20 minute read
Beyond the Blade
The Customer Journey in
LANDSCAPING
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Who are your customers? How did they find you? And what inspired them to choose your landscaping service and not your competitor? Recently, Silverback Strategies launched a survey to answer these questions, with the goal of helping service providers across the country choose the best marketing strategies to reach future customers. Part of a broader study on consumer services, we conducted a special analysis on buyers of residential home services. We focused in on 724 buyers who purchased home services during the summer of 2020 and broke down results by industry.
As a business owner, you likely have a sense of your ideal customer. But to reach them, you need to know what their buying journey looks like, from start to finish — from their first Google search to their final Yelp review. Understanding the behaviors and trends that shape how buyers make decisions can influence your marketing strategy, and help your business stand out in a competitive market. Let’s dig in.
The Buyer’s Journey
Buyers don’t just make sudden a decision to purchase – they go through a process. We boiled it down to five steps: realization, education, evaluation, decision and advocacy.
Step 1: Realization
From buying a new home to wanting to spend more time outside, the decision-making process starts with a buyer realizing they need your service. And after that ‘light bulb moment,’ our research indicates that the internet is the first place they go. According to survey results, 44% of landscaping buyers went online after they realized they had a problem to solve. Going online was considerably more common than asking a friend or family member for a referral (26%) or calling a previous provider (27%). When we looked at buyers of residential home services across generations, we found notable differences in behavior. For example, 39% of Boomers will call a past contractor for help, as compared to only 15% of Millennials. But despite minor differences across demographic lines, one thing is clear: going online was the go-to strategy for most shoppers in 2020.
For landscaping contractors, this means that investing in your digital brand is a vital part of your marketing strategy, particularly if you want to target younger buyers. A good place to start would be to make sure your website guides users to contact your business and structure your site in a way that makes it easy for Google to display it in search results. This step alone will make it far more likely that a future customer will find you.
Step 2: Education
After realizing an initial need, buyers then engage in more extensive research and education to decide who the top providers are in their area. Usually, this begins with a search engine – about 26% of buyers start with Google, Bing, or a similar platform. But even though most buyers start their research online, word-of-mouth referrals and personal experience are still popular strategies – about 20% of home service shoppers will
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start their search by asking a friend or talking to someone they’ve worked with before.
Comparatively, only about 10% of buyers went on social media to do research. But despite this lower ranking during the education phase, social media plays an important foundational role, spreading brand awareness to keep your business top-of-mind, and helping clients better evaluate your services.
In the landscaping industry, Facebook is the most popular social media platform for buyers. More than 70% reported using the site actively, at least once a week. Instagram and YouTube are second and third on that list, with 47% and 46% of buyers saying they actively use those platforms. Investing promoted ads on these platforms can be a great way to improve brand recognition throughout the customer journey.
Step 3: Evaluation
Before making a final decision, buyers evaluate a few top choices they discovered during the education phase. This evaluation typically includes calling contractors and looking at customer reviews and ratings.
The biggest influencers for most customers, beyond cost, is past performance – 43% of customers said this was the primary criteria they used to evaluate a contractor. Ratings and reviews are also important, with 41% of respondents turning to this method. Based on this data, landscapers looking to stand out should having an engaging photo or video gallery of past work, a testimonials page, and solid reviews and ratings across platforms.
Step 4: Decision
Unlike other home service industries, where prospective customers may only call one provider, the landscaping industry is different. Nearly 40% of buyers reported calling two providers, and 35% called three or more. For this reason, landscapers need to be ready to talk about how they are different from their competitors. This starts by understanding your specific customer base and what they value in working with you. Timeliness, responsiveness, quality of work, specialization, past performance — these are all attributes of your business that you can highlight to show what makes your business different from the ‘other guys.’ These messages should appear in your digital marketing, then reinforced in the field.
Step 5: Advocacy
After extensive research and evaluation, buyers finally make that critical decision: they hire your company. But what they do after they’ve chosen your service is almost as important. Ideally, you want your customers to become promoters for your brand. And incentivizing them to advocate for you – via reviews, ratings, and referrals – can help you stand out to future customers.
In the landscaping industry, more than 48% of buyers report leaving reviews for past providers. Landscapers can encourage customers to rate them by sending follow-up emails or text messages after completing a service, or by asking customers directly to leave reviews on specific platforms. The most popular review platforms for home service providers were Facebook and Google – 51% of users said they left reviews on these platforms.
Finally, don’t forget about word of mouth. Incentive programs for customers to refer their friends are still effective, even in the digital age – remember, 20% of people in the education phase ask their network for referrals. Offering a discount on future service or sending out small gift cards when a referral comes in can be great ways to get your past clients talking to their friends about your company.
Meet Your Buyer at Every Stage
In today’s digital world, it’s not enough to provide a top-quality service. Landscapers who want to attract new customers also need a robust digital presence. But that can be a challenge. Effective digital marketing is an orchestration across creative, promotion, and data analytics resources. Companies who can get this right are poised for growth and will attract new generations of customers.
This article was written by John Tyreman, director of marketing, Silverback Strategies.
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Copperhead Trimmer Line and Accessories
A full line of commercial strength Copperhead trimmer lines, parts and accessories are highlighted in Rotary’s 2021 catalog. The catalog includes a special 30-page trimmer section and includes:
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Takeuchi TB370 Compact Hydraulic Excavator
Takeuchi’s TB370 compact hydraulic excavator features a load sensing hydraulic system providing over 31 gpm of auxiliary hydraulic flow.
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Bobcat R-Series T62 and S62 Loaders
The R-Series T62 compact track loader and S62 skid-steer loader are radius lift path models that fit in the 60-frame loader size class.
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ASV Max-Series Loaders
ASV Holdings’ MAX-Series includes the RT-65, VT-70 High Output, RT-75 and RT-75 Heavy-Duty MAX-Series Posi-Track loaders featuring a nextgeneration cab with 360° visibility, a more spacious operator area, fully suspended adjustable seat, 7-in. touchscreen display and more.
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STIHL HT 135 Pole Pruner
With the STIHL HT 135 pole pruner, even the high branches are within reach. It is designed with a quickly adjustable, telescoping pole shaft for heavy tree maintenance jobs.
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Brookside Agra H2OExcel
Brookside Agra’s H2O Excel, is a natural water conservation agent and soil amendment which can be safely blended with fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. It is suited for golf course fairways, crops, landscaping, turf and fruit and vegetable gardens.
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Fecon Upgraded Stumpex
The upgraded Stumpex auger-type stump grinder includes a two-speed hydraulic motor for faster stump removal, especially on soft woods.
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Makita 18V X2 (36V) LXT Cordless Earth Auger (XGD01) Cordless Earth Auger (XGD01)
Makita’s ’s 18V X2 (36V) LXT Cordless Earth Auger provides highperformance digging of even and consistent holes, making it ideal for performance digging of even and consistent holes, making it ideal for landscaping, construction, and soil sampling. landscaping, construction, and soil sampling.
• 8-in. wide and 41-in. deep hole drilling capacity • Equivalent to 36cc gas earth auger2 speed options: 0-350 RPM and 0-1,400 RPM • Exclusive Extreme Protection Technology (XPT) • Includes auger bit adaptors and a chuck key with on-tool storage • Other accessories such as 4-, 6- and 8-in. auger drill bits and extension bars sold separately
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ECHO Pressurized Water Tank
The ECHO universal pressurized water tank serves as a portable water source when cutting on roads, highways and other remote locations where water hook-ups are not available.
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Soil Connect Marketplace Marketplace
Soil Connect combines technology and technology and social networking social networking capabilities to provide capabilities to provide a fast, cost-effective a fast, cost-effective way for construction way for construction professionals to professionals to transport and acquire transport and acquire soil, aggregates soil, aggregates and other building and other building materials. materials.
• Mobile and web-based app fully digitizes and streamlines the soil transfer process • Users have the ability to post listings and requests for soil, aggregates and other materials, and can upload supplier-certified analysis and geotechnical reports • Enables soil providers and recipients to transact at shorter distances between jobsites • eTickets can be generated to enable easy capture, tracking and sharing of details of hauling materials
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ISOtunes XTRA 2.0 Earbuds
With a secure neckband and convenient magnetic and convenient magnetic multi-function eartips, multi-function eartips, ISOtunes XTRA 2.0 earbuds ISOtunes XTRA 2.0 earbuds are perfect for the worker on are perfect for the worker on the move and are Bluetooth, the move and are Bluetooth, Siri and Google Voice compatible.
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TRIMMING AND EDGING GUIDE
Kubota SVL97-2 Compact Track Loader
Kubota Tractor’s SVL97-2 compact tract loader sets the bar high with standard equipped telematics, rearview camera, lockable DEF door and a newly redesigned DEF System. The unit replaces the popular SVL95-2s.
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TRIM EDGE PRECISION IN ONE PROCESS
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Vista SBV10-4 Hi-Fi Landscape Audio System
Vista SBV-10-4 Hi-Fi Landscape Audio System is an outdoor audio system that landscape, irrigation and lighting contractors can quickly and easily install for their homeowner customers. It is designed to work with most two-channel receivers or amplifiers.
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Rain Bird Flow Indicating Basket Filter
Rain Bird’s FlowIndicating Basket Filters makes irrigation systems easier to install and maintain by providing flow measurement, filtration and integrated pressure regulation in an all-in-one, compact solution.
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Kubota R540 and R640 Wheel Loaders
Kubota Tractor Corporation’s next-generation wheel loaders, the R540 and R640 models, are available in both canopy and cab models and feature redesigned arms for better visibility to enable connecting attachments with the hydraulic coupler without leaving the cab.
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Final engine and a maximum breakout force of 9,869 lbs. and 8,161 lbs. of lifting capacity • R540 has a 10,285-lb. operating weight, a 54-hp Tier 4 Final engine and a maximum breakout force of 8,183 lbs. and 6,767 lbs. of lifting capacity • High-visibility cabin with 360° panoramic view • Standard multi-function control lever • Standard LED working lights
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Grasshopper 937 EFI FrontMount
The Grasshopper 937 EFI FrontMount mower powers through the tough jobs with ease while taking advantage of the fuel efficiency of fuel injection.
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Kubota SZ-2 Mowers
Kubota has updated its SZ-Series of commercial stand-on mowers with adjustable baffles, enhanced serviceability and increased tire performance while maintaining the same horsepower and deck size configurations as previous models.
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ECHO SRM-410X Trimmer
ECHO’s SRM-410X trimmer is has the power and durability to last 6-8 hours a day and is designed for heavy clearing and ideal for tall, heavy grasses, hilly terrain, ditches and weed abatement.
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Elevated Payload, Durability & Reliability
Monroe Truck Equipment’s Quad Axle Dump helps heavy duty contractors work safer, faster, and easier than ever before.
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General Equipment 2350 Bor-Max Earth Auger
General Equipment Company’ 2350 Bor-Max Series earth augers and auger extensions are specially designed to drill through unconsolidated soil classifications, such as loams, sands, soft clays and granular rubbles.
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StoneHook
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Runs all day on a charge Standard pad 1400 pound capacity; pads available from 88 to 2200 pounds.
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Altoz TSX 561 i
Featuring an 11-in.-wide all-terrain track, the Altoz TSX 561 i tracked stand-on mower provides operators the stability and maneuverability to safely mow terrain that traditional mowers are unable to.
• 61-in. HV All-Terrain Deck • TorqFlex front suspension • 8.5 gallon fuel tank • SmarTrac Pro control • Keyless push-to-start ignition • Patented SoftStart clutch control
