3 Green Industry Thought Leadership Tips to Beat AI Content Fluff

I have a corrugated metal tree on my office wall. When someone compliments it, I sheepishly say, “Thank you”. 

You can see the same metal tree in my friend’s man cave. We didn’t commission the same artist. 

It’s a $30 Hobby Lobby special. You could likely find this commodity artwork in thousands of other homes. There’s really nothing special about it. 

However, if you pan to the right, you’ll see an original piece by a local artist. The 3-D aerial scene depicts a vibrant forest with textures and colors of various trees, rocks, and rushing water.

Carefully selected blends of preserved moss, stone, and acrylic paint create this woodland escape.

I use the term “artist” loosely. It’s my creation. I’ve always admired moss art. So last year, I gathered various materials, including small stones from neighborhood storm drains.

Yup, I became the insane neighbor picking up gravel and stuffing it into a ziplock bag. 

It’s not an epic tale and I’m no famous artist. But no Hobby Lobby tree tells a story like this. 

Like commodity art, AI content marketing is easily produced. However, it’s often undifferentiated and often forgotten. 

AI is a fabulous time-saver that is commonly misused. The internet now has warehouses full of cheap, manufactured thoughtless content. If your lawn care or landscaping company is going to stand out as a thought leader, you’re going to have to do something different. 

[RELATED PODCAST:  Thoughtful vs. Thoughtless Content; and, How to Leverage Content Internally]

Commodity Content vs. Thought Leadership

One of the great SEO and content marketing minds I follow is Andy Crestodina from Orbit Media. Earlier this year, he published a thoughtful article you should check out, “AI for Thought Leadership: 5 Prompts to Get You Halfway There”. 

Andy argues that while AI excels at generating commodity content, it lacks the personal experience and strong viewpoints essential for true thought leadership.

He suggests that AI can assist in some aspects of content creation but emphasizes that authentic thought leadership content must be crafted by humans to effectively connect with audiences.

Preach, Andy…

In order to beat AI at this game, there are three things Andy and I believe you should do: 

1. Take a stand, because AI has no opinions.
2. Collaborate, because AI has no friends.
3. Record yourself, because AI has no face.

Let’s unpack practical ways that green industry companies can become thought leaders.

1) Stand in the Place Where You Live

Whether it’s blog articles, website pages, or social posts, opinions matter. AI will regurgitate facts and summarize. It will not have a firm opinion and will try to cover all the bases. 

But be honest. You have opinions. They can lead to differentiated marketing. They can be compelling in the sales process. They can give peace of mind to your customers. 

Image Source:  Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape

I lost count of how many times I stood in a backyard and had a prospect or customer tell me, “Well, I’ll trust you…you’re the expert.” I'm sure you can relate.

So where are your expert opinions? Why are they missing on website pages, blog articles, and social posts? 

AI has no practical experience. It has no strong beliefs. It’s never pushed a spreader, created hundreds of landscape plans, or dropped a 60’ oak between a house and a detached garage.

You have. Instead, try this:   

• “It was a hot dry October in the northeast. We never saw this before…” (unique introduction)
• “Landscapers who plant crabapples in parking lots should be ashamed…” (take a stand)
• Article Title:  Why We Love Rectangular Fire Pits & You Should, Too (share emotion)

2) Stop, Collaborate & Listen

AI is helpful but it’s a social outcast. It has no friends. One of the ways your green industry company can become a thought leader is to leverage your relationships with real people. 

Image Source:  Level Green Landscaping

In written web and social content, this can manifest in many ways. Here are a few:

• Expert interviews or quotes in your articles
• Case studies with both your opinions/emotions and your client’s perspective
• Data-based content sharing client trends, viewpoints, and survey results
• Guest posts or your expert insights in association websites’ content marketing

3) A Face in the Crowd

Leveraging video, even within written content, is a kill shot for AI content. 

We should not be corporate, faceless brands full of replaceable, easily-exchangeable content. Video is a power-move to stand out in a crowd of sameness.

Image Source:  Ground Source Landscaping

Consider these video marketing statistics from WebFX:

• 72% of consumers have said that they would prefer to learn about services in a video format.
• 54% of email subscribers prefer emails that contain video content.
• 91% of users want to see more video marketing content from businesses.
• 45% of users want to see more live video content on social media platforms.

Lawn care and landscaping companies are dipping their toes into the video pool. The brands that jump in head first are more likely to win. 

There are so many applications for videos, and your brand is likely missing the bulk of them. Here are a few ways to leverage video in your quest for thought leadership:

Job Position Videos

Create unique pages for each role you commonly hire for.

Imagine a video showing what it's like to work on a maintenance crew on the Crew Member and Crew Leader job posting pages. 

Video Source:  KD Landscape

Client Case Studies

Instead of only creating image portfolios, create robust pages featuring images, written perspectives, and client testimonials featured in a compelling video story.

This is one of my favorite case study videos we've created. No one says it better than a happy client. 

Video Source:  Tropical Gardens Landscape

FAQ Videos

It’s still critical to answer frequently asked questions with written content. However, videos allow you a unique opportunity to leverage your expertise and brand personality. 

I asked Paul from Lawn & Pest Solutions if I could write some silly scripts using a bunch of southern colloquialisms. He was totally game and it makes a boring topic stand out! Give it a watch. 

Video Source:  Lawn & Pest Solutions

Whether on a video library page, Google Ads landing page, social media content, or embedded within blog articles or emails, your team’s friendly faces can turn your impersonal brand into trusted advisors with practical advice.

[RELATED READING: Camera Shy? Here Are 11 Tips for Lawn Care & Landscaping Explainer Videos]

Dōmo Arigatō Misutā Robotto

Translated literally, it’s “Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto”. Not once have I said to avoid using AI. Instead, Andy, I, and about 1,000 other marketers believe you should be using AI for parts of your content marketing strategy.

 [RELATED READING: AI Content Marketing: Crap Trap or Opportunity?]

In his article, Andy shares some great AI prompts to get you started. I’ve refashioned them for the green industry. Try these out:

• What are some relatively mundane landscaping topics that landscape designers have very strong opinions about?
• What questions are arborists afraid to answer about tree company liability?
• What false things about lawns do most homeowners believe to be true?
• What are the most important topics in irrigation that are the least likely to be covered by the popular home improvement blogs?
• What counter-narrative opinions about commercial landscaping are least likely to be discussed by bloggers and thought leaders?

Put those in your AI pipe and smoke ‘em.

You’ll be surprised at some of the atypical content article ideas you’ll have to start with. Use AI to help you generate ideas and create an outline. Then YOU do the rest. 

Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto. 

Compose Your Original Masterpiece

Don’t get me wrong. I love me some Hobby Lobby. There’s a place for easy replication and quick content but don’t allow laziness to masquerade as convenient automation.

There’s a lot at stake. It’s your brand in a crowded marketplace and an even more saturated internet. You have so much to offer your audience. We all want that from you. 

Image Source:  Landcrafters 

As I conclude this article, I challenge you to re-read it.

• Note every time I stated a firm opinion.
• Highlight each time I featured a Landscape Leadership® client example or combined my thoughts with a marketing industry who’s who.
• Notice my purposeful use of video within that section above.

Stand out. You’ve got what it takes. 

If you’re tired of typical content and want true thought leadership about marketing and sales at your lawn care, landscaping, or tree service company, subscribe to our blog. Just like 5,000+ of your industry peers, you’ll have new articles sent directly to your inbox. When you’re ready to stand out and take your green industry company where you know it can go, request a consultation with us.