lawn care marketing ideas

15 Lawn Care Marketing Ideas – How to Guide

Every business has to be marketed in order to gain awareness and grow its customer base. You need great marketing ideas to aid your lawn care business’s progress as a lawn care company. These ideas should attract more customers to your business if you choose to make use of them.

I have compiled the best marketing ideas to enhance the growth of your lawn care business. This article is broken into three sections… online, offline, and company.

Each of the three is very important and should be included in your marketing plan.

Create a Detailed Marketing Plan

Do not underestimate the need for creating a marketing plan. It is the first thing you should do if you want to grow a fantastic lawn care business.

A marketing plan is simply a document that has your marketing strategies for the future written in it. It highlights the various activities needed to achieve marketing objectives within a stipulated period. You can start by setting realistic goals and budgets like targeting 30 new customers by spending $20,000 for advertisement. You might end up not getting those clients if you don't put in the necessary work to achieve those goals.

Your marketing plan should not only capture new customers; it should also consider remarkable ways of maintaining existing customers.

lawn company marketing strategies

Online Lawn Care Marketing Ideas

Use social media to promote your business

Social media is a very effective tool you can use to market your lawn care business. It will help you communicate on a more personal level with your customers. To get the best out of social media, be sure you are using the right social media platform.

Facebook is one of the biggest social media platforms online. Instagram can help you showcase pictures and videos. And when you find the right platform, ensure you give out valuable content. Avoid trying to over-promote your business.

These are the only two social media platforms I would recommend using, outside of possibly Youtube. I'm really a fan of keeping it simple, so I'd recommend Facebook if you choose just one social media platform.

In general, social media will simply be the branding of your business. It is a way for you to show a customer what they can expect, who you are, and what you stand for.

Build a Great Website

The world has gone digital, and building a professional website is a vital marketing tool for your lawn care business. Many customers won't vouch for the credibility of a business that does not have a website.

If you don't have a website, you might lose potential customers to your competitors that have one. Make sure your website is beautifully designed and let it display the unique features of your lawn care business.

A website is the 24/7 billboard of your company. It is the foundation of all your marketing efforts. Everything should lead back to your website.

Your website should load quickly, has high-quality images, displays your brand logo, and is straightforward. There shouldn't be a lot of options; make your call to action (maybe phone number or form) easily accessible, especially on mobile devices.

Speaking of mobile devices, please, please, make sure your website is mobile responsive. More people use the internet on their phones than on a computer, so it is vital that your website looks great on a visitor's phone.

So how do you make a website? If you are on a low budget, I would recommend Squarespace or Weebly. You can make a professional-looking website with their site builder quickly and inexpensively.

If you have a high budget, I recommend hiring someone to make your website. This can be an agency or individual web developer. Whatever you do, just make sure you confirm an individual has the necessary skills to make a website for you. Do this by asking to see their portfolio.

Focusing on just social media is not enough to market your business. You need to get a website, too, even if your lawn care business is still small. Always try to update your website at least after two years.

lawn care website marketing

Take advantage of email marketing

Email marketing is an easy and less expensive way of marketing your lawn care business. The good thing about it is that it can be automated and customized.

All you need is to develop suitable strategies on how to make the best use of it. You can send emails to customers to get feedback from them on how great your customer service was. Or to inform loyal customers about current discounts and if you want to update them about the new happenings in your lawn care business that will benefit them. This is also a great way to upsell customers or other services.

You don't need to worry about sending emails to customers manually; you can choose to use automated email software to make work easier for you. I recommend either Mailchimp (a free option) or, if you have a little budget, ConvertKit (this is what I use and love it.)

With great email marketing, you can always stand out amongst other lawn care business owners.

Setup Google My Business

A must-have for your business is a “Google my Business” page. This is the first step in preparing for the SEO section below. You must have one of these in order to rank in Google's “local pack” (the little map thing on Google… more details in the next section.)

It is a pretty simple process to set up…

First, go to Google my Business and click “manage now.” Then try typing your business name into the search box. If you have an older business, you may already be recognized by Google but don't have a GMB account yet. If not, or your business is new, click “add your business to Google.”

google my business for lawn care company

Next, you will need to fill out all of your information. Once you add your address, you will have to verify your account. Usually, Google will mail you a postcard with a unique number. Once you get it, simply go back to Google my Business and enter the code. Then you're all set.

Finally, after your account is verified. Make sure you enter all of your business information, some photos, videos, add services, and anything else that will help a customer learn more about your business.

Photos and videos are extremely important… how many times have you searched Google for a restaurant and looked at the images of the food and establishment? People do the same thing for lawn care companies. Customers want to know you will do a great job and feel comfortable with your company at their house.

Google my business is a great way to establish trust with potential customers before you ever meet them.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization or SEO can be a great long-term strategy for marketing your business. You've probably heard of this before, but in case you don't know what it is, I will explain.

SEO is the art and science of ranking your website on Google. You most likely found this website from Google… by searching for a specific keyword in the search engine.

In regard to your lawn care or landscaping business, your goal is to rank in the Google “local pack.” This is the map section that appears with 3 businesses beneath it when you search for something like “Lawn Care Atlanta.” See below.

google local pack for lawn company

So how do you get there? By using a strategy called SEO. There is somewhat of a proven method of ranking on Google. This primarily comes from tons of testing and data analysis by many great companies.

Below is a list of the factors that go into ranking a lawn care business (or any local business) on Google's local pack.

  1. On-page SEO – Keywords, website structure, site speed, NAP (name, address, phone number), etc.
  2. Backlinks – Links from other quality websites on the internet. Internal linking is also pretty important.
  3. Business Signals – Category/industry, proximity, and keyword in Google My Business title
  4. External Local Signals – primarily citations… think Yelp, Yellowpages, etc.
  5. Personalization – is your site unique? Is this their good content? A bunch of other random things like this goes into Google's algorithm.
  6. Reviews – the reviews you receive on your Google my Business page can drastically boost (or hurt) your rankings
  7. Behavioral / Mobile Signals – user intent and user experience are very important these days. Keeping visitors on your site for a long time and other similar factors play a role in ranking.
  8. Social Signals – Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms play a role in ranking your website. Especially making sure all of the information (NAP) is the same.
on site SEO for lawn care company

All of that to say this, ranking your website on Google is something that can take some time and work, but once you are ranking, it is a “free” way to get traffic and leads. It is one of my favorite long-term marketing strategies that can really pay off over time.

Facebook/Google Ads

If you have a little bit of a marketing budget and want to quickly get leads/grow your business, paid to advertise is your answer. This is definitely debatable, but I prefer Google ads to Facebook ads… hear me out.

Google Ads

Google ads target people that are actively searching for your service. For example, people are typing in “Lawn service in Atlanta” or similar search queries. I believe this is optimal because if you're paying to rank first, you are likely to get clicks and close these potential customers (with a great website.)

Facebook Ads

With Facebook ads, people are just passively scrolling through their news feed and stumble upon your ad. Sure, you will get clicks, but you must stand out enough to stop a person, distract them from their scrolling, and have them click your link.

Retargeting Ads

There is one amazing way to use Facebook ads… and you 100% should once you begin getting traffic to your website. From day one, you can install a Facebook Pixel on your site. This tracks every visitor that comes to your site. Then you can begin using retargeting ads.

Have you ever felt like ads are following you? Have you ever gone to a website, then a few seconds later, you go to Facebook and see an ad for the website you just visited? This is retargeting ads. It is a great way to bring people back to your website, and conversion rates drastically increase.

retargeting ads for lawn care company

If you have the budget, I highly recommend looking into Google and Facebook ads for your marketing strategy. Sure, you have to pay for each lead, but it can be a great way to grow your business quickly. Just make sure you have some quality content (pictures, videos, and copy) for your ads, so you get the best bang for your buck. I also recommend looking into targeting and creating audiences within Google and Facebook. Just give it a quick Google search and to a little research.

Get More Online Reviews

We covered online reviews a little above in the SEO section. These reviews, if on Google, can definitely help your rankings. But, getting online reviews is also an effective way of making customers have a good impression of your lawn care business. Encourage the customers that love your brand to give you online reviews.

A large percentage of customers trust online reviews. Use this knowledge to your advantage. Make sure customers are only leaving you 5-star reviews. Try at all customers to avoid low ratings and do everything you can to make it right if you have an angry customer (we've all been there.)

After doing a job for your customers, send an email to them to know how satisfied they were with the service you offered them; when they give you positive feedback, you can use that opportunity to request a review. This is another way a tool like ConvertKit can come in handy (everything is automated.)

lawn care business reviews

Offline Lawn Care Marketing Ideas

Focused on Referrals

You can capitalize on using your satisfied customers to get referrals. Referrals are a great way of increasing your client base. And if you can satisfy those referred to you, they will always remain a customer and refer others.

You can offer to reward your customers with discounts or bonuses for referring new customers to your lawn care business. A good way to do this is by either providing a discount to both the referrer and new customer or give a gift card (or something else of value) to the referring customer.

Seize every opportunity you get to use your mouth for marketing your lawn care business to people. Talk about the rewards you give for referrals and tell them why your lawn care business is unique.

Referrals will almost always have the highest close rate, and they usually come from happy customers. This is why it's incredibly important to provide great service that makes customers want to refer your company.

In most cases, referrals eventually run out. Unless you live in a very small town or you don't want to grow your company very big (which is fine), the referral fountain will eventually run dry. At some point, you will need to acquire new, cold leads to convert to customers.

Partner with Another Home Service Company

A great way to get a lot of referral business is by partnering with another company in your city or town. This is a pretty simple concept, but if you are a lawn service business, you could go out and find an irrigation company that could refer your business, and you refer them business.

This is usually a win-win for both companies as you both have the same customers but providing different services.

It is important to make sure you trust whoever it is that you decide to partner with. The last thing you want to do is refer your current customer to an irrigation company (or any other service), and they don't do a good job. This doesn't make you look very good. It also goes both ways… if you have another company refer your business, make sure you do a great job because your reputation isn't the only one on the line.

Design and print flyers and postcards

Do not let anyone make you feel printing flyers and postcards is a waste of time and money. It is not an effective marketing strategy for your lawn care business.

All you need to do is to do it the right way. If you cannot design the flyers and postcards yourself, get a graphic designer to design them for you. Your flyers and postcards should display your brand colors, logo, telephone number, current discounts, and the unique services you offer.

The best part about flyers, postcards, and even door hangers is the ability to generate route density. This is one of the most important parts of any lawn care business. The closer your customers are, the higher your margins will be.

A great strategy for this, especially when you are just starting out, is to give a flyer to the 9 houses closest to your current yard. You may have postcards made that say something like “we're in your area… get $xx discount” or whatever else you can come up with (probably better than that) to gain the business of your current client's neighbors.

Overall, make sure you print high-quality flyers and postcards with beautiful images that can easily capture prospective clients’ attention. This is the first impression, and your flyer/postcard needs to make you stand out.

Use code AFFWIN at Overnight Prints for an additional discount.

Wrap Your Truck and/or Trailer

If you have the budget, wrapping your truck and trailer can be great for gaining business. It is not only a moving billboard, but it really makes your lawn care business look professional.

Especially in today's world, people are a bit less likely to come out and talk to a stranger. If they can just look outside to see your phone number and website, you will have a much higher chance of gaining their business. They also get a perfect example of what they can expect after seeing their neighbor's yard.

This probably isn't a feasible option for many lawn care companies starting out, but once you're able to get some customers and make some money, this is a great addition to your marketing plan.

If you're interested in learning more about wrapping your trailer and how to set up your lawn care trailer, check out our article.

Lawn Care Company Marketing – Stand out

Stand out from the Competition

Your marketing only goes so far if you're just another guy/gal that cuts grass. You must have that unique thing(s) that makes your business stand out. This could be a million different things, but what is it about you or your company that is going to make a customer go, “wow! I want them to take care of my yard!”

Maybe it is your background, story, attention to detail or the way you go above and beyond. Remember that emotions drive people. How can you spark an emotion in people that makes them want to do business with you?

Outside of that, it is always important that you provide great service, follow up, show up, and be professional at all times. I feel like I need to repeat a couple of those… follow up and show up. If you are able to do these consistently, you still stand out above 80% of the other lawn care companies.

Employ amazing team members to work with you

 This may not apply to everyone, so you may skip this one if you are a one-man show. If you plan to have a team in the future or currently have a team, this is important.

You might be an amazing person, but it could ruin your lawn care business if your team members are not. That is why you must take your time to employ the best people to work with you.

Train them on how best to treat and relate with your clients. Let them know your lawn care business’s values, and don't fail to educate them about what your company does.

Ensure your team members always look professional, and they should also know how to talk to any kind of customer. People are the most important assets of any organization. Your team members are likely to treat your customers the same way you treat them. That is why you should focus on doing your best to treat them right.

It can definitely be difficult to find great employees in the lawn care industry. This simply just makes it that much more important to make sure you keep the great employees.

Showcase Your Insurance Information

Do you know that simply displaying your insurance information to prospective or existing clients can increase the trust they have for your lawn care business? Clients want to be assured of their safety if things go wrong.

I shouldn't have to say this, but if you're using your insurance to market, please make sure you HAVE insurance. Even if you're not using it to market… get insurance!

Commercial lawn service providers, in most cases, must provide proof of their insurance information. You can showcase your insurance information on your flyers, postcards, social media pages, website, company trucks, and when you run online advertisements.

If you want your customers to trust your lawn care business’s credibility, you should work on showcasing your insurance information.

FAQ


Why is lawn care marketing important?

Marketing your lawn care business is an essential part of growing your business. Without customers, you don't have a business or at least a good business. The best way to get customers is by marketing.

If you want to grow a business, you can't just sit back and wait on customers to come to you. You have to actively go out, get leads, and turn those leads into paying customers.

How to Market to Your Existing Customers?

The best way I know of to market to existing customers is email marketing. I would use ConvertKit or another similar software to, at a minimum, send a monthly newsletter.

If I were doing it, I'd set up automation and sequences that are tailored to specific customers. An example of this is sending a sequence to a customer after mowing their lawn about how to get the greenest, best-looking lawn in the neighborhood. Oh, and by the way, we offer a lawn fertilization plan for this.

Or maybe you send a sequence about how the rest of your landscape can make your lawn stand out more… maybe adding mulch is the best way to do this? Oh, by the way, we also offer mulch installation.

There are a ton of different ways to do this, but the main point is to make your customers aware of your other services. If they like you and trust you to do one service, they will trust you to do two and three services.

How Can I Advertise Business Quality in My Lawn Care Marketing?

Advertising business quality comes down to quality marketing material. If you have attention to detail in your marketing materials (website, post cards, etc.), a customer will assume you will have the same attention to detail on their lawn.

Maybe that's a good marketing piece… “thing the attention to detail of our website is good; just wait till we service your lawn.” I don't know lol… if you give it a shot, let me know if it works!

Another way to show business quality in your lawn care marketing is by providing images and videos of your work. Maybe a video showcasing you mowing, edging, and blowing a yard from start to finish? Just make sure you speed it up and make it relatively short… I recently found out normal people don't enjoy watching Youtube videos of cutting grass as much as us!

Wrapping it up

Now that you are aware of these great marketing ideas, start implementing them and experience rapid growth in your lawn care business.

If you have any questions or need any help feel free to reach out anytime on the contact page or leave a comment. I'm always happy to help. Sorry for the shameless plug, but go to my contact page if you would like to hire someone for your marketing or website design. I'm currently accepting a few clients and would love to see if we're a good match.

What do you think?

What is your favorite marketing method? What has brought you the most amount of leads? Leave me a comment below. I'd love to hear from you.

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