Tree Service Marketing: The Before-and-After Video That Got 50K Views
Removal videos, yard sign deals, Nextdoor dominance, and HOA newsletter ads. Hyperlocal tree service marketing.
A tree service owner in Georgia filmed a 90-second time-lapse of a massive dead oak removal: drone shot of the tree towering over the house, crew climbing, sections dropping, then the clean yard at the end. He posted it on Facebook and tagged the neighborhood group.
Fifty thousand views. Thirty-plus phone calls. He booked $18,000 in work from a single video that took five minutes to shoot.
Most tree service marketing advice tells you to "optimize your Google profile" and "build citations." That stuff matters. But the operators who dominate their local markets do it by being impossible to ignore in the neighborhoods they serve. Here is how.
Before-and-After Content Is Your Unfair Advantage
Tree work is the most visually dramatic trade in home services. A yard goes from "that dead tree is going to kill someone" to magazine-clean in a single day. No other contractor can show that kind of transformation.
Film everything. Set up a phone on a tripod before every significant job. Time-lapse the entire removal or trimming. You do not need a drone or professional equipment. Phone footage is fine.
Post to Facebook groups, not just your page. Neighborhood Facebook groups and Nextdoor are where homeowners actually see your content. A post on your business page reaches 50 people. A post tagged in the local neighborhood group reaches 5,000.
Use the caption to sell. "This 80-year-old oak was dead and leaning toward the house. The homeowner called us Monday, and by Wednesday the family could use the backyard again. If you have a tree that worries you, we do free hazard assessments." That is educational, specific, and ends with a call to action.
One tree service owner posts a before-and-after every Friday. He calls it "Transformation Friday." After six months, his name was the first mentioned in every Nextdoor thread asking for tree service recommendations.
Yard Signs: Pay $50, Get $2,000
After every removal or major trimming job, ask the homeowner if you can leave a yard sign for 30 days. Offer $50 off their bill or a $50 gift card as incentive.
This works because tree service is one of the few trades where neighbors actively notice the work happening. They watched your crew all day. They saw the massive trunk come down. Now there is a clean yard and a sign with your number.
Track which sign placements generate calls (use a unique phone number or just ask callers). One operator found that yard signs in subdivisions with trees over 20 years old produced 3-5 calls per sign placement. At an average job value of $750-$3,500, the math is absurd.
Pair signs with door hangers on the 20-30 nearest homes: "We just completed tree work on your street. Free hazard assessments for neighbors. Call or text." That door hanger converts at roughly 5-8%, which means 1-2 new estimates from every job you complete.
Nextdoor: The Platform Built for Tree Services
Tree service is the number-one recommended contractor category on Nextdoor. When someone posts "Who is a good tree service?" in their neighborhood, the thread fills with recommendations. You want your name in those threads.
The strategy is indirect. You cannot just post ads. Instead, get your happy customers to recommend you. After finishing a job, text the homeowner: "If anyone on Nextdoor ever asks about tree service, it would mean a lot if you mentioned us." Most will, because they just watched your crew do something impressive.
Answer questions for free. When someone posts a photo asking "Is this tree dying?" or "Should I be worried about this crack?", respond with genuine, helpful advice. Do not pitch. Just be the knowledgeable professional. People remember who helped them, and they call that person first when they need work done.
HOA newsletters are the print version of this. Communities with 20-40 year old trees are your sweet spot. Contact the HOA board and offer to write a free seasonal tree care column for their newsletter. It positions you as the neighborhood expert and puts your name in front of every homeowner in the development.
Wrap the Truck, Brand the Chipper
Your equipment convoy (truck, trailer, chipper) drives through neighborhoods every day. A professional wrap turns it into a rolling billboard that gets thousands of impressions per week.
Include three things on the wrap: your company name, your phone number in huge text, and "Licensed & Insured / ISA Certified Arborist" (if you have the credential). Skip the website URL. Nobody is writing down a URL from a moving truck. They are calling the number or Googling the name.
Keep the vehicles clean. A tree service truck caked in sawdust and mud sends exactly the wrong message. The companies that look professional get called for the $3,500 removal jobs. The ones that look rough get called for the $400 trimming jobs, or not at all.
The Neighborhood Density Play
Every completed job should generate at least one more job in the same neighborhood. Here is the system:
During the job: Park for maximum visibility. Keep the site clean. Have your crew in matching shirts.
After the job: Leave a yard sign. Distribute 20-30 door hangers within walking distance. Post a before-and-after on the neighborhood Facebook group and Nextdoor.
One week later: Drive back through the neighborhood and note any obviously problematic trees. Leave a personalized note: "I noticed the large maple in your front yard has some dead limbs. Happy to do a free assessment if you would like. We were just working on [Street Name] last week."
This is not cold calling. It is warm outreach backed by visible evidence that you just did great work nearby. The close rate on these notes is remarkably high (around 15-25%) because you are specific, local, and credible.
The best tree service operators treat every neighborhood like a territory to own. One job leads to a yard sign. The yard sign leads to a door hanger call. That call leads to another yard sign on the next block. Within a year, you are the default tree service for the entire subdivision.