Figuring out how to get new landscaping customers is challenging. You can go door-to-door. You can narrow it down to yards that obviously need some work. These tactics might seem like a sure bet, but in reality, they can take a lot of time and still leave you with zero landscaping lead generation.
The average American household spends $503 a year on landscaping services. It’s not that your customers aren’t out there, you just have to find and sell to them effectively. With this simple, five-step process, you’ll be well on your way to better understanding your existing customers and attracting new ones to your business.
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1. Understand how to get landscaping customers
The most effective lead generation processes for acquiring landscaping customers are those that connect on a personal level. The challenge is understanding the needs and desires of your target audience. To get a sense of what your customers care about, conduct research by:
- Sending out surveys to current customers
- Creating a simple form that collects information from visitors to your website
- Analyzing your most successful content — Which articles have the most views and have been shared the most times? What do these articles have in common?
When you send out surveys or collect data in forms, ensure you’re getting the right information. You may want to request details like:
- Location
- Age
- Profession
- Household income
- Interest in specific landscaping services
- Past problems or challenges with landscaping
- Expected yearly or monthly landscaping budget
- Preferred method of communication
You can ask many questions to understand your target market better and may be tempted to gather as much information as possible. However, if you’re asking via social media, keeping a survey to three to four questions is better. Even a longer emailed survey should be under ten questions.
2. Create content with the most sought-after landscaping tips and information
One of the best ways how to get landscaping customers is by the content that you produce. If you’re new to digital marketing, it may seem strange to you that website content like blog posts could help you get new customers. After all, a blog post will never include information about all of your services and your pricing.
However, content creation is a long-term strategy. Virtually all first-time visitors to your website are not ready to book an appointment for services, so that information doesn’t motivate them to stick around. Presenting them with an article on their desired topic creates a positive connection. When users spend a long time on your website reading content, they are likely to trust you more and want to buy from you later.
What kind of content should you create? Use the information that you gathered from your target audience research to drive your content strategy.
You can probably already think of some article ideas that would be valuable to your particular client base, but if you’re struggling to decide, here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Budget-focused pieces that give ideas regardless of a customer’s financials
- Articles about the pros and cons of DIY backyard projects versus professional lawn care
- Ideas for dealing with diseased and/or dying plants by type, area, climate, etc.
Creating great content can be time-consuming, but presenting relevant information leads to higher conversion rates. You can also cycle this content through your website, email list, and social media feeds, meaning that one piece can be used many times.
3. Collect and nurture your new leads
You can use social media to connect with potential customers by creating and sharing relevant posts. But once you’ve captured people’s attention by posting helpful blog articles, witty Instagram pics, and catchy slogans, you may be wondering how to get landscaping customers to take that next step and book your services.
Start by collecting the information you need to maintain communication. A visitor to your site or a “like” on your Instagram post doesn’t truly become a lead until they also give their email address or agree to follow your account. This effectively creates your potential customer base.
To collect information, include a call to action in every article, such as, “Sign up for our email newsletter for the best landscaping advice in your area.” Social media posts should also include a reminder to follow or subscribe for additional content.
Another way to collect leads is to produce gated content. In order to access a particularly great piece of content that you’ve created, a user has to provide their email. Any of these methods will help with how to get landscaping customers.
4. Turn your landscaping lead generation into conversions
Strive for consistent, relevant contact with leads to convert them into paying customers.
Email marketing is one of the most common and most effective digital marketing techniques, and it can often be automated. Keep in touch with your leads by emailing them relevant landscaping content, such as seasonal blogs. At the end of each email, include a call to action with a simple way to book your company’s service right away.
Target the people on your email list even more accurately by segmenting them into groups. Perhaps you’ve been able to collect information regarding the location of each person’s home on your list. You could send out emails personalized to each neighborhood with the services you believe are most needed (for example, tree trimming or removal for an old neighborhood, but tree planting for a new subdivision).
Another important marketing conversion technique is to create a landing page for your business. A landing page is a specially designed, self-contained sales page. Unlike most web pages, it has almost no links to distract the viewer — in most cases, not even a navigation menu at the top of the site. The idea is to keep the viewer on the page, where they’re presented with targeted messaging related to the link that brought them to this page.
For example, you might have one landing page for residential customers and one for commercial customers. Or you might have a landing page geared specifically toward regular mowing services and a different one for customers who are looking for landscape design, hardscaping, or planting services. When you advertise to people who are searching for specific services on Google, you can direct them to the relevant information instead of overwhelming them with your whole site.
5. Take care of your existing customers
When focusing on landscaping lead generation, it’s easy to forget the value of the customers you already have. In fact, only 29% of companies work to nurture their leads after they have made a purchase. Thinking about how to get landscaping customers is just as important as thinking about how to keep them.
Landscaping services are usually needed regularly, so it’s crucial to stay in touch with all customers through your communication channels. Some ways to encourage past purchasers of your landscaping services to buy again include:
- Sending email/text reminders for routine services
- Starting a rewards program for returning customers
- Offering discounts for upselling or cross-selling (for example, customers who use your biweekly mowing services receive a 15% discount on deckbuilding)
Small changes can make a big difference in your landscaping lead generation
Now, you should have more clarity around how to get landscaping customers. Carrying out these five steps and then repeating them will make a huge difference in the number of potential customers that are directed toward your business.
Start your new lead generation process by gathering the information you need. Think about the questions you’d like to ask your current customers and send them a survey. You might be surprised by how much your customers are willing to share if you just ask. Their answers can give you some immediate ideas for future content that will attract more leads.
If you need more ideas, be sure to check out The Download, where you will find top marketing strategies from our home services experts.