Google My Business was established in 2014 as a way for business owners to provide the vital information potential customers look for when searching the web. At a glance, a GMB profile tells consumers everything they need to know, from services offered to where to find you on a map.
With Google users totaling around 4.39 billion, it’s easy to see why you want a presence there. In the following article, we show you how to capitalize on this valuable tool and generate landscaping leads.
Here are the 13 steps you need to take today:
- Take a NAP
- Accurately Describe What You Do
- Be COVID-Ready
- Insert Visuals
- Get Your Customers Involved
- Allow People to Contact You Through Your Profile
- Get Your Employees Involved
- Activate Your Social Media Profiles
- Maintain a Blog
- And a Website
- Update Other Citations and Directories
- Never Lose Sight of the Customer
- Be Clever About Handling the Things You Can’t Do
1. Take a NAP
The first step to capitalizing on your Google My Business profile as a landscaper is the same as it is for any business. You have to make time for your NAP!
No, we’re not saying draw the blinds and put on nature sounds. We mean “name, address, and phone.” Getting these details right on your profile is crucial, and it’s something that many businesses overlook.
Hard to believe? Not when you consider the various profiles and accounts that you have to set up as a business owner. Are You ABC Landscaper on Google My Business and ABC Landscaping Company on Facebook?
If so, you need to take a NAP! Also, which number are you using for your business contact: an office line or the boss’s mobile. If your GMB is different from your other profiles, then you’ll want to correct it.
Businesses also might forget to update address listings as they move to new offices or set up P.O. Boxes. It’s a subtle but important detail that you’ll need to address with uniformity.
2. Accurately Describe What You Do
You can say that you’re a landscaping company or independent landscaper, but those descriptions do not really explain to property owners the scope of your services. For example, do you just do basic yard care (i.e., weed-pulling and mowing), or do you offer professionally cultivated lawns with decorations, fire pits, and other fixtures?
Individuals need to be able to see from your Google My Business profile what they can count on you for. By the same token, a profile that advertises a service you don’t offer will send a message that you’re disheveled, disorganized, and not to be trusted with any of the services you provide.
3. Be COVID-Ready
Marketing for landscapers and other business owners took a bizarre turn in 2020 when the world dealt with the rise of COVID-19. The pandemic changed the way virtually every business did business.
Now, when a customer looks up a GMB profile for a service they’re wanting, they expect to see what, if any, protocols you have in place. Many homeowners looking for ongoing landscaping services are doing so because they’re not physically able to do it themselves, or they live with someone who is immunocompromised.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to put any information about your business that might be connected to the pandemic. An example would be that landscaping company employees are required to wear masks and provide cleanup after the job is completed.
4. Insert Visuals
One way to make your Google My Business profile more profitable is to include visuals. Posting images of your work is a great way to show your competence and attract new customers.
You can have your employees take pictures while they’re out on a job and send you the best ones. Then, you can upload the best of the best to your page. With a little effort, you can build up a great visual portfolio that will help convince others of your abilities.
5. Get Your Customers Involved
Online reviews might not always be responsible, accurate, or fair. Ask anyone who’s ever been review-bombed over something unrelated to what it is they’re actually doing.
That said, people still assign a lot of weight to them. If you’re not pouring effort into getting a trove of positive reviews on your GMB page, then you’re missing a key landscape leads.
This doesn’t have to be spammy or fake. People have hired you because they saw something in you they liked. Perhaps they’ve hired you multiple times because they like your price, responsiveness, and service.
From there, it’s an easy task. Tell them where to go to leave a review if they’re satisfied with your service. Also, explain how vital that simple step is to help you grow your business (or stay in business).
6. Allow People to Contact You Through Your Profile
Google My Business provides the option for you to allow outside contacts to reach out to you through the platform. We know that can seem daunting when you have people reaching out to you on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but it’s a positive thing for lead growth.
The more places that you can be “present” for your potential customers, the easier it will be to convert them. You might consider installing each communication platform application on your phone and then grouping them into a folder that will then provide notifications when you have unread messages.
That way, you can respond to everyone that you need to at one time. This keeps you from missing out on questions that prospects may have about your business that the GMB profile doesn’t answer.
7. Get Your Employees Involved
Employee involvement is important because you can’t be everywhere at once. We mentioned having your techs take pictures of completed landscaping jobs or works-in-progress. Don’t stop there, though.
Empower employees to seek referrals, solicit reviews, and post to your page. Be careful with that last one, though. Communication and tech-savviness is important, and you don’t want to entrust access to people who are unprofessional or lacking in knowledge.
8. Activate Your Social Media Profiles
Why social media? Isn’t this post supposed to be about Google My Business? Well, yes, it is, but social media platforms play a role in that.
Social media platforms can help improve your visibility on Google My Business. Having consistent branding and contact information across all your profiles makes it easier for potential customers to find you, and helps search engines better understand if your profiles match.
You don’t need to be an active user of every social media platform, but simply having a presence on these sites can help protect your image and improve your GMB visibility.
9. Maintain a Blog
Again, your blog is a separate entity from your Google My Business profile, but it’s a way that customers can reach out to you. It’s also a great tool for lead generation, which can feed into your profile.
Blogs require content to effectively market your business. To run effective content, consider any of the following:
- How-to instructions for simple landscaping jobs
- Images and videos that show some of your best work
- Projects in progress
- Answers to frequently asked questions
Set yourself up to post once per week to start. If you like it and the content comes easy for you, consider upping the frequency.
10. And a Website
The purpose of a website is to have a place where people can check out what you’re about and reach out with any questions (or to hire you). Your Google My Business page can accomplish these goals as well, but you’ll ultimately want people to visit you on the web.
That’s because your site visitors create data that you own. When people encounter you on GMB or Facebook or insert another social network here, it might lead to a one-off sale. Ultimately, though, those companies own your information.
Getting customers to your website usually means getting them to sign up on your email list. From there, you can message them directly with special offers and promotions. Advertising cost to you: $0.
11. Update Other Citations and Directories
This can be frustrating entering the same information over and over again across landscaping directories, associations, review sites, local listing directories, and social networks, but it works. Make sure the information matches what’s on your GMB profile, and it will further legitimize your business in the eyes of Google.
12. Never Lose Sight of the Customer
The digital marketing treadmill can be all-consuming. As a result, you might start losing track of why you’re doing what you do.
Always make the job come first. Then, you’ll have great content to share and promote across the web, which will, in turn, lead to more business.
13. Be Clever About Handling the Things You Can’t Do
Your listing in Google is only the start of your marketing strategy. To grow as a business, you’ll need to handle a lot of other functions that you might not be equipped or willing to do.
One of the key how to get more landscaping jobs is to be upfront with potential clients. Time is previous and they will value you if you direct them to the best resource, rather than string them along. They might not buy this time, but they will in the future.
You provide a very valuable service! You can use your skills in landscaping to barter with web specialists and other marketing pros to keep costs low while building a digital brand for which you can be proud. Be creative.
Your Google My Business Profile Can Be a Very Powerful Thing
A Google My Business page can make your business successful if you follow the tips listed here, but it shouldn’t be your only approach. Remember that customers are everywhere. This help you avoid landscaping leads for sale, which are never good.
If you’d rather focus solely on your core business model, entrust professionals who understand the digital side. That’s where Landscape Web Pros comes in, as we offer complete profile setup and management for hard-working landscapers just like you. You can schedule an appointment today to see what we can do for you.
