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How to kickstart and market your landscaping business in 2022
Table of Contents
Introduction
The evolution of the landscaping industry has been quite interesting over the past couple of years, with technology ramping things up for landscaping business owners and the pandemic acting as a huge obstacle. With such dynamism prevailing in this industry, you as a landscaping business owner must be on top of your game in order to experience better numbers for your business. To be able to do that, you need to be familiar with the latest landscaping business trends this year. These landscaping business trends will give you a fair idea of the industry as a whole and will help you make strategic decisions.
Top 4 trends influencing the landscaping industry
#1: Steady growth across all divisions
The landscaping industry has demonstrated a year-over-year growth of 19 percent between 2020-2022. This can be backed by the fact that this industry has become more in demand and more professional. Homeowners these days want their lawns to be maintained and want to invest in staycation properties. This increase in demand has caused a surge in the growth numbers as well, despite the monetary damages borne by landscaping business owners due to the coronavirus pandemic. The landscaping business is also the fastest-growing division through this period and has created opportunities for cross-selling as well.
#2: Difficulty in meeting the ‘right people’ for the job
Despite the steady growth, the challenges with respect to acquiring skilled labour persist at this point in time. With over 10 million job positions still vacant in the USA, the industry faces obstacles pertaining to hiring, training, and retaining people. About 92 percent of the landscaping businesses need alternate ways to acquire skilled people that fit the landscaping culture. So, hiring labour remains one of the key pain points for landscaping business owners in 2022.
#3: Increased costs
Another trend that is changing the face of landscape businesses is the rising cost of materials. As a result of the surge in material costs, the landscaping businesses are charging extra from their customers. What’s interesting is that customers are ready to pay more as long as their needs are being taken care of. Nowadays. Landscaping businesses aren’t grabbing every small opportunity that they get. They have become more organised in their way of doing business; they are taking bookings from customers, charging them according to the service availed, and delivering results.
#4: Adoption of technology
Without a doubt, landscape design and maintenance have become a priority for a majority of homeowners. With evolving demands, there have also been advancements in technology, which have further altered the way landscaping businesses operate. Smarter machines, advanced tools, and monitoring aids have brought about sophistication in the landscaping industry and surrounding environments. The advancements in technology have surely changed the way businesses are operating. Irrespective of the industry, every business is slowly becoming more tech-oriented to keep up with the latest trends and stay in the game. They are focusing on streamlining their operations and becoming more efficient. There are multiple software programs that are made for landscaping businesses like yours, to help you streamline your business and achieve operational efficiency.
Technology adoption has helped Landscaping businesses achieve the following –
a- Acquiring New Customers
Automation has opened doors for businesses to reach out to a wider customer base, acquire quality leads, and grow their revenue. Earlier businesses used to face trouble answering all calls or connecting seamlessly with their customers. Did you know that one missed call results in a $50 loss of revenue? Every missed call is a missed opportunity as 60 percent of those consumers who called you but didn’t get any response will turn to an alternate service provider. Considering that 80 percent of all conversations are done over the phone, it is important to pay attention to calls.
Using automation software can make things easy for you. With every call you miss, the software will send an automated text to the person, which means that the call wasn’t lost after all! Similarly, if someone reaches out to you through your website you can use the automation software by connecting to that potential lead and seal the deal.
Emitrr’s capabilities such as missed-call-to-text and webchat-to-text will help you achieve your goal of customer acquisition.
b- Retaining Customers
While you have managed to attract new customers, what about those customers who have availed services from you? Have you thought about retaining those customers? Well, automation can help you do that. Did you know that if you increase your customer retention by 5 percent, you can boost your profits by 25-95 percent? Well, these stats definitely demonstrate the importance of having the right retention marketing strategies at your end to achieve your revenue goals. With automation, you can reactivate the customers that have visited you before. Without a doubt, the customers who have availed your services are likely to be more loyal to you.
c- Generating Reviews
Having an online presence is a vital aspect of growing your business by manifolds. With automation, you can enhance your online presence by asking your customers to leave reviews for you, through review generation campaigns. You can send automated campaigns to your customers and also send survey forms to them to understand the areas where you’re excelling and the ones where you’re lacking.
d- Online scheduling
Lesser wait times, reduced no-shows, hassle-free booking, and better customer experience are the top benefits that automation brings along. With an online appointment scheduling software, your customers can book, cancel, and reschedule appointments with a click of a button. Emitrr’s appointment scheduling software allows seamless scheduling of appointments in real-time, with customization options as well.
e- Customer Engagement and Interaction
The streamlining of processes positively impacts customer experience. When operations are made more seamless and easy, they automatically result in enhances efficient customer communications, and drive more actionable feedback from customers. All in all, it helps businesses understand their customers on a deeper level, thereby improving customer engagement.
#5: Increasing focus on data
Data, as we all know, is the engine that’s running the world currently. Businesses nowadays, irrespective of their industry, are making use of data to engage in informed decision-making. With robust data comes effective decision-making, which can only mean upward growth. As a landscaping business, data can help you track sales, analyse the progress of your revenue goals, and measure the productivity of your staff. Not only that, but you can also see gaps in various parameters and then take the necessary steps to fill those gaps.
Starting a landscaping business
Are you looking forward to setting foot in the landscaping industry and setting up a venture of your own? If yes, do you have the drive and the talent to be a successful entrepreneur? Well, you’re gonna need a lot more than that. Before you start a landscaping business, here are seven core questions that you must have answers to:
Here are some tips that will help you realise your passion and business goals:
a) Understand your local market
Getting to know the local market is the first stepping stone to commencing a landscaping business. For the same, you need to do an analysis of your market as well as your competitors. Who are your customers? Homeowners? Business clients looking for park maintenance? Understand what kind of services you can offer based on the needs of your target customers? Offer services that are in demand.
Have a look at some top services that you can choose from:
- Irrigation
- Lawn mowing and maintenance
- Spring and fall cleanups
- Pruning and removal of trees and shrubs
- Mulching
- Gardening (design and architecture)
Here are some key points to consider while analysing your competitors:
- Who are your competitors and what services do they offer?
- What kind of services are your potential customers looking for in your area?
- What service gaps do you see in your competitors’ offerings? How can you fill those gaps and outshine them?
b) Gain extensive knowledge
A little learning never goes to waste. As a potential business owner, you must have an inside-out knowledge of what industry you’re entering and understand how it works. If there are certain certifications that you can get based on the services that you intend to provide, then you can go ahead and pursue those, to get a detailed understanding of what you’re going to deal in. Without a doubt, if you have a certification up your sleeve, then that’s definitely going to attract customers. Based on the services that you want to offer, you can choose from a range of certifications offered by the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States.
c) Pick your business structure and obtain a licence
What kind of business structure are you leaning towards? Do you want to be the only owner, or do you need a partner? Understand the extent to which you wish to scale your business in the near future, and whether you want to reap profits and bear losses on your own or share them with someone. You can also consider opting for an LLC, short for a Limited Liability Company. With an LLC, you will have the structure of a sole proprietorship and the liability cushion of a corporation.
After deciding on the structure of your business, you need to see what licences you need to obtain. Though you will need a business licence, an industry-specific licence is not a requirement in most states. You can get in touch with your county clerk’s office to gain clarity on the licensing requirements.
However, remember that your licence request may fail if:
- You have a criminal record
- You have filled incorrect details in the application form
- You have violated zoning laws
- You have failed to pay taxes
d) Invest in financial management
Fun fact: The average net profitability of a landscaping business is around 5 percent.
Solid financial management is a key to achieving success in the long run. From the startup costs to the pricing, from equipment maintenance costs to taxes, from landscaping insurance to off-season plans; you must keep every factor in mind to ensure that you are financially sound and don’t face any challenges. Plan your budget wisely and make sure to prioritise your expenses.
e) Think about the equipment you need
When you are starting a landscaping business, you will need certain equipment to be able to provide the required services to your customers. You can either rent equipment or purchase it, based on your budget. If you are a sole proprietor, then renting equipment is the wiser bet. Based on the services that you seek to offer, you might need equipment such as
- Rototillers
- Commercial lawn mowers
- Specialised tools
- Weed eaters
- Edgers
- Trucks
- Trailers
Merely renting or buying equipment isn’t enough; you also need to constantly repair and maintain the equipment that you have. You can also insure your equipment.
f) Decide whether you need an office
As a landscaping business owner, having a space to run operations might not be a top priority. However, you will need a space to store your equipment. If you purchase storage space, then you will also have to buy commercial property insurance for the same to gain protection against theft or damages. Once you start scaling, have a large staff to accommodate, and have a lot of requirements to fulfill, you can invest in an office setup. This also depends purely on your budget.
g) Hire employees that can help you grow
One of the key factors that you need to pay attention to is the mindful hiring of resources that can best serve your needs. Did you know that the shortage of quality human resources is one of the biggest challenges faced by landscaping business owners? You must make the most of your hiring process and have employees who can show equal commitment to your goals and can help you scale. For the same, you also need to offer competitive salaries, provide them with benefits, and also create a healthy work culture.
h) Market your business
Merely setting up a business won’t get you customers. You will have to conceptualise and implement certain marketing strategies to be able to advertise your business and create an online presence.
Conclusion
In addition to following the aforementioned strategies, make sure that you network with the people around you. In the landscaping industry, it is highly important to create a network that can help you thrive. You can connect with local realtors that can bring you good leads. Also, getting out in the open and interacting with communities is also an excellent way to market your business. Are you a budding landscaping business owner aiming to achieve profitability and growth in the times ahead? Growth and success will come to you not just by making a mark in the industry with the services you offer, but also with your awareness of what’s transforming the landscaping environment. So, keep these trends in mind, and be a smart business owner.