Solved: Launching a New Lawn Care Business: How to Get the First 100 Customers?

Hi there,

I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on your lawn care business launch. It's great you're bootstrapping and looking into paid ads – a solid approach if done right. I've seen so many businesses in similar situations, and with a few tweaks, you can definitely attract those first 100 customers.

We'll need to look at what you’re doing right now...

First off, you mentioned flyers and a few calls but no conversions yet. Flyers are okay for local awareness, but they're pretty passive. Folks might glance at them, then forget. Plus, it's hard to track their effectiveness. You need something more targeted and measurable. You’ve gotta think, lawn care is usually an immediate need. People aren't typically planning this months in advance. So, generating "hype" before launch might not be the best use of your limited budget. People will likely forget about you, tbh. Instead, focus on capturing folks who need your service right now. Think about when lawns actually need mowing in your area. Adjust your launch date accordingly, if poss. This is key to actually getting the phone to ring.

I'd say you should focus on immediate needs...

You said you have some budget left for paid ads. That's good. But how much exactly? Knowing your budget will seriously affect the strategy. If you're talking a few hundred quid, you've gotta be super targeted. If it's a grand or two, you have more wiggle room. Either way, it's important to know. Don’t wanna run out of cash before you even get started. Forget the pre-launch hype idea. Lawn care is an immediate need, not something people plan weeks in advance. What I would do is to get leads right now, when the lawns actually need to be mowed in your area.

You probably should think about which platform to use...

So, which platform to use? Well, Google Ads (specifically Google Search Ads) are the obvious choice, in my view. People type "lawn mowing near me" into Google every day. You want your business to pop up right there. It’s the best way to grab those customers searching for your service. This is like when we helped an HVAC company get started, it's the same basic idea - people need the service now, not later.

But, and this is a big but, your website has to be up to snuff. No joke, I've seen countless campaigns tank because the landing page looks totally amateur. Think about it: someone clicks your ad, lands on your site, and if it looks dodgy, they're gone. They hit the back button and call your competitor. The website needs to look professional and instill trust. Make sure it's easy to book a service, has clear pricing, and shows off your expertise.

You'll need some good and simple website copy...

The copy on your site is also crucial. You need strong sales copy that explains why you're the best choice. Benefits, not just features. And get some good pictures of you actually mowing lawns. Before and after shots are always killer. Think about your sales process. What do you want people to do to become a qualified lead that you can turn into a customer? Usually, the first step is to either fill out a lead form or to schedule an intro meeting or consultation. Depending on what the first step is that people need to take, this is what your website's start page should lead people to. Optimise this page with sales copy, make it really persuasive to take the first step. Some professional copy could really go a long way. I'd probably start by listing the services on free websites and directories. That said, I've seen a lot of small businesses use shopify stores and that seemed to work pretty well as well.

You should set your campaign geographically...

Geographic targeting is really important, especially with a tight budget. Google Ads lets you target ads to specific areas. Start small – a few streets around your home, maybe. As you get more customers and confidence, you can expand. Don't try to cover the whole town at once. You'll spread yourself too thin. So, budget? If it's tight, focus on a very small geographic area to start. You can always broaden as you get more customers. I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

Scaling a lawn care business isn't always easy, but the basic approach of launching right when demand is high, using very targeted ads to get the word out combined with a professional website will usually always lead to positive results. Sometimes it makes sense to work with someone that has experience with this type of campaign if you find yourself struggling. For example, we are running a campaign for an HVAC company currently, they are in a bit of a competitive area, and they are seeing costs of around $60/lead. We’ve run ads for childcare services where the CPL was around $10 per signup. And our best consumer services campaign was for a home cleaning company which got a cost of £5/lead. If you'd like to discuss this further and maybe get a more in depth strategy, I'm happy to offer a free consultation. Just let me know.

Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh