Ways to Market Your Landscape Business Ahead of the Busy Season

As the warmer weather approaches, US homeowners and facility managers begin to regain their green spaces. Is your landscape business ready for the season? What does your pipeline look like? Will the customers of the last year come back? What are you doing now to hold and win new business this year? Do you have enough capital to finance your seasonal push?
Here are some tips on keeping track of marketing for your landscaping company.

Beat your competitors in landscaping by focusing on your USP

There is a lot of competition in the landscaping industry. Only a few market entry barriers mean that more and more newcomers appear. Without a track record, they often offer only small prize money to win business.
Underbidding is by no means a sustainable business practice. Low bids can be a success and quickly undermine profits, especially if the business owner is new to the industry and still has no idea of ​​your actual overheads.

Do you have a customer service strategy that does the selling for you

Imagine that you do not have to do sales or marketing to promote your business. That is the power of recommendations.
Whether neighbors, community forums such as NextDoor or social media - customer relationships are your highest asset. Unfortunately, they are often ignored or downplayed in favor of price wars.
Think about how to build your existing customer relationships with recommendations, and repeat the business (more tips below) before doing business elsewhere.

Align your marketing efforts

Look for ways to find the best opportunities for your business. Some jobs may be more profitable than others, eg. B. Lawn care jobs for which higher prices apply, eg. For biological treatments or landscape installations. What about upselling to existing customers? It can be so easy to remind customers of the full range of services or to convert one-off orders into maintenance orders.
Or maybe you decide that it makes more sense to invest your marketing dollars in high-density routes, such as: Within a radius of 32 kilometers to maximize revenues and reduce the time and cost of travel between jobs.

Timing is everything

Just as important as aiming is the timing. Plan ahead. Plan your marketing so that you reach customers before they make their purchasing decisions. Market your business and stay in touch with your customers throughout the year instead of waiting for the season. Develop a flyer publishing and e-mail marketing plan that complies with seasonal requirements - lawn preparation, mulching and pruning in spring; Irrigation needs in late spring; Maintenance throughout the summer; etc. Use social media to present successful jobs and satisfied customers.

Become a trusted expert

One way to make sure your landscape business is visible and useful to your customers throughout the year is to provide regular information, tips, and useful content that positions you as a trusted authority or thought the leader in all landscape design issues. Find ways to provide useful online content so your business can shine early in the sales cycle and generate quality leads.

Finance your seasonal push

Preparing for the season can be expensive. In addition to marketing, you need to hiring people, buying supplies and equipment, and so on. Any of those investments can have a significant impact on cash flow, especially since the expenses are incurred before cash flows into your business. Enter working capital loans and a variety of options. Some financing options for small businesses promise immediate relief, others require a variety of documentation, personal guarantee, credit check and more.

Conclusion

If you can not afford it yourself, consider working with a marketing consultant or a freelance writer. They can work as needed when you need them, and they also bring immediate experience to the table.