For those just starting in the lawn care industry, your number one concern is attracting lawn care clients as fast as you can to your lawn business. After all, without paying customers, your business won’t take off. However, establishing a foothold among your target customers and standing out above your local competition can be challenging. So what’s the best way to get lawn care customers?
Securing a loyal client base requires hard work and dedication, but you can overcome the barrier to entry by implementing a few of the right marketing strategies. To help get you on your way to business success, we’re going to take a look at some tried-and-true marketing strategies and learn how to get lawn care customers fast. Let’s jump right in.
1. Build Your Lawn Care Network
Networking is undoubtedly the first thing you need to do to get lawn care customers, which allows you to establish trust with them. There are lots of simple, yet effective networking methods that you can start implementing right now.
Use Your Existing Networks
The first thing to do, if you haven’t already, is to reach out to your friends and family and let them know that you’re in the lawn care industry. You already have a lot of clout in this network, so be sure to use it. Some great opportunities can come from your friends and family, and it’s easy to leverage—a simple Facebook post or Tweet announcing your business is all you need.
Connect with Clients
Next, you’ll want to connect with potential clients by hitting the streets of your local neighborhoods. You can do so in a few different ways.
One way is by knocking on doors and handing out flyers. Though it’s rather time-consuming, it’s quite useful, since you’re engaging with potential clients. You can also go door-to-door and leave flyers, business cards, or door hangers. This method is less time-consuming, but it does require exceptionally well-written content to engage your target audience.
It’s a good idea to create T-shirts with your company’s name and number and wear them as you walk around. It’s also worth doing this networking on the weekends when more people are likely to be doing yard work.
Don’t Forget Local Business Associations
And finally, be sure to network with local business associations, as well as your local Chamber of Commerce.
2. Establish a Social Media Presence
Nowadays, a strong social media presence is a must, especially if you are targeting local customers. Establishing your lawn care company online is a fantastic free way to market your business and build brand awareness. Though it might seem better to set up profiles on as many platforms as possible, we recommend sticking to a select few. Three of the essential platforms for lawn care services are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Why? Because your target client (homeowners) likely uses these platforms already. Social media is a fantastic way for them to find you if you haven’t already created a website. Plus, a strong social media presence lends credibility, especially if you have a large following and positive reviews.
So how do you attain a strong social media presence that adds to your credibility? Your channels should:
• Provide quality content
• Offer helpful information
• Engage your audience
• Be a place to respond to your customers
• Be professional
Don’t forget that Facebook and Instagram are also both excellent places to kickstart an advertising strategy for your local service business.
3. Be Easy To Find Online
Companies that understand how to get lawn care clients understand the importance of being findable online. Just think for a second about where you go when you are looking for a service. Odds are, you turn to the internet. Your customers may be prevented from finding you if your business isn’t findable in the digital marketplace.
The good news is that making yourself findable is straightforward. There are several low-cost (or even free) ways to get your name out there besides establishing your lawn care website. For example, using online classifieds is essential when starting a lawn care business as it provides a cost-effective way to reach new lawn care customers.
Angie’s List
One place you should create a listing is on Angie’s List. Angie’s List is a website that allows service-based businesses to advertise themselves, and customers can use it to find reputable companies. There is a free option that works well when you’re starting, but you may want to consider upgrading to the paid version later on for better advertising.
Create Other Online Listings
Angie’s List is an excellent place to be, but you should also make sure to create online listings with both Bing and Google as part of your marketing and advertising efforts. These free listings are a fantastic way to advertise your services, and they are easy to set up. All you need to provide is your basic business details, such as a phone number, though the more information you provide, the better.
Lawn Care SEO
Optimize your online presence through SEO-friendly content. By focusing on keywords and search intent that potential customers are searching for, you can increase your visibility in search engine results and attract more leads. Make sure your website is user-friendly, as this will improve user experience and increase trust among visitors and potentially even traffic. You can also combine SEO and SEM strategies to maximize the reach of your website.
Google Ads for Lawn Care
Leverage the power of Google Local Services Ads to effectively target local lawn care prospects. These ads will appear at the top of search engine results when people in your area search for lawn care services. By utilizing this digital advertising platform, you can reach a specific audience looking for lawn care services and increase your chances of attracting new clients locally.
Lawn Care Referrals
Take advantage of the power of direct outreach and encourage word-of-mouth marketing from your current customer base. Turn your satisfied clients into ambassadors for your lawn care business by implementing a structured referral program. Offer incentives for referrals to motivate your customers to spread the word about your lawn care services to their friends and families. By combining online visibility with personal recommendations, you can quickly attract new clients and establish a solid foundation for your business as well as trust in your community.
Direct Mail Campaigns For Lawn Care
Direct mail offers an inexpensive way to achieve a great return on investment, allowing the lawn care business’s name to reach potential customers directly in their homes without the need for personal interaction. This approach also eliminates the need for going door to door in unfavorable weather conditions, such as snow during the winter season or hot sunny summer days. Although response rates may be lower due to the abundance of mail in people’s inboxes, sending a sufficient number of letters can help improve the success rate of your lawn care campaign.
4. Take Care of Existing Customers
You should never be so concerned with attracting new clientele that you neglect existing customers. After all, it takes a whole lot more effort to gain a new customer than it does to maintain an existing one. Take care of the customers who already trust you by providing excellent service.
While it may seem tempting to solicit positive reviews early on from the few clients you do have, resist the urge to do so. Instead, ask them for feedback on your services. Hopefully, their comments will be positive, but constructive criticism is helpful at this stage of building your business.
And what should you do if you receive negative feedback? Knowing how to handle negative comments is imperative. First of all, you should respond to all the feedback you receive, both positive and negative, within a 24-hour window. But it’s especially vital to respond to negative feedback, especially if it’s on a public forum like your Facebook page or Yelp account.
So how should you respond? The most important thing is to stay calm, even if you feel attacked. Politely ask for more information about what went wrong, and if you were at fault, be sure to remedy your error.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know a thing or two about how to get lawn care customers, it’s time to put these ideas into practice. With a little bit of patience, hard work, and ingenuity, you should be well on your way to building a loyal customer base.
