How Can Landscape & Pool Contractors Stand Apart from the Competition?
—
The Content Team,
HALSTEAD.
Originally published on October 2, 2015. Updated on June 8, 2022.
Most landscape, pool, and outdoor living businesses are hyper local and highly competitive. They need to be for the model to work.
Sure, there are firms focusing on the general high-level service offering differences. For example, landscape design/build vs commercial maintenance, or gunite vs fiberglass pools. But even within those categories, competition is vert fierce. To dive into landscaping - there are 600,00 of you in the United States! As the landscape and outdoor living industries continue to grow, more and more entrepreneurs are entering the market. Some, of course, being new direct competition for you.
Enter the "me-too" company - charging inexplicably less, gaining popularity in a small community, and all of a sudden, taking your prospects away. The demand for effective brand positioning has never been higher. There is, more than ever before, a need to set yourself apart from the other businesses in the neighborhood or region. Sometimes it's to keep your business steady, or more tragically, it's to turn your business back around after losing incredible amounts of revenue year over year.
—
Pick a niche in something specific with the larger landscape industry.
Landscaping is not a niche. Pick something specific to what your business does and wants to do more of. Perhaps modern outdoor living design/build projects. Or commercial maintenance, focused on HOAs and industrial facilities. Pick something that when people think of it in your region, they'll know you're the person to go to.
This idea often sounds risky to business owners who remember having to say yes to all work that came their way in the beginning. Most businesses expand their offerings when times get tough so this may seem risky. The reality is that there are too many do-it-alls. Picking a niche that makes sense for your region and makes sense to you (your interests, skills, employee availability, etc.) is your most powerful weapon.
—
Become a recognized landscape or pool expert, but in your niche.
It's time to own it. Now that you've picked your niche, master it to perfection. Attend trainings you normally wouldn't have before because of the specificity of the topic. Get certifications in that topic. And most importantly, get recognized for your new heightened level of expertise. The easiest way to do this is through your website and social media efforts. Share images of this specialization of your work - ideally, images of previous work you've done in that specialty. If you don't have enough, then invest— professional videography for landscape contractors is imperative to the telling the story well. This is not an area to skimp on! These images and videos however won't bring you more people to your site - they will eventually convert those people to calling you. To bring the visitors, SEO and targeted social ads will be necessary. Ongoing proper marketing is the only path to long-term marketing ROI you can measure. Stay the course.
With your newly defined niche in the greater landscape and pool industry, you will gain credibility and authority in your passion for something specific. Be proud of it and allow time for it to happen. More than often, business owners look to transform a business a month before they really need it. That will never happen, regardless of what you choose to do. For this method to work, you'll need enough attention to all the details and a little patience.
Let’s leave behind the term landscaping. Let’s instead replace it with what you actually focus on…lawn care for residential properties, high-end residential poolscapes, commercial maintenance. These terms tell the story for consumers to understand quickly what you do—and the results will pay off in the long term.