The Company: Crew Cuts Lawn Care
Crew Cuts Lawn Care was founded in 2008 by Shayne Wierenga and Dan Morehouse. The tumultuous economy’s lack of employment opportunities motivated the partners to begin their own business venture. Their prior experience led them to center their new, full-time business around lawn care service. Crew Cuts Lawn Care serves West Lafayette, Indiana and surrounding areas and provides an extensive array of lawn services including mowing, mulching, aeration, lawn installation, and seasonal clean-ups.
The Business Challenge: Relevant Customer Leads
Beyond establishing their business and services, Shayne and Dan found they had much to learn about Crew Cuts’ true lifeline, its customers. With the physical capabilities, equipment, service plans, and detailed execution set in place, the two founders realized they were in dire need of lead-generation and retention. Who were their customers and where would they come from? Shayne and Dan striving to know and understand their customers fueled the two to find a proactive approach to optimizing their business. After consulting their accountant, the answer to their situation became obvious: they needed a marketing strategy.
After trying out different traditional marketing and advertising plans the team did see customer growth that helped them hang on to their young business. However, the customers they were attracting just didn’t seem to fit their business. They began to search for a more innovative, pinpointed approach to their dilemma. The Internet seemed a hopeful answer. Shayne built a homepage for Crew Cuts, but despite his best effort, the business was nowhere to be found in the Google search engine results. Their site was practically invisible. They kept receiving enough leads to get by, but their true potential was still unrealized.
The Solution: Custom SEO
Desperate to find an effective, sustainable solution, Crew Cuts met with Find8 to discuss strategies Find8 could provide for them using the web development, search engine optimization, and Google. Slightly skeptical of the entire plan, they chose to only implement a website re-design. However, after stumbling upon a television special on Google AdWords, Shayne took heed to Karla’s advice and the full arsenal was used to promote Crew Cuts on the web.
Find8’s strategic plan included the following tools, in order to fully optimize and grow Crew Cuts to its full potential:
- Google Maps: Creating a West Lafayette mailing address for Crew Cuts in order to qualify in Google’s ranking system, as well as a base for other Internet rating websites to provide comments and feedback to Crew Cuts.
- Google Organic: Providing the appropriate tips, tools, and keywords for Crew Cuts to maintain their status and rank in the top slots of Google’s search engine. Executing SEO in every level of their website.
- Google AdWords: Expertly developing ads for new customer generation and educating Crew Cuts on the capabilities of Google advertising.
A campaign was planned and executed at the end of March 2010. As soon as Spring began the proof they needed was undeniable. Shayne describes this spike in his business as a busy time with no life existing outside of their growing business. Answering calls in the upwards of twenty a day, Shayne and Dan had their hands full, and bountiful ROI. The evidence of how successful an Internet marketing strategy could be was right in front of them, as the new leads continued to flow into the business.
Crew Cuts was visible; at the top of the results, outperforming their West Lafayette, Indiana competition. Its placement in Google also solidified Crew Cuts’ reputation and brand. The website became a powerful, easily accessible tool for new and returning customers, as well as an aesthetically appealing web experience.
The Result: 3658.39% Increase in Business
This successful campaign put the world of digital web marketing strategy at Crew Cuts fingertips. The total cost of the campaign was $745 dollars with a return on investment of $20,000. This was a 3658.39% increase for the business. The other traditional marketing plans tried initially with the Journal and Courier and other outlets didn’t come close to comparing with the web marketing strategy. The Google AdWords campaign cost only a fraction of what traditional advertising would demand. After only two months of Find8’s campaign, Crew Cuts pulled all other ads and focused solely on their web campaign. Crew Cuts has not only experienced financial success, but their brand and reputation are also flourishing around the community. In a short time, the young business has gained respect and has risen above their competition.
The future of Crew Cuts looks bright as they have purchased a second set of commercial lawn care equipment and are looking forward to yet another successful business year. Now, debt free, Shayne and Dan are planning on growing their business steadily and caring for their loyal customers. They hope to double their business in the coming year.