The landscaping industry can be quite competitive. Since the work done by landscaping companies ranges from the fairly mundane (mowing and trimming lawns) to the complex (redesigning gardens and fixing major landscaping issues), marketing is a significant concern.
The key to marketing your landscaping company effectively is to first, come up with a brand that is unique and speaks directly to the clients you most want to attract, and second, to use your brand to create a marketing strategy to help grow your business.
Logo Design Considerations for Landscaping Firms
Effective branding must begin with a logo. In many cases, your company logo is the first thing potential clients will see when they begin their search for a landscaping company.
Your logo must touch on your clients’ expectations while adhering to industry norms – and still being unique. That’s a tall order.
Key Client Expectations
Let’s start with client expectations. People who are in search of a landscaping company to help them with their home or commercial building want to see a visual representation of their expectations.
Landscaping is an industry that brings order to chaos. As a rule, people want the landscaping that surrounds them to reflect a sense of peace and serenity.
It’s important for your logo to demonstrate aesthetic appeal, balance, and a sense of calm and serenity. The colors, fonts, and images you choose should all work together to convey what you do.
Branding with Colors, Fonts, and Shapes
Choosing the right logo design elements is a must if you want your logo to shine. There are three primary considerations.
Colors
First, consider which colors to use. Not surprisingly, green is a very popular choice among landscaping companies. It represents nature, growth, balance, harmony, and peace.
Blue is another popular color, representing the calm serenity of clear water. Likewise, brown, which represents the earth, makes frequent appearances in logos.
Other colors tend to be used sparingly, but in some situations you may want a riot of colors. For example, a landscaping company that specialized in flowering plants might very well choose a logo with a virtual rainbow of flowers.
Fonts
The next decision you have to make involves the fonts you will use. Typography plays an important role in brand recognition. This of the iconic Coca-Cola logo with its swirling letters as a classic example.
Many companies choose Sans Serif fonts for their logos because they are clean and modern-looking. However, because landscaping has a creative elements, it isn’t uncommon for companies in the industry to choose script fonts.
The key thing to remember if you decide to choose a fancy or whimsical font is that readability matters. The typography you choose must be clear and easy to read.
Images
Finally, you should think about which images to include in your logo. Many landscaping companies choose images of plants and trees for their logos.
You’ll have to balance the familiarity of the images you choose with creativity and originality. You want your logo to stand out from other landscaping companies in your area. If others use similar images, you’ll have to make sure that yours is truly unique.
Logo Analysis
To understand how colors, typography, and images can all work together to create a memorable logo, let’s look at an example. Here’s a logo we designed for a landscaping company.
As you can see, this logo uses two different fonts, one clean and rather blocky and the other an ornate script. They work well together, and the script font incorporates flowers, leaves, and a butterfly – appropriate for a company that specializes in flowers.
The two primary colors of the logo are black and green, but the bright pops of color in the flowers give this design a creative and playful feel. It’s visually appealing.
Finally, the flowers themselves are elegant and sophisticated, incorporating rounded shapes. The overall impression is that this is a company that can be counted on to provide elegant landscaping.
Landscaping and Social Proof
One of the most important elements of branding in the age of internet marketing is social proof. Research shows that more than 80% of all consumers read online reviews before making a purchase. For that reason, client reviews and testimonials are a must for any landscaping company.
How to Collect Client Testimonials
Client testimonials are like extended reviews. Companies obtain them from satisfied customers who are willing to talk about their experiences with their product or service.
It’s important to have a method in place to collect testimonials. You may want to consider making a follow-up phone call a few days after you complete work for a client. As if they’re happy with the work you did.
If they say yes, ask if they would be willing to provide a testimonial. Testimonials may be written, but many companies prefer videotaped testimonials. These may be recorded online using Google Hangouts or Skype, or done in person.
In lieu of a phone call, you can always send a quick email or text message to ask about the customer’s experience.
Managing Online Reviews
Online reviews present the perfect opportunity to improve your brand image and interact with clients.
Every company wants good reviews, but even negative reviews can be turned to your advantage. Here are some tips for handling online reviews.
1. Claim your listings on review sites like Yelp and Google My Business
2. Make sure your company information is correct
3. Check reviews daily and respond with a thank you to positive reviews
4. When you get a negative review, resolve it by writing back politely. You should suggest taking the issue offline by providing an email or phone number
If you handle negative reviews properly, they can demonstrate that you care about your clients and are willing to work with them to resolve any issues that arise. Every time you address a negative review in a professional manner, you strengthen your brand.
Content Marketing Ideas for Landscape Companies
Now let’s talk about some of the techniques you can use to market your company. Content marketing is a good way to connect with potential clients because it offers valuable information that creates a sense of obligation, triggering a cognitive bias known as reciprocity.
Instagram for Marketing
Instagram is an ideal marketing tool for landscaping companies, whose work is highly visual.
You might use you Instagram account to share before and after images of your work, or even to tell a visual story of a particularly complex project.
It’s also a good idea to encourage satisfied clients to post pictures of themselves enjoying their new landscaping. People like to project themselves into the images they see, and sharing images of happy clients enjoying a backyard barbecue is a great way to show the benefits of hiring your company.
Finally, you may want to consider using short Instagram videos to answer questions from potential clients or share valuable information.
Facebook Live Video
Another useful social media tool to consider is Facebook Live Video. While it was originally available only to certain celebrities and large companies, Facebook has now made Facebook Live available to all of it users.
As the name suggests, Facebook Live is a live video option that allows you to stream directly from your Facebook feed. Here are some suggestions to try:
1. Do a live Q & A where you answer common landscaping questions and offer solutions.
2. Stream video while you complete a landscaping task to show people how you work.
3. Introduce your employees to show people who’ll be doing the work on their homes.
If you decide to use Facebook Live, make sure to check your analytics to determine the best time of day to stream, and then promote your livestream ahead of time.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to promote a company. If you already have an email list, here are some suggestions to help you use it effectively.
First, you may want to consider creating a soap opera sequence to reveal how you resolved a thorny landscaping problem. For example, a landscaping company in the Pacific Northwest might talk about solutions for very wet lawns and gardens.
Second, consider using email for more than just selling. When you provide clients with useful information, such as recommendations for which plants grow well in your region, you’ll show that you are an authority, thus building trust with your clients.
Finally, remember that emails are a great place to share blog posts, videos, and photographs.
Conclusion
Marketing a landscaping company requires careful and consistent branding, and an online strategy that focuses on providing valuable information and expertise to your clients. If you can do that, you’ll have no problem attracting new clients and growing your business. Read more useful information how how to keep it green and open a successful landscaping business.