The pandemic may have disrupted your original marketing plans for 2020 and 2021, but—fingers crossed—we’re all looking to return to a more predictable way of life this year.
So, how can you dominate the competition and generate a steady stream of new leads? Your competitors are going above and beyond to market their landscaping business. You need to run toward the fire and take a different approach if you want to rise above them.
Ready to take 2022 by storm? It’s never too late to start brainstorming your plan of attack or update your current marketing plan. Here are our Landscaper Marketing Trends for 2022.
Social media keeps growing as a powerful marketing tool—and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. In 2021, landscapers spent an astounding $11.89 million on Facebook ads alone, according to MediaRadar. At this point, Facebook ads are like Google Ads—they’re an essential component of any effective marketing strategy. There was a time when brands could ignore Facebook, but that era is over.
Facebook ad performance is getting even better in 2022, with on-platform ad experiences (lead generation ads, Messenger ads, etc.) growing more effective than ever before. After brands struggled to troubleshoot Facebook Pixel in 2021, it seems that Facebook has put in the extra effort to make its easier-to-use advertising options more effective.
If you’re not on Facebook yet (or you’re feeling intimidated by Facebook’s advertising options), there’s no better time to get started.
How to use Facebook ads: Over the last few years, we’ve seen a paradigm shift where consumers are asking for more video content. In 2022, it’s safe to assume we’ll see a new era of even shorter attention spans.
To thrive in 2022 and beyond, you need to embrace this shift as soon as possible. Video should be a key piece of your content marketing strategy—but just hitting the record button and throwing up a plain video isn’t enough.
If you want to cut through the digital noise, keep your Facebook ads short and simple. That means videos that are easy to consume, packed with information, and entertaining. While some brands are ignoring the rise of Instagram Reels and TikTok, there’s no denying that short-form video is the best way to reach your target audience. The need for quick and new content has become more prevalent, and your Facebook marketing strategy needs to align with that.
Voice search has grown increasingly popular in recent years. It exploded during the pandemic, and it’s going to remain a major influence on how contractors create content and market themselves online.
Even though we didn’t quite reach the prediction that 50 percent of searches would be driven by voice in 2021 (we’re currently sitting at about 27 percent on mobile devices), the takeover of voice search isn’t that far in the future. The smart speaker business is growing, and one-quarter of local homeowners now own a Google Home, Amazon Echo, or another smart speaker. Global smart speaker sales boomed in 2020, with a huge surge in smart speaker sales during the 2020 holiday season.
So, with more people bringing smart speakers into their homes, it should come as no surprise that consumers are expecting to use voice search more in the future. In fact, 61 percent of consumers aged 25–64 who already use voice search expect to start using it more, according to PwC.
There’s no denying that voice is the future. In 2022, voice search will continue to impact consumer behavior. Contractors, including landscapers, need to prepare. Search, advertising, content, and commerce are all shifting as technology drives the way consumers interact with brands. So, it’s a good idea to listen.
How to use voice search: Even if your landscaping business isn’t fully prepared for smart speakers, it’s time to start optimizing your content for voice search.
Think about it: Voice searchers are going to search differently from your average searcher. They’re using longer, more conversational search queries. Instead of typing “landscaper in Denver, CO” into Google, they’re saying, “Hey Google, find me a local landscaping company near Denver.”
You need to tweak your content to serve those queries and answer your audience’s questions. You also need to optimize your content for mobile use. This way, you’ll be one step closer to turning content into a featured snippet or being found on the first page of Google’s search results.
Of course, homeowners aren’t just using their smart speakers to book landscaping appointments or request quotes. If a family returns home to find that their sprinkler is leaking or a tree fell in their yard, they might do a voice search to find a landscaper as quickly as possible. If your website is filled with relevant content and authoritative pages—such as an emergency landscaping page and blog posts on sprinkler maintenance—you might be the first one to pop up when they say, “Hey Alexa, find a landscaper near me who handles sprinkler repair emergencies.”
In 2021, marketers leveraged first-party data to create brand experiences. Customers are getting pickier every day—and they can afford to be. With countless businesses offering similar products and services, it’s getting even harder to cut through the noise and wow your leads.
That’s where personalization is dominating the marketing game. With the right strategy, personalization can be incredibly powerful—90 percent of leading marketers say it boosts business profitability. On top of that, 61 percent of consumers expect brands to tailor experiences based on their preferences.
Of course, creating a personalized experience is easier said than done. Personalization relies on accurate customer data, which customers are wary of sharing. They’re tired of spam messages and intrusive advertising. With fewer customers sharing their personal information, brands need to turn inward and leverage their existing data to meet the growing demand for personalized messaging.
How to use personalized messaging: In 2022, your main struggle isn’t selling better or scaling bigger. You need to sort through the clutter and fluff to find the best solution for your customers’ unique needs.
To do that, you’ll need to spend time analyzing who your customers are, what they like, how they behave, and so on. If you already engage with your audience online, you probably have tons of invaluable insights into your customers. Use your data to understand their preferences, interests, and behaviors.
At the end of the day, well-defined brand personas lead to better targeting, greater advertising ROI, and higher conversion rates. And if you’re still not convinced, 93 percent of companies experience increased conversion rates after personalizing their search engine marketing. Meanwhile, 94 percent and 92 percent of companies increase conversions after improving their website and emails, respectively. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to start giving your customers what they want.
Marketing trends are constantly evolving, and what worked in 2021 isn’t going to get you the best results in today’s market. If you’re not reinventing your marketing plan to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and algorithms, you risk falling behind.
Want to dominate the competition in 2022? Contact us today to start brainstorming your plan of attack.
