Get More Lawn Mowing Customers Now

The concept is simple: Get your lawn business name known

Lawnmower businesses, listen up: “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” That’s what P.T. Barnum said, and we all know what he accomplished. It’s the same with your lawn-mowing business.

Of course, you don’t want bad reviews, but people usually just remember the name from stories. So, if someone asks about Needs Lawnmowing Service, the response is usually, “Yes, I’ve heard of them,” and that’s it. You just got publicity.

As most of us remember, years ago the phonebook was the place to find services like lawn care. Phonebooks are still delivered in most areas—and some people still use them (especially older people who probably don’t want to mow their lawns anymore), so you should be in the lawn section. That said, almost everyone Googles. And they mostly Google on their phones (this is important).

Countless articles are available on how to market businesses like lawn care, and most of them want money to do so. But you can go the DIY budget route, and now’s the time to do it while mowing is winding down in most areas and you are just waiting for snowplowing customers to find you. Think about it: If someone was annoyed with the person providing lawn services to them this past summer, the time to go after them for next year is now. Now—while the annoyances are still in their head. Not next year when they desperately decide to give the old guy another chance.

Design a Website. You don’t need a big, fancy website, but you do need a website. All you need is a page or two that includes your information and what you do. Pictures are great. With captions. It’s best if you have a quote or two front and center from current clients. Have a “Contact Me” box and be sure your phone number is prominently displayed. Choose a website platform that allows you to design a webpage that is easily read on a tiny phone screen. Important. (Consider signing up with us for a free landscaping website customers can order through)

Go Uber-Ish. OK, not literally, but it pays to be a client of Uber-like businesses, like Plowz and Mowz (yes, there are others, but we’re the best), that puts you in touch with viable clients. These places get traffic because the company standing behind you—the lawn mower guy—is valued and reliable, and that makes potential customers more comfortable hiring someone they barely know, like Needs Lawnmowing Service. And the more customers you pick up through these companies, the more people will talk about your name and share it among neighbors, free of charge.

Facebook. Or Meta. Or whatever it’s called now. Facebook is powerful. You need a business listing there, and it’s free. Once you’re in, set up your own personal page, too, and join community groups in the areas you service. You can’t blatantly advertise your business, but you can post to these groups with helpful comments and information, so you get publicity in the areas where you want to do business. Always use photos in your posts. You can also pay for actual advertising and, if your audience is small enough (targeted to certain areas), it’s not horrendously expensive. Those ads will run your name by lots of people.

Yahoo!, Yelp, and Other Rating Groups.  List your business at the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Yahoo!, and similar companies. You will get unfair reviews. You’ll even get reviews from people who never used your services, but it may help you. I hired a roofer who had a Yelp review that said he did a terrible job on her home in New York City. The roofer—and this is what made me hire him—posted a reply to the reviewer, politely stating that he only roofed houses in upstate New York and had never even been to New York City, so he wasn’t sure how to respond to her complaint. But he responded. That’s important.

Direct Mail. You can do postcards, which are cheaper than letters. They’re more likely to be looked at than an envelope that needs to be opened (what do you do with your junk mail envelopes?), and you stand a higher chance of someone keeping the card “just in case.” Talk to two or three direct-mail companies about the cost of a local postcard campaign. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Referrals. Nothing is more powerful than a referral. Print business cards and hand them out (artwork or photo on it, please!). On the back, have a note that if the person with the card refers a friend to your business—and that friend hires you—the person who recommended you then gets a $25 one-time discount or one free lawnmowing or whatever. People like to hire people someone they know recommends. It’s simply safer.

And, as mentioned, now’s the time to get busy. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, but you do need to spend a lot of time promoting yourself. Now. While the grass isn’t growing.