A beautiful lawn can instantly transform an ordinary house into the envy of the entire neighborhood. Not to mention, quality landscaping can increase a home’s price tag by up to 20 percent. The benefits of professional landscaping are endless, but how do homeowners make sure they’re hiring the right contractor for the job?
Local homeowners want the best bang for their buck—and they’re going to spend time researching your company, checking out your website, and scrolling through your social media accounts before they pick up the phone. Of course, they’re doing homework on the competition, too. From routine lawn maintenance to patio installation, your customers want to know that they’re hiring the best person for the job.
So, how can you dominate the competition? Here’s what homeowners consider when choosing between two landscapers—and how you can keep the phone ringing with a winning marketing strategy.
Whether they’re in the market for a new sprinkler system, walkways, or landscape design, most people start their search for a landscaper online. According to HubSpot, 97 percent of people learn more about local companies online than anywhere else.
How can you show homeowners that you’re the best choice for the job? To keep your appointment book full, you need a professional landscaping website that highlights your qualifications and expertise. Not only that, but information on your experience should be easy to find. Here, your main goal is to position yourself as an industry expert so you can show prospects why you’re worth hiring over the competition.
On your Home page, you’ll want to briefly talk about your experience with different types of residential projects, landscaper licensing, and insurance to make homeowners feel confident about choosing your business. But that’s not all. You’ll also want to share customer testimonial videos and references to give potential customers added peace of mind.
If they decide to take the next step with your landscaping company, you’ll need to make it as easy as possible. For example, the Company 119 team partnered with Primex Garden Center—a fourth-generation family-owned gardening center in Glenside, PA—to design a website that would appeal to their target audience and clearly communicate their expertise.
The solution was a dynamic FAQ section where visitors could submit questions and photos to the website. Then, a member of the Primex team sent a personalized response through email or an answer published to the site. Over time, Primex built a comprehensive FAQ section to serve as a valuable resource for customers—all while strengthening the site’s relevance to gardening questions in organic search. The new website checks every box: It tells their unique story, spotlights their expertise, and promotes their selection of plants and gardening products.
Most homeowners have a clear picture of what they want for their landscaping. They’ve already spent time watching home improvement shows, scrolling through Instagram, and checking out portfolios. Now, they want to convey that image to potential contractors to see how you’ll react to their requests.
That’s where your service catalog can differentiate your company from the competition. After all, if a homeowner wants to hire a landscaper for outdoor fireplace installation, they’ll probably skip over landscapers that don’t offer fire pits.
While some homeowners search for niche services, others search for landscapers that tackle multiple services (think: lawn care, patio installation, and outdoor lighting). As a result, offering special package deals can give leads the push they need to convert since they won’t have to deal with the hassle of booking multiple jobs.
You need to tell homeowners exactly what you’re offering, and that means clearly listing your landscaping services on your website. Our clients drive more conversions when they create separate landing pages for every service. And when it comes to landing pages, more is better. According to marketing research, businesses with 10 to 15 landing pages increase conversions by 55 percent.
Want to take your landing pages to the next level? When you create personalized calls to action for different audience segments, you’ll convert even more leads into paying customers. Plus, you’ll be able to use those landing pages as the hub for your digital marketing efforts. Sounds like a win-win, right?
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. After you’ve confirmed that a potential contractor has the right qualifications and offers your dream landscaping services, what’s the next step? You’re going to scroll through their online portfolio to see what kind of work they’ve done for other homeowners.
At this point, most homeowners have narrowed their list to a handful of local landscapers. You’ve worked hard to get this far, but you can’t give up now. You need a head-turning portfolio that showcases your best jobs and highlights the methods you use to solve homeowner pain points. You should also talk about the materials you use, what kind of value you provide, and your overall process.
That might sound like a lot to squeeze into one page, but trust us—it’s easier than it sounds. Instead of boring local homeowners with static pictures and text, you’re going to take a different approach. You’re going to create a conversion-worthy portfolio filled with high-quality pictures, videos, and testimonials to impress your prospects.
If you’re not doing it already, start taking pictures before projects begin and after they end. Make sure you’re using a decent camera, taking advantage of natural light, and capturing the right angles. At the end of the day, your leads will judge your work based on your portfolio, so every picture should look as professional as your landscaping work.
To make a strong first impression on your leads, consider hiring a professional video production team to film landscaping jobs. Between scroll-stopping drone overviews and behind-the-scenes glimpses into projects, video can be an amazing tool to showcase your work. And sometimes, it might just be the push homeowners need to request an estimate.
Remember: Not every customer will want to view your entire portfolio. Maybe they’re only interested in a certain type of project, like landscape design or patio installation. Take some time to organize your portfolio into different categories to make it easier for potential customers to find their preferred projects. You don’t have to add pictures of every job you’ve ever completed, either. Keep it clean and professional with your best work, and don’t be afraid to showcase unusual ways you’ve met your clients’ needs.
You’ve shown prospects that you’re the best fit for the job. But before they pick up the phone, they’re going to take one last precaution to make sure you’re the right choice: reading your online reviews.
Reading reviews might seem like a trivial step in the buyer’s journey, but it matters more than you might think. According to marketing statistics, over 92 percent of customers scope out online reviews before moving forward with a business. At the same time, online reviews influence 68 percent of buying decisions, and 40 percent of people make up their mind after reading one online review.
Your leads want to learn more about your landscaping services—and instead of trusting your business for honest details, they’re turning to past customers. They want to learn about the experiences your clients had, how you handle negative reviews, and whether your services really live up to the claims you’ve made on your website. To seal the deal, you’ll need a strong arsenal of online reviews to build your reputation.
The good news? To make reviews a part of your process, you just need to ask. After you’ve finished a landscaping job, make sure to reach out to each customer through email/SMS, thank them for hiring your company, and politely request an online review. It’s that simple.
If you’ve already mastered post-appointment communication, try adding a link to your preferred online review platform. Always encourage customers to leave honest feedback, and block some time off on your calendar to respond to all reviews—both positive and negative. Some negative reviews are inevitable, but knowing how to respond can make the difference between a lost lead and a loyal customer.
You’ve sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears to grow your landscaping company. You’re already working overtime to run your business and keep your customers happy, and you deserve a marketing strategy that works as hard as you do.
When you’re ready to take a different approach to marketing, we’re here to help. At Company 119, we’ve helped countless landscapers grow their business with professional web design, video production, and more. Give us a call today to drive more landscaping leads.
