Marketing for a Growing Landscaping Company (When You’re Still Wearing All the Hats)
For those running small-to-mid size landscaping companies (especially maintenance-heavy businesses), how are you handling marketing as you grow? I’ve been managing ours in-house due to my convenient design background, but between operations and crew management it’s becoming unsustainable—especially when it comes to SEO and lead generation for higher-value projects (which I have less experience with) Are you outsourcing to a freelancer/agency, or hiring in-house? And at what point did that investment start to make sense for you? Do you have any recommendations for Canadian companies?How can I re-build my business from ground zero?
Hi my name is Jeremy Lesser, I am the Business Owner/CEO of a small residential painting and home improvements business. I have been in business since 2022. After about a year or so of being in business, I about called it quits and started doing Maintenance Engineering. Well having my own business doing what I love to do the most which is drywall and painting, has been a dream of mine since I first started doing drywall and painting 15+ years ago. I want my business to succeed. I have a perpetual LLC. for my business, so I would like to build my business back and Lord willing watch it grow this time. I have more patience and knowledge in it. How can I build my business with zero income and zero revenue? I have been applying for grants. Please help! Thank you and God Bless. ~Jeremy Lesser~
Restarting a 25-Year Landscape Business in a New City — Best Marketing Strategies Today?
Hello everyone, I have owned and operated a landscape and irrigation company for about 25 years. I originally started the business with my brother, who is a landscape architect. We launched the company in a smaller town in Idaho in the late 1990s and it grew quickly thanks to strong word-of-mouth and my brother’s design expertise. About five years ago I moved to Draper, Utah for another job. Recently I decided to restart the landscape and irrigation company here in my new location. Because our company in Idaho grew with very little advertising, I now find myself a bit behind when it comes to modern marketing and advertising strategies. One area I recognize as a weakness in my business experience is staying current with the newest and most effective ways to advertise and market a service company. While I have many years of hands-on experience in landscaping and irrigation, I am essentially starting fresh in a new market and looking for the best ways to build a strong customer base. My background is also in technology. I have a bachelor’s degree in computer software engineering and specialize in website design and e-commerce development. I am currently building a website for the company and have already listed the business on Google Maps. For those who have grown service businesses in larger metro areas, what marketing strategies have worked best for building a customer base and attracting new clients today? I would really appreciate any advice or insight from others in the industry. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.
Why Simple Marketing Works for Service Businesses — Less Is More!
Something I notice a LOT in many marketing strategies is the overwhelming amount of detail people put into their campaign. To clarify, lets take a look at the ways people market. Yardsigns, social media ads, business cards, vehicle wraps, billboards, etc. Lets remember what the goal is in marketing. BRAND RECOGNITION Keep It Simple Stupid Less is MORE When a prospect is driving at 45mph in their vehicle, they can NOT read the tiny cursive lettering on your dark colored, detail cluttered, yard sign. Same with all other campaigns and products. All marketing needs to lead to somewhere. Like a website or social media page where you your customers can get all the information they need to know. Until then, the marketing needs to immediately show with as few words and details as possible who you are, what you are, and lastly a phone number, web address, or QR code. Pick a company color, logo, font, and repeat it across all platforms and displays. Maintain something the customer will begin to recognize. Make it simple and clear to read. Below is the art work for nearly all of our marketing. Yeah, it might be boring but it's effective!! I don't need to show a dozen little bullet points of specific services. That is what our webpage is for. Please share your marketing strategies and let's help others be SEEN!!What are you doing right now to make the phone ring for your business?
what is your go to advertisements or sales tactics to get lead generation? We have been in business for over 17 years now servicing the Tampa bay area and this year has hit us the hardest. I am an isa certified arborist and I do engage in networking and community events but despite our best efforts we are still experiencing a lack of leads. I don't want to just throw money at the wall but we are running out of options. what are some things that are working for you?What to do when business gets slow?
What would you add? Here are 10 things you can do when business gets slow to help drive more business: Call past clients. Cheapest client to acquire but most overlooked. Send out monthly newsletters that have nothing to do with sales. Just connect. Relationships are the goal. Send out handwritten cards to past clients with a $5 Gift Card for coffee. Create raving fans who market your business for you! Hit the street. Get door hangers and go door to door. Get your team to join you! Double down on networking relationships. Schedule a meeting every day with a different referral partner. Don’t cut back on marketing. Cut down on other areas but never marketing. Double down on marketing when others are pulling back. Negotiate costs with vendors instead. See how partnerships could lower costs or help cover costs…for example providing co-branded marketing material. Be disciplined and active on social media and community pages. Low hanging fruit. Serve. Givers gain. Give your time, your expertise, and resources and it will come back to you. Communicate with your team. Let them know what they can do to help. Don’t suffer in silence…before it’s too late. Start a service contract that keeps you top of mind with your clients all year and generates reoccurring revenue. LEARN. IMPLEMENT. TAKE MASSIVE ACTION! 😎🤙🏼What percentage of revenue did you spend on marketing in 2025, and what's your 2026 target?
We try to keep our marketing spend in the 5–7% range. I’m curious where others landed for 2025 and what you’re targeting for 2026. For growing service businesses, what marketing percentage actually drove healthy growth in 2025, and what level of spend has proven sustainable for you year over year?
