Social media is one of the main pillars of marketing, but it can also be one of the most poorly executed prongs if you don’t have a good idea of what your goals are with it.
“Without a strong social strategy, you’re working to capture existing search demand rather than also working to increase the size of your addressable market, aka people that don’t know they need the thing or maybe they know, but haven’t started researching yet,” says Corey Halstead, co-owner of HALSTEADMedia.
Robert Murray, co-founder and CEO of Intrigue Media, notes that often your high-value prospects who are going to spend $100,000+ on a project are going to not only explore your website but also your social profiles like Facebook and Instagram for more insights on your company.
“Are you timely and relevant?” Murray says. “Are you professional? Are you courteous? And then they come back and inquire. I find that keeping those accounts fresh and timely is important. People do check out social profiles as part of their decision-making process.”
Platforms to Focus On
Your customer base will determine which social media platforms are best to focus on. Chad Diller, CEO of Landscape Leadership, a sales and marketing agency for lawn and landscape companies, says for residential landscape companies, Facebook and Instagram continue to be the most promising, while LinkedIn is better for commercial landscape companies.
Murray agrees LinkedIn can be a great platform for commercial landscape companies to provide content to property managers and HOAs.
Other platforms can be enticing to have a presence on but they have more limited ROI. Murray says that while TikTok is a popular app, the videos are often seen all over the world and doesn’t really help you a local service business.
“While platforms like TikTok are exciting, many companies jump in without a proper plan to fully leverage the primary platforms where their ideal customers already spend most of their time,” Halstead says.
Halstead also cautions against focusing too much on growing your Instagram following when 95% or more aren’t potential customers in your specific marketplace.
Organic Posting Versus Paid Social Ads
One common misconception with social media marketing is assuming that posting in general on platforms like Facebook and Instagram directly impacts lead flow and brand awareness. Halstead says that social posting is not digital marketing; it is basic marketing hygiene that shows your business is active and intentional.
“For 2025, effective social marketing means properly targeted Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn ads,” Halstead says. “These campaigns should focus on both cold traffic to reach new markets and retargeting to move prospects through the buyer’s journey.”
Diller acknowledges with social ads the cost per lead is much higher than other options.
“I tell clients all the time it’s kind of like you’re paying for online branding,” Diller says. “It’s not going to generate a ton of leads in most cases, but it doesn’t mean you want to ignore it. But if you have something else that you’re getting a better cost per lead, you want to make sure you’re maxing out your budget in those areas.”
Halstead says in an internal study they conducted they found over 90% of landscape businesses do not have active paid social media ads running consistently. Yet social ads can be used to break through certain revenue barriers.
“I challenge the ROI of a social posting strategy that doesn’t have ad dollars behind it,” Halstead says. “We are in a pay-to-play game now. The time, team coordination, and effort required to post effectively on social without ad spend or proper targeting deliver minimal ROI in my opinion.”
It’s also important not to overlook the power of retargeting to keep your pipeline warm.
“The idea that someone clicks on a Google ad, lands on a page, and immediately purchases your services isn’t a scalable strategy,” Halstead says. “What typically happens is they click, land, leave, and forget.”
Retargeting ads nurture leads that may convert months down the road.
One area of opportunity with paid social ads is YouTube advertising. Halstead says with retargeting ads based on search YouTube offers a unique and effective way to reach potential customers and should be considered as part of an advanced digital strategy.
