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MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS WORD OF MOUTH PROS • FREE ADVERTISING — SIMPLY DO A GOOD JOB AND WORD WILL SPREAD ABOUT YOUR WORK • HOMEOWNERS TALK TO OTHER HOMEOWNERS • YOU MAY GET SEVERAL REFERRALS FROM A SINGLE JOB • IT’S A SMALL WORLD — YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT MAY COME FROM ANY SINGLE CUSTOMER CONS • THE PROCESS CAN EASILY BACKFIRE…IF THE WORK IS POOR QUALITY, THAT WORD ALSO SPREADS • BE PATIENT — REFERRALS CAN BE A SLOW PROCESS TIP: DON’T FORGET ABOUT MAINTAINING YOUR CUSTOMER’S CONCRETE. RESEALING NOT ONLY PROTECTS THEIR INVESTMENT, IT PUTS YOUR FACE BACK IN FRONT OF THEM, CONTINUING THE CYCLE OF SATISFIED CUSTOMERS AND GOOD WORD OF MOUTH. TELEVISION ADVERTISING PROS • REACH A VERY WIDE AUDIENCE, INCLUDING BOTH HOMEOWNERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS • CABLE COMPANIES USUALLY HAVE AFFORDABLE RATES FOR NON-NETWORK, NON-PRIME TIME ADVERTISING • ONE MONTH OF ADVERSTISING MAY CARRY YOU FOR AN ENTIRE SEASON CONS • FILMING YOUR OWN COMMERCIAL CAN BE EXPENSIVE • TIMING IS EVERYTHING — DON’T ADVERTISE IN DECEMBER IF YOUR SEASON STARTS IN MARCH • YOU MUST HAVE A WEBSITE AND/OR BROCHURE TO HANDLE THOSE INQUIRIES — BE PREPARED! TRADE SHOWS PROS • NETWORK WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS IN YOUR AREA • EDUCATE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AND OTHER CONTRACTORS/BUILDERS ABOUT YOUR PROCESS • TARGETED AUDIENCE OF PROFESSIONALS CONS • CAN BE EXPENSIVE TO PREPARE FOR: BOOTH DESIGN, BANNERS, BROCHURES, PHOTO ENLARGEMENTS • NOT FOR THE MEEK — YOU WILL MEET & GREET (POTENTIALLY) THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS • NOT FOR THE UNPREPARED — DON’T LET YOUR COMPETITORS OUTPERFORM YOU AT A SHOW HOME SHOWS PROS • REACH THOUSANDS OF HOMEOWNERS AT ONCE • OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE YOUR COMPETITION AND THE MARKET IN GENERAL • TARGETED AUDIENCE OF HOMEOWNERS CONS • CAN BE EXPENSIVE TO PREPARE FOR: BOOTH DESIGN, BANNERS, BROCHURES, PHOTO ENLARGEMENTS • NOT FOR THE RUDE — IF YOU ARE NOT “PEOPLE PERSON”, HIRE SOMEONE WHO IS • NOT FOR THE UNPREPARED — DON’T LET YOUR COMPETITORS OUTPERFORM YOU AT A SHOW NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING PROS • REACH A VERY WIDE AUDIENCE, INCLUDING BOTH HOMEOWNERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS • SPECIAL INSERTS OR LOCAL COMMUNITY FEATURES OFTEN TARGET THE HOMEOWNER DEMOGRAPHIC • A SINGLE TARGETED, WELL-POSITIONED AD MAY CARRY YOU FOR AN ENTIRE SEASON CONS • HIGH-PROFILE POSITIONING IS EXPENSIVE • POSITION IS IMPORTANT — DON’T SETTLE FOR A CHEAP AD BURIED IN THE BUSINESS SECTION • YOU MUST HAVE A WEBSITE AND/OR BROCHURE TO HANDLE THOSE INQUIRIES — BE PREPARED! WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA PROS • IT’S YOUR 24/7/365 FULL COLOR BROCHURE • UNLIMITED NUMBER OF PHOTOS AND INFORMATION • SAVES TIME — REFER LEADS TO YOUR WEBSITE WHERE THEY CAN FIND ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS • WORKS IN CONCERT WITH ALL OTHER FORMS OF ADVERTISING, FROM YOUR BUSINESS CARDS ON UP • FACEBOOK AND PINTEREST GETS YOU SEEN BY MORE POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS CONS • REQUIRES ADDITIONAL ADVERTISING — THE WEBSITE WON’T GET ANY TRAFFIC ON ITS OWN • SEARCH ENGINES ARE NOT THE BEST WAY TO SPREAD THE WORD — YOU MUST STILL FIND WAYS TO LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU EXIST POSTCARDS & DIRECT MAIL PROS • INEXPENSIVE TO PRINT & MAIL (AS LITTLE AS 31¢) • SHORT, FOCUSED MESSAGE • FULL COLOR EXAMPLES OF YOUR WORK • LEAD THEM TO YOUR WEBSITE CONS • REQUIRES A MAILING LIST & LABELS FROM A LIST VENDOR (TARGETED BY ZIP CODE, HOUSEHOLD INCOME LEVEL, OR OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC) • MULTIPLE MAILINGS MAY BE REQUIRED TO GENERATE A RESPONSE • 3% RESPONSE IS CONSIDERED A SUCCESS — OUT OF 2500 POSTCARDS MAILED YOU WILL BE LUCKY TO GET 75 RESPONSES SPECIALTY ITEMS PROS • BASEBALL CAPS AND T-SHIRTS FOR YOUR CREWS ARE AN INEXPENSIVE WAY TO REINFORCE YOUR BRAND AND DISPLAY A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE • PEOPLE ALWAYS NEED FREE PENS OR CALENDARS CONS • EXPENSIVE • GIVING AWAY BALLOONS AND FRISBEES DOESN’T DO MUCH TO PROMOTE YOUR WORK, AND MAY SEND THE WRONG SORT OF MESSAGE TIP: THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO SPEND YOUR MONEY — LEAVE THE FRISBEES, KEYCHAINS, AND MAGNETS TO THE REAL ESTATE AGENTS AND TOWING COMPANIES BROCHURES PROS • PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY HOMEOWNERS, LOVE GLOSSY FULL-COLOR BROCHURES • ALLOWS YOU TO SHOWCASE YOUR BEST WORK • A PROFESSIONAL BROCHURE SENDS THE MESSAGE THAT YOU ARE NOT SOME FLY-BY-NIGHT CONS • LIMITED AMOUNT OF SPACE FOR YOUR PHOTOS AND INFORMATION • EXPENSIVE TO DESIGN AND PRINT • STATIC — YOU CAN’T CHANGE THE INFORMATION UNTIL YOU REPRINT THE NEXT BATCH TIP: DESIGNING A BROCHURE REQUIRES EXPERT SKILL AND PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE — DO NOT GO OUT AND BUY SOME COMPUTER PROGRAM IN THE HOPES THAT YOU’LL SAVE YOURSELF MONEY BY DESIGNING YOUR OWN BROCHURES. PHOTOS PHOTOS ARE THE MOST VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT PIECE OF THE PUZZLE… EVERYTHING RELATED TO ADVERTISING YOUR COMPANY WILL DEPEND ON THE QUALITY OF YOUR PHOTOS. YOU MAY GET YEARS OF ADVERTISING OUT OF ONE OR TWO PHOTOS, SO TAKE THE TIME TO DO IT RIGHT. CLEAN UP THE JOB SITE, SETUP A TRIPOD FOR A STEADY SHOT, AND IF THE SLAB IS HALF-COVERED IN SHADOW, COME BACK AT A TIME WHERE THE SUN IS IN A BETTER POSITION. WAIT UNTIL THE LANDSCAPING IS DONE, THE GRASS IS GREEN, THE FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING, AND THE HOUSE LOOKS LIKE A HOME. YOUR BROCHURES WILL BENEFIT. TAKE A CLASS. LEARNING HOW TO USE YOUR EQUIPMENT IS MUCH CHEAPER THAN HIRING A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER. PHOTOS DO… • USE A TRIPOD WHENEVER POSSIBLE • CLEAN YOUR LENS • WATCH YOUR SHADOWS & REFLECTIONS • CLEAN THE SITE UP FIRST (LEAVES, TRASH) • TAKE YOUR TIME DON’T… • USE A DISPOSABLE CAMERA — UNLESS YOU HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE (PLASTIC LENSES, LOW-QUALITY) • TAKE JUST ONE PHOTO FROM ONE ANGLE HINTS • TAKE CLOSEUPS TO SHOW THE DETAIL WORK • ALWAYS USE THE HIGH-QUALITY SETTINGS ON YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA • ANY PHOTO IS BETTER THAN NO PHOTOS AT ALL