Robin R. asks
Hi Sandy - My wife and I have been talking about target marketing but before spending any money I need as much advice as I can get. I have started a very small business, landscaping and lawn care. I chose this industry for a couple of reasons: 1) It didn't take a lot of initial cash to start up. 2)It is right up my alley as it's all about customer service and as a former business owner, I always made customer service our greatest priority. I really have to make this business work and am committed to doing what it takes, but I'm on a really tight budget. I have tried the typical marketing that everyone else uses, mainly flyers. With so many others out there, the flyers have just turned into roadside trash and a nuisance for home owners rather than an inexpensive form of advertising. What is the best marketing for the least amount of upfront expenditure? I need the "most bang for my buck".
Hi Robin - Landscaping and lawn care is very competitive. And it does take exceptional customer service to be successful. It's great that with the kind of service you deliver that you do keep customers once you get their business.
So let's start with your customers to get new leads using your billing and customer satisfaction systems...
First, get a relatively inexpensive system going to generate referrals. You could include low-cost referral-generating activities such as:
-
Put an insert in bills that gives current customers a discount or a free service for every referral
-
Send a satisfaction survey or drop one off after you deliver the first service to new customers. Include a $$-off coupon on their next bill if they refer you to friends or family
-
Introduce off-season services via a billing insert like decorating homes for the holidays where you can offer a special rate for several houses that get together to use you.
You have to be committed to working your referral system. But sometimes just plain asking your customers to refer you, or for their ideas on how to build your business, when you see them can really help.
Focus on revenue generating activities from existing clients as well. Include a simple form pre-Spring and Fall seasons with a menu of services and ask them to tic off the ones they want to schedule. If cash flow is an issue, offer a discount on next season's services with upfront payment. Again, a form in your normal billing system is a cheap way to put this in front of customers. (BTW, I see Lawn Doctor is offering this with no pre-payment, so your discount might have to be a little greater if you compete with them locally.)
Use Direct Mail to go beyond referrals
Develop a postcard mailing to homes around a new customer to announce that you're in the neighborhood. If the service warrants it, like a landscaping installation or bringing back a lawn, tell them to take a look. Offer a discount on a first service and/or a seasonal service.
There are lots of messaging opportunities for coming up a series of postcards. For example, here are a couple of links to information you could use in your postcard mailings:
Bayer Lawn Care Institute Consumer Survey Explores Value of Free Time This Bayer study shows that consumers really see their time as a precious commodity.
New Consumer Reports' poll reveals America's take on lawn care This study is full of goodies for crafting a marketing message. Here are a few factoids:
-
64% say a neighbor has the best lawn on the block
-
39% of consumers link an attractive lawn to higher resale values
-
24% reported having at least one injury as a result of lawn mowing.
To keep costs low to start, use a 6 x 4.25 inch postcard that would mail at postcard postage rates. Mail these postcards in small batches to the homes on the Carrier Routes around the new client. (pbmarketingservices.com is running a promotion now where you can mail 100 postcards out for $46. That price includes the mailing list.)
Network, network, network
While you probably know this, I'll talk about it anyway just to touch all the bases. Networking is another inexpensive marketing tactic for lawn care businesses. Even though the real estate market is down, network with realtors and emphasize your great service and your availability when the realtor's clients need service as they buy or sell a home (same day service, 24-hour service, etc.) My town has networking opportunities for small businesses and meetings where new businesses can introduce themselves and other members agree to refer the new business when the opportunity arises. See if your area offers similar low-cost opportunities.
Try advertising in the small Direct Mail weeklies
These publications usually have pretty affordable rates and you can target by Zip code. My local is called Clipper, you may have Pennysaver, Advisor, or some other publication. According to everything I see about lawn care services, small guys can get mileage out of these ads.
I also want to point you to a couple of links I like for landscaping and lawn care businesses. The video episodes on http://www.lawnandgardenwv.com/shows/gopher-haul.asp are a little funky but full of information and marketing ideas that worked from lawn care businesses like yours. I really enjoy watching the videos. http://www.yes-marketing.com/ is another good source of information. The site shares lots they have learned about direct marketing for landscaping and lawn care businesses. They're touting their services but the site is full of tips too. Also, keep your eye on what Lawn Doctor and Scott's, etc. are mailing. You can always learn from big mailers with big budgets. They do a lot of testing, so if you see a mailing or an offer several times it means it's working.
Robin, I concentrated on inexpensive, effective marketing tactics here and hope this helps. As you know from owning a business before, you have to work a system and keep experimenting.
Best of luck. Keep in touch and tell us how you're doing.
Sandy