4 Challenges of a Traditional Landscape Marketing Plan

Traditional marketing in landscaping refers to popular forms such as direct mail, broadcast, and print. Many landscape companies employ at least one form of traditional marketing to reach out to clients. However, with the advent of new forms of marketing that incorporate technology and changing customer preferences, traditional marketing techniques present a myriad of challenges. Today your customers have access to a lot of information; they will always look beyond the surface before choosing your company.

Some of the problems you might experience with traditional marketing include:

It is Invasive

One common cliché you will come across in traditional marketing is “we interrupt normal programming to bring you this advertisement”, which summarizes traditional marketing in a single phrase. Any advertisement or marketing message you use in traditional marketing comes along as interruptive to whatever activity is ongoing. When your clients are enjoying a program on TV or radio, your advert interrupts them mid-action.This also happens online where your message appears as a pop-up ad.

The best way to interact with clients is to immerse yourself in their experience or create an experience they want to partake in, which is quite easy to do online.

For example, create a landscape blog where clients can learn expert tips, enjoy pictures of beautiful landscapes and get a front row seat in the transformative projects you are working on. This way, your landscaping business becomes a name they are familiar with and can trust.

Fail to Build Relationships

Traditional marketing focuses more on revenue and bottom lines than on improving the lives of customers. This creates a disconnect between the people behind the services you offer and the customers. Today, customers prioritize relationships when choosing services; they want to know the people behind the advertisements.

Ditch traditional approaches and focus on creating authentic relationships with potential clients.

Instead of packaging your landscaping services as something people need to pay for; reframe them as an opportunity for you to work together on bettering their lives. Lay a strong foundation based on human connections that make people want to contact you in the future.

Customer Value

Traditional marketing methods such as adverts on TV, radio or print fail at adding value to customers. While they are quite effective in getting customers to know more about your business and your services, they do not help your customers gain any new insight into their problems. In today’s market, employing traditional marketing creates a one-sided conversation.

Customers are constantly aware you are targeting them, which limits their engagement with your company. The best way to approach your customers is to address their concerns in an accessible manner. For example, offer educational information through your social media channels and create content your fans are likely to share with their friends.

Alternatively, create blog posts and open up the comments section to keep the conversation going, where you can respond to questions and address client concerns directly.

Know Your Limits

While traditional marketing plans have a long history of success, changing consumer needs require you to embrace creativity and innovation in your marketing plan to help your landscaping business succeed. You need to prioritize customer relationships and present your company as a landscaping ally instead of a business that is in a hurry to close a deal.

Today you have access to a wide range or resources to help you connect with customers and create meaningful relationships. At Neon Goldfish, we understand the pain points landscaping businesses have in their marketing efforts. If you are ready to start converting more of your website traffic and learn more about inbound strategies, contact us today!

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By Ken Franzen

President / Co-Founder of Neon Goldfish