Most tree company marketing advice is written for companies with a marketing person. You have a chainsaw, a crew and about one free hour on Sunday.
So here is a plan built for that. It covers twelve months, one main job per month, in an order that makes sense: fix what leaks first, then add what brings more people in.
I am Umair. I build phone and booking systems for tree companies, so I lean toward “answer every lead” before “buy more leads.” I think that is the honest order. You can disagree, and your own numbers will tell you who is right.
The rule behind the plan
Marketing has three parts: getting found, getting the call, and turning the call into a booked job. Most small companies spend money on the first part and ignore the other two.
According to Invoca, about 27% of calls to home-service businesses go unanswered, and under 3% of those callers leave a voicemail. If that is close to your shop, adding more ads just feeds a leaky bucket.
So the first months of this plan are about the phone. The ad money comes later.
The plan at a glance
| Month | Main job | Useful tool |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Measure where you stand | Website and phone check |
| 2 | Fix the phone | Answer rate test |
| 3 | Clean up Google profile | Profile builder |
| 4 | Start a review routine | Review calculator |
| 5 | Make the website book jobs | Service page outline builder |
| 6 | Pick one ad channel | Marketing budget calculator |
| 7 | Build referrals | Referral program planner |
| 8 | Follow up on quotes | Quote follow-up planner |
| 9 | Prepare for storms | Storm capacity planner |
| 10-12 | Review, add-ons, plan ahead | Promo calendar |
Try it: start with the marketing budget calculator so month 6 does not catch you by surprise. For the bigger picture, read the marketing guide, the local SEO guide and the lead sources guide. Terms you do not know are in the glossary.
Month 1: Know your starting point
Do not buy anything yet. Measure.
- Count how many calls and form fills you got last month.
- Estimate how many you missed. Your phone’s call log helps.
- Write down your top three lead sources.
- Check your Google profile as a stranger would.
You can run a quick check to see the basics. The goal is a one-page list of problems, ranked by how many jobs they cost you.
Month 2: Fix the phone
Decide who answers, and what happens when nobody can. Options include an office helper, call forwarding, an automatic text to missed callers, or an AI receptionist. The right answer depends on your call volume and budget.
Whatever you choose, test it. Call from a different phone at lunchtime and at 7 pm. See what a customer sees. The answer rate test is a simple way to track this over a few days.
Month 3: Clean up your Google Business Profile
For local tree work, your Google profile often matters more than your website. Fill every field: services, service area, hours, phone, website and photos. Add real photos of real jobs, not stock images.
Pick the right primary category and add the services you actually do. Then check your hours, especially around holidays and storms. A wrong hour is a missed call and a bad review waiting to happen.
Month 4: Start a review routine
Reviews are trust you can show. In our October 2026 check of 6,842 tree companies, the median company had 44 Google reviews. Where do you stand against the companies near you?
Set a simple routine: a text asking for a review soon after each finished job, with a direct link. One reminder. Then stop. Reply to every review you receive.
Never buy reviews or offer rewards for positive ones. It breaks Google’s rules and customers can often spot it.
Month 5: Get the website to book jobs
Your site has one job: help a stranger decide to call or request an estimate. You need a clear phone number, a simple form, your service area and a few honest photos.
Check that it works on a phone, loads quickly, and that the form actually reaches you. In our October 2026 check, 93% of the 4,108 tree company websites we looked at had no online booking option, so a simple booking path can help you stand out.
Month 6: Pick one local ad channel
Now you can spend. Choose one channel and give it three months before you judge it:
- Local Services Ads, if your area has them and you can answer the phone
- Google Ads on a few emergency and removal terms
- Neighborhood and community pages, where a good reply is free
Set a monthly cap you can lose without panic. The marketing budget calculator can help you decide on a sensible share of revenue, and the LSA budget planner helps if you go that route.
Month 7: Build a referral habit
Tree work is often referred by neighbors, realtors, property managers, landscapers and HOA boards. These people want a dependable crew that shows up and replies.
Make a list of ten of them. Send a short, personal message: who you are, what you cover, how to reach you. Follow up after a good job. Keep it human.
Month 8: Follow-up system
Most estimates do not close the first time. Set a simple follow-up: a text the same day, another after three days, a last note after a week. Short and polite.
Keep a list of open quotes and look at it every Monday. Owners are often surprised by how much money sits in estimates nobody followed up on.
Month 9: Prepare for storm season
Storms bring a rush of calls you cannot take all at once. Plan before the weather arrives:
- Who answers the extra calls, and where do they go?
- What do you say to people who must wait?
- Which jobs do you take first?
- Which other crews can you call for help?
The storm capacity planner helps you work out how many jobs your crews can really handle. Write your emergency script now, not during the storm.
Month 10: Learn from the busy season
Look back at what worked. Which lead sources turned into paid jobs, not just calls? Which ad produced tire-kickers? Which review text got replies?
Cut one thing that did not work. Double down on one that did. Small changes beat big restarts.
Month 11: Stump grinding and add-ons
Customers who just had a tree removed often need a stump ground, hedge trimming or pruning. Ask at the end of every job, and send a follow-up text a few weeks later. Add-on work is often easier to win than a brand new customer.
Month 12: Plan the year ahead
Pull your numbers together: leads, bookings, revenue by source, reviews gained, ad spend. Set modest goals for next year, like “answer nearly every call” or “reach 100 reviews.”
Then repeat the plan, skipping what is already solid. Year two is easier because the base is built.
What if you only have time for three things?
Do these, in order: answer the phone, build the Google profile, collect reviews. Doing those three well is a strong start, even for a one-crew company.
If you want an outside view of where you stand, the free audit looks at these basics for your company.
A seasonal note
Tree work has busy and slow seasons that differ by region. Match the plan to your own calendar: the monthly calendar lists what tends to happen each month, and the seasonal demand calendar lets you mark your own. Move the months around if your storm season comes early.
How to keep the plan alive
A plan on paper does nothing. Put one task per month on your calendar with a date, and block thirty minutes each week for marketing. Review it on the first Monday of every month: what did I finish, what got in the way, what is next?
If a month goes badly, such as a storm or a sick crew member, do not restart. Move the task forward and keep going. Progress matters more than perfect order.
