The art of landscape design has been shown to increase a property’s value. The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) estimates that a ten percent investment in a property’s landscaping translates to a fifteen-twenty percent jump in value. According to IBISWorld.com, the statistics that describe the landscaping industry include –
- 2019 Revenue — $99 Billion.
- 5-Year Annual Growth Average — 4.6% yearly.
- Landscaping businesses in the United States exceed 500,000.
Professional landscapers with design (and implementation) skills are generally in high demand, especially if a landscaping business has chosen to skillfully apply the landscaping marketing ideas that have been shown to be effective and viable techniques.
Marketing Your Landscaping Business
Marketing a landscaping business can be a bit tricky because your competition ranges from serious lawn-care conglomerates to the kid next door. Given this dichotomous mix of competitors, it is noted that a landscaping marketing campaign should primarily focus on the landscaping business’ defined target market, rather than trying to counter a competitor’s marketing efforts.
A clearly defined target market can be created by –
- You, spending ample time researching the characteristics of a target market, or by
- Reaching out to marketing professionals who have the cutting-edge tools and software designed to hone your target market’s defined boundaries.
Ultimately, a well-defined target market facilitates the creation of an effective marketing strategy. As a reminder, the objective of a marketing strategy is to convert potential customers into paying clients, which generates revenue. The narrative that follows offers five effectual landscaping marketing ideas.
Develop Your Landscaping Business Brand
Defining a business brand is a marketing technique that reveals to your target market the benefits your landscaping services impart. This is also known as your value proposition. At its most basic function, a brand is essentially a promise.
As you develop your landscape brand, consider these questions –
- How does your landscaping business differ from your competitors?
- Do you want to create a niche market for your landscaping business?
- How do your landscaping services benefit your customers?
Your landscaping business brand should disclose business’ attributes like –
- Pride in work.
- Professionalism.
- Satisfied customers.
- Budget-friendly, to name a few.
In addition, your brand includes your logo, color scheme, font type and the overall design of your marketing materials. Brand development is an ongoing process, which takes some time to gain a foothold in a market. But in the end, the effort is handsomely rewarded with great rewards in terms of profits.
Include a Marketing Strategy
A clever, effective marketing strategy will generally –
- Be creative and positive.
- Be engaging and memorable.
- Be unique.
- Use the element of surprise, whenever possible.
- Include a call to action and digital marketing techniques.
- Offer incentives for new customers, as well as loyal customers, among others.
Create How-To Videos & Video Solutions as Landscaping Marketing Ideas
Creating videos is a smart way to offer engaging, how-to demonstrations for simple landscaping tasks. And videos are easy to create, given the amazing technological tools available. Videos are also cost-effective marketing ideas.
How-to videos –
- Offer free advice to potential customers.
- Showcase your landscaping skills.
- Always include contact information.
- Grab the attention of a consumer before their limited attention span runs out of time.
- Reinforce your branding strategy.
Additionally, a video is a great opportunity to display ‘before & after’ landscaping pictures. When placed side-by-side, ‘before & after’ pictures create formidable messages about the business responsible for their final transition.
Become an Event/Show Exhibitor
Participating in a local event or show offers a great opportunity to further build your brand. Event exhibitors have a chance to reach a large group of potential customers who have shown an interest by simply attending the event.
Participating in a show or event offers the following benefits –
- It provides visibility.
- It generates Credibility.
- It introduces (or reinforces) branding initiatives.
- It helps create strategic alliances with industry colleagues.
- It provides an opportunity to interact with valuable business leads.
New businesses often find that participating in a show (including the cost of attending) is enough to generate buzz about their business. Remember to vet out which shows would work best for your landscaping business. Consider shows related to home improvement, a home exposition, or real estate, to name a few.
Offer to Work Pro Bono
Pro bono is derived from Latin and means ‘for the public good.’ However, the concept of Pro Bono is generally utilized in the legal industry as lawyers take an oath to serve the public’s interest. There are many ways to market your landscaping business by working pro bono in and around your defined target market.
By offering your professional services pro bono, your landscaping business will –
- Create goodwill in the community.
- Display your talents.
- Create a networking opportunity to develop relationships with potential customers or perhaps, referral sources.
- Impart your value proposition as a landscaping professional.
Before you begin working pro bono, it is critical to confirm that your business insurance policies cover you for work under these conditions. Consider offering pro bono work to the local government, a garden-club, or a high profile client.
Market Strategically Ahead of the Busy Season
Strategic marketing in this instance seeks to reach new and existing customers FIRST. This landscaping marketing idea begins long before the landscaping industry’s busy season. It is noted, however, that a busy season will differ between areas of the country. For example, the state of Maine would have little landscaping business on a frosty February day; while landscapers in Florida remain busy all year.
Preparing for the upcoming busy season can be expensive, given the marketing efforts and the cost of supplies. And because you are prepping for the next season, landscapers may have little (if any) cash to layout for these purposes.
Landscaping professionals who are short on cash before the busy season should consider financing the efforts that will reap financial rewards several months moving forward. These lines-of-credit offer quick funding turnaround times, lenient underwriting standards, and reusable credit-
- A No Documentation Business Line of Credit
- A No Income Verification Business Line of Credit
- A Stated income Business Line of Credit
Landscapers who have had credit issues in the recent past should look into financing their strategic marketing efforts using a Hard Money Business Loan.
- How Businesses Can Attract Customers Through Financing - March 5, 2024
- Credit Reporting Made Easy: Elevating Investor Qualification Efficiencies - January 17, 2024
- How to Develop a Comprehensive Safety Plan for the Workplace to Improve Productivity - June 28, 2023