If you started a tree company in 2020 this guide will show you some of the most creative and cost effective ways to market your business so that you crush your 2021 revenue goals. We’ll cover everything from SEO and Advertising to Guerilla Marketing and Social Media.
1. Social Media Contest & PR
When you open your tree company, the first thing you are going to need is a clientele base. Try and participate in local community events to promote your business. During non-COVID times, try and rent out a booth at a local event to meet people in the area or engage in your community by sponsoring a sports team. This can serve as excellent press for your business and a great networking opportunity.
In this digital age, social media is the best way to build connections with potential customers. It allows companies and clients to interact with one another. Try doing this by hosting social media contests for a chance to win one of your services. Here are a couple ideas:
- Tag a friend to win: Have your past customers comment on your social media about their favorite service and tag a friend for a chance to win a free service.
- Post to win: Have a customer post a before and after picture of past work you’ve done for them and include a #ContestName for a chance to win a free tree removal.
2. Google Search Ads
Google search ads for tree service businesses
A big reason why tree service providers might not be too fond of a pay per click campaign is because the cost per click can sometimes be upwards of $25. This doesn’t leave a lot of room for mistakes and it usually leads to overspending and a negative ROI.
We also see tree service providers attempt to build out their own google search campaign using the automated system. Google is always trying to make its search results as relevant as possible so it relies on its algorithm to determine what kind of buyer you are looking to target, but this is not always accurate. It’s best to build a custom campaign that tells Google exactly how you want your ad spend to be distributed.
For example, if you use the automated system you are likely to show up for searches like “emergency tree removal” or “stump grinding” even though you only want to focus on “tree removal services.” This can still happen in a custom campaign but it’s less likely to happen unintentionally.
Our go to strategy for creating an effective google ad campaign for tree professionals goes a little like this:
- Create different ad groups for the different types of services that you offer: “Tree trimming” would not be paired with “tree removal.”
- Create separate landing pages that are relevant to each ad group: This way consumers searching for “tree trimming services” will not see ads or web pages related to “tree removal services.”
This should improve your ad quality score, and easily put you above the rest of the tree service professionals in the area.
3. Basic SEO Strategy
What exactly does SEO stand for? SEO is a marketing tactic that stands for Search Engine Optimization and is the process of making your website more visible on search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.
Having a basic SEO strategy is key to driving organic traffic to your website. Many folks skip over this when creating or updating their website because it can come across as confusing, time consuming, and complicated. On the contrary, it can actually be a very simple process and even the most basic SEO practices can significantly improve your ranking on Google.
Here are 3 simple tips to drawing out a basic SEO strategy for your business.
- Figure out what your customers are searching for that is relevant to your business: Ubersuggest is an amazing keyword discovery tool that helps find terms and keywords people are searching for.
- Incorporate these keywords into your website content: The more content, the better! Using keywords in your website copy allows google to recognize your credibility and sort you as an expert in the topic.
- Put your experience on paper and create blogs: Blogging is a great way to create fresh new content that will give you another opportunity to rank higher for more keywords.
Remember, don’t be discouraged by the “complexity” of SEO. These are just a few steps to get you started!
4. Email Marketing
Your tree company will get a number of its customers from people looking to solve a specific problem. These customers can easily become one-time clients unless you take the time to nurture the relationship. This is where email marketing comes in.
A key point in this strategy is making sure to collect contact information from your old customers to continue building a relationship with them. You can implement a marketing strategy using emails to boost brand awareness, market your service, and convert your leads.
Your marketing campaign can be a weekly newsletter announcing new deals such as coupons/promotional codes on their new tree removal. Offering promotions available only through the emails is a good way to encourage your customers to continue receiving updates. Dedicated emails sent to certain groups can be a good idea as well. Try and send a monthly email to any new customers who have joined your “community” as well as a thank you email for long-time customers. This is a great way to build rapport and show your appreciation.
5. Utilizing Community Groups
Facebook Groups:
Facebook community groups have become an essential part of business for so many local services providers. Tree companies are not an exception. Our top 5 tips for maximizing your reach on local community groups are the following:
- Don’t be spammy: Nobody cares about the deal you’re running this month. This is the most important rule because spam will get you kicked out of most community groups on Facebook.
- Discuss current events: One of the best ways to begin a conversation is to ask for feedback, or opinions on current events and how they might be affecting other businesses.
- Communicate with group admins: Make sure to establish yourself and your company as a brand that is here to stay. The best way to do this is to introduce yourself to the group admins and let them know who you are and that you’re there to help.
- Engage: This is easily one of the most underrated actions you can take to strengthen the bond with your customers. Don’t be afraid to jump into conversations and offer your own professional advice as a tree service expert.
- Network: Most Facebook groups offer users a place to post upcoming events in the area. Don’t skip a good networking event.
Facebook groups are all different so it’s important to read and follow the rules when you join a new group. Our suggestions are just the beginning.
Promoting your tree service business on Nextdoor:
Nextdoor is one of the fastest growing social media platforms right now. It’s designed to connect you with your neighbors and helps to create a greater sense of community.
They offer a perfect opportunity for tree service businesses to connect with their target audience. In order to take advantage of what Nextdoor has to offer you’ll want to create a business account (the interface is very easy to use.) Be sure to take the time to upload quality pictures and a genuine business description. This is, afterall what everyone will see when they search for you.
Once you’re all set up on Nextdoor people will be able to tag your business and even leave you recommendations after you do work for them! Businesses have a reputation meter on Nextdoor so if you have been operating your tree service business for a while now, you can get a head start by sending everyone on your email list a call to action for them to leave a review on your page. Reviews are one of the most important ways to increase reach on Nextdoor!
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If you’re interested in learning more about how lead generation can help your business, get in touch with us today!
