In today’s digital world, where every click counts, mastering the art of social media marketing has become a crucial skill for lawn, landscape, and outdoor living businesses. Like the impeccable craftsmanship you bring to your outdoor creations, your online presence requires attention, strategy, and dedication.Your brand deserves to shine and stand out on social media, where millions of potential clients and strategic partners reside. However, simple status updates and sporadic posts won’t cut it. To truly move the needle, you need to understand the power of this dynamic tool and how it can elevate your business.Picture this: You have a breathtaking new outdoor living design and build project in the works, the kind that turns outdoor dreams into realities. You know it’s worthy of admiration, but how do you ensure it captures the hearts and attention of your target audience? Enter social media marketing—the key to bringing your vision to life online.In this exclusive feature, written by HALSTEAD, we take a deep dive into social media marketing for lawn, landscape, and outdoor living businesses—exploring the role it plays in establishing your brand identity, building a loyal community, and driving growth. It’s not just about making a presence; it’s about making the right one.Social media has transformed significantly over the last decade or so. It’s no longer the exclusive realm for college students, as exemplified by Facebook’s early days. Recent research from Pew Research reveals that a staggering 72% of the public participates in some form of social media, across all demographics.With over 3 billion global users on social networks, 80% of whom follow at least one business, social media has become the primary means through which individuals connect with various brands. Let’s explore how social media can empower your lawn, landscape, or outdoor living business and facilitate top talent recruitment.Establishing Your Brand (the non-fluffy marketing answer)So, what exactly constitutes a brand? It’s the perception prospects and potential recruits hold of your lawn, landscape, or outdoor living business. A strong local brand fosters a connection that resonates with the right customers (homeowners and property managers) and prospective employees, positioning you as their preferred choice over competitors, when the time comes to make a decision. This is particularly crucial since, to the average person, your business might appear indistinguishable from others in your service area. Brand building allows you to set yourself apart in terms of services and culture, making you easily discoverable by the kind of clients and employees you wish to attract. People make decisions based on how they feel, right? A brand is the feeling your company evokes.The advantages of using social media for brand development are substantial. Social media is an integral part of most people’s daily routines, with the average American spending slightly over two hours on these platforms daily.Your social media presence showcases your uniqueness and fortifies your connection with customers. Your posts, shared content, and responses to feedback through direct messages and comments communicate your business values and distinctive voice.You want your stunning landscape designs to captivate well-informed, high-income individuals on social media. This is where you can most effectively capture the attention of both your existing (referrals, repeats) and potential clients, thereby generating high-quality leads.Forging Partnerships in the IndustryOnce you’ve established a robust social media presence, partnering with dealers and manufacturers allows you to reach even more homeowners seeking top-notch craftsmanship and service. Few marketing strategies can target a specific audience already interested in your offerings, as partnerships can. Partnerships expand your reach and bolster your brand by aligning with businesses you respect. Beyond increasing awareness of the materials you prefer to use, you can harness social media for co-op opportunities as well as extending reach through the profiles of the manufacturers’ products that you use.Prioritizing Excellent Customer ServiceSocial media serves as an extension of your customer service operations. It’s a critical hub for promptly addressing inquiries, and people appreciate the human touch of active social media engagement. You nurture relationships by communicating directly with customers in an approachable, friendly manner rather than focusing solely on sales. By existing in these online spaces, you offer direct communication with your business, which prospects and customers respect.The aim isn’t solely to facilitate inbound leads but also to resolve customer issues. It’s a platform for addressing comments and messages, maintaining a dialogue that positions you where your clients need you. Whether it’s a pricing query, availability concern, or any other topic, your absence won’t go unnoticed—people expect answers, and it reflects poorly on your business when they are left unacknowledged.In digital marketing, the essence lies in meeting your customers where they are, and social media plays a pivotal role in achieving that objective.If you leverage all of the magical benefits of social media, here is what you can look forward to.Building your long-term sales funnel: Reach those predisposed to investing in outdoor spaces or those in need of landscape maintenance—based on their interests and activity, before they even know they want a new backyard or a new maintenance company. When they’re ready, they’ve already built a long-term digital relationship with your company, making it a no-brainer to contact you.Decreasing your sales cycle: A prospect who has been reading about you, and seeing your pictures and videos for months (or longer) will need less time and information from you. They already feel like they know you!Attracting more qualified, interested employees: An established company with a brand and following on social media will naturally generate an interest from qualified candidates. You will see more interest in people working for your company. Obviously, your benefits/salary, online reputation, and other factors come into play, too.Reaching decision makers for commercial services: Powerful targeting features, especially those on LinkedIn, can help you reach property and facility managers based on their LinkedIn group, member associations, job titles, and other demographics and interests. With social media strategy, it’s vital to distinguish between two key facets: organic and paid. This demarcation transcends mere budget allocation and extends into what we at HALSTEAD refer to as “front of page” versus “back of page.” Maximizing return on investment (ROI) on social media goes beyond the routine act of posting. Most posts are considered organic, meaning they are not paid to be boosted. However, randomly posting about your business generally has a microscopic chance of reaching more than 5% of your target audience. As reported by Hootsuite, the statistics demonstrate a gradual decline in organic reach, with a 2.5 percentage point drop between 2018 and 2020, and the trend persists. If your business is content with its current state and has no aspirations of expanding your clientele or profits, the siloed approach might suffice for maintaining a minimal presence.Your Instagram account can serve as an online lookbook, inspiring your existing followers and gently nudging them to remember your existence. The new Pinterest or Houzz, even. Some industry leaders have succeeded with this approach, but if you wish to stay competitive, it’s time to embrace a more strategic approach to social media.The crux of the matter is this: Organic traffic is straightforward and time-saving, a “spray and pray” technique that showcases your top-tier outdoor living spaces to a predominantly disinterested audience, uninterested in a backyard overhaul or lawn care service. While it facilitates customer engagement, support, and relationship building, it fails to penetrate most of those actively seeking your offerings.The evolution of social media into an intricate marketing platform can be attributed to the advent of paid ads, particularly on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Let’s navigate the diverse forms of content on these networks.Ads vs. PostsWithin the small business community—particularly in the lawn, landscape, and outdoor living industry—it’s commonplace to conflate posts and ads. While posts possess their significance, they stand in stark contrast to ads. Let’s dissect their differences.Ads reside on the backend of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Facebook and Instagram predominantly target potential residential customers, whereas LinkedIn gears its efforts toward commercial decision-makers. To put it simply, if you’ve recently launched ten Facebook Ads, Mrs. Jones won’t encounter any of them when she visits your business page. They don’t manifest on your page or profile; they exist solely in the newsfeeds of your selected audience.Paid traffic opens doors to a broader audience that fits specific demographic criteria, individuals who have already displayed an interest in your product or service or are primed for a purchase based on their actions over time. The return on investment hinges on the wealth of data amassed by social media platforms—an invaluable resource that would be unattainable and impractical to analyze independently.Recognizing that your posts reach individuals keen on enhancing their landscapes or outdoor living spaces enables you to curate content that will result in sales. Many companies adopt a hybrid approach, amalgamating the best elements of organic traffic (cost-effective) and the effectiveness of paid strategies. Nonetheless, a social media strategy lacking a paid component eliminates the efficacy of social media as a marketing tool.What Can You Do With Posts?While ads help stimulate clicks, traffic, form submissions, and direct messages, posts are designed to increase engagement. They enable individuals to share, comment, or interact with your content, facilitating brand development and community building.In the past decade, the rate of organic reach, defined as the percentage of followers who see your posts, has substantially declined. According to Hootsuite, this figure hovers around 5.2% on Facebook.Instagram fares slightly better but is also on a descending trajectory. LinkedIn has surprisingly proven to be the most efficient platform for organic reach. At HALSTEAD, we recommend Linkedin, hands down, for targeting commercial work. We have a whole guide here on it. The burgeoning competition—in conjunction with a lack of motivation by social media companies to extend organic reach—places the terrain squarely in the pay-to-play category for you.What Can You Do With Ads?Paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn represent highly sophisticated tools for reaching meticulously segmented markets. Unlike conventional ads, you can craft the same ad repetitively, but in the digital realm, you can integrate distinct calls to action (CTAs) for each ad type. This approach enables you to gauge the effectiveness of each CTA in generating leads and engagement.For instance, you can employ the same image and copy but introduce diverse CTAs in different ads, such as inviting users to click a link, submit a form, or send a Facebook message. The objective is to bracket your CTAs to identify the most effective ones for driving desired outcomes.Additionally, you can set caps on your Facebook ads to prevent saturating your target audience with repeated content. Audience TargetingThe targeting capabilities of Facebook and Instagram ads are unparalleled. They allow you to reach audiences interested in high-end luxury landscaping and exclude specific demographics. For instance, you can exclude individuals with a background in masonry or those employed in the landscaping industry to avoid reaching competitors or individuals irrelevant to your goals (unless you are trying to reach potential candidates). Social ads empower you to zero in on specific market segments, offering the flexibility to reach a broad or niche audience. There’s no excuse for not leveraging such potent marketing capabilities.Selecting the ideal social media platforms can be perplexing, as each platform has its unique audience. Tailoring your platform choices to target these specific audiences is pivotal.Facebook: A prime choice for sharing polished blogs, professional photos, and videos to drive traffic to your website. This platform predominantly caters to homeowner consumers.Instagram: Think of it as your virtual diary and lookbook, perfect for showcasing your latest creations, team, and culture. It’s an influential tool for nurturing relationships and is another hotspot for homeowner consumers.LinkedIn: This professional network offers a chance to showcase your work and services and expand your professional network. Here, you can connect with developers, architects, dealers, manufacturers, property owners, and property management firms. It’s more formal than other platforms and is a vital hub for forging industry connections.YouTube: Ideal for sharing videos of your completed projects and educational content that solidifies your position as an industry leader, particularly in the eyes of partnered dealers and manufacturers.Pinterest: While it may demand less effort, it’s a casual means of disseminating product images across the web. High-quality images of completed projects are preferred here, as the Pinterest audience is searching for inspiration. Consider using Pinterest after fully harnessing the potential of Facebook and Instagram. It offers a superb avenue to connect with design/build homeowner consumers.Understanding which platforms resonate most with your target audience is crucial for directing your marketing endeavors. Narrow your selection to one or two platforms or broaden your content distribution. The beauty of social media advertising and marketing is the access to analytics that facilitates quick adjustments, preventing wasting time, money, and effort on strategies that fail to yield a satisfactory return on investment.Social media remains an indispensable marketing tool in the grand scheme of things. Despite demographic shifts and the evolving marketing landscape, Facebook remains the go-to platform for most lawn, landscape, and outdoor living businesses, courtesy of its target demographic alignment.However, pay attention to the meteoric rise of Instagram, particularly as millennials embrace homeownership. As more individuals from your target demographic gravitate towards Instagram, you’ll have a golden opportunity to establish a substantial presence here, potentially surpassing your competitors. The Small Business Blog reports that 81% of consumers use Instagram for company, product, and service research. Make it a mission to carve out a more extensive Instagram footprint than your rivals.The bottom line is if you must choose only one platform—though it’s advisable to maximize your audience reach—opt for Facebook. It’s not to dismiss the other social media platforms, but Facebook and Instagram consistently stand out as the most popular ones.For the high-end lawn, landscape, and outdoor living demographic, your prospective customer base on Instagram is growing steadily year by year. Increasing numbers of 45-year-old affluent homeowners are joining the platform, a trend extending to thirty- and fifty-somethings.The seamless advertising synergy between Facebook and Instagram is a compelling rationale for harnessing multiple platforms. This cross-platform strategy empowers you to engage with both audiences using a unified ad-management system.Here are some guidelines to consider when devising your content strategy for social media:Remember, the essence of social media is to progress through the customer journey—akin to a funnel. Consumers rarely make immediate decisions after encountering an ad, underscoring the significance of nurturing their attention, trust, and curiosity. Each phase is an opportunity to engage and move the audience forward in their decision-making process.Top of the Funnel: AwarenessAt the top of the funnel lies the awareness stage, where you introduce your brand to a cold audience. Your goal is to halt their scrolling and grab their attention. Metrics at this stage may not be defined by clicks but by the extent to which people pause to view your content.Broad interests should be your focus when targeting this stage on Facebook or Instagram. Specify your location and narrow the age range to your ideal customer group. Remember that interest categories in the ad platforms continuously evolve, necessitating ongoing campaign updates to ensure your ads remain relevant.Middle of the Funnel: ConsiderationAs prospects move further down the funnel, you begin retargeting. Potential targets are those who viewed video ads or visited your website within the past 90 days. The aim is to bring them to the consideration stage. Retargeting involves a continuous sequence, guiding them through their decision-making journey.Bottom of the Funnel: ConversionAt this funnel stage, you narrow your retargeting efforts to a more specific audience, not just the general ad viewers. Target those who visit your website after a cold campaign. This stage aims to convert potential leads into actual customers.Your content must stand out in a crowded digital landscape and engage your audience effectively. Recognizing the importance of high-quality content in conveying your brand’s value is essential.Written Content: Consider your target platform when crafting your copy. Tailor your voice and tone to your audience, whether it’s a B2B crowd on LinkedIn or a more casual tone for Instagram. Strive for well-crafted copy that resonates with your audience.Photo and Video: Visual content reigns supreme. Your work, showcased through high-resolution, professional imagery and videos, should evoke emotions and connect with your audience. Whether it’s the emotional impact of a finished project or the behind-the-scenes process, your content should reflect the passion and craftsmanship of your brand.Crafting captivating, shareable, and engaging content for your audience is an art. To do so, follow this four-step method.STEP 1: Striking a Balance with Pillar and Daily Diary ContentPillar Content: This is your chance to offer valuable, informative, and educational content, teeming with insights. Think explainer videos or “how-to” guides and insightful blog posts. The aim is to empower your audience and firmly establish your authority in the industry.Daily Diary: This aspect involves videos and images that document the unfolding of a recent landscape project, complete with a spotlight on the materials and brands in play. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at your products and services in action, catering to the real needs of your clientele.STEP 2: Unleash the Power of Your TeamThe source of your content can make a world of difference. Content crafted from the top-down differs significantly from your team members’ insights. Those slice-of-life moments, snapshots of your crew putting the finishing touches on a project, or the glimpse behind the scenes as you re-imagine a backyard transformation hold immense value in social media. Depending on your target audience, these candid insights can bolster engagement and trust far more effectively than polished, sales-oriented advertisements.Empower your team to share their daily experiences and contribute their ideas for social media content. This not only fosters a sense of belonging but also showcases the importance of each team member in realizing the company’s vision. Collaboration ensures everyone is on the same page and generates team spirit.STEP 3: A Deep Dive into Understanding and CommitmentSocial media requires a well-thought-out strategy that is consistently applied over time. Recognizing this and fully committing to the cause allows you to allocate the right resources and personnel to a strategy that promises a substantial ROI.STEP 4: Crafting the SystemThis is where many businesses encounter challenges. Generating a steady stream of high-quality content, consistently delivering it across the appropriate platforms, and engaging with the audience is akin to a full-time occupation. Some businesses build up a content reservoir, while others favor a more gradual and continuous approach. Regardless of your approach, be prepared to design a systematic content creation and sharing process alongside engaging with your audience. This ensures that your social media presence remains timely and relevant.Looking to evaluate if your social media approach is effectively working in your overall marketing strategy? Check out this on-demand webinar here. Enjoyed this article? Written by the HALSTEAD team—you can read more content here. HALSTEAD helps lawn, landscape, and outdoor living companies find stability, achieve growth, and establish a legacy through proven, year-round comprehensive marketing systems that start with strategy. Our clients work with industry trained and experienced Project Managers and highly skilled and talented service delivery team members.
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The Lawn, Landscape and Outdoor Living Business’ Guide to Social Media
