Once upon a time, a talented landscaper named John realized that his business wasn’t growing as fast as he hoped. He had a knack for creating beautiful outdoor spaces, but he couldn’t seem to get the word out to enough potential customers in his area.
That’s when he decided to learn about local marketing for landscapers. Just like John, you can transform your business by mastering the basics of landscaper marketing.
This step-by-step guide will help you do just that.
Step 1. Understand your target audience
First and foremost, you need to understand your target audience. Are you targeting residential or commercial customers? What types of properties are you trying to work on?
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you tailor your landscaper marketing strategies to reach the right people.
For example, let’s say John wanted to target homeowners in his city. He needed to understand their needs, preferences and pain points.
So, he conducted surveys and talked to local homeowners to gather valuable insights, allowing him to craft a marketing message that resonated with them.
Step 2. Build a strong online presence
In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for your landscaper marketing efforts. Here’s how to build one:
Create a professional website
A professional website acts as the hub of your online presence. It should showcase your landscaping services, display your portfolio and provide contact information.
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly, as more and more people use their smartphones to search for local services. And, optimize your website for speed and search engines, ensuring you get found and that your visitors will stick around.
Utilize local SEO
Optimize your website for local search through landscaping search engine optimization (SEO). This will help your business appear higher in search results when potential customers search for landscaping services in your area.
To do this, include location-specific keywords (e.g., “landscaper in [city]”) throughout your website, create localized content and ensure your business is listed on popular local directories, like Top Rated Local® and Google Business Profile.
Leverage social media
Create social media profiles on platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to showcase your work, share landscaping tips and engage with your audience. Regularly posting eye-catching images of your projects will help you build a following and generate interest in your services.
Step 3. Network locally
While digital marketing is essential, it’s also important to pay attention to the power of face-to-face interactions in your landscaper marketing efforts.
To do that, attend local events, join business networking groups and partner with complementary businesses (e.g., garden centers, nurseries) to increase your visibility in the community.
For instance, John attended local home and garden shows, where he showcased his landscaping expertise and handed out business cards. By doing so, he connected with potential customers and generated valuable landscaper leads.
Step 4. Offer exceptional customer service
Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool, especially in the landscaping industry. Providing exceptional customer service will not only help you retain existing customers but also encourage them to refer your services to their friends and family.
John understood this and went above and beyond to ensure his customers were satisfied. He listened to their needs, offered personalized solutions and completed projects on time and within budget. As a result, he received glowing testimonials, which he proudly displayed on his website and social media profiles.
Step 5. Use local advertising
Investing in local advertising can boost your landscaper marketing efforts. Consider the following options:
Google Local Services Ads (LSA)
Google LSA is a pay-per-lead advertising platform specifically designed for local service providers, including landscapers. When you sign up for Google LSA, your ads will appear at the top of the search results, above even the traditional paid search ads, giving you prime visibility.
Potential customers can see your business’s ratings, reviews and contact information right from the ad. You’ll only pay when someone contacts you directly through the ad, making it a cost-effective option for your landscaper marketing budget.
Digital billboards
Traditional billboards have gone digital, and this evolution presents new opportunities for local advertising. Digital billboards are eye-catching, dynamic displays that can be strategically placed in high-traffic areas within your target market.
Step 6. Engage in content marketing
Content marketing involves creating and sharing valuable content to attract and engage your target audience. This approach can help establish you as an industry expert, build trust with potential customers and improve your SEO.
Here are a few content marketing strategies landscapers should invest in:
Blogging
Blogging is a fantastic way to share landscaping tips, design ideas and case studies of your past products with potential customers. You can also create how-to videos, infographics and other visual content that engages your audience and is perfect to share on social media. This can help you showcase your expertise and make you stand out.
Guest posting
Reach out to local home and garden blogs or websites and offer to write guest posts. This can help you tap into their audience and generate backlinks to your website, boosting your SEO efforts.
Collaborate with Influencers
Partner with local micro-influencers in the home and garden space. They can help you promote your landscaping services through social media posts, blog articles or even video content.
Step 7. Monitor and measure your success
Track the results of your landscaper marketing efforts to determine what works and what doesn’t. This will help you fine-tune your strategies and allocate your resources effectively.
Use tools like Marketing 360® to keep an eye on your website traffic, social media insights to gauge engagement and customer feedback to measure satisfaction.
John kept a close eye on these metrics and adapted his marketing tactics accordingly, ensuring continuous improvement and growth.
By following these seven steps, you can create a robust local marketing strategy for your landscaping business, just like John did.
Remember to understand your target audience, build a strong online presence, network locally, offer exceptional customer service, invest in local advertising, engage in content marketing and monitor your success.
As you embark on your landscaper marketing journey, you’ll likely face challenges and make mistakes, but don’t let that deter you. Instead, learn from your experiences, adapt your strategies and stay persistent.
With time and effort, you’ll see your landscaping business flourish and grow, attracting a steady stream of customers and making your mark in the local market.
The Marketing 360 landscaper marketing platform has everything you need to get it right. Learn more and see our plans and pricing.
