Job No. 1 in creating a landscaping blog: Generate ideas

Updated Jun 4, 2019
Photo: www.pixabay.comPhoto: www.pixabay.com

Blogging is a great way to promote your landscaping business while communicating helpful information to potential and current clients. And creating a blog doesn’t have to be a daunting endeavor, especially when you begin with a solid plan – or “content strategy” as it’s known in the online world.

The first step is to generate topic ideas by breaking the coming year into quarters or seasons and asking yourself three questions about each timeframe.

  1. What is your business focused on during this time? These posts highlight the benefits of your services while providing valuable information, such as the benefits of butterfly gardens or the impact of drought-tolerant landscaping. Alle Fairhurst says in her GoiTalk blog, “You can also probably add a short statement in the post to ‘soft-sell’ your company that says something like ‘Keep in mind My Landscaping Company can take care of fertilizing your lawn for you so you can enjoy these benefits. Give us a call or contact us online today to learn more about our services.’”
  2. What are your customers doing or interested in during the block of time you’re blogging about (again, whether quarter or season)? Try to tie your topics into what may already be on their minds, like decorating for the holidays or incorporating new landscaping elements for graduation parties or other special events. “These posts will get people thinking about using their yard and getting outdoors, and hopefully get their wheels spinning on making improvements to their property’s appearance that can also enhance their family’s quality of life,” Fairhurst says.
  3. What is happening in everyone’s lives outside of business? Demonstrating knowledge of local projects and causes, you show readers you are a part of their community, which builds trust in you and your business. “For example, in my community the city recently re-developed a nearby park,” Fairhurst says. “If I were a landscaper, I could offer suggestions on what type of plant materials I would use in the park.”

Once you have some solid topic ideas, it’s time to get started by either writing the blogs yourself, or hiring a professional copywriter. Once you begin, it’s important to keep consistent; no one likes to visit your website for ideas only to find posts that are years old.

The Attachments Idea Book
Landscapers use a variety of attachments for doing everything from snow removal to jobsite cleanup, and regardless of how often they are used, every landscaper has a favorite attachment.
Download
Attachments Idea Book Cover