Marketing for Landscapers: Instagram Tips for Business Owners
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Marketing for landscapers is a key part of building a successful business. And that includes staying active on relevant social media channels. Afterall, adults spend more than 2.5 hours a day on social media!
Instagram is a great social platform to show off your work, engage with current and potential customers, and make folks aware of your business and what you offer.
In this post, we cover Instagram tips and best practices to help you market and grow your landscaping company.
Table of Contents
- Stats that Show the Power of Instagram
- Just Getting Started on Instagram for Your Landscape Business?
- Why Your Landscaping Business Should Use Hashtags
- Interact, Engage, and Stay Active on Instagram!
- How to Write An Effective Caption
- Should Landscapers Be Using Instagram Posts, Stories, or Reels?
- Quick Tips and Tricks for Landscapers on Instagram
The Power of Instagram Marketing
Consider these stats. They show why Instagram is the great place for your landscaping business marketing efforts. (Source)
- • Instagram is the 8th most visited website in the world
- • 2 billion people use Instagram each month
- • Instagram is the most downloaded app in the world
- • People share Instagram Reels 1 billion times a day through direct messages on the platform
- • Users spend an average of 11.7 hours a month on Instagram
Just Getting Started on Instagram for your Landscape Business?
If you’re just getting started on Instagram, and feel overwhelmed, there’s no need to worry. We walk you through some of the basics to make Instagram a breeze.
Benefits of an Instagram Business Account
Make sure you set up an Instagram Business Account rather than just a personal account. Using a business account gives you insights with social post analytics. And it lets you give your customers information specific to your landscape business.
A Business Account lets you boost and promote posts through paid advertising. It also lets you schedule posts, which saves you time and empowers you to promote your business consistently. Best of all, creating and running a business account is free.
Create Your Business Account
If you use a personal Instagram account, you can keep it and set up a separate account for your business. If you don’t use Instagram yourself, you can set up an account and make it a business account. You can set up an account on the Instagram app or Instagram.com.
Whichever you choose, it’s easy to make an account a business account. Just go to Settings (under More), click or tap “Switch to professional account” on the bottom of the sidebar. Select “Business” and follow the prompts to set up your business category and contact information. Click “Done” and your business account is ready.
Hashtags Matter for Landscaping Marketing on Instagram
Hashtags are the words you see online and social media after a hash sign (#). They’re used to group or index posts on a specific topic. For example, a user might search for the hashtag #landscapingbusiness to find posts on landscaping businesses.
People search for services on Instagram using hashtags. It’s a great way for prospects to find your business when they’re ready to try out a new landscaping service.
Use Hashtags for Visibility
Hashtags help create community on Instagram. Hashtags help you establish yourself as a landscaping leader for your specific local service area. Being specific for your target buyer helps attract the right crowd.
Using relevant hashtags lets you increase the number of people who follow your page on Instagram.
Localize Your Content for Your Target Buyer
Think of hashtags as casting a net. You can get hyper specific by using a combination of your green industry service (landscaping, lawn care, design/build, etc.) and location or you can use a general hashtag that’s likely to attract a broader audience. You can also use both!
Think of the difference between #landscapingarizona or #landscapingphoenix and #landscaping. More people will look at #landscaping for landscape project inspiration, but potential customers in Arizona or Phoenix will look at #landscapingarizona or #landscapingphoenix to find a landscaping company to work on a project.
Instagram Hashtag Best Practices
Hashtags are great, but don’t use too many. Instagram limits posts to 30 hashtags. Best practice is to use 3 to 5 hashtags in one post. You can also use some in your company bio.
Don’t #hashtaglikethis #becausenoonewillbesearchingfor #thesehashtags so #justkeepitsimple.
You want to use hashtags to guide the right people to your posts and page. Keep it relevant and searchable. Here are some great #hashtags for landscapers:
- • Lawn care hashtags: #lawncare, #lawnmaintenance, #lawn, #lawnmowing, #lawnmower, #lawnservice, #lawncarelife, #lawngoals, #turf
- • Landscaping hashtags: #landscaping, #landscaper, #landscapinglife, #landscapearchitecture #landscapeconstruction, #landscapecontractor
Hint: See which hashtags your local competitors use and borrow some for your own posts.
Interact, Engage, and Stay Active and Consistent on Instagram!
Once and done doesn’t apply to social media. You want to post consistently. And, if people comment or ask questions, respond. You might set aside an hour a week to check your account activity and get back to people. If you have an office manager, have them monitor your account.
Post Consistently
Successful landscaper Instagram accounts post consistently. The ideal Instagram frequency is 1 to 2 times a week.
The aim of the game is to make sure people see and engage with your posts. Engagements include likes, comments, shares, and saves. Engagement matters, because Instagram shows posts with the most engagement at the top of people’s feeds.
Even if comments are negative, use that as an opportunity to address the criticism and spin it towards a positive interaction. All press is good press.
Ideas for posts include snapping photos or videos of your projects, including in-progress shots. It’s as important to show off your behind-the-scenes work as it is to show your customers the results you deliver.
You can even ask a customer to comment on how happy they are with the project. Just make sure to get their permission to use their quote and image or video if you use them.
Respond to Comments and Messages
Respond to all comments and messages you receive from prospects and customers. It’s a great way to stay connected with your current customers and nurture relationships with prospects. It also shows your brand in a positive light.
Stay Active
Communication is key for landscaping marketing. Being active on your social media account gives a voice to your brand. Consider asking customers to answer questions and to share their thoughts. Both are a great way to connect. Engaging with other accounts is also a great way to grow your own following.
How to Write an Effective Caption
Caption is the term used for the copy used on your posts. As with hashtags, there are a few best practices to follow when writing captions.
Keep Captions Short and Engaging
Marketing pros recommend keeping your caption short and to the point — and adding your hashtags, of course. You don’t need to write a paragraph. A short caption is just as — if not more — effective. Hootsuite, a popular social media management tool, recommends 138 to 150 characters for organic posts — that’s shorter than the previous 2 sentences.
To find the character count in copy, use the “Word Count” feature in Google Docs or Microsoft Word. You can also use WordCounter or another online tool.
Be Human and Use Humor
If you have the desire and creativity for it, have fun with your captions. Regardless, be authentic and positive. There are a lot of puns to pull from. Think of captions as a little story that adds a layer of context to a photo or video on Instagram.
Need inspiration? Check out these 10 landscaper Instagram accounts.
Instagram Formats: Posts, Stories, and Reels
There are different types of content you can share on Instagram. You can add one or more to your marketing playbook. Here’s a breakdown of options:
- • Instagram Reel. Reels are short-form videos introduced to compete with TikTok. Reels used to be different from post videos, but today, they’re the same.
- • Instagram Post. A post is a photo on your Instagram account grid (the way your page is laid out). Posts show in your followers’ feeds. If someone checks out your profile, they see your posts there.
- • Instagram Story. A story is a photo or video that’s live for only 24 hours. They’re used for quick updates and don’t take up space on your grid. You might use a story to announce one-time promotions.
Chances are your best bet for content on Instagram is posts followed by Reels. Start with posts and move on to reels once you establish a following. If you want, test Stories as well.
Tips and Tricks for Marketing Landscaping on Instagram
Here are some added tips and best practices to make the most of Instagram for marketing your landscaping business once you have the basics down.
Try Promotions and Giveaways
A good way to reach new customers and bring in more business is by using Instagram to promote promos and/or giveaways. For example, you could encourage followers to tag their friends in the comments in order to win a free mow and trim. This can help new people find your account and follow your business. It can be a great landscaping company marketing strategy.
Track What Works and What Doesn’t
Instagram offers insights that you want to take advantage of. The three main Instagram and overall social media analytics are: Accounts Reached/Impressions, Accounts Engaged (Likes, Comments, Shares, Saves), and Followers.
- • Accounts Reached/Impressions is how many people see your post, Stories, or Reels. You can boost this number with hashtags and accounts tagged. To tag an account simply type @ followed by the account name.
- • Accounts Engaged shows you likes, comments, shares and saves on a post. Higher engagement increases the likelihood of the post being seen. Experiment with different types of posts to see what resonates with your followers.
- • Followers shows you the number of people that follow your account.
Looking at analytics helps you know how you’re doing and do more of what’s working and less of what’s not.
Make It Easy
There are a few ways to make images, videos and posts without a ton of effort.
Here are a few:
- • Check out Canva and similar tools. These tools include ready to customize templates to quickly create social images and more.
- • Know a teen? Enlist them for help. Teens live on social media. Consider enlisting your own or those of your friends to help populate your page.
- • Enlist some help. Sites like Fiverr connect you with freelancers who can help. It’s possible to find someone to help for as little as $100.
Grow Your Landscaping Business with Instagram Marketing
Getting your business on Instagram is a great way to grow your business. It can be a great place to highlight your company and your work in both the busy and off seasons.
And, when your Instagram page starts driving new business for you, consider a quality lawn care business management tool to let you easily handle all the added business your ads bring in. From estimating to budgeting to contact management and more, LMN is a great choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How do I get more landscaping customers?
A. Marketing for landscapers is a key part of getting more customers. Digital marketing includes having a solid social media strategy in place. Instagram is the most downloaded app in the world. And it’s quick and easy to create an Instagram business profile.
Q. How do you target a client looking for a landscaper?
A. Make sure you are using relevant hashtags on Instagram to make it easy for prospects to find you. You can use broad hashtags like #landscaping or be more targeted with a hashtag that targets your local area like #landscapergeorgia.
Q. How to get 100 lawn care customers?
A. Growing your customer base takes a consistent landscaping business marketing plan. Use your current customers to spread the word, make sure you have a professional website that explains your services, showcase your work on your social media channels, and consider paid social media ads and even print flyers. Stay consistent and keep going! Remember, that growth doesn’t happen overnight.
Q. How do I sell my landscaping clients?
A. To sell to a landscaping client, use visual examples of your past work, both on your website and your social media channels. Potential customers want to see the outcome they can expect and proof of past delivery.
Use your current customers as referrals and make sure your marketing collateral and pricing is clear and easy to understand. A tool like LMN Pro can help you ensure your estimates are spot on.