Key takeaways
- Weekly mowing customers may never meet the owner, so the review ask has to come from the office, once a year, on the same date for every account. Asking after each mow is how you get opted out.
- One-off jobs work differently. Ask for a review at the final walkthrough of a patio or planting, and send the link that day or the next, while the customer is still showing it to people.
- Neighbors are your cheapest source of work. Use yard signs with permission, a marked truck and a referral credit, and bunch new customers along the routes you already drive.
- Time your marketing to the season. Spring cleanups and mowing routes fill early, so run your email and ads before the rush, then pause them when the crew is booked.
In this guide
- Landscaping marketing ideas, in the order to try them
- When to ask for a landscaping review
- Who asks when the owner never meets the customer
- Landscaping review templates: texts, card and emails
- How to reply to landscaping complaints in reviews
- Your landscaping company's Google Business Profile
- Landscaping service pages that fit each job
- How to get more landscaping customers from your own streets
- Paid ads for a small landscaping crew
- Common landscaping marketing mistakes
- Where Reputation Beam fits
- Keep going
A homeowner looking for a lawn crew usually starts one of two ways: they notice a neighbor's yard and ask who does it, or they search on their phone and read reviews. The most useful landscaping marketing ideas work on both, and most of them cost a sign, a sentence and a text.
This guide starts with reviews, including the problem particular to mowing routes: customers you never meet, who could be pestered every week. You'll get a rule for recurring accounts, a different one for patios and plantings, texts to copy, and replies to the complaints crews really get. Then come your Google profile, service pages, signs and neighbors, a seasonal calendar and ads. The painting contractor guide covers a similar small-crew business.
Landscaping marketing ideas, in the order to try them
Start with reviews, then your Google profile, then signs and a marked truck on the streets you already work, then pages for each service. Referral credits and seasonal email come next, and paid ads last. A small landscaping crew usually has more to gain from filling existing routes than from reaching across the county.
Google says "More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking" (Google Business Profile Help). The order below is a rule of thumb.
| Order | Idea | Effort | What it does for a crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Review rule for routes and projects | A sentence and a text | Gives searchers proof without pestering weekly accounts |
| 2 | Fix your Google profile | An afternoon | Shows you in your towns with your real photos |
| 3 | Yard signs and truck lettering | A small print order | Reaches neighbors on the streets you work |
| 4 | Pages for lawn care, design, hardscape | A weekend | Answers each search separately |
| 5 | Referral credit and seasonal email | An hour a season | Fills routes before the rush |
| 6 | Paid ads | Money and tracking | Fills open slots, then pauses |
When to ask for a landscaping review
Ask weekly and biweekly lawn customers once a year, on one date you choose for every recurring account. Ask project customers at the final walkthrough and text the link that day or the next. Seasonal jobs such as a spring cleanup get a text when the job is done. Here's a rule of thumb by job, the same for everyone in each group.
| Job | Who asks | When the link goes out |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly or biweekly mowing | The office | Once a year, same date for all accounts |
| New mowing account | The office | Joins the next yearly send, after a few visits |
| Spring or fall cleanup | Crew lead, if the customer's there | The day the job is finished |
| Mulch, pruning, one-off visit | Office | Same day or next |
| Planting or garden design install | Owner or lead, at the walkthrough | That day or the next |
| Patio, walkway or retaining wall | Owner, at final walkthrough | That day or the next |
| Commercial, property manager or HOA | Your contact | Once a year at most |
Asking recurring accounts once a year
Weekly lawn customers are worth asking, and you only need to do it once a year. Pick a date, and treat it as a chore on your calendar. A rule of thumb is the last month of the mowing season, alongside next year's agreement, or the first month of spring, when people notice the yard again.
Sending the whole list at once also keeps you honest, since nobody picks who deserves the message. A customer who complained in June gets the same text as everyone else.
Waiting for plants to take
Project owners often want to wait and see whether the plants survive before asking. Don't. Waiting a season means you end up asking only the customers whose plants lived, and that is selective asking under another name. Ask at the walkthrough, and let your plant warranty handle the shrub that dies in August.
Who asks when the owner never meets the customer
On mowing routes the office asks, by text or email, because the crew is often gone before anyone's home. On projects, the owner or crew lead asks at the walkthrough, because the customer is standing right there looking at the work. Either way, the crew needs one thing: a card to hand over when somebody comes out.
You
That's the last of the pavers. Here's what to do about the sand over the next few weeks, and here's our number if anything shifts.
Customer
It looks better than the drawing. My sister's going to want one.
You
Glad you like it. We ask every customer for an honest Google review. I'll text you the link tomorrow if that's okay.
Customer
You guys always do such a nice job on the edging.
You
Thanks, I'll tell the owner. Here's the office card if you ever need anything else. The review link's on there too, if you ever want to use it.
Landscaping review templates: texts, card and emails
Send a short text naming your business and the work, ask for an honest Google review, and give one link. Recurring customers get a yearly version that thanks them for the season. Text only customers who agreed to texts, so add consent to your service agreement, and email the rest.
The FCC's rule (47 CFR 64.1200) requires prior express written consent for texts that include an advertisement or count as telemarketing, and it treats a "stop" reply as a reasonable way to revoke consent. This is general information, not legal advice. The texting guide has more.
Consent line for a lawn care agreement or estimate
I agree that [Business name] may text me at the number above about my service and to ask for a review once in a while. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out. Agreeing is not a condition of service.
Text: yearly ask to every recurring account
Hi [First name], it's [Your name] from [Business name]. Thanks for another season with us. Once a year we ask every customer for an honest Google review. Would you leave one? [review link] Reply STOP to opt out.
Text: spring or fall cleanup
Hi [First name], [Business name] here. Your [spring cleanup] is finished. Call [phone number] if we missed anything. If you have a minute, would you leave an honest Google review? [review link] Reply STOP to opt out.
Text: the day after a project walkthrough
Hi [First name], it's [Your name] from [Business name]. Thanks for trusting us with your [new patio]. If you have a minute, an honest Google review would help us a lot: [review link] Reply STOP to opt out.
Card for the crew to hand over
Thanks for having [Business name] in your yard. Questions or a missed spot? Call [phone number].
If you'd ever like to leave an honest Google review, scan the code or visit [review link].
Email: yearly, to accounts with no texting permission
- To
- [Customer email]
- Subject
- A once-a-year favor from [Business name]
Hi [First name],
Once a year we ask every customer for an honest Google review, and today's that day. It helps your neighbors in [town] decide who to call.
Leave a review: [review link]
If anything about your yard or your service isn't right, just reply here or call [phone number].
Thanks, [Your name]
[Business name], [street address, city, state, ZIP]. Don't want emails like this? [unsubscribe link]
Email: patio, wall or planting project
- To
- [Customer email]
- Subject
- Your [new patio] and a quick favor
Hi [First name],
Your [new patio] is finished, and I enjoyed working on it. Your care notes and warranty are attached. Call me at [phone number] if anything settles or fails.
If you have a few minutes, would you leave an honest Google review? People planning a big yard project read them closely.
Leave a review: [review link]
Thanks, [Your name]
[Business name], [street address, city, state, ZIP]. Don't want emails like this? [unsubscribe link]
Find and test your link with this review link guide, and print a Google review QR code for the card. Yelp's content guidelines say "Businesses should never ask customers to write reviews," so keep Yelp links off it. The FTC's guide on soliciting reviews says: "Don't ask for reviews only from customers you think will leave positive ones."
How to reply to landscaping complaints in reviews
Reply within a few days in three or four sentences, say what you do in general, and give a name and number. Leave out the address, what they paid and anything about the property. Lawn customers worry that nobody checks on the crew, so a reply that shows you're paying attention answers that for the next reader.
| Complaint | What's usually behind it | What the reply does |
|---|---|---|
| "They skipped my lawn" | Rain delay, nobody told them | Apologizes, explains how you announce delays |
| "Scalped my grass" | Mower height on a wet or uneven yard | Offers a look and says how you'll set the height |
| "Clippings all over the driveway" | Crew rushed the blow-off | Thanks them, says you've raised it with the crew |
| "Broke my sprinkler" | A head hit by a mower | Says how damage is handled and offers a visit |
| "Left the gate open" | Crew missed the gate check | Takes it seriously, describes the crew's gate routine |
| "Half the plants died" | Watering, a hard freeze or poor stock | States the plant warranty and offers a look |
| "Kept billing me after I canceled" | Autopay wasn't stopped | Offers to check the account and correct it |
Here are two made-up replies.
Marcus D. (example)
GoogleCrew left my side gate open and my dog got out. Nobody answered when I called.
Reply from Fernway Lawn and Garden (example)
I'm very sorry, Marcus. An open gate is serious, and our crews are supposed to check every gate before they leave. I've raised it with them today, and I'd like to talk to you directly. Please call me at [phone number]. Elena, owner
Carol B. (example)
GooglePaid for a new front bed and half the shrubs were dead by August.
Reply from Fernway Lawn and Garden (example)
I'm sorry to hear that, Carol. Our plantings come with a one-year plant warranty, so please call Elena at [phone number] and we'll take a look and work out what's going on. New plants can struggle for several reasons, and we want to find the cause.
Don't threaten a reviewer: the FTC says a business can't use an "unfounded or groundless legal threat" or intimidation to stop or remove a review (FTC questions and answers). Google also prohibits "requests for revision or removal of a review or rating in exchange for an incentive," so replace the broken sprinkler head because it's broken. How to respond to negative reviews has more, and how to remove a Google review covers ones that break Google's rules.
Your landscaping company's Google Business Profile
Set up your profile as a service-area business with your real company name, the towns your trucks actually reach, and each service listed. Hide your home address if customers don't visit it. Add your own photos each season, because people judge yard work by its pictures, and a real yard is hard to fake.
Google's guidelines say "If you're a service-area business, you should hide your business address from customers" and that your area "shouldn't extend farther than about 2 hours of driving time from where your business is based." For a mowing crew, the honest area is usually far smaller, because drive time between stops is your profit. They also say "Including unnecessary information in your business name isn't permitted."
Before
Fernway Best Lawn Care Landscaping Hardscape Mowing Near Me
After
Fernway Lawn and Garden
Use the name on your truck. Services go in the services list.
Before
A stock photo of a golf course
After
The patio you finished last month, with no house number showing
Get the customer's permission first, and leave addresses and cars out of the shot.
Before
Every town within two hours
After
The six towns on your routes
Bad stops cost you more than missed leads, so list where you want to work.
On Google's services page you can list what you really do: lawn mowing, spring and fall cleanups, mulching, shrub pruning, planting, patios, retaining walls, irrigation.
Landscaping service pages that fit each job
Write separate pages for lawn care, design and install, hardscape, seasonal cleanups, and anything else you sell often. The person looking for a weekly mow wants to know price method, schedule and rain policy. The person planning a retaining wall wants photos, drainage and timeline. One page can't answer both, so split them.
| Page | What the customer wants to know | What the page should say |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn care | Will they show up every week? | Which days, rain policy, how to skip a week |
| Spring and fall cleanups | Can I get on the schedule? | When booking opens, what's hauled away |
| Design and planting | Will it look like the drawing? | How design works, plant warranty, care |
| Patios and walls | Will it shift or drain badly? | Base prep, drainage, photos, permits |
- 1
Fernway mows lawns in Harbor City, Northgate and Elm Falls on weekly or biweekly routes.
Where
Listing route towns screens out stops you'd lose money on.
- 2
Same day each week. If rain moves us, we text you the night before.
How it works
This line alone heads off the most common complaint.
- 3
We quote by yard size after a quick look, with no contract required.
Price method
Say how pricing works, even if you won't publish a number.
- 4
Photos from this season, and two of your Google reviews.
Proof
Ask before reusing a review on your own site.
Check your state's rules before you publish. Some states license contractors for installation work, and applying weed or pest products for hire can need its own license, so ask your state's licensing board and agriculture department. In California, the Contractors State License Board's advertising guidelines say licensed contractors must include their license number in "all forms of advertising." To show reviews on these pages, see how to add Google reviews to your website.
How to get more landscaping customers from your own streets
To get more landscaping customers cheaply, work outward from the streets you already mow. Neighbors see the yard, the sign and the truck every week. A new stop two doors down also costs almost nothing in drive time, which makes it worth more than a customer across town at the same price.
Worth trying for a small crew
- Yard signs for a limited time, with the customer's permission
- Truck lettering with your phone number and name
- Door hangers on the street you just worked
- A referral credit for customers who send a neighbor
- Pool builders, realtors, property managers and HOA boards
Be careful with
- Door hangers naming the customer next door
- Signs where your town or HOA restricts them
- A discount in return for a review, which Google prohibits
- Lead sites that sell one yard to several crews
- Cheap quotes for stops far from your routes
A referral credit is fine as long as it isn't tied to reviewing: Google prohibits offering "payment, discounts, free goods and/or services" for a review. For neighborhood apps, see how to get recommendations on Nextdoor.
A seasonal calendar for a small crew
Landscaping demand follows the weather. Here's a rule-of-thumb year for a four-season climate. Shift it for yours.
Late winter
Email past customers about spring cleanups and route openings. Fix your profile and pages while it's quiet.
Early spring
Signs go out with the first jobs. Test ads only if routes still have room.
Summer
Stop ads when the route's full. Take photos of finished projects for next year.
Early fall
Offer fall cleanups and aeration, and book next spring's patios.
Late fall
Send the yearly review request and next year's agreement together.
Winter
Design consultations, plus snow work if you do it.
Email: late winter route opening
- To
- [Customer email]
- Subject
- Spring cleanups and route spots for [year]
Hi [First name],
Spring's coming to [town]. We're booking cleanups now, and we have a few spots open on our mowing routes near you. Reply here or call [phone number] and we'll hold one.
[Your name], [Business name]
[Business name], [street address, city, state, ZIP]. Don't want emails like this? [unsubscribe link]
Paid ads for a small landscaping crew
Paid ads suit a landscaping crew when you have open slots and the job is worth the lead. Run them in late winter and early spring, for the service you most want to sell, in the towns on your routes. Pause when the crew's booked. A patio lead usually justifies more spend than a mowing lead.
Google's Local Services Ads page lists "Lawn care services" and "Landscaping services" as categories, and says you "only pay when a customer gets in touch from your ad." Its screening page lists background checks and license and insurance checks for select users, so see which apply to you.
A rule of thumb: set a monthly test budget you could lose without it hurting, and record on each new job whether it landed on an existing route. A new mowing stop far from your other stops may lose money for the whole season. Count booked jobs against spend before you add more.
Common landscaping marketing mistakes
Watch for these.
- Sending a review request after every mow.
- Asking only the customers who wave from the porch.
- Waiting a season to ask about a planting job.
- Posting a street, a house number or a price in a reply.
- Taking every stop, then spending the day driving.
Landscaping marketing setup
0 of 10 done
Where Reputation Beam fits
Reputation Beam sends review requests by text and email from one dashboard, as well as scheduled campaigns. If you run jobs in Housecall Pro or Jobber, visits can come in from there, and a connected system sends a request after each visit unless you turn that off on the connection. A weekly mowing route is the case to turn it off: schedule the once-a-year campaign instead. Each request has its own link, templates use placeholders for the customer's name, your business name and the review link, and each customer's permission to be texted is recorded. Google and Yelp reviews arrive in one feed, and you can reply to Google reviews from there.
Keep going
Google's review policy has the full rules, and the best time to ask for a review compares trades. Neighboring route businesses have their own guides in pest control marketing and cleaning business marketing.
Questions people ask
What are the best marketing ideas for a small landscaping business?
For a small landscaping crew, the best marketing ideas are steady Google reviews, a complete Google Business Profile, yard signs with the customer's permission, a marked truck, and a referral credit for neighbors. Add separate website pages for lawn care, design, hardscape and cleanups, with your own photos. Use email before spring and fall. Add paid ads last, only when the crew has open slots.
How often should you ask a weekly lawn customer for a review?
Ask a weekly lawn care customer once a year, on a date you pick and use for every recurring account. A request after every mow becomes an annoyance and gets people to opt out of your texts. A good rule of thumb is the last month of the mowing season or the first month of spring. Send it from the office, since the crew may never meet the customer.
When should you ask for a review after a hardscape or planting project?
Ask at the final walkthrough of a hardscape or planting project, once the customer has seen the finished work and you've explained care, then send the link that day or the next. Don't wait a season to see if every plant survives, because that turns into asking only the happy customers. If a plant fails later, your warranty handles it whether or not they reviewed.
How do you reply to a review saying your lawn crew damaged something?
Thank the reviewer, take the complaint seriously and say how you handle damage in general, such as repairing a sprinkler head the crew broke. Give a name and number to arrange a look. Don't post the address, the price, or anything about the property, and don't argue about who caused it in public. Fix real damage because it's yours, separately from the review.
Can a landscaping company put yard signs on customers' lawns?
A landscaping company can put up a yard sign when the customer agrees, for a limited time, and when local rules allow it. Town sign rules and homeowner associations differ, so check before you order a batch. Ask permission for each job, take the sign down when you said you would, and keep any thank-you for the sign separate from reviews.
Do Google Local Services Ads work for landscaping companies?
Google lists both lawn care services and landscaping services as Local Services Ads categories, and says you pay only when a customer gets in touch from the ad. Test them before your busy season in one part of your service area. Count booked jobs and route density, since a mowing customer across town can cost more to serve than one near your existing stops.
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