As summer comes to an end and the leaves begin to turn red and yellow, there’s no better time to prepare for holiday lighting season than right now.

While winter might slow (or completely freeze) any landscaping projects, it also brings new opportunities to expand your business and find new customers. During the winter months, landscape contractors can shift their focus to selling and installing holiday lighting.

Each year, professional holiday lighting is growing 30 to 35 percent; and about one-fourth of all sales are contracted to outside labor, according to Seasonal Source.

To start developing your own holiday lighting business, here are some potential customers that might be in your community:

Homeowners and Homeowner Associations 

An obvious customer base to service with holiday lighting installation is homeowners. Annually, about 13,000 people are injured due to a holiday accidents like installing lights, according to U.S. News. To help prevent injury and make some extra Christmas cash, offer your professional services to local homeowners.

Start by reaching out to your current customers, and ask them to share your services with people they know as well. You should also promote your new services on your social media accounts too to inform potential customers of this new offering.

[box]Tip: You can use Facebook ads targeted to specific zip codes in your area to advertise your holiday lighting services to potential nearby customers.[/box]

Homeowner associations (HOAs) also have great potential to become large, repeat customers. HOAs can also create a lot of revenue opportunities with individual homeowners.

First, you’ll need to establish a rapport with the person(s) in charge of the association. Find out if you can include an advertisement in the HOA newsletter and if they plan to illuminate entrances, medians, or other high traffic areas. Finally, be sure to obtain and follow all HOA rules for holiday decorating.

Commercial Businesses and Shopping Malls 

What makes customers want to spend money more than seeing holiday lighting and decorations hung? Not much.

Beyond the occasional homeowner and local HOA, installing holiday lights on commercial businesses and shopping malls can be a great way to supplement slow business through the winter months.

Small local businesses can benefit from festive holiday lights by creating that holiday glow around their shop to entice prospective shoppers.

For shopping malls, having holiday lights strung around the building can help create that “most wonderful time of the year” feeling shoppers crave, which can generate more business and revenue.

Pitch your services and the benefits of holiday lighting to business owners and other retailers to build your profits.

Restaurants

They say painting dining areas red increases your appetite; so the bright reds, yellows and oranges of festive holiday lights are sure to bring in hungry patrons to local restaurants.

After finishing their holiday shopping, consumers will want to stop for a bite to eat at a decorated restaurant to continue the holiday excitement.

Municipalities and Country Clubs 

There’s nothing like seeing your town square or local country club lit up at night in shining bright colors.

Country clubs are always hosting holiday events, so get ahead of the game and pitch your holiday lighting services early to establish a relationship with this potential customer.

For large projects such as municipalities and large country clubs, utilize LED lights to keep costs down for the customer and promote energy savings.

Universities and Colleges

Another potential customer for holiday lighting are universities and colleges.

Reach out to your local community college or any nearby universities to bring holiday lighting to campuses.

Winter doesn’t have to bury your business in snow, let it shine through with holiday lighting. Also check out our bistro light offerings to generate revenue year-round!

To help you achieve success with holiday lighting, Ewing has a variety of professional grade holiday lighting options to help you create festive and fun installs in your community.

Click here to view Ewing's Holiday & Special Event Lighting Catalog.

Call or visit your local Ewing store or view our Holiday Lighting Catalog to learn more, and watch our video on holiday lighting tips below.

https://youtu.be/5Rm7f2KIwO4