[Advance_lawn_care]

Considering what method to promote my weed and feed services. I’ve been reviewing my competitors websites on spy fu and the results lead me to conclude most of their website call volume is from referrals searching directly for their company. I don’t think they are getting a whole lot of calls from people searching with out a specific company in mind.
I know my website needs significant work to convert it from its lawn mowing focus to our new weed and feed focus. However it seems so much of the weed and feed business is referral or calling based on a neighbors yard sign rather than blind searches.

I’m new. With very limited word of mouth or signs in the yard. It’s lead me to consider more options. I’ve been considering eddm or door hangers. I just got my first helper which has helped cut down on my time mowing and freed me up to focus on this. Plus he helps for $10 an hour so I could keep him busy and happy working with me hanging door hangers. Currently he has no license so I can’t just send him out unfortunately.

My other consideration was to move closer to social media marketing such as Facebook.

Be it door hangers involving hours of walking, or learning and creating content for social media/websites, it all takes time. Just considering where to spend my time. Have never had an issue making my phone ring for mowing services. Weed and feed however has sent me back to the drawing board.

Only reason I lean towards door hangers is it’s easier to know what you will get. Can skip houses you don’t like or don’t need your services. Know to expect .5-1%. Where as with digital marketing through google ads or Facebook I feel a decent chunk of money will go into the learning curve before I see success where as the door hangers are painfully slow and boring, the results maybe more instant and controllable. I will be working on updating the website either way.

Dunno, guess I’m reviewing everything and trying to figure out how to get this cash cow to produce, other wise I need to take her out behind the barn put her down so to speak.

 

[Advance_lawn_care]

I’ve also became highly motivated this year. Thinking I have have blown a disc in my back. I can still work, but it’s significantly harder and more painful. I could scale up the mowing but don’t see the point when profit margins are so low. Figure if I’m going to scale and hire I should do it in weed and feed instead. Plus I hurt to much to do a lot of the other projects I was working on so it frees me up to market. Maybe the back issue will turn out to be a good thing for my business direction.

 

[Advance_lawn_care]

Black box at the bottom is my phone number. Everything is on the internet anyways but for some reason I still blacked it out. I figure if the two of us average one every two minutes we can do about 500 in a day. Including labor, fuel, prints and taxes I’d be around $350. Plus two days of my labor. Wish I could just send him but like said, can’t drive himself yet.

 

[Mow_Ranger_44]

As far as doorhanger distribution goes, in suburban neighborhoods with .25 to .35 acre lots, medium sized driveways, I can distribute 50-60 doorhangers per hour. I’d be faster if I had a wheeled device to ride on.

If you’re in dense city properties, I have a friend who said he could distribute about 100 an hour.

 

[phasthound]

My first concern for you is your back. Dragging hose and/or handling 50 lb. bags will not be easy for you.

 

[Advance_lawn_care]

My first concern for you is your back. Dragging hose and/or handling 50 lb. bags will not be easy for you.

Gotta make a living so I’m dealing with it at the moment. Goal is to scale and add help and move myself more into a sales/management position.

 

[Advance_lawn_care]

This kid I just hired has a lot of potential. I’m hoping to just have him ride along with me during this transition phase and learn enough to manage things for me to some extent in the field. He has been doing all the weed eating for me at the moment so all I’m mainly doing is riding and mowing. I still end up with pain in my back and leg but not as bad. I’m starting to realize that even if this gets better I won’t be able to do it all forever.

 

[phasthound]

Gotta make a living so I’m dealing with it at the moment. Goal is to scale and add help and move myself more into a sales/management position.

Understood. From your earlier post, it's not clear if you've seen a Dr. about your back. If so, did he recommend physical therapy? It's done wonders for me.

 

[Advance_lawn_care]

Understood. From your earlier post, it's not clear if you've seen a Dr. about your back. If so, did he recommend physical therapy? It's done wonders for me.

We talked. They did suggest it. I’m fairly young so I been thinking it was probably nothing and would ease up in time. I’m a little over 3 months in at the moment. I can still work, it’s just real different. I avoid as much lifting as possible as well as twisting. I can do it, it’s just trying to make sure I don’t hurt to much at night. I take turmeric in the morning and then a prescription anti inflammatory in the evening. My back and leg still hurt most the time but I’m learning to live with it. I read on google a lot of times sciatica resolves itself in 6-8 months so I’m kinda waiting it out. If not I’ll have no choice to do physical therapy. Glad to hear it helped you. I was nervous about it because it didn’t do much for my dad. Hopefully since I’m younger if I have to do it mine won’t be as messed up as his was or will be messed up in a different way and it will help. I’ve observed alot of how effective the treatments are has to do with how the back is specifically injured.

 

[Advance_lawn_care]

Doing a test run with the door hangers. I see it as a cheap form of advertising that can be implemented quickly and results can be reviewed relatively quickly. Going to be studying Facebook marketing a lot this weekend. Working to convert some of my mowing clients to weed and feed as well as spreading word to some of the local mowing companies I’ve networked with over the years.

 

[squirtnfert]

i tried door hangers for 2 years got a big 0% return maybe you will have better luck!

 

[Advance_lawn_care]

i tried door hangers for 2 years got a big 0% return maybe you will have better luck!

you mind me asking what worked for you?

I’m picking low hanging fruit at the moment. 3 clients now. 1 organic off my website, new in area, no connections. Another mow client I’ve been working on signed up, he is also new to area with no connections. One of my renters manages a local sonic and said he would use me for his store and try to connect me with his area supervisor. Said his supervisor prefers to support small local businesses.

Going to watch real estate sales and send advertising to the new owners of homes in areas that are frequently treated.

 

[Advance_lawn_care]

Thinking this is the finished door hanger. Added a free soil analysis, and phrased things to play on the trust issues people tend to have towards lawn doctor by mentioning we are a small family business. Probably start with 1000 placed during me and my helpers free time and see if it gets any results. I’ll start working on my mailer for recent real estate sales. Then with those two options in action I’ll work on Facebook marketing and polishing my website to make it more weed and feed focused rather than mowing focused.

I suspect social media will be the best platform but I’m hesitant to depend entirely or to invest to heavily into any one form of marketing until I see it produce results.

 

[phasthound]

We talked. They did suggest it. I’m fairly young so I been thinking it was probably nothing and would ease up in time. I’m a little over 3 months in at the moment. I can still work, it’s just real different. I avoid as much lifting as possible as well as twisting. I can do it, it’s just trying to make sure I don’t hurt to much at night. I take turmeric in the morning and then a prescription anti inflammatory in the evening. My back and leg still hurt most the time but I’m learning to live with it. I read on google a lot of times sciatica resolves itself in 6-8 months so I’m kinda waiting it out. If not I’ll have no choice to do physical therapy. Glad to hear it helped you. I was nervous about it because it didn’t do much for my dad. Hopefully since I’m younger if I have to do it mine won’t be as messed up as his was or will be messed up in a different way and it will help. I’ve observed alot of how effective the treatments are has to do with how the back is specifically injured.

Physical Therapy is designed to strengthen the exact muscles involved in causing the pain. It takes a while to see the results but by strengthening your muscles now when you are young you can prevent more damage and pain.
Best of luck to you.

 

[phasthound]

View attachment 537700
Thinking this is the finished door hanger. Added a free soil analysis, and phrased things to play on the trust issues people tend to have towards lawn doctor by mentioning we are a small family business. Probably start with 1000 placed during me and my helpers free time and see if it gets any results. I’ll start working on my mailer for recent real estate sales. Then with those two options in action I’ll work on Facebook marketing and polishing my website to make it more weed and feed focused rather than mowing focused.

I suspect social media will be the best platform but I’m hesitant to depend entirely or to invest to heavily into any one form of marketing until I see it produce results.

Offering a free soil test sets you apart from most of your competition.

 

[Rick1111]

I’ve also became highly motivated this year. Thinking I have have blown a disc in my back. I can still work, but it’s significantly harder and more painful. I could scale up the mowing but don’t see the point when profit margins are so low. Figure if I’m going to scale and hire I should do it in weed and feed instead. Plus I hurt to much to do a lot of the other projects I was working on so it frees me up to market. Maybe the back issue will turn out to be a good thing for my business direction.

I’ve had the surgery for it. Not exactly sure I’d do it again, but if you’re thinking about it it absolutely is a 3 to 4 month recovery before you can do manual labor again.

 

[Advance_lawn_care]

I think a lot has to do with what’s causing the issue in the back and what doctor a person ends up using. My dad ended up with a pretty good doctor. His was fairly treatable also. They relieved pressure on the nerves then put in rods. His was very successful. I have two other friends that their surgery didn’t go so great. However I know at least one had a doctor that was terrible.
I fell ice skating with my kiddo. Not sure if I slipped a disc or ruptured one or what. It’s putting pressure on a nerve. Hoping it will drain out and get better, or that when this cold weather passes it will feel better. MRI is the only way to truly know however I’m not really looking forward to the insurance game involving that. Know they will require multiple rounds of pt and such. I’m fairly slammed with work at the moment so pt 2-3 times a week isn’t exciting,lol. I’m hoping it resolves itself by fall. Or eases up so that I can work the warm season and address the issue in the fall. Time will tell.

 

[hort101]

You need to get an accurate diagnosis
Then look into physical therapy, chiropractor and inversion therapy
Like Phasthound said you need core strengthening
A good stretching routine and ice could help almost immediately