Snow marketing is one of the best ways to consistently cultivate long-term business growth.
In fact, marketing experts say it takes at least 7 touches before a client converts. While 7 touches might seem like an intimidating task, this snow marketing guide will help you get there.
Using these right tools, strategies, and techniques to get in front of your customers and set yourself apart from the competition.
In this complete snow marketing guide, you'll get expert snow marketing strategies to help
Now, let's talk about how to take advantage of the most effective ways to ramp up snow marketing efforts and quickly win clients.
Social media marketing for snow removal businesses is quite simple with a balance between sales and useful content posts.
And one of the best ways to implement this is with the 50-30-20 rule for Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn.
Before we jump into the 50-30-20 rule, it is important that we explain the different parts of the funnel.
Top of Funnel: Leads just hearing about your brand and learning about your services.
Middle of Funnel: Leads who are interested in your service, haven’t taken action yet, and might need a “nudge” in the right direction.
Bottom of Funnel: The best leads who are ready to buy and take the next step
Here's a quick rundown of the 50-30-20 rule of social media:
Keep in mind that every business is unique and needs its own specific formula to find social media success.
However, the 50-30-20 rule is a great place to start, but always remember to test different ways to engage with your audience, solve their problems, and then move forward from there.
Also, be sure to set aside time each day, (preferably morning and evening) to connect with followers by doing the following:
You’ll be surprised by the impact these simple acts will have on your snow and ice removal business.
Email marketing is still one of the most engaging ways to reach clients.
Not to mention, it's fast, inexpensive, and has proven successful time and again.
Here are some things to consider when planning snow email marketing:
Define your audience by filling out a client persona template.
Additionally, you can look at your favorite clients.
These are people you are already serving, and ideally, you would like to get more people just like them.
Also, think about the people you’d like to reach in addition to your current clients.
This could include leads you have in your database and even winning back former clients.
Choose an offer that'll make the most impact on your audience and here are a few examples you could use:
As always include a call to action (CTA) in all emails to instruct your audience on what you want them to do next.
It can be as simple as "Call us today!" or, "Get a free estimate!" Never forget to instruct the audience on the next action you want them to take.
No matter what you choose to say, it's important to engage the audience by showing a genuine desire to help.
Remember, it's important to share what you have to say both quickly and with authority.
Here are a few rules of thumb! But remember… always test and see which emails have the highest open and click rates!
If you want to increase your open rates, you should start by looking at your subject lines.
Like the content of your email they should be:
You can also use emojis in the subject line.
One at the beginning is great and try to make it tie in with the subject of the email.
Wednesdays are typically best for sending emails, but be sure to do some testing on the day and time of your sends.
You should begin sending emails before the snow season starts, but you can still win new business in the middle of the season too.
Pro Tip! Did you know Service Autopilot’s Automations automates and simplifies the email marketing process?
Take advantage of the easy-to-use, “done-for-you” email templates to help create, send, and track email campaigns to prospects and clients.
Plus, Service Autopilot allows you to tag leads and clients, segment them, and automatically send them emails based on what services they have (or have not) bought from you.
Take a look at a few of the most effective digital advertising strategies you should add to your snow marketing efforts.
SEO (i.e. search engine optimization) plays a huge role in where your website ranks on Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.
The main goal is to get your website to rank well within these search engines so that your leads can find you organically.
Simply put, 3-5 choose top-ranking, local keywords, and then target it using your website.
Example target keywords could be “Detroit snow removal” or “ice removal in Pittsburgh.”
If you want to level up your SEO research check out the following tools:
Paid Facebook advertising can be a great way to find new clients and fully leverage your snow marketing efforts.
You’ll be able to better reach the audience you outlined above, and social media ads are something that people accept and frequently interact with.
As an added bonus, you can easily place Instagram ads and expand your reach even further.
Here are a few tips to create Facebook ads that convert:
This type of digital marketing is characterized by the automated buying and selling of online advertising.
Programmatic advertising consists of many different strategies that all have the same goal…
Get your snow and ice removal business in front of online prospective clients throughout their buying journey.
However, this is an advanced marketing strategy and can require a big investment depending on the scale you’re looking to achieve.
It also might not guarantee that clients will come swarming from these ads.
If you decide to take advantage of these advanced marketing strategies, it's a good practice to use it in combination with other marketing strategies.
A few programmatic advertising strategies you should know about are:
Print advertising is still very effective for the snow and ice removal industry.
In fact, it can make quite an impact on the growth and sustainability of your snow and ice removal business and should be part of your overall snow marketing arsenal.
Here are a few print advertising ideas to consider trying:
Helpful hint: Occasionally, mix in an informative article with newspaper advertisements.
You’re already playing an important role in the community, and increasing your involvement can open a lot of doors.
Even in the digital age, sometimes face-to-face networking can bring the best client relationships.
Here are some ways to get involved:
These small acts go a long way to building rapport with potential clients in the community.
By showing up in places close to their hearts, they are likely to keep you in mind when they need help with winter services.
It’s no secret that it’s getting more difficult to stand out among the competition, which is why snow marketing is so important.
And if you want to maximize your marketing efforts, you need to leverage referrals.
Here's how to make referrals work for you:
These are a few easy ways to ask for reviews:
Pro Tip! Get signed permission from clients to post their raving reviews as a testimonial or graphics on your website and social media accounts.
Warm calling is when you call people you may know, already do business with, or have already shown interest in your services.
It may seem a little old-fashioned, but it's important to take advantage of the power of strategically placed, personal phone calls.
Plus, if you work with commercial snow clients, warm calling can serve as a great practice for landing those accounts.
Though, it’s standard practice to have a call script prepared, it’s not always the most effective practice.
Instead, consider using more of a call flow approach, where you allow the conversation to develop more organically based on the specific client.
Video marketing can be a very effective snow marketing strategy to capitalize on in today's digital age.
These can be as simple as capturing videos of the crew shoveling snow or plowing driveways and roadways or even before and after clips of a big job.
Plus, with outlets like YouTube, Facebook, X, TikTok, and Instagram getting so much attention from videos, you’re missing out if you’re not creating videos promoting your snow removal business.
You can also share your videos on your blog and website to increase credibility!
Here are a few types of videos you could use to promote your snow business:
Use demonstration video to show clients and leads what your snow business does to make their lives easier.
Plus, did you know a lot of people actually get enjoyment and relaxation from watching a driveway buried with snow get plowed?
Company videos are a great opportunity to introduce your team, culture, and story.
Plus, company videos help clients feel more connected to you and your snow removal business.
Use educational videos to educate clients and help them understand why your high-quality snow services stand out from the competition.
In addition, you can explain the services you offer like the differences in de-icers, plowing vs. shoveling, or anything else that teaches and informs clients in a non-sales pitch manner.
Customer testimonial videos are an excellent way to showcase your happiest clients.
For these videos, simply film your happiest clients talking about how your snow and ice removal services have helped their daily lives.
Even better, you can have clients explain why your business is different from the other local snow and ice removal businesses.
These are a few things to remember when creating videos:
You only have the audience's attention for about one minute on Facebook and two minutes on YouTube. For this reason, don’t be too long-winded, get to the point, and make every second count.
Also, make sure to mention your business name in all videos so people know who is talking to them!
Visibility and recognition are two necessities for any successful snow and ice removal business and here’s how to achieve that as part of your overall snow marketing strategy:
When people find your service online and click to see your snow website, it needs to be:
Plus, it's important to ALWAYS keep contact information updated.
Also, if you don't already have a website and don't yet have the budget to hire a freelance web developer, consider setting up a website using something like Wix or Squarespace in the meantime.
In order to make your snow business visible and recognizable from anywhere, it's important to brand snow equipment with your logo and phone number.
Here are a few examples of snow equipment you can brand with wraps and stickers:
Uniforms are a great way to keep your team looking professional and they can help spread brand awareness too.
While most people think just “a polo” or “t-shirt” your uniform could be a hat/beanie and or a snow jacket.
The important thing is getting a standardized look with your company’s logo and contact info too.
If you decide to have a brick-and-mortar office, be sure your sign is clear and visible from all street and walking angles.
Also, keep the lettering and images large enough to be seen from great distances
Strategically placed snow business signs can be highly effective in expanding reach throughout the communities you serve.
Negotiate with some of your best clients with highly visible properties and ask for permission to place a branded business sign in front of their home or place of business.
As always, if you’re feeling unsure of when you’ll have the time to implement these marketing techniques while running your business, put Service Autopilot to work for you.
Streamline and automate the way you do business so you can spend more time working ON your business rather than for it.
Now, you know how to use these top snow marketing strategies to successfully level up your business with scalable growth.
Use these snow marketing strategies to:
As you navigate your snow marketing journey, new ideas and techniques are bound to form. So, don’t be afraid to try something new.
At last, you have everything needed to use these simple snow marketing strategies to start growing your business in no time!
Related: Seasonal Snow Removal: 5 Ways to Dominate This Winter
Originally published Oct 10, 2019 2:00 PM, updated Jan 24, 2024 10:04 AM
Tags: Marketing
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