How to get landscaping clients: 10 ways that work for design-build companies
Design-build clients are not looking for the cheapest mow-and-blow crew. They are looking for proof you can turn a bare yard into the one they have been picturing. These ten ways all come down to showing that proof to the right homeowners.
"Landscaping leads" is a crowded search. Lead sites, agencies and directories all want to sell you homeowners, and top-of-page bids on Google run from about $11 to $41 a click in the US. Most of those leads want lawn care. If you build patios, walls, outdoor kitchens and full backyard installs, you need a different kind of client: one with a budget, a yard and a picture in their head.
That client is usually found the same way: they saw a yard you built and wanted one like it. Here is how to make that happen more often.
1. Photograph every install the same way
Everything else on this list depends on having good material from every job. Build a habit of taking the same set of photos at handover, then again a season later when the plants have filled in.
2. Turn the reveal into a video the client will share
A finished backyard is the client's pride for months. Give them something to show off. A 20 to 30 second vertical video that opens on the before and moves across the finished patio and plantings gets sent to family and posted on their own feed, and every view is a homeowner in your service area.
You do not need a drone or a videographer. Vizzmo turns the handover photos into a vertical video with music and your logo in 48 hours, and the first one is free.
3. Work the street you just finished on
- Leave a yard sign up for a month after the install, not just during it.
- Drop a postcard with a photo of the finished yard to the ten houses on either side.
- Post the project on Nextdoor with the neighborhood name. The neighbors already saw the trucks.
- Ask the client if you can bring one prospect by to see it in person. A walk-through closes high-ticket jobs.
4. Fix your Google Business Profile
"Landscape design near me" and "hardscape contractor near me" show the map results first. Homeowners compare the top three profiles on photos and reviews before they click anything else.
- List hardscaping, landscape design and outdoor living as separate services.
- Post one finished project a week with the town name in the text.
- Upload project videos as well as photos.
- Ask every client for a review that mentions the project ("new paver patio and fire pit"). Specific reviews help you show up for specific searches.
5. Use Instagram for homeowners, not other landscapers
Landscaping content on Instagram attracts gardeners, plant lovers and other landscapers. They like your posts and never hire you. Write for the homeowner instead: name the town, name the scope, and show the finished yard with people-scale details like seating, lighting and a dining table.
For a week-by-week plan, see landscaping and construction social media marketing. For what to post between installs, see contractor social media post ideas.
6. Run project videos as seasonal ads
Homeowners plan backyard projects from late winter to early summer. That is when to spend on ads. Run a video of a finished install to homeowners within 20 to 30 miles on Facebook and Instagram, starting at $10 to $20 a day, and send the clicks to a page about that kind of work. A landscaping marketing page with your own yards on it does more than a home page with a stock photo.
7. Partner with pool builders and remodelers
A new pool needs a deck, plantings and lighting. A kitchen remodel often leads to an outdoor kitchen. Pool builders, remodelers and home builders finish jobs that need a landscaper next, and many do not do landscape work themselves. Agree on a simple referral fee or swap, and share project videos of joint jobs, which tag both companies.
8. Show the before
A dirt-and-weeds before photo is the strongest opening you have. Post it on day one with a caption like "Here's what we started with in Leander", and post the reveal when you finish. People who saw the before come back for the after.
9. Answer the questions homeowners ask before they call
"How much does a paver patio cost?", "Pavers or concrete?", "How long does a backyard remodel take?" Homeowners search these months before they hire. A short page on your own site with honest local price ranges and photos of your own jobs puts your name in front of them early, and they are more likely to call you when they are ready.
10. Follow up with every estimate
Design-build clients take weeks to decide, and most landscapers never follow up after sending a quote. Send a short video of a similar finished project a week after the estimate, with one line: "Here's one we finished last month that's close to what you described." It is the easiest follow-up you will write, and it keeps your work in front of them while they decide.
Questions
How do I get high-end landscaping clients?
Show finished design-build work to homeowners near your recent jobs: project videos the client shares, yard signs and postcards on the street, a Google Business Profile with weekly project posts, and seasonal video ads in spring.
When should landscapers advertise?
Homeowners plan backyard projects from late winter to early summer. Concentrate ad spend there, and use the rest of the year for posting finished work and following up on estimates.
Do landscapers need a website?
Yes, but a simple one. A page per service with photos and videos of your own jobs, your service area, and an easy way to ask for a quote does more than a large site with stock photos.