3 Creative Ideas to Rethink Snow Removal Marketing!
The winds they are a-changin’ (thanks, Bob!), and there’s a decidedly less optimistic feel to those leaf-clearing breezes. The overnight temps are beginning to drop and summer is packing it in until next year. For some, the inevitability of winter may be something to dread, but for a few, hardworking, entrepreneurial souls, those winter months are where they really shine.
“The Times They Are A-Changin'” by Bob Dylan | Album Art Image via Wikipedia
You know who you are – whether you operate a fleet of super-efficient truck plows or are rocking a skidsteer solo, the men and women who clear roads and driveways of snow and ice are the heroes of the Northern Hemisphere. Heading out into the frozen tundra while the rest of the city sleeps, you deserve all the accolades.
Unfortunately, sometimes hero status isn’t enough to fill your snow removal client roster. Building your brand – and your reputation – can take a bit more legwork, but it’s worth it. Since 2017, the snowplowing services industry market size has grown an average of 4.3% per year, to a current US market share of $20.8 billion (IBIS World).
Taking the time to come up with creative ways to market your snow removal business is absolutely essential to building your business and cementing your hero status. Need some inspiration? Read on for our favorite strategies.
Idea #1 – Add Snow Removal Flyers to Lawn Care Invoices
Those of you who fall into the “make hay while the sun shines” category are likely also operating as lawn care or landscaping businesses during the non-winter months. If you’re not communicating with your summer clients about your snow removal offerings, you’re missing out on the best pool of potential customers. They’ve already let you in, so use your existing relationship to share other ways you can help.
Creating an eye-catching snow removal flyer and including it with the invoices you send out to clients is not only cost-effective, it’s just good business. In addition, when you build your design off of a professionally-designed template, the entire process becomes even easier.
Snow Removal Flyer Designs via MyCreativeShop
MyCreativeShop has a variety of drift-worthy snow removal flyer templates to get you started. You can choose from both rack card size (4”x9”) flyer designs that fit neatly into a #10 envelope and standard size (8.5”x11”) designs that just need a little folding. We also offer satisfaction-guaranteed print services (folding, too!) so that you can avoid that headache. Simply choose your template and use the tools in our online editor to apply your on-brand color scheme. Add all the relevant details of your snow removal service, including the best way to contact you, then order up your prints or download a high-quality PDF so you can do it yourself!
Idea #2 – Go Door-to-Door with Custom Reimagined Door Hangers
Another creative way to say goodbye to summer and fall and welcome in the snow is to go door-to-door in your community with a stack of custom snow removal door hangers. Door hangers are unintrusive and easy to distribute, and can even give you the opportunity to personally connect with prospective clients on their turf.
If you are already using door hangers to promote your growing season lawn and yard services, you can save yourself a ton of time and energy by simply winterizing your summer design. Don’t worry, there aren’t any pipes to blow out or roses to prune. Instead, MyCreativeShop enables you to duplicate your existing lawn & garden services door hanger template to use as your snow removal door hanger template. Then, it’s just a matter of replacing the colors in the summer color scheme with a wintery palette and swapping out grass-filled images for pictures of winter weather.
Lawn & Garden Door Hanger Designs via MyCreativeShop
As you can see in the above images, the “Love Your Yard” design easily became a reminder that “Snow is on the way” when the greens were exchanged for shades of icy blue and the warm weather images were replaced with photos that evoked all the “joy” that shoveling snow can bring. In addition, the color logo was replaced with a smaller, grayscale version, and the words “Snow Removal” were added below. Simple changes that took just minutes but made all the difference!
Idea #3 – Use Direct Mail Postcards to Expand Your Client Roster
Yet another opportunity to connect with both your existing snow removal clients and those you’re hoping to add to your roster is through the use of custom direct mail postcards. With a median ROI of 29%, direct mail has both paid search (23%) and online ads (16%) beat (via SmallBizGenius). In addition, direct mail postcards have a 4.25% response rate, higher than that of all other direct mail forms.
Need more convincing on the effectiveness of direct mail marketing? Check out our post, "Direct Mail Statistics: 59+ Facts You Should Know!"
Snow Removal EDDM Postcard Designs via MyCreativeShop
The direct mail process is made exponentially less complicated when you partner with a comprehensive direct mail service. MyCreativeShop not only offers customizable snow removal postcard templates, we also have an all-in-one direct mail service that will be a game-changer for your marketing efforts. Simply customize your chosen template with all the essential details of your snow removal service, build your list, and we’ll handle the rest. Consider including a coupon code or discount to increase your response rate, as saving money is hard to resist!
The beauty of working with this marketing tool is that not only can you send your postcards to the names and addresses you already have on your mailing list, you can also utilize our best in class list builder tool to expand your recipient pool to those who fit the demographics of your target market. Or, you can select a true EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) mailing and build your recipient list by ZIP code and postal route. No matter what you choose, you’ll be reaching out in style!
Just Do It!
In the end, the transition from summer to fall to winter doesn’t have to loom over your snow removal marketing methods. Embrace the change and make it work for you, whether by connecting with your existing customers in mail you’re already sending, going door to door with a reinvented, winterized door hanger design, or reaching out to an expanded audience with custom direct mail postcards. Sometimes you just have to do it!
MyCreativeShop offers a variety of snow removal postcard and flyer templates to make the marketing process less complicated. Our all-in-one direct mail service can also be a game-changing addition to your marketing arsenal. We’re here year-round, through snow and rain and gloom of night, but there’s no time like the present to get started!
