Ah, spring into summer. The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and your inbox is probably overflowing with "spring cleaning" emails, or not...
As a fellow landscape designer, I know just how challenging it is to land a new client, keep current clients engaged, and keep them both coming back for maintenance after the initial design and installation. Homeowners often interpret "low-maintenance" as "no maintenance," leading to neglected gardens that lose their initial beauty.
This is a common concern we hear from landscaping businesses. While our services typically focus outside the landscape design-build-maintain realm, we have brainstormed several valuable strategies to help landscape design businesses up their marketing!
Read on for 5 creative ideas from a garden-centric PR firm to help your landscape business blossom.
The "Look Book" That Wows:
Picture this: a gorgeous magazine filled with stunning photos of gardens and bursting with tips and tricks to keep landscapes looking their best. Now imagine your customers keeping it on their coffee table and showing their friends. Especially how they would brag if their garden was featured. Well guess what, you can create this! This Look Book is a quarterly treat for the eyes (and the garden!). Distribute it digitally and in print to local realtors and builders. Suddenly, those homeowners won't just be thinking "spring cleaning"; they'll be thinking, "spring landscaping!".
Look Books can both inspire new clients and allow you to show off your best work to bring old clients back for more.- Garden Party with a Twist:
Channel your inner party animal and throw a block party... with a plant-y twist! This "Garden Tour" encourages homeowners to spruce up their yards and inspire landscape maintenance throughout the neighborhood. Imagine a parade of homes but for meticulously maintained gardens! Tour 3-5 stunning landscapes in your area, designed and maintained by your company, of course.
It's a win-win – potential new clients see the magic you create, and existing customers get inspiration and maybe even some motivation to keep their own gardens looking spiffy. - Partner Up and Grow Together:
Real estate agents, builders, architects – these are your new best friends! Forge partnerships with these residential professionals who can connect you with new homeowners in your area. Some give gift baskets to their clients and you could place a shovel with your phone number and logo in this basket. Become their go-to landscape design and maintenance service, and get your name out there to a whole new group of potential clients. Bonus points for getting featured in their trade publications! - The Before-and-After That Wows:
A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when showcasing the transformative power of landscape maintenance. Put together a case study featuring a client's landscape – from an overgrown mess to a methodically maintained work of art. Share before-and-after photos, videos, and testimonials highlighting the long-term benefits of your horticultural maintenance. Blast this content on social media and in your newsletter and pitch it to local media outlets.
Learn more about writing a compelling story for your client’s before and after by reading this blog! 
The Living, Breathing (and Growing) Billboard:
Want to create a buzz as vibrant as a spring flower bed? Partner with a local non-profit to design and maintain a small garden in a public space. This is called a Halo effect and not only do you get free publicity by having a garden in a public space, but your brand is associated with doing something good in the community.
Document the process in a "Field Notes" series—like a blog for the garden! Share what's happening and what needs to be done, and showcase your expertise. It's a living, growing advertisement for your company and gives back to the community. Talk about a win-win!
Still interested in diving deeper into client retention for your landscape design-build-maintain businesses? Check out this free guide!
