Part 1:
Landscapers Using Social Media as a Marketing Strategy – what works, where to focus, challenges & benefits.
The world is online. Your customers and potential customers are online. Are you using social media in the best way to boost your client base and retain your existing clients? You should be. In part 1 of this series, Mowmore.com will provide information on how to Use Social Media Marketing to Boost Your Landscaping Business.
A Few Quick General Statistics:
- Over 75% of internet users use social media when looking for information on brands.
- Over 75% of small businesses use social media to promote their business.
- Facebook is by far the top platform used with over 90% of companies using it.
- Almost 90 percent of marketers say social marketing has increased exposure for their business.
- Over 70% of customers with positive social media brand interactions recommend the brand to other social contacts.
- 50% of marketers using social media marketing for two years or more have seen increased sales.
Landscaper Engagement with Social Media:
Small landscaping businesses have increasingly used social media marketing to promote themselves, increase brand loyalty, and grow their business. It works, but there are good choices and challenges. Not all social media platforms provide the same return. Many landscape businesses do not have the knowledge or resources to manage the social media adoption challenges. Where should you put your time and effort? Let’s discuss the various strategies, choices, and challenges.
Using Social Media as a Marketing Strategy – What Works for Landscapers?
Having a strong brand presence or positive relationship with a potential client before engagement greatly improves your chance of closing new business. Potential clients engaging with your social media provides an opportunity to highlight capabilities and customer service, broadcast testimonials, and build your brand persona.
The use of social media to create two-way exchanges and brand recognition offers a way to pre-build relationships and minimize (not eliminate) knocking on doors and making phone calls.
Among landscapers, the use of social media greatly varies. Many still use “word of mouth” (WOM) solely or as a majority of their marketing. WOM marketing is still one of the most powerful forms of advertising as around 90% of consumers trust their friends' recommendations over traditional media and around one-third of the time WOM is the primary factor in a purchasing decision. Many landscapers have found that newspapers, yellow books, and/or community magazine advertisements have limited success although door hangers do work sometimes.
Criteria and Social Media Platforms Used Successfully by Landscapers?
The type of social media used extensively by your residential and commercial customers should be the primary factor in adoption of a platform. In addition, the availability of two-way communications on the platform is also a critical factor.
Facebook is the primary social media platform used by landscapers; most have an online presence. Many small to mid-sized landscapers also have websites, but many of these sites are dormant or not used much because it is difficult to assess client traffic and there is no opportunity to talk to customers. A few landscapers use Twitter (X) and Instagram but find it difficult to attract enough followers to make it worthwhile.
Facebook is one of the best ways to reach a landscaper customer base because most potential clients, commercial and residential, are already using it. It’s simple, free, and provides two-way communication. Posting content is quick and easy, customers can direct message with the landscaping company, and Facebook insights will tell you what days and times are best to reach the most people. Also, getting clients to follow your landscaping company on Facebook seems to be easier than on other social media platforms like Twitter or Instagram.
What Type of Content do Landscapers Post to Attract Clients?
The majority of the content posted by landscapers, up to 75%, is about services and capabilities. The balance of content is educational, and holiday related. Services include general landscaping, irrigation, as well as flower and bed installation. This usually includes examples of work and testimonials.
Educational content includes articles, links, or general posts aimed to educate customers. It is often challenging to find consumer oriented educational material as opposed to landscape industry related content. Holiday content is typically Merry Christmas, Happy Fourth of July, and other holiday themed posts.
Getting people to “like” posts is a crucial factor in the landscaper’s success rate. “Liking” a post is a low-cost activity that allows information to travel, not only across those in the business’s Facebook network, but often to the customer’s Facebook network as well, who often see what their friends have “liked”.
What are the Benefits and Challenges of Social Media for Landscapers?
The biggest benefits of social media are:
- a low-cost marketing strategy to improve visibility, increase the customer base, and improve customer retention.
- online exchange with clients creating new and continued landscaper-customer relationships.
- pictures of projects help clients visualize what you could do on their property.
- increased word of mouth via “likes” expands your networks and brand.
- other followed sites can provide ideas for new services for your business.
- potential employees interested in joining your landscaping business may reach out.
The challenges executing a social media strategy are:
- the trial-and-error learning curve and creating the time to learn a platform.
- initially setting up a site for maximum impact.
- generating interest, followers, and likes on your pages.
- getting your existing client base to follow your site.
- continuing to produce relevant content on a regular basis.
Conclusion:
Landscaping businesses that become immersed in social media marketing become stronger market contenders. They gain more market intelligence, more customer engagement, and more access to the networks for their customers. This improves both customer retention and new customer growth.
However, adoption of these platforms among landscapers, especially smaller ones, is still lacking. Not all landscapers have the resources to manage the challenges. Lack of understanding, familiarity with the possibilities, and willingness to commit to the time are key limiters. The obstacles may seem insurmountable, but a little persistence can lead to a simple routine for maintaining your online presence and growing your landscaping business.
MowMore.com is committed to helping landscapers grow their businesses profitably. The next three parts of this series will focus on helping landscapers effectively use Facebook as a marketing strategy.
- How to setup an effective appealing Facebook page for your business
- How to efficiently generate and post the best content with minimal effort.
- How to effectively generate followers and “likes” to expand your network.
We look forward to any comments or suggestions on this blog or new potential blogs.