20 Lawn Care Marketing Strategies To Grow Your Business

Lawn care marketing means using a variety of digital & manual strategies to promote your lawn maintenance services. The goal of any successful lawn care marketing campaign is to attract clients, increase revenue, and expand your business operations.

Picking the best lawn care marketing strategy means choosing from digital, traditional, referral, influencer, and community engagement campaigns. Be sure to consider factors such as business size, service area, marketing budget, and customer demographics before starting any advertising campaign. As long as you track your marketing costs & can identify that your cost to acquire a customer (CAC) is lower than your marketing spend per customer, then your lawn business is going to make money.

Improving the marketing of your lawn management business means adapting modern advertising strategies & software required to be successful today. The table below has our top 20 marketing strategies for the lawn care industry.

1. Develop a Professional Website

Developing a professional website is the easiest way to outline your service offerings, display basic company information, provide contact information for customers, and create a brand for your lawn care company. Your lawn care website is a digital business card that allows your potential clients to review services, request quotes, and view testimonials.

Websites are more important now more than ever to build trust with your customers & give them a way to contact you. Costs range from $500 to $5,000 to have a professional website made. Adding a self service “Reschedule” button tied to your routing software, like Zentive, makes it easy for vacationing clients to adjust their mow date without calling you.

2. Optimize for Local SEO

Optimizing for local SEO means making your lawn care website rank better in the local search results in Google & other search engines. To get your lawn care business ranking better be sure to clearly state your services, service area, customer testimonials, pricing information, and contact information. Creating a GMB (Google My Business) Profile is a must for local service business like lawn care. Customers will review your GMB too get an over view of your business, see pictures of your past work, and read reviews of other customers you've worked with in the past. Uploading freshly geotagged photos after each job your crews complete directly to your GMB is a great way to boos the ranking of your Map Pack. Expect to pay $500 to $1000 a month to hire a professional 3rd party SEO firm to improve & manage your local SEO.

3. Launch Paid Ads (PPC) Strategy

Launching a paid ads (PPC) strategy means running pay per click ads on search engines such as Google or Bing & social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. Running paid lawn care ads gives your business immediate visibility online and traffic to your website or landing pages. Compared to SEO which can take months to see results. It is all to easy to blow through your ad budget with little results if you don't make good visuals or target the right audience. A tip for running paid lawn care ads is set negative keywords like 'jobs', 'hiring', 'salary', 'landscaper career' as people looking for jobs in the spring time will chew through your ad budget.

An experience lawn care business owners can outsource their ad management to a marketing firm that will usually charge a fixed monthly fee or percentage of the ad spend. Expect to pay between $10 to $100 per lead on your lawn care marketing campaigns.

4. Implement Email Marketing Campaigns

Implementing email campaigns into your lawn care marketing plan means means reaching out to potential customers using email. Start by scaping or collecting a list of emails & craft a targeted pitch. Cold email outreach works best with commercial clients that sign seasonal contracts for their lawn care management. Email is the best way to get your message directly into the inbox of decision makers like business owners, property managers, and HOAs.

Email campaigns can work on residential lawn customers but you have to be careful as email fatigue can set in if you over use. Email is low cost & you can expect to pay around $50 per month to use platforms like Mailchimp. Zentive & other lawn care business management software integrates MailChimp so you can manage & email your leads all from one place.

5. Engage on Social Media Platforms

Engaging on social media platforms means actively posting, interacting, commenting about your lawn care services on Facebook, Instagram, and other relevant platforms. Facebook is generally the most effective platform as local community pages are the go to space for home owners to get recommendations on lawn care business to hire.

Focus on displaying photos of your past jobs, displaying customer testimonials, giving useful seasonal tips, and mentioning your promotions to customers in your local community. Building a presence on social media is a great way to become known to residents of your community & gather valuable referral business. Posting on social media is free so there is no excise to not have a consistent presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more. Post basic before & after lawn stripe photos shot from the property’s curb after each job your crew completes to gain traffic and leads at no cost.

6. Collaborate with Influencers for Marketing

Collaborating with influencers is a creative way to use local personalities or micro-influencers to promote your lawn care business. The idea is to find influencers that are relevant to lawn care or home ownership & in your local service area. By having them mention & post about your lawn services on their account you can effectively leverage their audience to generate more business.

Have the influencer share their experience with your services, with photos, videos, or stories on their social media profiles. If you're lacking content ideas, have the influencer film a dawn start-up showing your crews getting the equipment started & loaded up for a day of work. Expect to pay the influencer anywhere from $50 to $500 per post depending on how popular they are.

7. Advertise in Local Magazines

Advertising in local magazines means placing promotional for your lawn business in local publications. Local magazines showcase your lawn care services on advertorial pages along side other small businesses in your community. This is a great way to establish credibility with older audiences in your target market that do not spend as much time online as the younger demographic. Negotiate placement in the local publication’s spring coupon saver pull-out if they have one. Advertising in a local magazine generally costs between $200 to $2,000 per ad depending on the magazines popularity and the ad size and placement.

8. Invest in Outdoor Advertising

Investing in outdoor advertising includes using billboards, yard signs, or banners to promote your lawn care business throughout your local community. Adding a yard sign on a clients property in a densely populated neighborhood is a great way to advertise the great work your business does to neighbors. Neighbors will drive by everyday and wonder why their lawn doesn't look as good. Before you know it a basic yard sign will generate a few calls a week. Check the local community rules before placing your yard signs if you work in HOA communities. Expect to pay about $2 - $5 per yard sign and upwards of $5,000 per month for billboards in high traffic areas.

9. Wrap Company Vehicles for Visibility

Wrapping your company truck and trailers adds your company logo & images of your lawn care services to the vehicle's exterior. Wrapping your vehicles is a great way to turn them into into mobile billboards and advertise your lawn business when traveling between jobs. Customers that see your professionally wrapped work truck will assume your lawn business is professional & likely someone they can trust. Add a removable '“'Now Hiring Crew Members'”' magnet each to recruit new employees in peak seasons to help fulfill demand. Costs range from $1,000 to $3,000 to wrap vehicles depending on the size & quality of the wrap.

10. Conduct Cold Calling Efforts

Cold calling means phoning your potential customers and pitching your lawn services. Getting on the phone & making direct contact with decision-makers means you can close new deals fast. Cold calling is not for the timid and comes with a high rejection rate. Hiring a full or part-time sales rep to do you cold calling is a great way to reach out to leads while your out on the job site with your crews. Focus on dialing between 6 – 7 PM on Tuesdays because that's when property managers and HOAs are back from work.

11. Execute Direct Mail Marketing

Executing direct mail marketing is commonly used by lawn care companies to send physical marketing materials through USPS. Sending flyers, brochures, and postcards to targeted addresses in your service area is a great & cost effective way to advertise your lawn care business. Time your first postcard drop for the Saturday after the season’s first warm day as response rates often spike when homeowners notice the cold weather fading out. Costs for direct mail marketing averages between $0.50 to $1.50 per piece depending on volume and size of the package.

12. Establish a Referral Program

Establishing a referral program is about incentivizing your current lawn care customers to refer friends, neighbors, family members, or others in the community to your business. Lawn care businesses offer monetary & free service rewards for every successful referral you bring to their business. The average referral fee ranges between $30 - $50 that can be paid with gift cards or cash. Offering a free edging upgrade instead of cash is a great idea because edging feels premium but adds no less than five minutes to a visit. Referrals are a great way to reward your loyal customers for marketing your business for you. In fact, there are lawn businesses that don't even have websites and get all their customers from referrals and word of mouth.

13. Provide Promotions and Discounts

Providing promotions and discounts for your lawn services means offering temporary price reductions or complimentary services to encourage new signups. Running a promotion is an easy way to sign a lot of customers quickly. But lawn businesses need to know their financial numbers and ensure they can afford the sales they're offering. promotions and discounts work best when your business is in growth mode and looking to onboard more customers regardless of the cost. Businesses that have a full book shouldn't run discounts, in fact they should consider raising their prices! Try running a “Free First Mow” promotion in the early spring lawn to build your book for the busy season.

14. Forge Partnerships with Local Businesses

Forging partnerships with local businesses is about creating mutually beneficial relationships with local nurseries, hardware stores, and real estate agents drive more business. Recommending these local stores to others in return for them advertising your flyers on bulletin boards by the checkout counter is a no cost, win win relationship. Here are some examples of local businesses your lawn care business can partner with.

• Wholesale Landscape & Nursery Supply
• Local Plant Material & Nurseries
• Power Equipment & Mower Dealers

15. Network at Industry Trade Shows

Networking at industry trade are a great way build relationships, learn market trends, meet customers, and promote your lawn care services. Commercial property mangers, real estate agents, and different business owners all attend lawn care trade shows. There is no better place to hand out business cards & fore relationships that could result in business for your company. Don't be afraid to bring a cordless trimmer and a decibel meter so facility managers hospitals and schools can verify your equipment meets the low-noise requirements commercial contracts often have. Costs for lawn care industry trade shows range from $500 to $3,000 including booth space & entry tickets.

16. Engage in Community Events

Engaging in community events by sponsoring or participating in local farmers markets, school fundraisers, or charity drives is a great way to increase visibility and build goodwill for your lawn care business. Giving back to your local community while at the same time building relationships that could result in more customers is a no brainer. Measuring the ROI of participating in community fund raisers & events is difficult to do, but it is a great way to build trust that could result in compounding referrals for years to come. Something as simple as sponsoring a local Little League baseball game gives kids a great field to play on & gives exposure to local families that see your work every game.

17. Strengthen Company Brand Identity

Strengthening your lawn company brand identity involves investing in logos, uniforms, vehicle wraps, and key messaging that conveys your professionalism and reliability. Building a brand that customers trust increases natural referrals, protects your business from economic downturns, and creates a standard of expectation that sets you apart from the competition. Investing in neon safety uniforms for your crews with velcro name patches & your company logo is an easy way to boost branding. Customers can learn to greet your techs by name, which makes tips and 5-star reviews easier to get.

18. Distribute Door Hangers

Distributing door hangers means placing small printed advertisements directly on the front door of potential customers in targeted neighborhoods to promote your lawn care services. This is a simple strategy that works. Digital advertising is amazing & the future of marketing, but old school methods like door neighborhoods still produce great returns in neighborhoods with older demographics. Try printing a QR code with 72-hour discount that expires in the near future, nothing converts like creating a sense of urgency. Door hangers are cheap & cost between $0.20 to $0.80 per unit with some discounts available if you buy in bulk.

19. Implement a Loyalty Program

Implementing a loyalty program establishes a clear reward system for long term & repeat customers. Loyalty programs for lawn care offer benefits such as free services, discounted rates, cash back, points that can be cashed in for services, or exclusive offers. Using a lawn business management software like Zentive lets you track the service history of any customer and reward them for their loyalty. Giving a long term customer even a basic reward makes them feel valued & increases their lifetime retention. Resetting loyalty points if a customer pauses service more than four consecutive weeks is a great way to prevent them from gaming the system & cashing in rewards when they return.

20. Showcase Customer Testimonials

Showcasing customer testimonials in your marketing materials, website, and social posts is the best way to build trust with potential clients. Clients want to see your past work to assess the quality & compare it to what they envision for their own property before hiring your lawn care business. When someone searches for lawn care in your local service area, there will be dozens of businesses that appear. Most of the time, customers will go with the lawn business that has the most reviews & posts the most pictures and videos of their past work.

How To Pick A Marketing Strategy?

Pick a marketing strategy for your lawn care business by considering the below 5 factors.

• Assessment of Business Goals: Identifies key objectives such as growth, market share, and revenue to align marketing and operational strategies.
• Understanding Your Target Client: Defines whether the business serves commercial entities or residential customers to tailor services and messaging effectively.
• Budget Considerations: Evaluates available financial resources to determine feasible marketing, staffing, and operational strategies.
• Competitor Analysis: Examines rival businesses' strengths, weaknesses, pricing, and positioning to identify market opportunities.
• Consider Your Business Age: Assesses whether the company is a startup or established to guide strategy, investment, and customer engagement approaches.

Contact the Zentive marketing team if you do not have the time or in house capabilities to perform your own lawn care marketing.

How To Market Lawn Care To Commercial Clients?

Marketing lawn care to commercial means offering your lawn care services to property management companies, office parks, retail centers, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and industrial complexes. Understanding who the key decision makers are is the key to getting more commercial contracts. Understand who the key decision makers are, what social media platforms they use, when they open their yearly bidding process improves your chances of marketing to commercial clients successfully. Be sure to include a zero interruption clause in your bid that guarantees your mowing is finished before or after business hours to eliminate customer & employee complaints about daytime noise.

What Is The Best Marketing Strategy For New Lawn Care Firms?

The best marketing strategy for new lawn care firms combines digital presence with direct local outreach. New law care companies need to focus on gather reviews & job photos, even if they have to do a few jobs for free. Build a basic website & consistently post on social media to take advantage of all the low or no cost marketing strategies at your disposal. Invest in door hangers & yard signs when starting a lawn care business to expand your brand awareness in certain neighborhoods once you have generated some cashflow and have some money to invest.

How To Get Your First Lawn Care Client?

Get you first lawn care client by reaching out to friend, family, and neighbors to offer your services. Fancy marketing strategies are great, but reaching out to the people in your personal network is the most realistic way to onboard your first client. People that know & trust you are far more likely to hire you for lawn care despite your lack of experience. Your marketing strategies will evolve as your business grows from startup to an established brand in the community. Focus on your personal connection to get your first customer and help your lawn care company get started.

What Are Other Lawn Care Business Tips?

Below are lawn care business tips to help take your operation to the next level.

• Adopt lawn care management software: Use software like Zentive to automate scheduling, digital invoicing, route optimization, and more.
• Prioritize client relationship management: Use a CRM like Zentive to manage client records and provide personalized service.
• Maintain a comprehensive business plan: Create a business plan that outlines your management strategies & growth goals.
• Develop a dedicated sales team at scale: Invest in a sales team to perform job site visits, online & over the phone estimates, and sell your services.
• Invest In Equipment Maintenance: Keep your mowers in great condition & cut the blades every 25 service hours to keep them running perfectly.

Operating successfully in the business of lawn care requires you to think outside the box & implement technology.

Does A Lawn Care Management Software Help Marketing?

Yes, lawn care management software like Zentive's CRM helps to improve marketing results. Lawn care business software helps to centralizes customer, create targeted campaigns, automates appointment reminders, triggers seasonal promotions, captures service photos for marketing materials, and more. Having a historical record of your customers past services & communication makes it easy to create customized offers & promotions for upsells. Lawn care software also makes it easy for customers to request additional services from your lawn care business with the click of a button.

Does A Lawn Care Business Plan Help Marketing?

Yes, a lawn care business plan helps improve marketing. Your lawn care business plan will contain an outline of the marketing strategies to use, metrics to measure to determine success, and budget you have available to work with. Going into the busy season with no plan is a sure way to fall behind competitors that have a very intentional marketing strategy to bring in their target customers in a cost effective way. Be sure to consider the seasonality of lawn care when budgeting your marketing spend as you will need to invest more during the spring & summer months.

Do Lawn Care Companies Need A Sales Team?

Yes, lawn care companies need a dedicated sales professionals when they reach a certain size. Hire a sales team when your lawn care business reaches $600,000 - $800,000 in yearly revenue. Small & solo lawn care operations can function without a dedicated sales team. As an owner, you'll have to wear many hats while your business grows. Delectate to sales professionals to give you back more time when you business reaches certain levels of growth. Create a sales compensation plan that aligns with your business & produces the type of customers you want. For example, paying your sales reps based on total irrigated acres instead of revenue incentivizes them to land contracts with bigger acreage locks your crews’ routes solid.