There are numerous challenges with owning a successful pool design and build business, including weather and unforeseen building process obstacles. Budgeting and labor planning can almost seem like a roller coaster ride. One thing that is a constant is the need to drive leads, more customers. While building beautiful pools that create happy homeowners are an obvious crucial essential, getting enough customers to sustain a healthy business is even more important.

When you partner with a marketing agency, they become an extension of your existing team. The right marketing agency will make it so you can focus on what you do best. Here’s a lesson learned for when a partnership can work well—or fall apart.

If your design/build or landscaping company seems to be struggling as of late with handling communications with existing and potential customers, you may have been advised to invest in a CRM tool or system that will help you streamline the customer relations management process.

There's nothing quite like a beautiful flyover of a clean, gorgeous swimming pool and glistening waterfalls set against the earthy colors of a paver patio and lush landscaping. It’s a special view—often made available on Instagram or on your website—that very few would be able to see firsthand (unless they were a pilot).

Do landscape design/build companies really benefit from using the popular home services marketplace Angie’s List? The website is popular with some consumers who view it as an easy search solution for finding landscape contractors, and some contractors think they can establish a legitimate presence for those homeowners simply by having a listing.

For this outdoor lighting company, we researched high volume, low cost keywords that are correlated to the their lighting services that are also representative of the end of the sales journey, meaning not research-like keywords, but rather ready to buy keywords. For each keyword, we created a group of ads to test out which one would work best. In the Google ad world, this approach is called Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGS). And then we built or used existing landing pages that are optimized for the keyword that is in the ad - all translating to lower cost click and higher performing ads.

Speaking of conversions - the purpose of these ads, over the six month period, this company received 66 “conversions.” In non-technical terms, this includes people who submitted a form on the website and also click on the telephone number to call in the mobile-only ads. It does NOT include people that called the website after reaching the website as a result of the ads. Most design/build companies we speak with have about 2-3x as many phone calls as they form submissions (often much more).

Based out of Avon, CT, Starr Contracting offers high-end landscape architecture and installation services. Starr was in the market for an extremely high-end website that communicated their high-end work to homeowners looking for medium-complex projects. Starr wanted a website that was clean and simple - and stood out against competitors.

Aligned to the new FireSky logo, the website features a modern, fresh, unique - all while sophisticated design. Detailing the story, one section, and then one page a time, the website colors, fonts, layout, images, and copy all resonate with the high-end homeowner that would look to a Landscape Architect. Each page is carefully written and designed to work independently from the site (if a visitor stumbles across a page before visiting the homepage) yet complementary if a visitor is browsing multiple pages. You won’t find dead ends here. Finalizing the sales experience, users end up at a location page to contact.

Halstead Media transformed their previous website to a new, fresh, modern one that attracts to both Vermont Stone’s Vermont customers as well as the new Pittsburgh homeowners. The new website is mobile optimized, easy to navigate, and most importantly, helps homeowners clearly identify their service area.

Around October 2016, we kicked off their Search Engine Optimization efforts. We began by identifying the most searched keywords in their service areas along with cities that had the best HHI (household income) and population combination. Weekly, professionally written articles targeting these keywords along with ongoing new local landing pages, and now high-quality backlinks, this landscape design/build company now has 45% of the keywords being tracked on the first page (first 10 spots). They began with only 5% of their tracked keywords on that page! 

Imagine promoting your business on a site that has over 25 million users each month… 90 percent of whom are homeowners. Sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it?

Halstead Media completely transformed the website to a less text heavy, image forward design. A layout that appeals to all the different customer audiences that GoldLeaf wants to attract. The homepage includes a rotating banner, a review section for peace of mind, as well as call-out to a financing program. See the new website

After presenting a Unilock Authorized Contractor Seminar, we met Northern Lights Landscaping. Since then, our relationship with them has allowed us to redesign their website, increase their search rankings, and help find qualified leads with Facebook Ads.

For the 2018 FY, the cap for the first half was met on December 15, 2017 and the cap for the second half was met on February 28, 2018. This is the earliest these caps have ever been reached by a significant number of days, demonstrating the high demand for seasonal laborers. Prior to 2016, workers who had previously been employed via the H-2B Visa were exempt from this cap, but when the federal budget bill recently expired, the cap exemption expired as well.

A combination of new recruiting avenues through Puerto Rico and other American territories, and referral incentives for current employees seems likely to promise the most success.

"User experience website design" sounds fancy, right? It's really not. It's part of every beautiful, functional website design. What are some basic elements? What exactly is user experience website design. Whether you're a manufacturer or a design/build, think about the story - beyond the "scroll down" message. Without further ado, scroll down and watch the video. Hahah

Want your events to last longer? The power is in your hands. In this intro-to-the-topic video, we introduce spreading the wildfire event approach with widgets that encourage people to take photos, using branded items, and share them on their social media. The return? People are posting images of themselves, happy, with your brand. Magic. Watch for more and tell us how you've done it!

Familiar with design software? If you are a high-end design/build, you most likely are very familiar with design software from your 3D designs! And if you're a manufacturer, maybe you've used design design software if you're in the marketing department. Regardless of how you've used it, design software and website design are VERY different things. You have graphic design in both but you have user experience in website design (some would argue that user experience is more important that graphic design). Website design includes designing for various platforms (mobile, ipad, desktop). Design software is a stable platform. When you're designing in something like a 3D design software, you're not concerned about button actions or how that plan will look on mobile. Watch for more.

Everyone knows that you can choose location, age, family, income - and other demographics when it comes to creating a Facebook audience for targeting your posts and dark ads. But what about interests and behaviors? Does every high income wife with children that is age 42 want a service you install or a product you sell?! NO!! So don't stop there. Make sure your Facebook audiences include interests and/or behaviors. Watch here for more: