6 Alternatives to Landscaping Business Cards
Ah, the good ol' landscaping business cards. Spend hours designing them, order thousands of them, leave one behind after every conversation.. sounds familiar? It seems like business cards have been around forever. Have you ever tried to figure out how many customers they bring in? I'm sure you'll agree they might have served their purpose well in the past, but there are other solutions out there better equipped to keep you at the forefront of your customers' minds. We've got some ideas to help you get your creativity juices rolling and finally say goodbye to business cards.
Related: Is it time to reevaluate your company image?
1. Subscriber List
Even though you're an offline business, there's no excuse not to set up an email list. The magic part here is to send recurring email - whether it be weekly, biweekly, or monthly. And as usual, we don't recommend shouting how great your landscaping company is - instead, provide them fantastic landscaping tips (such as your own blog articles). The emails and links within the emails don't have to be too in-depth, but they should be interesting enough to the people who read them. You can ask future customers for their email address and there are lots of ways you can acquire ones from people you don't know yet. This is a great way to stay relevant and fresh on you previous or potential client's mind. Plus, instead of just giving away your info on a business card, you're asking for their info and providing structure to future communications.
Related: Professional Email Signatures: The Do's and Don'ts
2. A Facebook Page
In case you haven't noticed, social media is the foundation of staying connected today. And out of all the social media options, it's usually Facebook that landscape professionals should target. There a ton of reasons of why this is right platform from engaging your followers (with paid, sponsored posts) to the indirect like perks (when people in the area like or share your updates it can show up in the feed of their friends). Most importantly, Facebook is usually where most of a landscapers target customers are. So, try pushing this next time, "here is my Facebook page, like us there to stay in touch."
3. Start a Blog
Write comprehensive blog articles. Talk about topics to help past clients enjoy their new landscaping space and other topics to help those in need of new ones. Be helpful! When a homeowner wants to do something with their outdoor spaces, they could read your website for instructions, and if they needed a bigger project done they would call you. There is always the extra benefit of ranking in Google for local landscaping keywords. So instead of saying "here is my business card - that you will misplace in 5 minutes and forget I ever gave to you," try "check out my blog, I have a good info on there to help you with X problem."
4. Use Google AdWords
Google Adwords will cost you a little more money, but ROI is king, right? Google Adwords is a perfect add-on to content marketing (e.g. blogging). With a couple of dollars all the way to a couple of thousands +, you can stay on top of people's minds by making sure they continue to see your website when searching relevant keywords. Careful though- Google AdWords can be expensive and useless if not set up right! Read this related article for more info: 5 Top Mistakes that Contractors Make with Google AdWords (PPC).
5. Print Brochure
If you're set on leaving behind something in print, then there is nothing better than a high-quality, magazine style brochure. Get professional photos of your most beautiful. Add content to this brochure (can be about your company), and make it a super eye friendly brochure. A kind that people would be happy to leave on their coffee table and keep seeing your company name. (plug in here: we do this so contact us if you need advice.
6. Sponsor A Soccer Team
If your target customer (based on the work you want to sell and the type of buyer that is willing to buy this work), this could be a superb way to reach your target market. Sponsoring the local soccer team will enable a ton of local parents to become familiar with your company's name. And it'll be seen more often than a business card stored away in the back of a drawer.