marketing for landscaping

[jonarthur]

Hi all, as I have received sound advice on other topics lets see what you come up with for my other business which is my main one as far as income is concerned. Its a small landscaping & property maintenance business which I set up two years ago. The problem I face are marketing issues, work is some what limited and I have a few busy weeks then it goes quiet. Currently I rely on referals and distributin flyers to selected areas, also I have an advert on a local charity planner. I looked into yellow pages but the cost was high. So what should I do marketing wise? Any advice welcome.
Regards Jon

[TWD-Tony]

Initial thought was.... Local newspaper?

Second thought was.... Website (only because I'm in the design / hosting business) - A website won't actually gain you much business at first, but it looks very professional and allows people to VIEW your services without the need to phone a stranger (strange how people prefer this these days).

Next thought.... Shop Windows! - Sounds really silly i know but you would be astonished at how many people stop and read these things!

After that I'm a bit stuck - without spending a lot of cash (a lot for a small business anyway)?

[jonarthur]

Thankyou Tony I must admit i am leaning towards local newspaper. I have tried the shop ads, Also thought about a website but having just gone thro setting one up I need a few months before I can bear that again. So whats after that which involves spending a lot of cash? I was about to pay yellow pages £1,900 for two seperate ads but have been advised not to by respected business friends. Regards Jon

[microbe]

This is a site which might have some ideas which would suit. The newsletter is worth a read. http://www.postcardmarketingsecrets.com/

[SPACELADDER]

Hi..

If you take on commercial contracts you can post a free company profile on a website called www.propertymall.com the site has vast exposure & you can promote your services for free.

You can also post a free advert on the Kelly Search web site ( www.kellysearch.com )

Hope this helps...

PS - As far as advertising goes I've found through past experience that the charity planners are a waste of time & money but this is in my past experience only.

Thanks

[jonarthur]

Thanyou spaceladder have done the kellysearch listing and will look into the other.
Regards Jon

[Inzvestor]

My advice would be to run a search for various landscape garden designers or interior decorators in your area and make contact with them. You may need to provide examples of previous work, and display necessary skills, but work should be plentiful for you if marketed correctly.

By teaming up with these professionals you will start to gain referrals and have a retained client base (as many people change their garden when they change their home interiors as well)

[c2webdesign]

I have a friend that does a similar thing and he is swamped all the time working 7 days a week and having to turn down some bookings because of how busy he is.

The secret of his success is nothing more that word of mouth. He has tried various forms of advertising, leaflet dropping (didn't try Yellow Pages) but now he has done so many it is his word of mouth referals that are keeping the business flourishing. I think he was lucky that this worked from the start.

With many service industries (and cowboys out there) people are becoming less trusting of simple local paper adverts and more on word of mouth or trusted sources.

Is there any local charities, schools, worthy cause properties that maybe you could make over (for free or very reduced fee) and try and gain some local media coverage 'Local Landscape Gardener gives joy to local...etc' - its not a simple advert but an article promoting your services from a trusted source.

I know it has been covered but a professional website can help because it is true that so many people are checking on the internet for these types of services - but if you go down this option don't go for a DIY or simple design as this can potentially harm a service rather than promote it. By offering a professional website (or any kind of advertising material) with good portfolio it gives a little more confidence to the untrusting and instantly stands you out from the crowd.

Hope this helps and good luck,
Dean
C2 Web Design
[url]http://www.c2webdesign.co.uk[url]

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[jonarthur]

Hi all,
Dean yes I have a few brief periods where I am swamped mainly due to referals, But I need to get more customers to start with, then I hope it will snowball. How long has your friend been trading? Its frustrating that I am only very busy 25% of the time. Thus reducing a potentialy good income.
Thanks again to all who have offered advice.
Regards Jon