In a world where we’re bombarded with digital messages all day, print marketing makes an immediate impact. In fact, print marketing can be extremely effective for attracting new customers or upselling existing ones. Plus, print marketing is a great way to create and promote awareness of your business by giving you a strong brand identity.
Part of the reason that print still works is that it sticks around. Unlike digital ads, emails or even phone calls, a printed piece is an actual, tangible item. It creates a level of connection that a banner ad cannot, especially with millennials: 90% of this coveted demographic says they think direct mail is reliable. Print marketing also has legs. It doesn’t have to be looked at right away; a well-designed piece is more likely to be set aside to be read later or even passed on to someone else. In fact, studies have shown that 42% of people at least scan their direct mail, and more than 50% actually want to receive mail from brands they are interested in. And a great majority – 70% — of Americans believe that mail is more personal than the internet.
What all this means is that for your business, printed marketing pieces are a great way to cut through the digital clutter and get customers to pay attention.
RealGreen’s print marketing experts know this, and we know how to create effective campaigns and materials that will help you stand out above the competition. For more than 20 years, we’ve helped countless service industry companies reach more customers through print – and not just in summer’s busy season. RealGreen has the right print marketing goods for any season.
Spring: Sell the Neighbors and Upsell Your Customers
Spring is when your business starts heating up, and it’s also a good time to start letting your customers’ neighbors know who’s responsible for their gorgeous lawns. Those are valuable leads: neighbors of happy customers are five times more likely to use you for their lawn care. That’s where Neighbor Production Postcards come in—the perfect way to go after this low-hanging fruit. Our low setup and production rates make this an affordable, easy solution.
Spring is also a prime time to let your existing customers know that you can help them with mosquito and grub control. A well-done, well-timed upsell letter will get more customers signed up for more services, bringing in more revenue.
Summer: The Season of the Upsell
Your customers are happiest with your work in the summer. Their lawns are lush and green, their yards transformed into comfortable oases. This makes it the perfect upsell season. Now’s the time to remind them that they can keep everything looking gorgeous with aeration and overseeding – and that they can keep their families and pets safe and healthy with flea and tick control applications.
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Fall: Get Set Up for Next Year
Your services might be winding down for the fall, but your business doesn’t have to. Sending out pre-pay letters now will set up your cash flow for the off-season and your customer list for the next year. Fall is also a good time to take stock of your other printed materials: Yard signs, lawn posting and regulatory signs, business forms, envelopes, leave-behind pieces like brochures or door hangers, etc. Make sure you have the inventory you need to hit the ground running when things get busy again!
Winter: Boost your Business in the Off Season with Targeted
Direct Mail
Winter is the ideal time to go after new customers and get them signed up for spring and summer services. And targeted direct mail is an effective and affordable way to do it. This is especially true when it’s a data-driven, personalized campaign designed to reach households who are the most likely to connect with your business. RealGreen’s Decile Marketing mailing list service will pinpoint the prospects you need to reach and find the specific customers who matter to your business by doing a deep dive into the demographics of your target market area.
How to Craft Compelling Print Marketing Messaging and Design
Effective print marketing relies on more than just eye-catching visuals; it requires compelling messaging that resonates with your target audience and prompts action. Here are some tips for creating the best-performing print marketing campaigns:
1. Understand Your Audience:
Before crafting your messaging and design, it’s crucial to understand your target audience—their needs, preferences, and pain points. Conduct market research and audience analysis to gain insights into what motivates your customers and how your services can address their specific challenges.
2. Develop Clear and Concise Messaging:
Keep your messaging clear, concise, and focused on the benefits of your services. Use language that resonates with your audience and communicates the value proposition of your lawn care business. Highlight key selling points and unique differentiators to differentiate yourself from competitors.
3. Emphasize Benefits Over Features:
Focus on highlighting the benefits of your services rather than just listing features. Help customers understand how your lawn care services can improve their lives, whether it’s by creating a beautiful outdoor space, saving time on maintenance, or enhancing property value.
Pro Tip: Highlight Value Over Features
Instead of just listing what your lawn care service includes, focus on how it can make life better for your customers. Let them know how you can make their outdoor space stunning, save them time on chores, and even increase the value of their property.
4. Incorporate Persuasive Calls to Action (CTAs):
Every piece of print marketing should include a clear and compelling call to action (CTA) that prompts recipients to take the next step. Whether it’s calling for a free estimate, scheduling a service, or visiting your website, make it easy for customers to engage with your business.
5. Leverage Visual Elements Effectively:
Visual elements such as imagery, color, and layout play a crucial role in capturing attention and conveying your brand’s identity. Use high-quality images that showcase your work and evoke emotion. Choose colors and fonts that align with your brand and enhance readability. Design layouts that guide the reader’s eye and highlight important information.
6. Maintain Brand Consistency:
Consistency is key to building brand recognition and trust. Ensure that your print materials are consistent with your brand’s visual identity, including logo, colors, fonts, and messaging. This consistency helps reinforce your brand image and makes your print materials instantly recognizable to customers.
7. Test and Iterate:
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different messaging and design elements to see what resonates best with your audience. Conduct A/B testing on headlines, imagery, CTAs, and other elements to optimize performance. Use feedback from customers and analytics data to iterate and refine your print marketing materials over time.
Print Marketing vs. Digital Marketing: Should I Use Both or Just
One?
Choosing between print marketing and digital marketing—or using a combination of both—can be a challenging decision for lawn care and landscaping businesses. Let’s explore the pros and cons of each approach and discuss whether you should use both or just one for your marketing efforts.
1. Print Marketing:
Pros:
- Tangible and tactile: Print materials such as flyers, postcards, and brochures offer a physical presence that can leave a lasting impression on customers.
- Targeted reach: Print materials can be distributed directly to specific neighborhoods or areas where your target audience resides, allowing for precise targeting.
- Less competition: With the rise of digital marketing, print materials may stand out more in a crowded marketplace and capture the attention of customers.
Cons:
- Limited reach: Print materials have a limited reach compared to digital channels, as they rely on physical distribution and may not reach as wide of an audience.
- Higher costs: Printing and distributing physical materials can be more costly than digital marketing efforts, especially for large-scale campaigns.
- Less measurable: Tracking the effectiveness of print marketing campaigns can be more challenging than digital campaigns, as it may be harder to measure metrics such as engagement and ROI.
2. Digital Marketing:
Pros:
- Wide reach: Digital marketing allows you to reach a larger audience across various online platforms, including social media, search engines, and email.
- Cost-effective: Digital marketing can be more cost-effective than print marketing, as it often requires fewer resources for distribution and can be easily scaled.
- Measurable results: Digital marketing provides robust analytics and tracking capabilities, allowing you to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns and make data-driven decisions.
Cons:
- Saturation: With the prevalence of digital marketing, customers may be inundated with ads and messages online, making it harder to stand out and capture attention.
- Limited tangibility: Digital marketing lacks the tactile and physical presence of print materials, which may result in less memorable interactions with customers.
- Ad blocking: Many internet users employ ad-blocking software or ignore online ads altogether, reducing the effectiveness of digital marketing efforts.
3. Using Both Print and Digital Marketing:
Pros:
- Comprehensive reach: By leveraging both print and digital marketing channels, you can reach customers through multiple touchpoints and maximize your overall reach and visibility.
- Diversified strategy: Using a combination of print and digital marketing allows you to diversify your marketing strategy and hedge against the limitations of each approach.
- Enhanced brand consistency: Integrating print and digital marketing efforts enables you to maintain consistent branding and messaging across all channels, reinforcing your brand identity and message.
Cons:
- Increased complexity: Managing both print and digital marketing campaigns simultaneously can be more complex and time-consuming than focusing on just one channel.
- Higher costs: Using both print and digital marketing may require additional resources and budget allocation, especially for businesses with limited resources.
Pro Tip: Combine Print & Digital Marketing
Use traditional print materials with digital channels like social media and email to maximize your marketing impact.
Level Up Your Print and Digital Marketing with RealGreen
By crafting compelling messaging and design that resonates with your target audience, you can create print materials that effectively communicate the value of your lawn care services and drive engagement with your business.
These are only a few of the ways RealGreen in partnership with Coalmarch can help your business with print marketing – there’s so much more we can do for you. Get in touch today to get started and find out more!
FAQs
Why should I invest in print marketing for my lawn care business in every season?
Print marketing allows you to reach potential customers directly in their homes or neighborhoods, making it an effective way to promote your lawn care services throughout the year. By tailoring your print materials to each season, you can capitalize on seasonal trends and effectively communicate the benefits of your services.
What types of print materials should I consider using for seasonal marketing campaigns?
Depending on the season, you can use a variety of print materials such as flyers, postcards, door hangers, brochures, and seasonal newsletters. Each type of print material offers unique advantages and can be tailored to specific seasonal promotions or services.
How can I ensure that my print marketing materials stand out and capture attention during each season?
To make your print materials stand out, consider using eye-catching visuals, vibrant colors, seasonal imagery, and compelling messaging that resonates with your target audience. Additionally, incorporating unique design elements and creative formatting can help grab attention and differentiate your materials from competitors.
Should I design separate print marketing materials for each season, or can I use the same materials year-round?
While you can certainly use the same basic templates for print materials year-round, customizing your materials to reflect each season can enhance their effectiveness and relevance. Tailoring your messaging and imagery to match seasonal themes and promotions can help you connect with customers on a deeper level.
How can I distribute my print marketing materials effectively during each season?
Distributing print materials effectively involves targeting the right audience and choosing strategic locations for distribution. Depending on the season, you may distribute materials door-to-door in targeted neighborhoods, place them in local businesses or community centers, or include them in direct mail campaigns.
What role does print marketing play during the off-season for lawn care businesses?
Print marketing can be valuable during the off-season for maintaining visibility, nurturing customer relationships, and promoting off-season services such as snow removal, holiday lighting, or winterization services. By staying engaged with customers year-round, you can position your business for success when the peak season returns.
Schedule a free demo today to see how RealGreen
can help you grow your lawn care business!
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Dave Prevost has been helping small businesses grow for almost four decades. At RealGreen, Dave supported the growth of the marketing department, starting Automated Marketing Assistant, Referral Assistant, Data Profiling and Digital Marketing in the RealGreen portfolio. At CoalMarch by WorkWave Dave is bringing some of these strategies to our other platforms. Dave currently serves as VP of Print Operations.