How to create a marketing plan for outdoor living businesses

In 2025, 41 % of U.S. homeowners are planning to turn their backyards into personal sanctuaries, while weekly time spent outside has risen by 22 %—averaging nearly 12 hours outdoors each week finmit - Source, Business Insider - Source.

For hardscaping businesses and outdoor living firms, that means a surge in demand for patios, fire features, lighting, pavilions and wellness zones. But it also means more competition and higher homeowner expectations. A clear digital‑driven outdoor living business marketing strategy—your roadmap to being found, trusted, and hired, is now essential.

By following this practical guide, you’ll walk through a proven hardscape marketing strategy step‑by‑step: audience profiling, channel selection, storytelling content, budget planning, lead tracking, scaling, and conversion optimization.

1. Define Your Goals & Ideal Clients

• Set measurable targets. Are you aiming for a 25 % increase in quotes or breaking into luxury fire‑pit installed packages? Having specific goals gives focus.
• Know your customer personas. According to surveys, clients prioritize aesthetics (51 %), entertaining space (37 %) and extended living (33 %)—think paver patios, fire tables, layered lighting This Old House - Source.
• Ask yourself: What motivates your typical homeowner? Eco‑friendly materials? Seamless indoor‑outdoor flow? Wellness and mood lighting? Understanding key drivers shapes your messaging.

2. Choose High‑Impact Marketing Channels

a) SEO & Local SEO

• Target terms like Hardscape marketing strategies, Digital marketing for patio and outdoor contractors, and landscaping and hardscaping promotion ideas.
• Optimize your Google Business Profile: complete every section, upload recent project images, collect new reviews, and use service-area keywords (e.g., “Austin patio builder”) for better map visibility.

b) Pay‑Per‑Click Advertising (PPC)

• Landscape firms in 2024 averaged $3.65 per click and $87.80 per lead on Google Ads Green Industry Pros- Source.
• In 2025, landscaping ads averaged $8.76 CPC, 4.69 % CTR, 6.42 % conversion rate, and $118 cost-per-lead LocaliQ -Source.
• Start small—launch with a $500‑700/month test campaign. Focus on “patio builder near me,” “fire pit install,” or “outdoor kitchen contractor.” Once leads convert, scale accordingly.

c) Content Marketing & Social Media

• Share before/after builds, time‑lapses, reviews, and homeowner stories via Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Videos showing transformations (e.g. a dark yard lighting up) get exceptional engagement.
• Draw in readers with Landscaping and hardscaping promotion ideas such as layered lighting, permeable pavers, and modular lounge designs based on 2025 trends like minimalist furniture, pizza‑oven patios, drought‑wise planting, and composite decking Business Insider - Source..

d) Email & SMS Follow‑Up

• Create segmented lists: patio clients, lighting clients, fire‑feature clients.
• Automate email + SMS follow‑ups minutes after an inquiry—response rates can spike as high as 15 %.

3. Build Compelling Offers & Content Themes

• Story‑led project profiles — for example, “Transforming a blank yard into a wellness retreat with biophilic hardscape and fire edge.”
• Educational blog posts and videos — e.g. “Why choose permeable pavers?” or “Moonlighting vs uplighting: what’s best for ambiance?”
• 2025 trend angles: Eco‑materials (68 % of homeowners cite sustainability as a key factor), wellness-driven outdoor zones, fire/smoke‑free heat sources, and solar‑powered lighting that may qualify for tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act kiplinger - Source.

These align with keywords like Landscaping and hardscaping promotion ideas and position you as an authority.

4. Budget & Track Your Marketing Performance

• Allocating budget? Benchmark is 7‑10 % of revenue, or 5‑8 % for smaller firms in a growth phase improvado - Source.
• Spend for home‑services ads: Start around $500–600 per month and increase during peak season Hatch - Source.
• Track everything:
  • Use tools like CallRail or WhatConverts to track calls, web form fills and SMS conversions.
  • Include custom UTM links for campaigns.
  • If you still do print flyers or direct mail, include QR codes + unique promo codes to attribute inbound leads accurately.

5. Optimize & Scale with Personalization

• Stay flexible. In 2024 many local businesses pivoted their marketing mid‑year due to economic volatility simpletiger - Source.
• Personalize messaging. Example: Show fire pit upgrades and lighting features to prospects who previously inquired about patios only.
• Build your reviews. Ask happy clients to post a quick photo and 5‑star Google review. It fuels local SEO and buyer confidence.
• Retarget engaged users. Use website visitor Pixel or email list retargeting (e.g. offer a free lighting audit to visitors who read your blog post).

Conclusion

You now have a full hardscape marketing strategy that is designed for owners and leaders of hardscape and outdoor living build firms:

1. Define your homeowner persona and business goals
2. Optimize local SEO and invest in smart PPC
3. Share trend‑driven, story‑based content—including video
4. Allocate and monitor marketing spend with precision
5. Test, personalize, and expand what works

Ready to scale your outdoor living or hardscaping business with real ROI and consistent leads? Book a call with our agency to discuss your marketing needs as a growing business