Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Direct mailers and a monthly newsletter are both great ideas. But, ironically, I happened to think about your very industry last week.

We've had two different companies trim trees and remove in the last three years. Neither one ever followed up the following season to ask us if we needed additional work. I'm sure I have their business cards somewhere, but their companies are not at the top of mind.

I think tree trimming/removal services miss great opportunities for repeat business when they don't follow up via quick note or phone and suggest to former clients that it might be a good time to revisit their trees.

Somewhat ironically, this is one thing auto dealerships do right... I always get reminders for auto maintenance.

If you go with an enews, you could use a free survey tool, like survey monkey, to gather customer feedback, and use it as a way to get testimonial quotes to include on mailers.

Also, this may be obvious and you may already be doing, but job signs and door hangers to publicize your business in the neighborhoods where you're currently working on jobs seem to do well for our customers who are in the home improvement/remodeling business.

Customer follow ups is something we have thought about doing I am just worried about bothering people. I do like the idea of creating a Q&A for possible future customers allowing us to answer some of their possible questions.

IF I need a tree removed I'm not going to look at old newsletters or mailers I've received. You may have some name recognition, but I honestly don't remember most of the mailers I get.

Networking with landscapers. YOu also just notice places in the neighborhood. Be selective for the places you leave mailers. That means door hanging.

Michaell