Landscaper's Circle

Carry on marketing

It's great when business is booming, but are you planning ahead for the quiet times? Paula Warman explains why marketing is key even when you are busy

The sun is out, the weather is warming up and clients are in abundance for those working in the landscaping industry. This time of year we are thankful that we have a a horticulture based business and most business owners I speak to are having the busiest time they have ever experienced. Unfortunately, the downside to this is that we often forget, or don’t have time to, to continue our marketing efforts when we are full on. It may seem like it’s a waste of time when you have too many enquiries to deal with. However, if you stop marketing during these busy periods then how will you be prepared for when the enquiries slow down?

The best way to ensure you always have a stream of continuous enquiries is to be consistent with your marketing. Here are three ways to effectively keep on track with little cost.

1. Google My Business (GMB) – Often overlooked and yet a very simple and easy-to-use platform to market a business. To make the most of this platform... • If you haven’t already, claim your business as yours. • Request reviews. When you log into GMB there is a link for reviews – copy, paste into an email and send to clients that have had works completed by you asking for a review. • Add images. For example, you can upload the best images of your work, your team, and anything else that showcases your business. Remember, particularly in this industry, an image speaks a thousand words • Add posts. You can post an update as regularly as you like. Depending on time you may choose to add weekly or monthly, posting just as you would on social media. Maybe showcase a project, highlight a review, tell people about a new product or service you are introducing, or even link to your blog or articles you have written. Don’t forget to use hashtags too.

2. Social Media – The way forward for any business in horticulture. All platforms are free and most people already have a social profiles, although many in the industry are probably not using them to their true potential. Here are a few ways to save time on social: • Number of posts a week. Decide how many posts you are able to post realistically each week and stick to it. I would say 2-3 a week is a great starting point.

Consistency is the key. • Content of your posts. Plan your content or at least have a rough idea of what you will be posting. Write it down and have the images ready to use with it (use

Dropbox Paper or a simple word document). It doesn’t always have to be about projects, put some of you and your personality into posts as these are what prospective clients buy into. • Schedule the posts. Once you have created the captions and collated the images find software that will schedule your posts. There are many to choose from from Later.com to Hootsuite, Sendible and Tweetdeck.

The beauty of a scheduler is you can schedule a month’s worth of social posts in a matter of minutes. • Choose your platform. It can be overwhelming if you try to manage too many social platforms so stick to a maximum of three and ensure you consistently post there. Take note of which platforms your clients might use the most. If you struggle with social media check out www.expertsocial.co.uk helping landscapers and designers get more social!

3. Your Website – This is your shop front, the place to showcase what you do and how your clients can benefit from choosing to work with you. Schedule some time once a month to look at and make updates to your website, such as • Update gallery and case study pages. Add new finished projects or create a case study of a project you have completed and loved. A tip here is not to feature all images of your work but the images of projects you want more of. • Update copy. Can you improve the words you use on the website? Make it speak directly to your ideal clients, adding more keywords in (great for SEO) or talk more about benefits rather than features. • Update team images. If you have a “Meet The Team” page make sure the images and staff profiles are up to date. • Blog. Write a blog to answer frequently asked questions from clients. A blog also helps for Google rankings. • Refresh the website design. A website needs regular updating and maintaining, whether for a re-brand, to add new colour schemes or to make navigation around your site easier.

The Landscaper’s Circle is the only online platform exclusively for business owners in the landscaping industry to learn how to market and run their business better. Become part of the #TLCTribe today for training and support. If you need our help please email at info@thelandscaperscircle.co.uk | www.thelandscaperscircle.co.uk