Grassroots marketing strategies can be highly effective to sell tree services.
HubSpot (an inbound marketing software company) defines grassroots marketing as a strategy in which brands create content that is highly targeted to a specific audience. The idea is to connect with this audience with content that really applies to them.
HubSpot says that it’s like amped-up “word of mouth.”
At Joshua Tree Experts, we have employed several grassroots marketing strategies and found them to be quite successful to sell tree services.
Here are a few tips to consider.
Door-hanging can be a huge way to build brand awareness, particularly early on in your business. The key is to create door-hanging brochures that are effective.
We recommend that door-hung brochures are simple. Don’t write a whole bunch of paragraphs or it’s not going to get read. Keep the message short and sweet! Make sure to include the logo and your contact information.
Design and color are also really important as door-hangers have to catch the prospect’s attention.
Tree service job signs are another effective grassroots marketing tool.
The same general rules apply to creating effective signage. It should be short and sweet (even more than a door hanger). At least with a door-hanger, people tend to bring them inside and might read them.
But with a sign, they have to get your message really quickly. A lot of people might see yard signage when walking or driving by, so there’s not much time to take in the message.
We recommend using an eye-catching design and color scheme and then including a simple message, your logo, and your phone number. That’s really all that our tree service job signs include and they are definitely effective. We have various signs for various services but they all have a similar look and feel.
Vehicle wraps can also be part of a grassroots strategy. We have found that vehicle wraps are highly effective at creating brand recognition in a local market. The key is to maintain brand consistency so that your wraps have the same look and feel as your other marketing materials.
Similar to our signage and door hanger advice, vehicle wraps should be simple. If your design is too busy, it could appear “messy” and be difficult to read. You just want to capture prospects’ attention and ensure that you get your message across.
At Joshua Tree Experts, our truck wrap design is bright with colorful green leaves which stand out and also show exactly what we do. But it’s not cluttered in a way that you don’t instantly notice our logo (also colorful and bold) and who we are.
We often use our website instead of a phone number on our truck wrap design for a couple of reasons. It’s more memorable than a phone number if people aren’t writing it down (which oftentimes they see our trucks while driving so they can’t write it down).
Finally, we also think of grassroots marketing as “boots-to-the-ground” marketing. The idea is to get out in the community and get to know people. Participate in events and make your name part of that local community.
Any local community events can become networking opportunities.
If you come across opportunities to sponsor an event or to be involved in some way, take advantage of that. We have found that the more we are out and about in the community, the more our brand has become recognizable.
This is all part of an effective grassroots approach. It’s about getting to know your clients and letting them get to know you. While community events obviously mean a commitment on the weekends or the evenings, these types of efforts can really pay off in growing your business. And, it certainly also feels good to be a true part of the community you serve.
Our experience has been that grassroots marketing is often underrated. To some, it might seem simplified and they don’t believe it could really work that well. Oftentimes, it doesn’t get used at all.
But we’ve found that it is a highly effective approach.
In fact, all the companies that aren’t using grassroots strategies to sell tree services are giving you an advantage. If you get out there and make that “boots-to-the-ground effort,” and other companies do not, it’s your name that is going to become known.
What’s important to remember when building a brand is that it’s a long-term strategy. The people that you’re connecting with might not hire you immediately, but the more they come to recognize your name and get to know you, the more likely they will be to hire you when they do need tree work. They’ll already have a name they know and trust.
We understand that marketing has moved to the Internet, and we’re not saying that those efforts aren’t also important.
But a grassroots strategy on top of an effective website is key. The grassroots efforts will be what lead prospects to check out your website in the first place.
When you take a comprehensive approach like this, you’ll not only sell tree services but you will also build relationships. That means that you’ll likely create connections with clients that you’ll work with again and again.
One additional point to consider during your grassroots marketing approach is to also think about cross-selling services. We have cross-selling materials available whenever we go out for service. If we notice something else going on at the client’s property, we let them know that we can take care of that too. They see it as a value-add that we’re looking out for them and it allows us to continue to grow that relationship.
These are just some ideas that have been effective in our effort to sell more tree services. If you are looking for more advice or support, and you are a Joshua Tree Experts franchise owner, we are here to help.
We are always available to answer questions or provide guidance where you need it. We want to see you succeed.
At the end of the day, selling more tree work really shouldn’t feel so elusive or confusing. It shouldn’t feel like rocket science, either. Grassroots marketing might sound simple, but it works.
We have moved into a digital marketing era, but you don’t have to reinvent the wheel on approaches that work. Door hanging, signage, and other efforts to get your name out into the local community go a long way.
We have seen these efforts work for us and we look forward to seeing them work for you.
Are you ready to grow a successful business from strong roots? Joshua Tree Experts has the proven systems and processes in place to help. Request a meeting and begin your journey today.