Author: Chad Diller
There's one common, fundamental failure when marketing in the lawn and landscape industry. Brands don't know their role in the customer story.
Your company is not at the center of your customer's universe. The customer is.
Your customer is the frustrated homeowner that keeps failing with DIY methods. They're the property manager that keeps hiring the wrong service providers. And, don't forget another important customer of your lawn or landscape company. They're the job seeker that wonders if they will just keep moving from one dead-end job to another.
But what do landscaping and lawn care companies frequently do?
- They overemphasize their authority and experience
- They talk about services and products they have to offer
- They make repeated, unmeasurable claims about being the best
- They use the word we, we, we, we...
Yuck...companies that get this wrong are subconsciously abrasive. They confuse their buyers. They get fewer leads and sell less.
Your brand's goal is to subtly and humbly help your customer create a better story for themselves. Don't make yourself out to be the "big deal".
We've created hundreds of marketing videos here at Landscape Leadership. And, I believe we've learned how to position our clients' customers at the center of most of these videos. The result is a refreshing marketing alternative to what most green industry companies are producing.
There is a better way to create marketing videos for your lawn care or landscaping company.
The Tale of a Great Client Idea
A few years ago, Rob Reindl (owner) and Adam Zellner (VP of sales) at Oasis Turf & Tree recommended a book, "Building a StoryBrand" by Donald Miller. The simple, yet powerful framework of telling customer stories has impacted almost every area of my marketing messaging approach. One of the facets of this framework is positioning the customer as the central fixture and telling their story over a brand's.
So when Oasis was ready to create five new video productions, you can bet we spent a lot of time talking about prospective customers and how their brand could help them to subtly and humbly them to get what they want. Rob and his team had some powerful things to communicate, and I couldn't be more pleased with how these videos turned out.
Lawn Care Marketing Video
As you watch the stories in the following four videos, put yourself in the shoes of these frustrated customers. Pay attention to the emotion inside of you. Listen to the specific phrases we used in these scripts. Notice how much the videos feature the customer over Oasis.
Tree & Shrub Care Marketing Video
Perimeter Pest Control Marketing Video
Mosquito Control Marketing Video
Recruiting Video
Job seekers are just another type of customer you will market to. Position your employer brand as the guide that helps the frustrated job seeker find a career they love. Check out how we did this in this recruiting video.
How the Videos Are Used
We created four marketing videos plus the recruiting video. These videos have been used as:
- Visual content additions to blog content
- Visual content additions to website pages
- Social media posts
- Additions to their YouTube channel
What the Client Has to Say
"When making our service videos, we decided that we really wanted to put the focus on the customer and their experience at their property. Landscape Leadership helped develop a plan that portrayed what their life could be versus of a video detailing what our company does and who we are. We're so proud of how these videos turned out!" - Adam Zellner, VP of Sales
Getting Help with Video Marketing
Again, buy the book, "Building a StoryBrand" by Donald Miller. Even if your paradigm is transformed by the book, it can take practice to develop the skills to script and produce videos for your lawn or landscape company. It can be a lot to manage, so you may want to hire a video production company or marketing agency that understands the StoryBrand framework.
If you’d like to learn more about video marketing for your lawn care, tree care, pest control, or landscaping business, we have other helpful articles (and videos) on our blog.
And if you’d like to see more examples of putting customers at the center of your marketing messaging, check out my YouTube channel.
Ready to take the next steps? Schedule a meeting with us to learn more.
