Sound familiar?
Common frustrations for landscape design and installation companies
Typical problems we look for in a Growth Diagnosis. These are examples, not client quotes.
- We spend hours on a free design, and the homeowner takes it to a cheaper company.
- Our ads bring mowing and small cleanup requests, not patios and full installs.
- Everyone calls in spring, when the calendar is already full.
- Big projects take months to decide, and we lose track of who to follow up with.
If one of these sounds like your company, the problem is usually not the ads alone. It is what happens between the ad and the signed project.
What happens next
What happens on the free Growth Diagnosis?
- 1. Book a free call. The form works on a phone and has about eight short fields: your name, email, company, state, website, monthly ad budget (not sure yet is a fine answer), your main problem right now, and a phone or WhatsApp number, which is optional.
- 2. A 45 to 60 minute call. We look at your ads, website, tracking and reply speed, and walk you through campaigns our team has run, live on screen: the ads, the lead forms and the weekly numbers.
- 3. A short written summary. You get the top three leaks and what to fix first. No obligation; we reply within 24 hours.
Why landscaping needs its own plan
Why does landscaping marketing need its own plan?
Design and installation projects are large, take time to decide and follow the seasons. A good plan for a landscape company brings the right projects, sells early and follows up for months, not days.
- Projects, not chores. Patios, planting plans, outdoor kitchens and retaining walls each get their own ads and form questions, so your team sees real projects first and fewer small yard jobs.
- Sell before the rush. Some design-build firms say selling strong in the fourth quarter sets up a full first quarter of installs. Extension services, such as the University of Georgia (2015) and UMass Amherst (2017), note that fall is a good time to plant many deciduous trees and shrubs; UMass advises waiting for spring with broadleaved evergreens.
- Filter free-design shoppers. Some firms charge a design fee that is credited back if the client signs, to cover design time and filter people who only want free plans. Your ads and form can say how your design process works.
- Show a safe process. Before any digging, the national 811 service asks diggers to call a few business days ahead to mark buried utility lines (rules vary by state). Saying that you handle it shows homeowners you work the right way.
Sources: NALP (winter design pipeline, 2022) · NALP (design fees, 2022) · UGA Extension (fall planting, 2015) · UMass Amherst (fall planting, 2017) · 811 Before You Dig. Written by the Digital Hark team; sources checked October 20, 2026. About us.
Know your lead sources
Where do landscaping leads come from, and which do you own?
Landscaping leads come from five main places, and only some of them are yours alone. Good landscape marketing builds the sources you own and uses the others with care.
| Source | Shared or yours? | How you pay | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your Google Search ads | Yours alone | Per click, paid to Google | Homeowners searching for a patio or landscaper now | Small-job searches without good keywords |
| Google Local Services Ads | Sent to you, homeowner may call others too | Per valid lead, paid to Google | Calls from homeowners nearby, where the category is open | No separate hardscape category |
| Facebook and Instagram ads | Yours alone | Per view or click, paid to Meta | Showing finished projects to homeowners before they search | Needs real project photos and steady follow-up |
| Lead marketplaces | Often shared with other companies | Per lead or quote, set by the site | Filling gaps in a slow month | Price shopping and free-design requests |
| Referrals and job signs | Yours alone | Your time and materials | Trust from neighbors who see your work | Hard to grow fast on their own |
Whatever the source, compare them by cost per signed project, not cost per lead.
Five questions to ask a new landscape inquiry
- What project do you have in mind, and roughly how big is it?
- What budget range are you planning for?
- Who else will help decide?
- When would you like the work done?
- Are there HOA or city rules we should know about?
The first four follow the lead-qualification topics in NALP (lead qualification, 2023); we added HOA and city rules. Your form and first call can ask the same, so your team spends design time on real projects.
Try it with your numbers
What does a signed landscaping project really cost you?
Cost per lead looks good on a report. Cost per signed job is what pays the bills. Put in last month's numbers and see the difference. Nothing is saved or sent. How to work out cost per signed job
EXAMPLE · weekly numbers (made-up figures)
| Leads this week | 14 |
|---|---|
| Cost per lead | $64 |
| Design meetings booked by your team | 5 |
| Projects signed (logged by your team) | 1 |
| Cost per signed project, last 90 days | $1,450 |
This is the kind of report you get every week. Figures here are made up to show the format.
Cost per lead–
Leads that signed–
Cost per signed job–
Cost per signed job = monthly ad spend ÷ jobs your team signed.
What we do for you
What does marketing for a landscape company include?
Plans are built after the free Growth Diagnosis; instant replies are part of our Growth System and Growth Partner plans. Marketing for a landscape design and installation company covers the whole path from search to signed project: ads that reach homeowners in your service area, project photos that win their trust, a fast first reply, and tracking that shows which ads led to signed work.
- Google Search ads. Reach homeowners who search "patio installation near me" or "landscape design" right now, only in the areas you serve. Each project type gets its own ads. Read Google Ads for contractors. More about Google ads
- Google Local Services Ads. Google lists landscaping services as a category, where it is open in your area. We help you decide if these pay-per-lead ads fit next to your other ads.
- Facebook and Instagram ads. Reach homeowners near you before they search, with photos and short videos of your finished projects and a simple form. Read Facebook ads for contractors. More about Meta ads
- Ad videos and images. We edit your own project photos and clips into ready-to-run ads, or make professional ad visuals. We never show made-up people as your crew or your customers. More about ad videos
- Landing page. One page, one offer and one short form that asks what a project needs: project type, timeline, rough size and whether the homeowner wants a design. More about landing pages
- Tracking. From the first click to the signed project, so you see cost per signed project by ad and campaign. Included with our services. More about tracking
- Instant replies, CRM and playbook. On Growth System and Growth Partner plans, every new lead gets an automatic reply within seconds (text messages only with the homeowner's consent). Your team gets a CRM with follow-up guidance for long decisions, and a sales playbook. More about instant replies
Trust wins projects
Which trust signals help a landscape company win the project?
A design-build project is a big decision, and homeowners want to see that you have done it before. Show what your company really has: real photos of finished projects, a clear design process, proof of insurance, how you handle utility marking before digging, and your Google reviews. We only show credentials and projects your company really has.
Reviews matter too. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of US consumers, 97% said they read reviews for local businesses, and 47% said they would not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews. See our guide to getting more Google reviews the right way.
Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026. Checked October 20, 2026.
Where projects leak
How do you keep long landscaping decisions from going cold?
Landscape projects often take months to decide, so follow-up matters more than in most trades. A homeowner who asked about a patio in fall may be ready to sign in winter. A simple plan helps: a thank-you after the design meeting, a check-in a couple of weeks later, and a reminder before the season they want the work done.
EXAMPLE · follow-up plan (made-up names)
- Day 1, after the design meeting: "Thanks for having us, Mark. Your patio design notes are attached. Any questions, just reply here."
- Week 2: "Hi Mark, checking in on the patio plan. Happy to adjust the design or the phasing."
- Before spring: "Spring install slots are filling. Want us to hold one for your patio?"
We set up those reminders in the CRM and give your team short scripts. Your team makes the calls and sells the project; we never call your leads for you. Our guide on how fast to reply to a new lead covers the first step.
Who does what
Digital Hark
- Runs your Google and Meta ads (one or both, by plan)
- Makes ad videos and images (the monthly amount depends on your plan)
- Builds the landing page
- Sends instant replies to new leads (Growth System and Growth Partner plans)
- Sets up tracking, the CRM and the follow-up plan
- Sends clear weekly numbers
Your team
- Calls the homeowners
- Meets the homeowner, designs and quotes the project
- Sells and signs the projects
- Marks signed jobs in the CRM
You own every ad account, page and lead.
Honest about what we promise
We promise
- Clear targeting in your real service area
- Instant replies to new leads (Growth System and Growth Partner plans)
- A follow-up plan your team can use
- Weekly numbers you can check yourself
- Month-to-month terms available
We never promise
- A fixed number of leads
- A ranking on Google
- To call your leads or sell for you
Want to see real work? On your free call, we walk you through campaigns our team has run, live on screen.
Helpful guides
What is cost per signed job, and why does it beat cost per lead?
Cost per signed job shows what your marketing really costs per job won. How to calculate it and what to track, for roofers and remodelers.