5 Reasons Why You Absolutely, Positively MUST Have a Website
By Chestin Salisbury

Having worked with many lawn care and landscaping companies to improve the results of their marketing efforts, at some point in my conversations with clients this one question always arises, "Do I really need a website?"

99% of the time, without hesitation my response is a resounding, "Yes, Yes, Yes."

I've heard all sorts of reasons and excuses as to why someone thinks they don't need to have a website such as: "I'm just a small one-man operation, websites are for the big boys," "I can't afford to pay a web designer," "No one's looking for lawn care service online," "I don't have the foggiest idea about where to start," and the all encompassing, "it would just be a waste of time and money."

However, as the information 'superhighway' continues to grow and mature, the importance of staking your claim has never been more important than it is right now.

You have the choice of doing nothing and being left behind or you can take the necessary steps to ensure your place along this increasingly valuable piece of marketing real estate.

If you're serious about growing your lawn care business, you can't afford NOT to have a website.

I'd like to share with you 5 reasons why you absolutely MUST have a website if your goal is to grow your lawn care or landscaping business.

1. A website makes you look professional.

Given the popularity of the internet and the way in which society has embraced it, having a website has become a stamp of legitimacy. When someone asks about your business, if you aren't able to give them a "www dot something" as part of your response, it raises questions in the prospects mind as to whether or not you're serious about doing business in today's marketplace.

Surprisingly enough, your website doesn't need to be an elaborate creation done by some fancy web designer costing you your first born child. In fact, most small businesses go overboard when creating their company website and it ends up doing more harm than good.

A good website should appear professional but will also be simple, clean, and easy to navigate. Don't make the mistake of using lots flashing images, annoying music, or blinking cursors.

2. A website allows you to appear bigger than you really are.

Many times, lawn care companies struggle to get the bigger, better paying jobs because they are a small operation. A website can help give the illusion of being bigger than you actually are. This will in turn allow you to project your business as one that is qualified and prepared to take on bigger and better service contracts.

Now I'm certainly not telling anyone to go out and lie about who you are, but no one needs to know that your business is made up of just you, your wife, and a few employees. All that really matters is that you're prepared and qualified to do a good job and the internet gives you a perfect opportunity to line up with the big boys and project this image.

In fact, the internet gives you the opportunity to line up head to head with anyone in your area and clean their marketing clocks. In most cases, the majority of your competition doesn't have the first clue about how to use the internet, which in turn gives you a distinct advantage when it comes to capitalizing on this powerful marketing medium.

3. A website allows you capture contact information for potential customers.

In my opinion, this is the most important reason why your lawn care business needs a website and this is what will give you the power to quickly stomp your competition. Even though the internet is the information 'superhighway', it's also the most powerful marketing medium ever known to man.

If your site is designed properly and is being visited by qualified prospects (live in your area, pay for lawn care services, etc.), you are sitting on a gold mine of potential new business for you. You should do everything possible to capture the contact information of every visitor that comes to your site.

Most businesses make the mistake of simply putting up a website that's equivalent to an online brochure, but this is a huge waste of time and money.

By setting up a mechanism to capture the contact information of your site's visitors, you're setting yourself up to take advantage of reason number four:

4. Allows you to continually market to your prospects and customers for FREE.

Successful marketing is all about finding the cheapest and most effective method for getting your message in front interested prospects. By capturing the contact information of your site's visitors, you now have the ability to market your services again and again and again through both your website and via email.

With a website in place, at no added expense you are able to provide valuable information that positions you as an expert in lawn care. It also gives you the ability to continually present new offers and services to those people that have expressed an interest in your service and it frees your marketing dollars to be used elsewhere to help grow your business.

5. Gives you a presence in the marketplace 24/7.

How much do you think it would cost you to have a salesperson out drumming up new business all day everyday? How much do you think it would cost to have someone available at all hours of the day and night to answer questions or inquiries about your business? Let's just say it would be A LOT.

I can't think of a cheaper way to have a continuous presence in the marketplace 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 52 weeks a year. Just imagine being able to contact potential customers, deliver a powerful sales message, and answer customer questions on a continuous and unlimited basis? Look at it as a salesperson that never sleeps, never eats, never calls in sick, never takes vacation, and best of all, it never asks for a raise!

Now is the time to stake your claim on the information superhighway!

As the internet continues to increase in popularity, its importance in the business world will only grow and expand as well. Most businesses don't yet realize the power and potential of the internet for reaching targeted prospects, but don't expect that to last much longer. Those businesses that are serious about growing in the future are beginning to recognize this and are making the necessary steps to capitalize.

If you haven't already, now is the time for your business to jump on the information superhighway and use it to cruise to new heights.

*****************************************************************************
Chestin Salisbury is President of LawncareMarketingMagic, a direct response marketing consultancy located in Charlotte, NC that focuses on the lawncare and landscaping industry. He has been helping small businesses grow for 5+ years by creating marketing systems that use time-tested direct response marketing principles. LawncareMarketingMagic has access to 100+ years of experience and is capable of creating a marketing plan that grows YOUR business. Chestin is also the chief-editor of 'The LawncareMarketingMagic Minute', a weekly e-newsletter that focuses on helping your grow your business. You can obtain a free lifetime subscription by sending a blank email to: easytips@lawncaremarketingmagic.com
*****************************************************************************

Back to Articles

support@lawncaremarketingmagic.com p 2006 Flint Glenn Lane p Charlotte, NC 28262

© Copyright 2005 Mission 1MM041505 Marketing, Inc. - Lawn Care Business