Home remodelers, landscapers, and every home improvement business that deals with appointments and work in the field will say that the most challenging parts of running their business include employees and customers. In other words: people. Hands down, regardless of if its formal surveys or passing conversations, these are the most common two biggest headaches in our industry.

On the flip side, the biggest money and time investments by these same business owners include machinery, materials, and actual time on labor by business owners.

With all the marketing options out there - from content, inbound, outbound, print, radio, tv, its hard not to depend on the tried and true advertising options that have existed for what seems like forever. Its probably easier to choose an approach that you know has been around and is familar to you.

Still, no matter how familiar, with all the industry changes as well as marketing changes, now might be the perfect time for you to evaluate print advertising. To help with your decision, you should do print advertising if:

Media Coverage of landscaping or design work is a top need for many marketing executives or business owners in this industry. Of course there are other key marketing essentials (like inbound marketing - which includes blogging and social media). There is however something special about building your reputation in quality work using previously completed projects.

Sure, professional photography is non-negotiable. Whether it costs several hundred dollars or a thousands, its a must. But what happens after the photos and what can you do with them to make sure you're promoting your best work and increasing your chances of media coverage? It starts with getting the right story. A story behind the photos. Something that connects readers and viewers to the work. Words that bring it all to life. 

It's hard for many folks to switch over from display advertising (magazine, billboards, etc.) to inbound marketing (content king). The new can be scary. Here is the secret: it doesn't have to be a switchover. There are reasons to maintaining both approaches without sacrificing efficacy of either. The trick is to make sure that each approach is designed to complement the other.