In the last five years, the market for lawn care services has seen marked growth. Market research shows that the landscaping industry, which includes lawn care, reached $176 billion in the U.S. alone by 2022. With 649,131 individual businesses in the industry, there’s strong competition for a newcomer. But the continued growth of the industry shows it’s still a good one to join; you just need to know how to find lawn care customers.
Branching Out with Your Approach
Finding customers is an important part of every business operation, regardless of the industry. Both advertising and market research play a part in the process. There are a variety of ways to attract lawn care customers, both passively and actively.
One of the first places to look for customers is among people you already know. Family and friends can make a good place to start building a customer base for a new business venture of any sort. They can help by passing the word on to others about your lawn care business. Word-of-mouth and customer testimonials help provide a key component to a successful lawn care business — a good reputation. Make sure to create a business website where you can solicit feedback and testimonials from your customers.
Social media has become an important source of information on local markets. It’s a good idea to create a Facebook page and to join groups for local small businesses and lawn care, both for research purposes and to get the word out about your business. Setting up Google local service ads is also a good way to let people know you’re there when they’re searching for lawn care services in your area.
More direct online methods are a good way to reach local customers. Email and online classifieds are a good way to accomplish this. When writing your emails, include an introduction, a list of benefits of your lawn care service, a request for contact, and a call to action.
While online methods are vital, many old-fashioned methods are just as effective as ever. Door-to-door solicitations, including using flyers and door hangars, are best to attract local customers who prefer a face-to-face meeting with their service providers. Direct mail advertisements can attract local customers as well; make sure your mailers have a conversational tone to them and are focused on local residential homeowners.
Know the Customers’ Needs
When trying to attract lawn care customers, knowing what they expect from a lawn care service and industry trends is important. As mentioned before, a good reputation is vital. Additional qualities that attract customers include clear communication between the service provider and the customer, service providers with expertise and knowledge about lawn care, a trustworthy service that won’t damage customer’s property, a good price (naturally), and a service that uses sustainable business practices.
When it comes to industry trends, market research shows many lawn care services are making use of the following technology and business practices:
- Robotic mowers
- Landscape designing
- Battery-powered equipment
- Using fewer chemicals
- Planting native species
- Software for automated admin work like scheduling and invoices
Making use of these trends where they apply to your lawn care service will help you stay on top of competing with other services for lawn care customers and help you provide the best service possible for those customers, encouraging repeat business and improving your reputation.
Grow Your Customer Base with GrassRoots Turf
We at GrassRoots Turf are pleased to offer you the opportunity to join our franchise team and receive the support of our proven business model and reputation. Our company has been growing since we started franchising in 2019, so you can see that we know how to start a lawn care business.
We provide our customers with multiple lawn care services, and we have customer testimonials to show the quality of our work. We support franchisees like you with the training and support you’ll need to get started and know the lawn care business inside and out. Contact us today to find out more about your franchising opportunity with GrassRoots Turf.
