How to Market and Grow Your Tree Service Business
Updated July 29, 2021
If you’re drowning in a ton of amazing, high-quality tree service leads right now… then you can stop reading this.
However, if you’re like the majority of tree service company owners out there, and you're reading this because you’re researching ways to attract more customers and grow your Tree Service business...
Here are some of our top suggestions to help grow your Tree Care business:
- Top 4 things your tree website MUST have to be successful
- Holding your website company accountable for your search results
- How cheap, off-site internet marketing tactics can only do you good
- The easiest way to run a great customer rewards program
- How social media can work (ish) - if you do it right
- Get Quality Tree Service Leads Now
- How you can spend $20 and make over $400,000
Top 4 Things Your Tree Care Website MUST Have
In today’s digital world, people can research and find anything and everything online, often from their phone.
Keep in mind that your website is a reflection of your business, and is the first impression most prospects have of WHO you are and WHAT you can do for them. Investing in the online presence of your tree care business is a key part of attracting new customers!
97% of people learn more about a local company via the internet.
When it comes to a great website that customers can relate to and trust, there are four things to keep in mind. A good tree care business website will have:
1. Simple, User-friendly Navigation:
- Don’t complicate it for your customers. Keep your website a clean, mean, customer-attracting machine. Be bold. Be recognizable. Be you. But… make it all about how you can help your customers!
2. Optimized Service Pages & Blog Articles :
- The most effective tree care sites include unique pages that describe your key services, like Tree Removal, Tree Trimming, and Stump Grinding, etc., in detail. This is important for two reasons:
- It clearly spotlights and describes the services you provide in the geographic area you provide them so the search engines can effectively deliver your information to the very people who are searching for the services your provide.
- It gives prospects who are looking for your services an opportunity to see how you can help them, as well as establish a great first impression that makes them want to call you, vs your competitors.
- If you offer any other specialized tree care services, talk about them! Be clear about what separates you from your competitors!
- Blog, blog, and blog some more. Your blog page should be answering common questions your customers are searching, like “What Are the Signs of a Dying Tree?” or “When Can Oak Trees Be Trimmed?”.
- Blogging (the process of creating short, helpful insights your customers will benefit from) tells search engines that you’re constantly posting fresh, relevant content. So not only are you answering the right questions and leading prospects to your services, you’re getting better search engine rankings as well.
3. Trusted reviews and examples of your work:
- Trust is a MAJOR factor in generating leads, so make sure you have an up-to-date testimonials/reviews page to show off your skills and work ethic, as well as how happy your customers are with your work.
- Include dramatic before and after photos. Show your potential customers what they can expect when they decide to work with you.
4. Highlight the local areas you serve:
- Make it clear and visible throughout your entire website what cities (or counties) you serve to ensure the best visibility in search results for your local service areas
Don’t forget to include the basics as well, like a responsive site that works well on tablet and mobile, a click to call phone number, and a lead form to make it easy for prospective customers to connect with you.
So, how's YOUR website looking?
Hold Your Website Company Accountable
Fact: It’s impossible to know how well your online marketing is working if you’re not tracking and reviewing the data on a regular basis.
Without a clear link between online actions and the effect they have on your bottom line, you won’t have any idea whether your online marketing efforts are a wise investment or a risky gamble.
If you’ve hired a website company that is not giving you detailed insights or reports (quarterly, at minimum) of where your leads came from, your cost per new customer, or any raw data on how your website is performing, well… that’s NOT okay!
A good website company will establish key metrics to track and record that information as visitors are using your site so you know exactly what's working and what’s not. And in the event your site is not driving as many leads as you expected, you’ll have specific insights that will tell you how customers are engaging with your site so you can make calculated adjustments to fine-tune its performance.
At the end of the day, it’s difficult to make ANY improvements to your site if you don’t have any data with which to assess how well (or poorly) your site is performing.
So if your website company isn’t delivering, give us a call. This is what we do!
Let's Discuss Your Website
Cheap Off-Site Internet Marketing Tactics That Work
Did you know that search engines can connect potential customers to your tree service that are elsewhere on the internet, not just on your website?
Well, they can! This is how it works:
There are numerous online directories where you can list your company information to ensure it’s as visible as possible when a prospective customer is searching for the services you offer. Some are free and some require a subscription, but sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Manta, and YP.com are simple directories that were created to validate a given business as part of the community it serves.
Many of your customers use directories like Home Advisor and Angie’s List to find local, credible businesses in the area, as well as determine which business is the best one to work with based on any reviews previous customers have shared on that platform.
Aside from signing up for online directories, you can also establish great inbound links.
Wait...what are those?!
Inbound links are clickable links on other websites that send people ‘back’ to your website. A good example of a link can be your city’s local chamber of commerce, your member profile on the Tree Care Industry Association or the International Society of Arboriculture websites.
So if you aren’t currently a member of any of these groups, become one!
This helps search engines align your business with the top authorities in the tree care service industry, while also connecting new prospects to your business when they’re searching for the services you provide.
The Easiest Way to Run a Great Customer Rewards Program
Most service-based companies see marketing as an initiative or effort driven solely by the brand and its employees internally. Few realize that their customers can be an effective part of their marketing team as well. The reality is that when you deliver exceptional service, your customers will reward you by referring their friends and family to your service. So why not keep that reward cycle flowing!
If a prospect calls you and says they got your name from one of your customers, reward that customer for the referral! If you make it worth their while, they will continue to send more prospects your way.
For example, if a previous customer refers a friend that turns into a $500+ tree service job, reward them with a $25 VISA gift card and a handwritten thank you note from your team. Steer away from any sort of credit off their next service. Nothing says thank you like some extra cash your customers can spend any way they want!
How Social Media Can Work(ish) - If You Do It Right
This one is towards the bottom of this list for a reason. Let’s be honest… Unless you’re going to spend money on sponsored or promoted posts, social media is not likely to be a huge driver of leads for a tree service business.
However, don’t write social media off completely.
Facebook pages can help raise awareness of your business within your community, as well as help create an additional opportunity for your business to show up in relevant search results.
Posting before and after photos, tree care tips, or special promotions can help get your name out there. It’s important to note though, that while a social media presence does help, it’s not likely to generate a ton of new leads for tree care services.
Get Quality Tree Service Leads Now with PPC
Make sure when someone searches online for Tree Services, they find you first!
Creating a PPC Ad that targets customers looking for Tree Services in your local area is relatively quick to accomplish and provides a fast return on your investment (ROI).
Many people say they aren’t getting results with Google Ads, or the results are poor. Most frustrating is they are not able to measure ROI and feel their effort and investment is a waste.
You may ask, so what is a Paid Search Ad (also known as PPC Marketing), and what else do I need to know?
#1: Don’t pay for a lead unless it converts, which means a person clicks on your page, or contacts you.
#2: Paid advertising delivers results by targeting people in your immediate area who are looking for Tree Service (the lead is already qualified).
#3: Develop a PPC Ad that targets your area and converts leads. By designing it to grab a customer’s attention (to the point message), solve their problem (tree fell on house), and show you are best (great review -award -certification). Give them a number to call and make it stand out on the page.
It is worth the time to understand Paid Search Ads, aka PPC, or consult with someone who does. You should be able to see ROI and measurable results and know that your ad money isn’t wasted. It takes some effort, but your business needs it to thrive in a highly competitive online world.
How You Can Spend $20 to Make Over $400,000!
This first tactic is super easy, and more importantly... it works!
A simple lawn sign will cost you about $20. Get one, and every time you go to a job, stick that sign in the front lawn while you’re there, even if you’re only there for a couple of hours.
Now, let’s say 200 cars pass by while you’re trimming your customer’s trees. Assuming you complete an average 350 jobs in a season if just 1 of those cars notices your sign and gives you a call, that equates to an additional 350 calls a year.
Let’s say half of those people decide to hire you. That’s 175 NEW jobs as a result of a single sign.
If you charge an average of $500 per job, that equals $87,500 a year in new business. Given the average lawn sign will last you about 5 years, that one $20 investment will have helped you make an additional $437,500!
Sounds worth it, right?!
All you need to do is find a company that will make and print your sign. A great cost-effective option for printing a lawn sign is Vista Print.
Don’t want the hassle of a sign and are willing to invest more than $20? Another option is to wrap your company truck(s).
Think about it, you only pay for it once, and it lasts for 8-10 years. If you’re constantly driving around town all day every day, eventually people will start to see your trucks everywhere.
Make it noticeable enough that you can still read your truck from at least 50 ft away, moving at 35 mph.
Think about it... you only pay for it once, and the average vehicle wrap lasts for 8-10 years. If you’re constantly driving around town all day every day, people will see your trucks everywhere. This effort alone is a big part of building brand recognition within the areas you serve.
The key to a successful vehicle wrap is to make it noticeable enough that people can read the company name and phone number on your truck from at least 50 ft away. Keep in mind, less is more, so don’t over complicate it! But do be sure to include your fundamental tree care marketing points like:
- Company name & logo
- Phone number
- Clever tagline
- Any small accreditation logos
- Any accreditation logos (licensed, insured, BBB rated, Angie’s List Rated, etc.)
- Relevant background images
With a little thought and effort, your trucks can be great mobile billboards, so use them to your advantage!
Need Help Marketing Your Tree Service Business? Give Us a Call!
It can be seen that successfully and creatively marketing your tree service in today’s world can be as challenging as trying to climb a Giant Sequoia. But when all trees were created, so were full-service companies that specialize in marketing all of those trees.
At High Level Marketing, the primary goal behind everything we do is educating and empowering small business owners like you to understand your options in an effort to make the best marketing decisions that will help grow your tree care business.
We have helped, and currently work with, dozens of tree care businesses like yours across the country to develop effective websites that drive traffic and convert leads! Stop losing leads to your competitors...
Let's Talk About Your Business!
We’d love to help!
