Did you know that more than 68% of small business owners use offline and online marketing? The best way to advertise lawn care services is a mix of digital and offline channels. Digital channels are convenient and help you target users who look for lawn care services online, but offline marketing can feel more tangible and help you target customers in a specific area.
Below are a few strategies you can use to advertise your lawn care business offline. If you’re too busy you can use a lawn care marketing agency instead to execute on these marketing strategies.
Lawn Care Flyers
Lawn care flyers are an effective way of increasing awareness for your business while sharing some information about the services you offer. Invest in a professional design for your flyers, use bright colors to draw attention, and make sure you print them on quality paper.
Here are a few ideas to explore to distribute your flyers:
- Leave them at local businesses with the owner’s permission.
- Leave a few with each client so they can share them with their friends and neighbors.
- Go door-to-door if you want to target a specific area.
- Think about distributing flyers to the neighbors of your clients.
You can also make flyers for specific services and target potential clients based on what their yard looks like. For instance, handing out lawn mowing flyers to homeowners with an overgrown lawn is more likely to help you find new clients compared to handing out flyers to homeowners with well-kept yards.
You will get better results if your flyers make your business easy to identify. Keep your message short and straight-to-the-point. Your flyers should give people a reason to contact you. List the services you offer and briefly explain why you’re the best lawn care business in the area.
You can offer a discount or another incentive to get better results. Use a unique coupon code so you can keep track of how many new clients you get thanks to your flyers. Don’t forget to add a call-to-action to encourage people to get in touch with you.
Local Sponsorships and Partnerships
You can create a strong relationship with your local community and find new clients by establishing sponsorships and partnerships.
Join a local business owner association or reach out to local businesses to create partnerships. Look for reputable companies that offer services homeowners are likely to use, like plumbing, HVAC repairs, tree removal, pressure washing, or driveway resurfacing.
Once you have a list of reputable businesses, recommend their services to your clients, and these professionals will recommend your lawn care business when they notice that one of their clients has a lawn that could use some sprucing up.
You can also increase awareness for your business by helping out local non-profit organizations. You can support these organizations with cash donations, or offer your services for free to maintain their facilities. You can support non-profits by organizing drives and collecting donations. Partnerships with non-profits are an opportunity to do something meaningful for your community while networking.
Think about sponsoring a local sports team. It’s a fun experience, and you will get plenty of exposure at their games.
Run Ads on Local TV and Radio Channels
Running lawncare ads on local TV and radio channels is an effective lawn care marketing strategy because you can target a specific area. Local channels usually have very affordable rates for commercials.
Running ads on TV and radio will boost awareness for your business. It will give you access to an audience that might not use digital channels, and your competitors might be overlooking these forms of offline advertising.
Here are some lawn care advertising ideas you can use to create effective TV or radio ads:
- Make your ads memorable. You can use a tagline or a jingle that people will remember across your campaigns.
- Use storytelling to convey your message. Tell people how you created your business or how you help people.
- Your ads need to look and sound professional. Get help from an agency to create a positive impression.
- Make your ads relatable. Talk about problems your audience is experiencing, or use testimonies from your clients.
- Use strong calls-to-action. Your ads should encourage viewers or listeners to perform a specific action to get in touch with you and give them an incentive to do so.
Direct Mailers
Sending out direct mailers feels more personal than email marketing. It’s easy to overlook a promotional email, but people will be more likely to notice a postcard if it’s colorful and your business name is easy to identify.
A direct mailer can feel more interactive and make recipients want to take action. We recommend using quality paper, a colorful design, and a glossy finish to draw attention.
You can use your direct mailer for advertising a special offer. Share some information about the services you offer, and give the recipients a reason to contact you. Use a strong call-to-action that encourages people to respond to the mailer or call you.
Create a list of recipients who are likely to be interested in your services to get more out of your direct mailing campaign. You could send mailers to people who have contacted your business in the past, or to existing customers who haven’t renewed their service contract.
Magazines and Newspapers
Magazines have one of the highest ROIs for print media. Advertising in a magazine is interesting because you can target an audience with specific interests. In the case of a lawn care business, you should think about buying ad space in a magazine written for homeowners.
You should also think about advertising in local newspapers. It’s an affordable way of getting print ads, and your ads will increase awareness for your business. Just like with local radio and TV stations, local newspapers are a channel that your competitors might be overlooking.
If there are any coupon books and mailing lists in your area, look into using those channels to promote your services!
Make your print ads stand out by hiring a professional to design them. Use visuals to convey that you offer quality lawn care services, for instance, by printing high-quality photographs of your work. Your print ads should make your business easy to identify, tell a story with your visuals, and encourage people to take action.
Billboards
Billboards are an effective way of promoting your business since 71% of people say they often look at the messages on billboards. Billboards can be an excellent investment because they give you the possibility of targeting people in a specific area.
A homeowner who sees your billboard every day on their commute will think of your business immediately when they think of lawn care services. The key is to choose the right location and message for your billboard.
You only have a few seconds to make an impression. Use strong visuals to tell people why you’re the best lawn care company in the area, and choose a simple call-to-action. You can encourage people to visit a website with a URL they can remember easily, or use a vanity phone number.
Referrals
Your existing clients can help you grow your business through word-of-mouth marketing. A referral program is one of the best investments you can make to grow your business.
Your customers know that you do a great job with their yard and will recommend your services to their friends, neighbors, and colleagues if there is an incentive to do so. They can show off their yard as proof that you offer outstanding lawn care services.
You should offer a discount, reward, or another incentive to the people who refer new clients. Think about offering an incentive to the new clients who come through your referral program as well.
You can develop a successful referral program if you make the rules easy to understand. Signing up and claiming rewards should also be easy.
We strongly recommend developing a referral program because you can get results as long as you deliver amazing customer service, and it’s one of the few marketing channels that doesn’t require you to manage it actively.
Lawn Signs
Lawn signs are another offline marketing strategy that is very relevant for landscaping and lawn care. One of the most convincing things you can do to get new customers is to show the quality of your work.
Lawn signs will increase awareness of your business and showcase your work. These signs will help you find new customers in neighborhoods where you already have a presence. It’s a viable growth strategy since it makes for simpler routes.
You can offer a small discount to convince customers to let you display a sign in their yard. Use a simple design for your signs, make sure your business is easy to identify and use a phone number or URL that is easy to remember.
Now that you know how to advertise lawn care services offline, you should take the time to put together an offline marketing strategy adapted to your goals and budget. You can get results with all the strategies listed above, but remember that you need attention-grabbing content and incentives to get new customers. Don’t forget to keep track of how people hear about your business so you can assess which channels and campaigns work best.
