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Our informative article provides snow removal advertising ideas, templates & examples so you can plan when to start advertising for snow removal and how to get clients.
By Matt Wacek
Published: October 1, 2020
Last Updated: August 23, 2023
Snow plowing and ice removal is a completely different ball game compared to the spring, summer and fall season work. A few extra inches of grass during a rainy stretch is generally not a big deal, but a few inches of snow can lead to a slowdown in traffic, being susceptible to slipping and falling, and more. Snow removal is a crucial service for residential and commercial clients and can be quite lucrative with dense routes.
Before we get into the process for advertising and how to get more snow removal clients, there are a few things you need to write down and assess before you start advertising for snow plowing and ice removal.
Ask any seasoned snow removal contractor when to start spreading the word to your existing clientele and advertising to get more clients, and you will get different answers. There is also a huge variance between residential and commercial properties, and there can even be a big difference between large retail or restaurant chains, office complexes, etc. depending on who your point of contact is – property management company or the actual business property owner.
The short answer to the question: “when to start advertising for snow removal” is long before winter begins!
Here is the general timeline for snow removal advertising that Landscape Marketing Pros’ CEO used in his Minnesota-based snow removal company that he owned from 2011-2016: (this timeline may differ slightly depending on where exactly you are located)
August: Decide what advertising methods to use.
If you are going to employ SEO (the best method to bring in the highest interest prospects) – start now! The sooner, the better.
September: Put your strategy together – are you going to offer a discount, special offers, etc?
Print Ads – Get them ordered from your designer/print shop!
Google, FB, IG Ads – Build any necessary landing pages
Existing clients – Initial reach out
SEO – link building to get your snow removal page ranking
October: Put the strategy to work.
Print Ads – Get them distributed throughout the month even into November – can continue until the snow flies
Google Pay-Per-Click Ads – Turn them on!
FB/IG Ads – Turn them on around the middle of the month – it’s also a great time for retargeting your existing clients
Existing clients – Reach out with up-sell letters, email broadcasts, etc.
SEO – Link building to get your snow removal page ranking
November: Continue generating leads. November is often when the first snow arrives – the week and days leading up to it your phone and inbox will be going crazy as prospects scramble to find a snow service provider.
Print Ads – If it has not yet snowed, continue distributing them
Google Pay-Per-Click Ads – Keep them running (they can run all winter long if you want to bring in new clients and your budget allows)
FB/IG Ads – Continue with them if you are seeing a positive return
Existing clients – Reach out email broadcasts, direct email, etc.
SEO – Link building to get your snow removal page ranking – if it’s ranking – maintain the positioning
December: Keep everything going if there has not been any snow yet.
January: Winter’s wrath has usually arrived by now. After the first snow event the demand will drop. The best method to generate new clients through the rest of the winter is with referrals, Google Search Ads (you don’t have to pay to run the ad unless someone clicks), and SEO (once your website is ranking – the direct cost for traffic is zero dollars)
Unless it’s near the end of winter, it’s not too late to advertise for snow removal. However, the bulk of the demand for snow removal will be in the fall and early winter for the prospects that plan ahead. You can always count on a lot of demand for residential service the week and days leading up to the first snow event.
All of the marketing/advertising methods mentioned at the beginning of this article will work for generating commercial snow removal leads. One other method that worked well for me was cold calling. Some of the best commercial snow removal clients can be landed simply by finding the business property, locating their contact information, picking up the phone, having a short conversation and then putting in a bid via email. These properties were always locally-owned establishments.
Most contractors that have been in the snow removal game for a while will know that there is a gigantic difference between bidding on chain retail stores & restaurants, government facilities, HOAs/Townhomes, a locally owned business property, and property management companies. Large chains often hire a regional or nationwide property management company, whom often have a network of contractors they provide a list of bid specifications to and do a Request For Proposal. This is typically the process for most large chain stores and restaurants. Cold calling these management companies can get you on their list of contractors.
Small, local property management companies may do the RFP process, but they reach out to a snow removal company via website – which is the best because they are coming to you, instead of you going to them.
The inbound marketing methods covered earlier in this article are great for bringing in local businesses, HOAs, and townhouses as clients where your point of contact is usually the business owner or association manager. These will primarily be smaller office complexes, retail shops, strip malls, local restaurants, banks and other service businesses. Being as many of them are small business owners themselves, both parties have similarities in which they both own companies and understand business ownership, versus the person that may just be an account manager for a large property management company. Which means that as long as your company provides great service, you can expect to retain them for the long haul, versus the RFP bid process where you could lose accounts after just one year even if your work was flawless.
Based on your current fleet of equipment and what is in your budget for expansion, use what is presented in this article as a guide to see what marketing methods you want to employ to get more snow removal clients for your company. If you would like to talk with us about growing your snow removal business using the internet, schedule a strategy session today!
Landscape Marketing Pros is a digital marketing agency based in Florida that serves clients nationwide. Our mission is to help our clients wear one less hat while managing their business and deliver an astounding return on investment in the process.
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