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The Landscaper's Guide To Modern Sales and Marketing Newsletter
JUNE 2023
THIS RENOVATED SPACE IS MY PRIDE AND JOY Did you know I ran Ramblin Jackson from a shed without heat or air conditioning for over two years? It’s true! In the winter, my camera equipment froze solid, and in the summer, I walked home drenched in sweat almost every day. It sucked, but it was also one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I know that sounds crazy. But working on my laptop from the shed with a tiny portable fan blowing at my back and sweat dripping into my eyes helped me do three important things. 1. Increase salaries for my team. I was the only one in the shed, but we were all working remotely — even before COVID-19 — so I broke the lease on our dumpy office in Boulder and put our insane rent (about $70,000 per year) toward raises for everyone. 2. Pay off my debts. Enough said — that was a huge relief! 3. Save for the down payment on a new property. That residential property became the new home of Ramblin Jackson. I rented out the house and, with the help of a few of my clients, turned the 500-square-foot garage into a high-end office space and production studio. Now, I work there (or maybe I should say “here,” since I’m sitting at the table as I type this) every weekday. Renovating the garage was a massive challenge. I carried power tools back and forth from my house and watched endless YouTube videos to learn the skills I needed. I’d never done a project that big before, but suddenly, I had to become a part-time handyman and property manager all in one! Fortunately, I had help. Ramblin Jackson’s senior SEO strategist, Kevin Kawa, flew in from New York to guide me through building a beautiful wooden feature wall (or more accurately, he let me help him build the wall). Meanwhile, I hired two Ramblin Jackson clients to help me with the work. Colorado Concrete Repair also transformed the floor from a dingy, oil-stained mess into a bright, polished, and sealed acrylic surface. CHECK OUT MY RECORDING STUDIO!
Now, the “garage” is a warm, organized, and functional place to work. Stepping inside feels like walking into a modern industrial living room. Rugs are strewn across the floors, and comfortable chairs and couches are spread around the space. You can sit at the live-edged table, dig through the wild game I’ve stocked in the meat freezer, or record audio in the cozy 10-by-12–foot vocal booth. There’s even an apartment upstairs with a kitchen, bathroom, and living room perfect for snacking and relaxing. It’s my home away from home. Above all, the studio is the ideal place to record marketing videos. The 60-inch light dome offers flattering, soft light (you’re probably used to seeing it in my podcast videos), and I’ve professionally treated the space for sound using my 30 years of experience in music and performance. I have all the cameras and audio gear you could ever want, an adjustable standing desk for writing and reviewing scripts, a wardrobe for extra clothes, and even a mirror for final checks before you head on camera. One of my favorite things in the world is showing my clients around the studio. We film our videos, then head outdoors to grab a burger, check out the mountains, fly fish, hike, target shoot, or even hunt small game. If you haven’t come by yet, I’d love to show the place off and improve your sales process at the same time! To learn about the types of videos I recommend filming, turn to Page 2.
JACK JOSTES, CEO RAMBLIN JACKSON
RamblinJackson.com • 1
Read It in Your Truck on a Rainy Day
Improve the Impact of You spend valuable time and money on your email marketing, but your efforts will go to waste if your customers don’t open what you send. Your open rate is one of the most critical email metrics, and the single best way to improve yours is by writing compelling subject lines that make your customers want to click. So, how do you spark curiosity and stay out of the spam folder? A 2019 study by market research group Radicati found that the average person receives 96 emails daily, and your business is hardly the only one trying to convince them to buy something. Your customers will likely spend only seconds deciding whether to open your email, delete it, or report it as spam. You must capture their attention quickly and give them a reason to click. Writing the perfect subject line isn’t easy. What works for one industry or demographic may not work for another. But you should always try to follow three simple rules. No. 1: Keep it short.
Subject Lines Matter! client@business.com
Hello <Name>, This is a message your customers won’t read if they don’t open the email in the first place ...
FILM THESE TO BOOST YOUR REPEAT BUSINESS AND REFERRALS! Email platforms will only display so many characters of your subject line before cutting it off. Therefore, a long subject line inadvertently ensures your message gets lost. Further, your customers quickly decide what they will open and discard. They’re more likely to delete your message if it seems confusing or complicated, so make it bite- size and easy to digest. Experts recommend you keep your subject lines to 60 characters or less. 2 Types of Videos Every Landscape Company Needs
Most business owners assume video is only useful for generating leads — but that’s just plain wrong. Yes, posting footage on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube can help you get new clients, but you can also use videos to enhance your customer experience! Businesses often overlook this option for video, but it’s incredibly important. If you focus on making the people who are already paying you happy, they’ll be more likely to send repeat business and referrals your way. So, how can you use video to take your customer experience to the next level? Start by filming videos in these two categories. Process Videos When a new customer signs up with you, one of the first things you should send them is a process video. In it, you can give them an overview of their chosen service
and the stages involved. This will help them mentally prepare for what’s coming and reassure them they’ve bought into an established, successful system. Milestone Videos Milestone videos are a great way to follow up on your initial process video and stay in touch with your customers throughout
project is on track. When you send regular milestone videos, your client won’t feel restless or resentful of your workers — they’ll feel taken care of! Where to Film Your instinct is probably to film both of these video types outside. You’re a landscaper, after all! But we recommend using a studio instead. When you film
their landscape project. We recommend filming one video for each stage of your process. In it, you can explain the stage to the customer and detail exactly what they need to do to keep the project moving forward on time. These videos are great because they set clear timeline expectations and reassure customers their
indoors, you don’t have to worry about sweat making your face shine on camera, a gust of wind messing up your hair, or daylight fading before you can get the perfect take. Our Ramblin Jackson studio outside of Boulder was designed with marketing videos like these in mind. If you want to film there, call us to book a slot!
2 • (303) 544-2125
Read It in Your Tru
Your Email Marketing No. 2: Spark urgency. Customers are most likely to open an email within 24 hours of receiving it. After that, they will likely assume it’s irrelevant or forget about it. So, you want to use language that inspires them to read it immediately. At the same time, be careful of overusing all-caps and exclamation points; these are hallmark signs of spam, and your customers could mistake it as such. Further, if every email announces itself as your customer’s “last chance,” you’ll lose trust, and people will tune out. No. 3: Be specific. Research indicates that people are more likely to open personalized subject lines. So, when possible, address your customers directly with their name or the word “you.” Further, teasing information is risky and can leave people unmotivated to open the email and learn more. Provide details like the specific product or service on sale or how many hours or days an offer will last. For example, more people will find “Only 48 hours left in our sale” compelling than “Our sale ends soon.” Learning to craft effective headlines won’t happen overnight, so give yourself time and room to make mistakes. One of your best resources is A/B testing: You develop two subject lines, send them to different customers, and then compare their performance. You’ll find what drives your customers to click by monitoring your metrics and adapting your approach. Ready to Level Up Your Marketing and Get More Hell Yes Customers? Schedule a 15-minute Marketing Brainstorm with our Senior Landscape Marketing Strategist, Robert Felton! In just 15 minutes, Robert will: • Offer game-changing feedback on your marketing ideas. • Find gaps in your existing campaigns. • Discuss your best marketing strategy. • Share next steps for success! This is a quick, easy, no pressure call — and we’ll even send you beef jerky or candied almonds for your time. Visit LandscapersGuide.com/call to schedule your Marketing Brainstorm today.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SIMA Symposium, Connecticut June 13–16, 2023 Stop by Booth #1225 for Beef Jerky! 9 Proven Sales & Marketing Tactics for Commercial Snow Management Businesses June 29, 2023 • Webinar
How To Say NO To Clients WITHOUT Being A Jerk July 27, 2023 Webinar by Fieldroutes
The Landscaper’s Guide to Modern Sales & Marketing August 24, 2023 The Landscape Show • Orlando, FL
LandscapersGuide.com/events
RamblinJackson.com • 3
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
1 Step Inside Jack’s Studio 2 Why Your Email Marketing Subject Lines Matter 2 2 Types of Videos to Film Today 3 Upcoming Events 3 Take a Break 4 Don’t Let Summer’s Beauty Go to Waste INSIDE PO Box 1429 • Lyons, CO 80540 (303) 544-2125 • RamblinJackson.com
A VARIETY OF SHOTS YOU CAN GET NOW It’s Time to Take Your Website Photos!
5 Types of Shots to Take 1. Photos of New Installations — Take pictures before and after your team completes your summer landscape jobs. Whether you’re putting in a patio or fully designing a backyard, these shots will be impressive. 2. Photos of Your Crew In Action — Snap candid shots of your team in uniform doing the hard, sweaty work your clients pay you for. These shots will humanize your website, and you can repurpose them on social media to keep your services top of mind for your followers. 3. Photos of Your Maintenance Work — Many landscapers focus all of their photography on design-build and construction jobs and then are confused when they don’t get many maintenance customers! You can close that gap by taking photos of the landscapes you maintain while they’re looking their best.
4. Photos of Your Fleet — Line up your trucks on a street with blooming trees in the background and grab a photo of your team standing in front of them. Believe me, it will look much better than a November photo featuring gray skies and leafless trees. 5. Photos of Mature Landscapes — Go back to the job sites you worked on 2–3 years ago and take another round of photos now that your plants have taken root and bloomed. These photos of mature landscapes show people the real, long-term experience they’re buying — not just the view of Day 1. I talk more about taking great website photos in my book “The Tree of Good Fortune.” If you don’t own it already, you can get a copy at TreeOfGoodFortune.com or download the audiobook on Audible.com or in the Audible app.
I know the last thing you want to do right now is add another item to your to-do list, but trust me: If you don’t gather photos for your website this month, you’ll kick yourself come winter! Why take photos now? Summer is the best time of the year to photograph the landscapes your team creates. The abundant sunlight, lush green foliage, and colorful flowers practically do the photography work for you.
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Get a Free, Personal Video Review Of Your Website! • ramblinjackson.com/webreview
ENTER TO WIN A FREE TRAEGER GRILL AT SIMA SNOW & ICE SYMPOSIUM RAMBLIN JACKSON BOOTH #1225 And Score Bonus Gifts,Too! ENTER TO WIN A FREE TRAEGER GRILL AT SIMA SNOW & ICE SYMPOSIUM RAMBLIN JACKSON BOOTH #1225 And Score Bonus Gifts,Too!
Our team is heading to the 2023 SIMA Snow & Ice Symposium – and we want to see you there! Our team is heading to the 2023 SIMA Snow & Ice Symposium – and we want to see you there!
Stop by our booth (No. 1225) and we’ll enter you into our raffle for three awesome prizes: 1. A Traeger Grill 2. A $100 gift card to a Wild Salmon company run by an arborist 3. A wireless meat thermometer ($100 value) 1. A Traeger Grill 2. A $100 gift card to a Wild Salmon company run by an arborist 3. A wireless meat thermometer ($100 value) Stop by our booth (No. 1225) and we’ll enter you into our raffle for three awesome prizes:
Does snow contractor life get better than that?! Does snow contractor life get better than that?! Oh, yeah it does – because you’ll also walk away with a FREE book and a FREE video training that will teach you how to smoke your competition! Oh, yeah it does – because you’ll also walk away with a FREE book and a FREE video training that will teach you how to smoke your competition!
If you haven’t already registered for SIMA Symposium and booked your trip to Hartford for June 13-16, 2023, you’d better get on it.Your Traeger is waiting. See you at SIMA Symposium booth No. 1225 If you haven’t already registered for SIMA Symposium and booked your trip to Hartford for June 13-16, 2023, you’d better get on it.Your Traeger is waiting. See you at SIMA Symposium booth No. 1225
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