Leads can make or break any hardscaping business, no matter your location or how long you’ve been serving your community. Without a good flow of quality hardscape leads, sustaining your business is impossible. But when you create a hardscape marketing campaign that attracts new customers and focuses on hardscape lead generation, that’s a recipe for:
- More high-paying, recurring jobs
- Consistent work for your crews
- Increased revenue and profit
- Expansion of your business
So, we know why hardscaping lead generation is important for your hardscape business’s long-term sustainability, but what’s the simplest way to do it? The answer is good marketing for hardscaping contractors and advertising. If you’ve ever wondered how to get more hardscaping jobs, try some (or all!) of the hardscape marketing strategies below.
1. Use professional web design for hardscaping contractors to get more leads.
One of the most important things you can do for your hardscaping business on your quest to discover how to get hardscaping leads is to build a website. That website will act as your hardscaping business’s online storefront and be a home base for all of your hardscape marketing and advertising efforts. Add the website URL to your business cards, your work trucks—anywhere you’d usually put a phone number. The URL is likely to be easier for people to remember, which means it will be easier for them to get in touch with you and become a hardscape lead.
Your website can also help potential customers:
- Learn more about your hardscaping business
- Read about the hardscaping services you provide
- See your service area so they know if you’ll come out to them
- Get in touch with you about your hardscaping services
Without a website, how are those potential customers going to find your hardscaping business on Google? How will they know where and how to contact you? They won’t.
Without professional web design for hardscaping contractors, your hardscaping business might as well not exist at all.
Fill out the form below to get a free quote on a professional web design for hardscaping contractors.
2. Start advertising for the upcoming season’s services.
One of the tricks to running a successful hardscape marketing campaign is to advertise with a sense of urgency. The earlier you can start advertising for the upcoming season, the better! Winters are usually a great time to get ahead of your competitors’ marketing campaigns. They’re likely to stop spending as much on their advertising efforts because winter typically isn’t busy.
However, if you can keep your marketing campaign going, you’re likely to spend less money for more exposure. And, when spring comes around, all those people who saw your ads over the winter will remember you when the weather turns and they’re ready for their next hardscape project.
3. Join local hardscape groups and trade associations.
This is how to get hardscape leads if you’ve been scratching your head for new hardscape marketing strategies. Do a quick Google search and see how many local trade associations you can join in your area. These groups are fantastic for networking—especially during the slower months when building connections can help you stay busier in spring and summer.
4. Reach out to local businesses.
Plenty of local businesses require hardscape services year-round, so see if you can set up contracts with some that are close to you. It’s a great way to network with other businesses in your area, and it can often result in free advertising if you leave your business cards behind or place a yard sign outside.
5. Try using door hangers to market your hardscaping services.
First, make sure your door hanger design is eye-catching and easy to read. Then, the next time you perform a hardscaping service in a neighborhood where hardscaping is in the homeowners’ budgets, leave door hangers at the houses around the yard you’ve just serviced. They’ll be able to check out the quality of your work in person—and they just might have some incentive to “keep up with the Joneses” and invest in hardscaping, too!
6. Take out ads in the local newspaper.
Newspapers might be falling in popularity, but they’re still a great medium to advertise your hardscaping business to your local community.
If you’re wondering how to get hardscaping leads, choose a newspaper with a wide readership that falls primarily within your service area, then take out an ad that’s short, sweet and to the point. It should be eye-catching prominently feature your website URL and phone number to make it simple for people to learn more about your business and contact you.
7. Survey, listen, monitor and learn from your customers.
This tip isn’t as difficult and involved as it sounds, and it can make a huge difference in the quality of the hardscaping leads and jobs you bring in.
Survey: Survey, or research, your customers and your competition to stay ahead of market trends.
Listen: Listen to your customers and ideal customers to figure out what they want and how you can best provide that hardscaping service to them.
Monitor: Monitor market trends, consumer behavior, and the results of your existing hardscape marketing strategies to figure out what’s working and what isn’t.
Learn: Learn by analyzing your marketing strategy at key points during the year to continue advancing your hardscaping business.
8. Wrap your hardscaping trucks to make a lasting impression.
Which seems more professional to you?
A dirty, beat-up truck with tools in the bed and no signage to speak of?
Or a clean, well-maintained truck with a sleek logo on its side?
The one with the logo, right? Adding a wrap or a magnet to your work vehicles is a great way to make them look more professional, while also taking advantage of free advertising space. Your work trucks are basically billboards on wheels, so why not?
9. Put up yard signs at each completed job or service.
Each time you complete a hardscaping job or service, leave a yard sign behind so everyone who drives by sees your work. If your customer is reluctant to have a sign in their yard, offer them a small discount on your services and consider it part of your advertising budget.
Wondering what the perfect yard sign looks like? It should include your:
- Your business name (Hardscaping by YOUR BUSINESS NAME HERE)
- Your logo
- Your phone number
- Your website address
10. Create a customer referral program with incentives.
Did you know that 92% of consumers trust referrals from people they know? That’s a pretty big reason to ask your current customers to refer their friends, families, and neighbors. Especially if you offer an incentive like:
- A discount on their next service
- A free mow
- An entry into a raffle with a great prize
11. Advertise your hardscaping business on local radio stations.
Radio reaches thousands of people every day, and people who listen on their commutes often think of the radio personalities on their local stations as friends. So, when one of those personalities mentions they just had their hardscaping done by a local company and that they’re impressed with the quality of the company’s work, listeners will take note.
Endorsements and radio ads are often overlooked but, with their brand power, they shouldn’t be. Consider reaching out to some of your local radio stations to ask about putting your hardscaping business on the air.
Reach out to learn more about your radio advertising opportunities!
12. Generate hardscape leads by canvassing the area.
Canvassing an area to get more hardscaping leads and jobs might seem like an old-school advertising tactic, but your ideal hardscaping customers are more likely to work with you and remember you when they connect a face to your business. If you want to give canvassing a shot, try doing it after you’ve completed a nearby job. You’ll be able to name-drop your customer and provide an example of your work.
For the best results, remember to:
- Always be polite and courteous, even if you don’t get the reaction you want.
- Set a goal for each interaction: get their contact information, leave a business card.
- Have a script ready so you’re better prepared.
- Follow up with potential customers after getting their info—you could add them to your mailing list.
13. Send direct mailers to get hardscaping leads.
Here’s another hardscape marketing idea that will stand the test of time: direct mailers. Compared to the chaos that is most email inboxes today, old-school mailboxes are seeing a lot less action and junk mail, which means your letter or postcard advertising your hardscaping business is much more likely to be read.
According to the Direct Marketing Association, the average cost per lead for direct mail is $51.40 for a general mailing list and $54.10 for postcards.
14. Use pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine marketing (SEM).
A good PPC and SEM campaign is one strategy for marketing for hardscaping contractors that’s been proven time and again to generate hardscape leads and jobs, no matter where you’re located.
While Google is the most popular search engine for PPC and SEM campaigns thanks to its widespread popularity, don’t count out Bing. It’s not as popular as Google, but it still has a wide user base—many of which are searching for hardscape in your area.
Still on the fence about using PPC and SEM for hardscaping leads? Check out these stats:
- For every $1 spent in Google Ads, businesses make an average of $2.
- About 41% of clicks on a search results page go to one of the top 3 paid ads.
- More than 85% of people use the internet to find local hardscaping businesses.
- Visitors who come to your website via PPC or SEM are 50% more likely to make a purchase.
Reach out to get a free quote on PPC and SEM for your hardscaping business.
15. Use local SEO for hardscaping lead generation.
Search engine optimization, usually referred to as SEO for hardscaping contractors, is still the king of digital marketing. It’s what will move your hardscaping business to the first page of Google and keep it there, on top of your competitors. If your hardscaping SEO campaign is strong enough, SEO for hardscaping contractors alone can generate the majority of your hardscape leads (but we still recommend reading the rest of these hardscape marketing strategies)!
A good first step to your hardscaping SEO campaign is setting up and filling out a Google My Business account. From there, you can advance to backlinking (linking out to other hardscaping sites with high authority) and content marketing (sharing hardscape-focused content with your potential customers).
It’s always a good idea to let an expert in SEO for hardscaping contractors get your campaign up and running. They’ll also be able to make recommendations for your hardscaping SEO campaign that will improve its effectiveness over time.
Reach out to get a free quote on a local hardscaping SEO campaign for your hardscaping business!
16. Facebook + Instagram advertising can get you more hardscaping leads.
Advertising your hardscaping business on Facebook and Instagram can be a cost-effective method of bringing in more hardscape leads, provided you have the right strategy in place and know how to navigate the ad builders on these platforms. If you don’t, consider working with a pro who can get your ads set up correctly.
You can target your ideal hardscaping customers by their location and other pages they’ve liked—such as your competitors’ pages.
Displaying ads to this audience has the added benefit of creating and boosting awareness of your hardscaping business and the hardscape services you provide. If people see your logo and your ads all over the place, they’re more likely to remember your business name when their yard needs a makeover.
Reach out to get a free quote on Facebook and Instagram advertising for your hardscaping business!
17. How to get hardscape leads through strategic alliances.
Another great way to get more hardscaping leads is to partner up with other businesses in your area. That could be Lowe’s, Home Depot and others. Creating a partnership means they’ll recommend you to their customers, display your business cards or other marketing materials, and provide a steady stream of hardscaping leads. So, get to networking!
18. Download weather apps to your smartphone.
Ready for a more creative hardscape marketing idea? Download a weather app and monitor the communities within your service area. When the forecast shows a string of nice days coming up, canvas the area beforehand. And if the forecast shows bad weather on the horizon, plan to use those days to catch up on responding to reviews, reaching out to customers, and contacting any leads you might have gotten.
19. Content Marketing = Hardscape Marketing
Creating hardscaping content for your ideal customers is a great way to get more hardscape leads and jobs. Consider writing hardscaping-themed blog posts and articles that you can post on your website, and make sure to make it easy for your audience to share that content on social media.
Here are some topic ideas:
- How to Prepare Your Lawn for Spring
- This Year’s Most Popular Hardscaping Trends
- Top Hardscaping Trends of 2023
- Why Regular Lawn Care Is a Must
20. Email Marketing = Hardscape Marketing, Too!
Email marketing is one of the oldest forms of digital marketing, and it’s stuck around for a good reason: it works. For every dollar you spend on email marketing, you’ll make (on average) a $40 return on your investment.
Because most hardscape companies overlook the benefits of email marketing, it’s a great hardscaping lead generation option for your hardscaping business. For instance, businesses that stay in touch with their ideal customers via email will generate 50% more sales-ready hardscape leads and spend 33% less money on making sales.
21. How to get hardscaping customers at trade shows.
Attending industry tradeshows should be high on your list of hardscape marketing strategies. They not only provide plenty of solutions for how to get hardscaping customers and how to get more jobs, but also let you observe your competitors, create new business partnerships and boost brand awareness.
To make the most of your trade show experience, your booth should provide something valuable to visitors, such as a freebie or another incentive, like coupons, giveaways, contests and more.
Finally, make sure you’re collecting contact information from interested visitors and following up with them to sell your hardscaping services.
22. Network locally with businesses who need your services.
If you’re still wondering how to get hardscaping customers, consider reaching out to other small businesses in your area. Most will be more than happy to use you or to team up and refer their customers who need hardscaping services to you—as long you’re willing to return the favor. Here are a few businesses you could contact:
- Pest control
- Home inspection companies
- Plumbers
- Electricians
- Pool companies
- Garden shops
- HVAC professionals
- Hardware stores
- Real estate investors
- Real estate agents
- Architects
- City officials
- Urban planners
- Community organizers
23. Manage your hardscaping business’s reputation online and offline.
Remember when we said 85% of people search online to find local hardscape when they need them fast? Those same people are also researching your reputation to find out what your past customers are saying about the quality of your work and the fairness of your prices. Did you show up on time and do what you said you were going to do? If so, you’ve probably got nothing to worry about.
Offline, you can use word-of-mouth to your advantage. Ask your satisfied customers if they can think of any neighbors, friends, family, or acquaintances who might be interested in your hardscaping services. Give them plenty of business cards to pass around, and ask if you can put a temporary sign in their yard with your business name and phone number after you complete a hardscaping service for them.
Online, list your hardscaping business on review websites and ask your satisfied customers to leave a review on Google. Doing so makes it more likely that you’ll bring in more hardscape leads.
Reach out to get a free quote on reputation management!
24. Ad retargeting is a fresh hardscape marketing idea.
Have you ever searched for a specific product or service online then noticed ads for it following you around the internet for days after? That’s retargeting in action, and you can do it for your hardscaping business.
Whether you want more hardscaping leads or jobs—or both!—retargeting is a great way to keep your business and services in front of potential customers who have already shown interest by visiting your website.
Reach out the form below to get a free quote on retargeting!
25. A unique selling proposition will make your hardscaping business stand out.
If you want to stand out from your local competitors, your hardscaping business needs a unique selling proposition, usually shortened to USP. That USP could be your level of service, your experience in the industry, your competitive prices, your reputation, your employees, your guarantees—anything that sets you apart from your competitors. Once you’ve figured out your USP, use that selling point in your hardscape marketing materials!
If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at how your hardscaping competitors are generating leads. What’s their USP, and how can you beat it? What would matter more to your customers and the community you serve? Here are some USP ideas to get you started:
- Eco-friendliness
- Specialized services
- Specialized commercial equipment
- Workmanship guarantees
- Level of service and friendliness
- Professionalism of crews
- Availability and affordability
Townsquare Interactive Can Help You Generate Hardscaping Leads
The team at Townsquare Interactive specializes in creating hardscape marketing campaigns that generate hardscape leads for hardscaping businesses across the country. All of our dedicated marketing specialists and teams of subject matter experts can provide personalized suggestions for how to take your hardscape marketing campaign to the next level.
Fill out the form below to learn more about our packages for marketing for hardscaping contractors and jumpstart your hardscape lead generation.