This article was updated on March 14, 2023
As the days get longer and warmer, there's a lot for everyone to do in prep for spring and summer. Get ahead of competitors by tapping into seasonal marketing strategies to push your landscaping business to the top. According to a Nextdoor study, spring cleaning conversations start in February* with around 30,000 specific mentions of spring cleaning on Nextdoor in the past year.**
In this guide, we discuss how to launch customer acquisition strategies and reconnect with past customers to increase lifetime value and improve conversion rates this spring.
These strategies will help you stay ahead. Read on to learn how you can usher in a new season of growth for your landscaping business.
How to Advertise Lawn Care in Spring:
- Stay ahead of the season and advertise lawn care services early
- Highlight UVPs on mixed marketing channels
- Clearly state what your landscaping business services entail
- Run remarketing landscaping campaigns
- Offer spring landscaping packages and promotions
- Implement a referral program
- Showcase lawn care business reviews
- Consider partnering with other local businesses
- Sponsor a local event
- Solidify your landscaping contracts
1. Stay ahead of the season & advertise lawn care services early
As a landscaping business, it is important to start advertising your services before the spring season. Effective marketing allows you to capitalize on the seasonal influx of customers and puts your company ahead of the competition. It is vital to begin advertising your services well before the spring season, as this will give you a competitive edge over other companies.
Advertising early can be done through various methods such as digital and print campaigns, local radio and television ads, and even in-person events. This can help to ensure that potential customers are aware of your services. Additionally, consider offering discounts or promotions to further entice people to choose your business.
Increase awareness of your services by beginning your marketing efforts a few weeks before customers might need them. For example, even if it’s too early (or too cold) to plant warmer-weather flowers, you can start appealing to customers by offering debris-clearing services to help them prepare for the upcoming spring cleaning.
For a streamlined marketing strategy, it is imperative to ensure your website is up to date especially if you are implementing an SEO strategy. In this case, planning a few months in advance is important as optimizations take time to be recognized by Google. Planning ahead also applies to paid campaigns. It is best to synergize both your organic search and paid media strategies to coincide and increase brand awareness for seasonal marketing efforts.
Of course, you’ll also need a way to connect with your customers and share updates about the services you offer. One way to do this is through a Nextdoor Business Page. Here, you can share posts and share your expertise with neighbors directly. This allows you to build your reputation ahead of the season and show why you’re the go-to landscaper for their needs.
2. Highlight UVPs on mixed marketing channels
It's no secret that cross-channel marketing can be a powerful tool for promoting your landscaping business during the spring. A great way to ensure your marketing efforts are successful is to make sure you're highlighting your unique value propositions (UVPs) on a variety of marketing channels. By doing this, you can reach more potential customers and showcase the benefits that make your landscaping business stand out from the competition.
When crafting your UVPs, focus on differentiating yourself from competitors in terms of service offerings, customer experience, and customer loyalty. For example, if you offer free consultations or discounts on certain services, be sure to mention that when you advertise your business. You can also highlight any awards or accolades your business has received. This will help establish credibility with potential customers and make them more likely to choose your services.
Once you have your UVPs ready to go, it's time to start reaching out to potential customers on a variety of marketing channels. Social media is a great place to start. Create engaging posts about your services, UVPs, and special offers that showcase why your landscaping business is the best choice for them. Additionally, you can utilize email marketing campaigns to reach out to current and potential customers and share information about your services and offers.
Finally, remember traditional marketing channels such as print ads, radio spots, and television commercials. While these methods may seem outdated, they can still be effective in getting your message across. Be sure to include relevant UVPs in all of your advertising materials, so that potential customers know why your landscaping business is the best choice for them.
By taking the time to craft engaging UVPs and utilize a variety of marketing channels, you can increase the visibility of your enterprise landscaping business and attract more customers this spring season.
3. Clearly state what your landscaping business services entail
When it comes to service offerings, consider providing your community with detailed descriptions. This can help your customers think about what they might need before making any commitment. It can also help them discover even more opportunities to enhance their landscaping (with your help, of course).
For example, nationally-known landscaping businesses such as U.S. Lawns and BrightView offer detailed web pages for each of the services they offer. By explaining what their services entail, the business helps customers to understand what they might need and start to envision the results.
A few different categories of spring clean-up landscaping services you might want to offer include:
- Debris and leaf removal
- Lawn damage inspection
- Fertilizing services
- Mulching services
- Pest and weed removal
- Irrigation installation and repair
- Mowing services
- Residential and commercial landscaping
4. Run remarketing landscaping campaigns
Remarketing campaigns can be a great way to reach out to past customers and remind them of the lawn care services you provide. Remarketing campaigns are designed to target those who have already visited your services on a directory or website but haven't taken action or become paying customers. By running remarketing campaigns, you can stay top-of-mind with potential customers who may need your landscaping services in the future.
One way to use remarketing is to focus on customers who haven't used your services in the past year. By reaching out to these customers, you can offer them promotional discounts or other incentives to encourage them to give your business a second chance. You can also use re-marketing to stay in touch with previous customers and inform them of any new services you may be offering.
When setting up your re-marketing campaigns, it's important to make sure you are targeting the right audience. This means targeting those who have already expressed an interest in your landscaping services but haven't yet taken action. You should also consider segmenting your campaigns so that you can target customers with different interests and needs.
By using remarketing campaigns, you can effectively reach out to past customers and remind them of the quality services you provide. This can help to increase customer loyalty and boost your enterprise marketing efforts.
5. Offer spring clean-up packages and promotions
Creating seasonal promotions is an important part of any enterprise marketing plan. As a landscaping business, it’s important to take advantage of the prime season and use promotional strategies to attract more customers.
During the spring season, you can run various promotional campaigns such as discounts on new services, free landscaping consultation offers, and coupons for returning customers. You could even partner with other businesses in your area to offer bundled packages at a discounted rate. By taking the time to create seasonal promotions for your lawn care business, you will be able to attract more customers and increase profits.
To really stand out from other lawn care businesses in your area, you should take some time to identify your unique value propositions and showcase them to potential customers. For example, you could focus on a particular specialty like organic lawn care, landscape design, or pest control services. By emphasizing these enterprise marketing points, you can differentiate yourself from your competition and make yourself more attractive to potential customers.
Some customers may wish to pick and choose from the services listed. However, others might be enticed to book more services if you offer a package deal. Consider creating a special spring clean-up package for both residential and commercial customers.
Not every customer’s needs are the same, so it may help to keep the package customizable. Rather than offering a set price for a whole list of services, for example, you might want to offer a bundle-and-save deal. This type of promotion allows customers to save a certain percentage on their spring clean-up when they choose a minimum number of services from your list.
Other types of spring clean-up promotions you might consider include:
- Customer referral discounts
- Discounts for prepaid services
- Discounts for seniors, military, and new customers
- Promotions for repeat customers
- Special offers for new small business customers
On the other hand, some business owners may not wish to spend time poring over the details of promotions. Instead, they might prefer you to take the lead. To be prepared for this option, be sure to keep a “full service” spring clean-up package on hand as needed.
Use Nextdoor Ads to get the word out in your neighborhood about your special spring cleaning offers. Create your ad today.
Creating an effective referral program for your enterprise landscaping business is a great way to generate more business. Referral programs offer an incentive to customers for referring new clients to your business, which can help you quickly grow your client base and establish yourself as a leader in the enterprise landscaping market.
The primary goal of a referral program is to increase word-of-mouth marketing for your enterprise landscaping business. When your existing customers are satisfied with your services, they're more likely to recommend your business to friends and family members. A well-crafted referral program can help you maximize the impact of positive reviews, leading to increased profits and brand awareness.
When creating your referral program, it's important to consider the following:
- Offer an incentive: Your referral program should offer an incentive to customers who refer new clients to your business. Consider offering discounts or special promotions as an incentive to encourage customers to spread the word about your services.
- Make it easy to share: Make sure that you provide an easy way for customers to share your referral program with friends and family. Consider using social media platforms or email marketing campaigns as part of your referral program strategy.
- Track success: Utilize analytics tools to track the success of your referral program. This will allow you to evaluate which strategies work best and make adjustments accordingly.
By implementing a successful referral program, you'll be able to quickly expand your enterprise landscaping business and reach a wider audience.
Your spring yard clean-up services can help your customers start the season off right. It also gives you the opportunity to build those customer relationships so that they last all year long.
Be sure to discuss what maintenance services your customers may need moving forward and how you can help. Some of the maintenance services you might offer include:
- Monthly fertilizing treatments
- Weekly mowing and edging
- Periodic pest control and weeding
- Watering and irrigation services
- Garden pruning and maintenance
Another way to nurture your client relationships is to offer discounts to those who sign up for ongoing services.
For example, Indianapolis-based business Happy Tree & Landscaping offers one month of free mowing for customers who sign up for eight months of mowing services. This kind of offer can encourage customers who might be on the fence about maintenance services. For those already considering them, it’s one more fantastic reason to stick with your business through all seasons.
Increase word of mouth and offer freebies for referring customers
One of the best ways to get your landscaping marketing off the ground this spring is to give away freebies. Whether it’s t-shirts, hats, mugs, or something else, giveaways are an easy and fun way to get people talking about your landscaping business and potentially draw in new customers.
One idea could be to hand out promotional items at local events, such as giving away free t-shirts with your logo printed on them. You could also offer freebies to people who book a lawn care service through your website. This can encourage word-of-mouth marketing, which is one of the most effective forms of advertising.
Other great ways to distribute free swag could include hosting a giveaway on social media or leaving flyers around town with a coupon for a free lawn care service. Whatever you choose, offering something for free is sure to draw people’s attention and help spread the word about your landscaping business this spring.
7. Showcase positive reviews on your lawn care website & add relevant awards
As you appeal to your spring clean-up customers, don’t be shy about showing the work you’re proud of.
When it comes to lawn care marketing, it’s essential to have positive reviews from customers. Reviews are one of the best ways to promote your landscaping business and encourage potential clients to use your services. It’s not just word of mouth that carries a lot of weight—it’s what people say about your company online that matters most.
To ensure you get the best reviews, here are some tips to help you garner lawn care business reviews:
- Ask your customers for feedback after each job is completed. Make sure to emphasize how much their opinion matters and the impact it has on the success of your business.
- Include a link to a review page on your website or on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. This makes it easy for customers to provide feedback without having to search for a page.
- Send emails or postcards with incentives such as discounts or gift cards if they take the time to leave a review.
- Provide excellent customer service during each job and always make sure your clients are satisfied. This will help ensure you get good reviews from customers.
- Showcase positive reviews on your lawn care website and add relevant awards such as “Best Landscaping Company” or “Best Lawn Care Services” for additional credibility.
To build upon social proof, elevate your company presence with before and afters showcasing your excellent lawn care services.
For example, Cleveland business H&M Landscaping offers an extensive online gallery to show customers the results of their services. This can be an especially helpful resource to those who are new to hiring landscapers, such as first-time small business owners or new homeowners.
A before-and-after shot of a spring yard clean-up you performed can also be an effective way to show customers the value of your landscaping skills. Others might be so inspired by the featured projects that they hire you to reimagine their whole backyard or storefront. Try showcasing any beautiful spring blooms that you worked to bring to life in your clients’ yards to entice new customers to your services.
By following these tips, you can easily get good reviews for your landscaping business and increase your visibility in the industry. Additionally, awards can give your franchise a boost and attract even more clients.
8. Consider partnering with other local businesses
Winter can be rough on all parts of one’s outdoor space—not just the landscaping. Chances are, customers may need additional services to refresh their space this spring. In the past year, 85% of Nextdoor neighbors stated they would hire a professional to do all or part of their home projects.*** You may be looking for ways to gain more clients and expand your landscape marketing reach by tapping into these related business customer bases. Partnering with other local businesses could be a great way to accomplish increased visibility. By forming relationships with other local businesses, you could share customer bases, access new resources, and gain more visibility in the community. These might include:
- Fence painting
- Power washing
- Window washing
- Furniture cleaning
- House cleaner services
When businesses partner, it is typically a mutually beneficial relationship that allows both parties to benefit from the arrangement. A local business partner might provide you with customers and referrals. In return, you could offer discounts or other promotions to their customers. This arrangement gives both businesses the chance to market their services to each other’s customers and take advantage of the existing customer base.
You can also benefit from partnering with other local businesses in terms of resources. Sharing resources such as tools, equipment, and even personnel can save you time and money. This will allow you to take on larger projects and make your enterprise marketing more effective. Additionally, you can use the partnerships to improve efficiency and customer service.
Finally, partnering with other local businesses can help you gain more visibility in the community. This can lead to more customers and referrals, which will ultimately help you grow your business. By making connections in the community, you can increase your reputation and build relationships with potential customers.
Partnering with other local businesses is a great way to increase your customer base and gain access to new resources. It will help you improve efficiency, save money, and gain more visibility in the community. All of these things will help you grow your landscaping business and maximize the success of your enterprise marketing efforts.
9. Sponsor a local event
Enterprise marketing is all about getting your name out to the public and showing potential customers what you have to offer. One great way to do this is by sponsoring a local event. Not only will this give you exposure, but it will also allow you to get involved in the local community.
When it comes to sponsoring a local event, there are several steps you should take. First, decide what kind of event you want to sponsor. Good types of events to sponsor as a lawn care enterprise business include gardening expos, flower shows, fairs, farmers markets, charity events, and music festivals.
Once you’ve chosen an event to sponsor, contact the organizers and let them know that you would like to be a sponsor. Make sure to negotiate a package that works for both parties. This could include anything from discounts on your services to giveaways at the event.
Finally, promote your sponsorship before, during, and after the event. This could include sharing photos on social media, running ads in local papers, or putting up flyers around town. Doing this will help create buzz around your brand and will make sure that people remember your involvement with the event long after it’s over.
10. Solidify your landscaping contracts
As a growing landscaping business, it's important to ensure that you are able to solidify your contracts and protect both you and your client. When drafting your landscaping contract, there are certain elements that should be included in order to ensure the success of both the business and the client.
First, it is important to list out any services that you are agreeing to provide in your contract. Make sure to include detailed information about the scope of your project, the cost, and any other relevant details that might affect the agreement. You should also include a timeline for completion and state when payments will be due. It is also wise to include language that outlines what happens if the agreement is breached or if either party needs to back out of the agreement.
Include language that outlines how the enterprise marketing activities will be handled. This includes discussing how any promotional materials will be shared with clients and how brand images will be used. Additionally, include any terms and conditions for using customer reviews and feedback for enterprise marketing purposes.
Landscaping contracts can also provide useful information for the customer, such as:
- When payments are due
- The start and end dates of the services
- Your official contact information
- The details of any promotions or packages included
Other elements you may wish to include can help you provide clarity about your landscaping policies and procedures, such as:
- Cancellation of services
- Reworking projects
- Refund requests
- Ongoing service terms
You may need to add additional elements for the specific spring cleaning services your business offers. At the end of the day, the goal is to provide clear and valuable information for the customer. Doing so can help you ensure a better working relationship throughout your spring yard clean-up services.
Make the most of the spring cleaning season with Nextdoor
Being prepared for the spring clean-up season can be a huge part of running a successful landscaping business. With some smart seasonal strategies, however, you’ll be ready to transform those dreary winter lawns into beautiful spring landscapes.
As you navigate the hustle and bustle of the season, don’t forget to keep your neighbors updated on all your latest offers and promotions for spring clean-up.
Not sure where to share? A free Nextdoor Business Page allows you to meet your customers where they are, share updates, and even post images of those star projects. Plus, once customers share recommendations for your services, your landscaping business will be even easier to find.
Launch your landscaping business into a new season of growth with Nextdoor.
*Nextdoor Internal Data 2022
**Nextdoor Internal Data (USA, Nov. '21 - Oct. '23)
***Nextdoor Survey (USA, Aug. '22)
Photography credit: iStock.com/welcomia
