits if potential clients don’t know you exist.

That’s where marketing comes in. With these strategies, you have the marketing tips you need to increase brand awareness and hit a home run with your lawn care and landscaping business.

And to cover all of your bases, get landscaping insurance for business. A policy can protect you and your clients. Plus, it only takes about 5 minutes from start to finish. With Huckleberry, you can get a quote and manage your policy entirely online.

Here’s a quick summary of our top lawn care marketing ideas:

1. Claim your corner of the web. A company website can be a heavy hitter for lawn care marketing. Make sure it’s up to date with your contact information and the services you offer.
2. Connect with local customers. Establish relationships with local businesses and residents by figuring out where your customers look for your services and showing up in those places.
3. Create a referral program. Word-of-mouth recommendations are powerful, and you can encourage customers to share by offering a referral program.
4. Invite customers to review your business. A whopping 88% of customers say online reviews influence their buying decisions. Ask for testimonials from customers to boost sales.
5. Get customers to come to you. Invest in PPC advertising with Google Ads and Facebook Ads to target consumers actively searching for your services.
6. Use social media to your advantage. Over 70% of Americans use social media, making it an excellent platform to increase brand awareness and grow your client base.
7. Establish authority and expertise with a blog. Writing and publishing content can demonstrate your knowledge and increase customer confidence in your company.