Summer is around the corner and this means it is a great time for landscaping business owners to review their business goals and objectives and plan out the upcoming summer season. Like other trade businesses, there is a lot of competition in the landscaping business and it’s important for business owners to plan out their strategy in order to stay ahead and run a successful business. Read below for our 5 tips to help you grow your landscaping business and have one of the best years for your business. 

Write A Business Plan

Do you want a landscaping business that’s open to doing any type of work? Or do you want to specialize in one thing and try to capitalize on that market? There is no right answer but the direction you take your business should be based on research built from your business plan. According to Entrepreneur.com, business concept, financial features, and current business position are key elements in molding a perfect business plan.

Whether your business is just starting off or has years of experience under its belt, it’s important to write and review your business plan. Your business plan is what will help you to focus on what you want your business to be and the overall strategy. As the business expands, the demands will grow, and you’ll have to continually review this. It’s important to decide early on what type of business you want to have. Factor in the risks as well and see if you need insurance on some of your assets. For example, some contractors, such as roofers, use roofers insurance to insure their tools, machineries, and vehicle fleet.

Strategize Marketing

Once you have a business plan and a strategy on where you want to take your business and what customers you want to attract, it’s important to strategize your marketing. There’s a number of different marketing outlets available, from simple referrals, social media, online ads, posting flyers, lawn signs and more. Picture your ideal customer and figure out which type of marketing strategy would work best to win their work. Once you launch your marketing strategy, it’s important to constantly revisit it and determine what works and what doesn’t. According to a Forbes article, one survey of 1,000 adults, 80% would rather watch a brand's live video than read a blog. And one study found that "consumers are 39 percent more likely to share content if it’s delivered via video.

Find Something in the Off-Season

Landscaping businesses find almost all of their yearly work during the spring and summer. This is because homeowners looking to remodel their front yard or get landscaping done typically do it in preparation for the summer or during the summer season itself. To help with cash flow and generate more income, find something your business can do during the off-season. This could be supplying mulch, winter lawn maintenance or installing wire mesh on trees. Speaking of the off-season, it’s important to ensure that your assets, vehicles and equipment are protected as they’ll likely be stored and not used for a while. While you may be getting different projects from time to time, protecting your overall business with a landscaping insurance will go a long way. Not only does it protect your most valuable assets but also the trust that your clients have on all your completed and on-going projects. Remember that heir referrals are worth more than you could.

Open House

A great way to further market your business and show off your work is to take part in an open house. Contact real estate owners near you and see if you can get some work done on open or model homes in your area. These homes attract hundreds of visitors and pictures are posted throughout online. For a little bit of work, you can get a huge return in terms of free marketing. 

Repeat Customers 

More than 50% of landscaping business sales are from repeat customers. The best way to win work from repeat customers is to do an excellent job and to also keep in touch with your clients for feedback and to build relationship. Once work is completed, always follow up with your customers to see how they like the work, ask if they require anything else and try to sign them up for one of your newsletters. Keep your customers engaged and by providing quality work, these customers will likely refer you to their friends and keep you in mind for future projects.