If you mow lawns for a living, your love of the green stuff and a willingness to work hard are extremely important. But it won't mean anything at all if you don't have lawns to mow.

So how do you get new customers? It's called marketing.

The Oxford Dictionary defines it as the "action of promoting and selling products or services". But if you've been in the lawn mowing business marketing world for decades and your customer numbers are low or dwindling, you're probably doing that selling wrong.

Goodbye physical marketing

You may be looking at this from the perspective of a lawn mowing business owner, but just for a moment put yourself in your customers' shoes. And when was the last time you actually looked at a flyer for a business and did anything other than bin it?

Back in the day, it used to be all about physical marketing materials including posters, flyers, pamphlets and brochures. And then it used to be about putting on some comfortable shoes and getting them all over town.

But these physical marketing materials, including prime real estate in the Yellow Pages, all now belong in the marketing museum. But don't despair: it's actually great news. Not having to get all of this stuff printed and put about the neighbourhood is going to save you a lot of time and money.

There are other traditional marketing techniques that no longer really work as well.

We're talking about things like:

Telemarketing

Just like doorknocking, people really don't like being bothered at home.

Sure, in days gone by, actively interrupting people used to have approximately a 3 in 100 hit-rate, so it was worth it. But these days, when more effective and less disruptive options are out there, telemarketing is actually more likely to simply damage your reputation.

Spam

If you actively get people to sign up for an email newsletter, that's still great marketing. But spam emails that go out to thousands of random people? It's no longer cutting it in 2018.

But although telemarketing and untargeted spam are examples of more modern and technological marketing options compared to door-knocking and flyers, it's still time to acknowledge that the world has sped ahead much faster than that.

Hello digital marketing!

So while your lawn mower may still be made of actual physical material that exists in the real world, for your marketing to get up-to-date, you're going to have to go digital.

In short, if digital marketing is not yet your bread and butter, you're not giving your lawn mowing business its best possible chance of attracting customers and growing in the long term.

It's also possible that your current approach to digital marketing is already out of date. Studies have shown that your customers already seriously hate things like spam, pop-up banners and obviously fake online reviews.

And just like door-knocking and flyers served lawn mowing businesses for many years, the world of digital marketing is also changing and progressing at a pace that you need to keep up with.

Here are a few super-up-to-date digital media strategies that you really should be using for your lawn mowing business marketing.

1. Up-to-date SEO

Having a website that works both on computers and mobiles may be mandatory, but it also needs to be constantly tweaked in order to keep up with Google's fast-moving and ever-changing search algorithm.

People used to 'stuff' keywords in content to boost their chances of appearing high on those Google searches. But now, those keywords need to be integrated with really high-quality content, and updated at least several times a year to ensure your business is still being found by those who are looking for it.

2. Blogging

As well as having a simple, attractive, useful and mobile-optimised website that is full of the right keywords, you really must consider blogging.

First, the Google algorithms love relevant and valuable content. Secondly, when you link that content to your social media profiles, your customers will love your valuable content too. Digital marketing experts agree that customers will feel a lot more positive about your business if your marketing material is actually interesting, compared to stuff they consider to be mere 'advertising'.

3. Social media

We mentioned social media in #2, but it more than deserves its own heading here. In fact, it equally could be #1.

All of your social media profiles are just as important as the last, and together they are probably your most powerful marketing tool. Social media allows you to share content that your target audience really wants, and then gives you the ability to actually engage with them through conversation. An awful lot of enquiries are also going to come via your social media channels, so if you're not prioritising it, you're definitely missing a serious trick.

4. Google My Business

Don't get us wrong - pay per click advertising is still worthwhile, and the targeting and analytical power of things like Google AdWords and Facebook advertising will feed you back a lot of valuable information.

But for a local business like your lawn mowing franchise, there is something even more powerful. It's called Google My Business. Basically, it's a business listing that will come up pretty much first when your customers are searching for a lawn mowing service near them. If yours is ranking prominently, you'll be getting a lot of business without spending a single cent on paid advertising.

5. Online reviews

Online reviews are worth their weight in gold - if you do them right. For instance, if someone stumbles upon your reviews section and everything is five stars with generic comments like 'Awesome!' and 'Love this business', your customers are going to be rightly suspicious.

Real word-of-mouth and actual recommendations are still incredibly powerful for your business, and genuine online reviews are just the modern version. A huge 90% of your customers will have checked out your reviews at various places before booking, because they feel like an actual person giving an honest opinion is worth so much more than a shiny ad.

But those reviews do have to be real. In fact, you may get more value from a negative review that you dealt with swiftly, deftly and honestly than you would have if you had just deleted it.

Final thoughts

This may be where we leave our article today, but that doesn't mean it's where your modern marketing journey ends. In reality, the different ways to grow, promote and monetise your lawn mowing business through modern marketing are almost endless - which is why we're here to help! Crewcut offers a ready-to-go option for those seeking a new start as a lawn mowing entrepreneur, including training, mentoring and (you guessed it) modern marketing support. We have a lawn mowing business for sale just for you, so get in touch today on 0800 800 286.

Whether you run a big or small business, you need to have your eye on digital trends. All age groups are now looking online to find their next service professionals, from lawn care to maintenance. If you’re not online, you’re not being found by your next customers.

Unfortunately, many small business owners make the mistake of thinking digital marketing is better left to the big-name businesses. There are simply too many trends to keep up with, to much to learn, and it’s not necessary for your day-to-day success. In reality, these are all myths that hold your business back.

In 2017, 46% of all Google searches were local searches. This means that your customers are out there searching for businesses in their area. While things like newspaper ads and radio segments might have worked 10 years ago, times are changing. Now, you need your business to be online if you want to be visible. Here’s why digital trends are essential to small businesses.

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The Value of Digital Trends

Many small business owners are used to the way things “used to be.” They remember when word-of-mouth was their biggest source of new customers, and if they wanted more attention they’d invest in a print ad. While this was an excellent strategy a decade ago, it’s time to invest in something else.

Digital trends are shaping our world. For example, users are spending 69% of their media time on their smartphone. That’s a lot of scrolling through social media, watching videos, and visiting websites. How have you positioned your website? Do you even have a website? These questions are key today.

Maybe you do have a website. Maybe you’ve invested good time in making sure your website functions and looks nice. Beyond that, you didn’t think you needed to do anything else. While that’s an excellent first step, it can’t be your only step. The digital world moves fast. Having a website was a great way to get noticed a few years ago, especially if other local businesses didn’t have a quality website. However, today that’s just the expectation.

Social media platforms come and go. New ones gain popularity. Algorithms change. Suddenly, what worked before doesn’t work anymore. That’s why following digital trends is the only way to notice any improvement in your marketing.

Image via Pexels

Following a Digital Marketing Strategy

Keeping up with digital trends can be a big task. It’s important for your business to have a digital marketing strategy in place. It can be easy to become overwhelmed. But there are few things you’ll want to make sure you’re covering.

Set clear goals for what you want to accomplish, but be realistic. Here are some key focus areas that matter for small businesses:

• Responsive Website Design - Your website needs to look like it’s designed for this century. If it’s not mobile responsive, you’re losing customers. Use a template or work with a professional web developer to ensure everything looks perfect before you publish.

• Geotargeting - When creating ads whether you’re on Facebook or Google, use geotargeting tools. This means you can target consumers who live near your business.

• Video Content - Nowadays, video is becoming more powerful than written content. Showcase your best customer stories via video on social media and your website to establish trust with potential customers.

• Analyze - Nothing will work perfectly upon the first try. Be willing to analyze your marketing results, make some changes, and try again. Eventually, you’ll find the winning formula.

As you can see, it’s essential you dedicate your time to finding the right digital marketing strategy. Using a timeclock software trial you can track just how much time you’re spending on your new digital marketing. But digital trends will come and go, and you need to build a business that stands the test of time. Crewcut has it’s own internal marketing department that is dedicated to helping you grow and develop your business.

As your lawn mowing business is all about making those gardens and lawns look amazing, exactly what lawn mowing equipment you use is not all that important. Right?

Wrong! Your lawn mowing equipment is just as important as your lawn mowing technique. And as your old gas guzzler has served you well, why bother making the switch?

Before you say 'No way!' to electric, consider this for a moment: you may already have some awesome electric equipment in your toolbox or trailer. We're talking things like rechargeable weed and hedge trimmers - and they certainly do the job well enough!

So before we proceed much further, consider some of these obvious 'pros' of making the switch to electric for all of your lawn mowing equipment:

1. Zero emissions

Climate change is a big topic, and it's a great boast to be able to put 'zero emissions' on your lawn mowing business CV. One study showed that an hour at work with a petrol mower pollutes the planet just as much as a 160km car trip.

2. No maintenance

Just like your other petrol equipment including your car, there's always maintenance to do. But electric equipment involves basically NO maintenance or upkeep, so you can forget all about changing those spark plugs, fuel filters and oil.

3. No fuel

Save time and money at the petrol station, save space in your trailer, and make your job a little safer by no longer lugging around fuel tanks.

For a lawn mowing business that is going to get plenty of use from that slightly higher investment, cutting out those ongoing fuel costs is going to save you in the longer run - especially as fuel costs just seem to rise and rise.

4. Quieter

As well as reducing air pollution, electric lawn mowers are an awful lot quieter - which is good for your ears, as well as the local neighbourhood's! Check out this comparison on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZoeeKPFovc

5. Light

Anyone who has tried to get a petrol mower up and down stairs knows how heavy they can be. Electric mowers definitely are lighter, but the difference actually isn't huge.

6. Easy

Forget all about breaking a sweat while you crank a petrol engine - electric equipment is an easy as the push of a button.

Sounds good, right? But before you grab your keys and head out to buy a brand new electric lawn mower for your business, it's important to look at this very important decision from some other angles.

That's because while an electric lawn mower may be powered by electricity, it's not magic! There are some 'cons' to seriously consider, too!

1. The pesky cord

There are a few types of electric lawn mower on the market, and you'll definitely want to dodge the ones that plug straight into the power. Running over the cord will not be fun, and getting tangled up or finding that your extension lead is not long enough is a real pain, too.

2. The initial cost

For a lawn mowing business that is always busily counting its up-front costs, it may be difficult to justify the slightly higher price-tag compared to a conventional petrol mower.

3. The battery

And because you can't afford to sputter to a halt halfway through a job, you'll need at least one (expensive) spare battery in the trailer. Make sure you know exactly how long a single charge will last, as you can't tell clients that they need to wait when a simple re-fill of fuel would have done the job a lot better.

3. Less power

As a lawn mowing business, you need a lawn mower that really packs some punch. And while the salespeople will tell you all about that impressive voltage, it can be harder to know what the actual power will be compared to your petrol equipment.

The truth is, electric lawn mowers are not as powerful, the torque numbers are not as impressive, and the all-important cutting width is normally narrower.

4. Harder to fix

If your petrol mower stops working, the mechanically-minded among you will probably pull out the spanner. But because electric equipment is usually completely sealed, a major problem will almost certainly mean visiting the shop - possibly for a brand new mower.

Electric or petrol? Time for the verdict!

So we've weight up the pros and cons - it's now time to think about whether electric or petrol equipment is right for you.

If you were a normal homeowner with a couple of simple patches of lawn and you were currently on the market for a new mower, this might be a total no-brainer - electric mowers are simple, easy, not hugely more expensive and a perfect way to boost your low-emissions credentials. And when that battery runs out after a few mows over several weeks, it's no big deal to plug it in and go and do the housework.

But it's a much more difficult decision for a lawn mowing business.

Without a doubt, electric lawn mowers do the job - and it's probably the technology of the future for an industry that dates all the way back to the 1830s. And in a highly competitive market like lawn mowing, any 'green' marketing edge would be really handy.

But above all else, you really need your lawn mowing equipment to work BRILLIANTLY well. And an honest assessment of electric vs petrol lawn mowers will probably tell you that a powerful petrol mower that you can maintain and repair over time, and fill with fuel as needed when you run out, is the best answer for a lawn mowing business. While the electric market is still developing, there are so many different types of petrol mowers on the market that you will definitely find something that is perfect for a supercharged lawn mowing business.

So there's no denying that, in the lawn mowing world, petrol equipment is still King - and, as a business, that's going to be something that is hard to ignore. But that's not to say that petrol is definitely 'better' than electric. As long as you're getting the job done, at the end of the day it's totally up to you. Electric equipment is constantly getting more powerful, with beefier batteries and a raft of impressive performance-enhancing goodies. But some believe it's an attempt to fill an unnecessary gap in the market and will ultimately fall flat.

What do you think? Is it worth taking a punt on electric? Good luck with your choice, and happy mowing!