Take a look at our August newsletter!
The Landscaper's Guide To Modern Sales and Marketing Newsletter
AUGUST 2022
Landscape Searches on Google Are Down Nearly 20%! How Bad Is This Recession, Really?
Because we specialize in marketing for landscapers, my team and I keep a close eye on Google search statistics. For the last two years, organic searches for local landscapers and landscape-related topics have been high. Really high. But this summer those numbers came crashing down. I was blown away in June when I checked the stats and discovered Google searches for landscaping were down a whopping 20%.
When I look at the Google Trends, though, it’s not all doom and gloom. Searches for “landscaping” hit 63/100 in spring of 2021, down from their peak in 2020. (A 100/100 is considered the most popular trend possible.) Now, they’re down again, but only to 52/100 — still two points higher than 2019’s 50/100.
The honeymoon is over, but the marriage is still strong.
So, what the heck happened? And how can you make sure your landscape company still grabs a percent of that smaller market share?
Even though searches are down from the 2020/2021 heyday, they’re up from where they were pre-pandemic! That means SEO is still a solid source of lead generation.
To answer those questions, we have to rewind to 2020 and 2021. Back then, everyone was stuck at home staring at their sad, dead lawns and using their surplus stimulus money to level up their landscaping. Demand for landscape services was high — maybe artificially high! Now, things are normalizing (I think we’ve all pretty much accepted COVID-19 as a part of life) and the economy is struggling. Will We See You at NALP’s ELEVATE Conference in September? If you stop by our booth, you could win a Traeger Pro Grill, $500 of wild salmon, or a MeatStick thermometer! Turn to Pg. 4 to learn more.
Search engine behavior aside, there’s one thing we can’t deny — we’re officially in a recession.
A recession technically becomes official when the gross domestic product (GDP) shrinks for two quarters in a row. That said, there are a lot of confusing headlines right now, because even though our GDP hit that threshold in July the job market is still strong. One Harvard economist told The New York Times, “A month ago, I was writing that it was very unlikely that we are in a recession. If I had to write that now, I would take out the ‘very.’” The future is uncertain. But there’s one thing I’m sure of: The best thing you can do for your landscape company right now is to recession-proof your marketing so you still have leads coming in no matter what the economy throws at us. A few weeks ago, I had Jeffrey Riddle of Alterra Landscape Design on “The Landscaper’s Guide to Sales and Marketing” podcast to talk about how serious this recession thing is and why it’s important for landscapers to double down on their marketing right now. Jeff has been in landscaping for more than 20 years. He shared some
Continued on Page 3 ...
RamblinJackson.com • 1
Read It in Your Truck on a Rainy Day
SHOULD YOU USE VIDEO-BASED MARKETING? People spend most of their time at home now more than ever. This is one of the reasons why video-based marketing is becoming so popular. It allows your audience to engage with you and influencers and learn about your products, and it will enable customers to shop while watching your videos. Here are ways you can incorporate video-based marketing into your business. 3. Tell Stories. Storytelling is one of the key strategies business owners are using to engage and relate to their customers. It helps you Yes! Here Are 3 Tips to Get Started
build a stronger and more meaningful relationship with
1. Use Your Resources. Before you go live or create a video, you want to ensure that you have proper lighting, good equipment like lights and cameras, and editing software. Even though this may seem like it wouldn’t make that much difference, your video’s quality will influence your customers more than you think. 2. Take Advantage of Social Media. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms have options where you can share both pre-recorded and live videos. More and more people spend their time on social media, so meet your customers where they’re at. Create something engaging that complements what you’re trying to sell. Your videos don’t need to be long. However, by making longer live-stream videos, your clientele can post comments while you’re live. You can answer questions and engage more with your audience this way.
your audience and makes them feel valued. So begin brainstorming what stories you would want to tell. Is there a specific
reason you created, or are advertising, a particular product? Share these experiences with your clients. If you’re not selling an item, you can create videos to simply build a connection with your market. This will keep your business at the forefront of your viewers’ minds. These are only a few of the many ways you can begin using video- based marketing within your business plan. It will help you boost your retention rates and allow you to connect with your customers in a way that is the most convenient for them. So, smile for the camera; you’re about to go live! Check out some of our done-for- you video production portfolio at RamblinJackson.com/video .
Help Your Sales Team Close Deals Without You WITH THIS TIP FROM OUR NEW COURSE!
If you own a landscape company, you’re likely the best person on your team at sales. You have the “owner’s advantage” when it comes to closing deals. No one sells better than you — and that’s a huge problem!
meet with Casey. Nate had a low close rate and trouble keeping people on his calendar. Then, Casey hired us to help build Tex- Scapes’ Foundational Four. We revamped their branding and differentiation, leveled up their website design, and boosted their local SEO. Before long, their website was generating so many high-quality leads that they couldn’t keep up! That was awesome, but it didn’t fix Nate’s close rate. To do that, we came up with a way to give him the same authority and exclusivity Casey had. We started charging customers a consultation fee to meet with him. It worked! Customers assumed if they had to pay to meet with Nate, he was an expert worth buying from. This freed up so much time in Casey’s schedule that he fulfilled his dream of learning to fly airplanes! This is just one strategy for better sales that Ramblin Jackson CEO Jack Jostes will cover in our new “The Landscaper’s Guide to Sales Qualification” course. We’re launching this course this fall. Stay tuned for details!
How are you ever supposed to work on big-picture business issues if you’re stuck on the phone all day closing deals? And how the heck will you ever exit your company and watch it thrive without you if you’re the only one who people know, like, and trust? The short answer is, you can’t! But it’s not too late to change that. You still have time to create a structured sales process that will make sure your company lives up to its promises AND gives your sales team the ability to close deals without you. Ramblin Jackson helped Tex-Scapes Nursery and Landscape CEO Casey Hendrixs do just that.
Before we stepped in, Casey was working hard to let his project manager, Nate Dixon, take over sales. But everyone still wanted to
2 • (303) 544-2125
Read It in Your Tru
... continued from Cover
great insights into why it’s important to spend on marketing in the good times to prepare for the bad ones.
“You’d rather spend money hiring or on new equipment. But for those of us who have been around a while and seen downturns in the economy, you kind of remember that. You remember how painful that was. So, you want to really be prepared for that,” Jeff said, later adding, “... Just keeping your eye on the ball and continually improving, whether [you’re in a] good time or bad time, not just marketing but everything you do, I think is real important.”
With that in mind, here are four things my team recommends you do right now to recession-proof your marketing.
Get your copy of “The Tree of Good Fortune: The Landscaper’s Guide to Modern Sales and Marketing” at TreeOfGoodFortune.com! UPCOMING EVENTS
1. Invest in direct mail. Organic traffic is down, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t
business to be had. If you’re proactive and reach out to potential customers first with postcards or newsletters, you’ll keep bringing in leads and put your company’s name top of mind for customers. Then, if they do search on Google, it won’t be for landscaping — it will be for you! 2. Use more videos in your marketing. If your leads see your face regularly, they’ll feel like they’ve met you and start to build an emotional connection. It’s harder to turn down an offer or upsell from a friend, so use video to market to current customers, too.
3. Focus on gathering reviews. How can you systematically ask each customer at the
right time for an online review? Build out that process and you can become the highest-rated contractor in our market. Then, when people are
NALP’s ELEVATE Conference Sept. 18–21, 2022 Orlando, FL — Booth #1128
even more cautious about spending their
money, they still choose you because you’re the safe bet.
4. Continue growing your Tree of Good Fortune. Although a 20% decrease in searches from 2020 and 2021 seems like a lot, there are still a ton of people looking online for landscape services. The numbers have just returned to (almost) pre-pandemic levels. Other landscapers who don’t realize this may get spooked and stop investing in SEO — creating a perfect opportunity for you to get ahead and get found online by new customers. Ultimately, in tough economic times, you should focus on what you can control: your customer service and your marketing. Perfect those things and you’ll be able to weather any downturn.
Landscaper’s Summit Oct. 6, 2022 Virtual
LandscapersGuide.com/events
JACK JOSTES, CEO RAMBLIN JACKSON
RamblinJackson.com • 3
uck on a Rainy Day
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
PO Box 1429 • Lyons, CO 80540 (303) 544-2125 • ramblinjackson.com
1 How to Recession-Proof Your Marketing 2 Meet Your Customers Where They’re At 2 How We Get Landscape Owners Out of Sales 3 Upcoming Events 4 Why You Should Meet Us at ELEVATE INSIDE
Still on the Fence About Attending ELEVATE?
These Awesome Prizes Could Change Your Mind Our team has been looking forward to the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ 2022 ELEVATE conference for months. It’s the biggest event of the year for the landscape industry, and now it’s almost here! (NALP) CEO Britt Wood to get a sneak peek at the schedule.
Britt explained everything: why NALP branched away from the GIE+EXPO to start ELEVATE, NALP’s take on sustainability and government affairs, just what is going on in California with
If you don’t already have ELEVATE on your calendar, pencil it in for Sept. 18–21 and register at LandscapeProfessionals.org/ELEVATE/. The trip to Orlando, Florida, will pay for itself with everything you learn at the conference about growing your landscape business. You’ll get to meet industry icons and thought leaders, find new partners in the field, and of course, meet our team in person! If you plan to be at ELEVATE, be sure to pop over to our booth and say hello. We’d love to see you — and we’ll make it worth your while. Everyone who stops by our booth at ELEVATE (Booth 1128) can enter a raffle to win a Traeger Pro Grill, $500 of wild salmon, or a MeatStick thermometer! How cool is that? You’ll also score a FREE mystery gift just for swinging by. Like we said, the excitement in our office about ELEVATE 2022 has been running high all year. A few months ago, our CEO Jack Jostes sat down with National Association of Landscape Professionals
battery-powered landscape equipment laws, how you can use the collegiate landscape competition for recruiting, and much more.
Here’s one tidbit from Britt about the difference between GIE+EXPO and ELEVATE: “We’re going to have a much smaller exhibit area, so it’s going to be much easier for individuals to interact, to talk, and to meet each other. … We’re trying to create a lot more networking time. We understand this industry really appreciates the opportunity to talk to each other.” If you want an insider’s look at ELEVATE before we see you there in September, we highly recommend listening to this whole episode of the podcast or reading the transcript! Follow the QR code above to check it out.
4 • (303) 544-2125
Get a Free, Personal Video Review Of Your Website! • ramblinjackson.com/webreview
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator