I’ve previously written about how to start a lawncare business , but here are some additional tips to starting and marketing this type of business:

Direct marketing is a very effective way of reaching potential customers for your lawncare business. You can either create brochures that provide details about your company or a postcard that highlights what your business is all about. Whatever format you decide in your direct mail campaign, it is important that your ads must be written in a way that speak directly to your potential clients. Emphasize the reasons why you are better than other lawn-care companies. List down the benefits the customers will get when they hire you. Carefully think what your headline will be: remember, your headline can make or break your direct mail campaign and it will spell the difference between sending brochures that are kept or postcards that are thrown immediately to the trash without being read.

Put on a professional image. Your appearance is important!! As much as possible, present yourself in a clean and tidy manner — even wearing a collared shirt or better yet, your company’s uniform — when talking to your potential clients. Professionalism also means doing an outstanding job, arriving on time, and keeping your word to your clients, and doing what you say you are going to do. These are the qualities that will set yourself apart from other lawncare companies. One of my pet peeves is having a lawncare company telling me that they will come tomorrow but only to show up 2 days later after you’ve made 10 follow-up calls to them.

Maximize the advertising opportunity of your vehicle. Your truck is one of your most effective — and cheapest — advertising tool you can ever have. It’s your walking billboard. However, avoid the common mistake of putting every single information about your business in the ad. Doing so clutters the whole ad and makes it very hard to read. Remember, the ad in your car — which can either be stickers or magnet — will be read by people on the street as you drive by, other cars driving alongside your truck or behind you — and that means that people will only have a few seconds to get your information. Focus on a single information that you think people will find easy to remember — either your business name or website — and use the biggest font for that information.

Use referral marketing. Your existing clients can be your biggest help in spreading the word about your business. However, give them a little encouragement and make the act of referring your services to others worthwhile for them. Consider offering your existing customers a discount off their monthly service fee for every account that they refer to you.

Go beyond just mowing. To maximize revenue opportunities in this business, it is important that you offer a wider array of services. In fact, mowing provides the lowest profit margin and is only used as a chance to upsell the customer base to other more profitable services. Plus, lawncare business is seasonal in some states that you need to adjust the types of services that you offer based on the seasons. Some of the more profitable businesses you can offer include: insect-disease control; lawn and bed weed control; planting annuals; and landscaping.