If you're a home services pro trying to grow, marketing can feel like a guessing game. But what if you could track exactly which ads, platforms, and keywords drive your best jobs? That’s the kind of clarity Halstead Media helps deliver. Originally launched as a print publication for the luxury outdoor living space, the agency quickly evolved when its founders saw a bigger need: home service providers didn’t just need visibility — they needed a reliable system for growth.
Corey and Anna Halstead know what it takes because they’ve lived it. With roots in landscaping and careers that span both big-brand marketing and small-business grit, they’ve built Halstead Media into a strategy-first agency that delivers measurable results. On the Green Industry Podcast, they joined host Paul Jamison to share the tools, mindset shifts, and marketing systems that help home service companies scale smarter in today’s competitive landscape.
Make your website the foundation of your marketing
Similar to how a paver patio needs a base material, Corey explained, your website serves as the foundation for all of the marketing activities of your home services business. Online and offline source data and conversions are tracked in relation to the website.
For example, with the right tools, you can tell if someone visits your website via Google or because they saw a vanity URL on a landscaping truck.
“I had a prospect ask me years ago, ‘What is going to be my return on investment on my website?’” said Corey. “My answer is that you are able to play the game of marketing how it is done in 2025.”
Why you should use short-, mid-, and long-term strategies
An integrated marketing approach that combines various marketing activities for different parts of the customer journey can be effective for home services businesses. By using a mix of channels, each campaign can support and reinforce the other, while ensuring multiple touchpoints for prospects.
“The magic isn’t in one ad — it’s in how all your marketing channels work together.”
— Anna Halstead, Co-owner of Halstead Media
For example, Google Ads can be effective in the short-term for urgent lead generation. They can be implemented quickly and provide data-driven results. Social media ads, like a Facebook retargeting campaign, may take longer to show results, but can support other marketing channels and remind prospects about your services. SEO is a long-term strategy, but it often yields higher-quality leads.
These efforts are interconnected but not always linear. Potential customers often encounter a brand several times before they engage. Companies also need different strategies at different stages of growth.
Capture data for better marketing decisions
If you're not tracking every call and form submission, you’re not just losing jobs — you’re losing the ability to understand what’s working and what’s not. Attribution is key to smarter spend and better strategy. Using tools like CallRail helps remove the guesswork from making marketing decisions and eliminates wasted dollars.
Anna explained, “Thanks to CallRail, we can see exactly where the most leads or the lead that the client said was really good were, which ad or search term drove the lead, and use that to determine how to get more high-quality leads."
“Stop marketing blindly. Don’t allocate a dollar until you know what’s working and what’s not.”
— Anna Halstead
Halstead requires clients to have Call Tracking so they have visibility into the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. Integrating tools like Jobber, ServiceTitan, and HubSpot’s CRM with CallRail provides additional data to improve analytics and enhance marketing intelligence. Systems integrations give you a more complete picture of the customer journey to inform smarter marketing decisions and drive better results.
Test new marketing tactics
The Halsteads say one of their company’s core values is curiosity. They want to help their clients grow through both tried-and-true tactics and innovative methods.
Naturally, home services businesses traditionally target homeowners. But, for companies that want to differentiate themselves or diversify in a time of economic uncertainty, it can pay to try something new. LinkedIn’s targeting features make the B2B platform a new way to find commercial clients like developers and property management firms. This approach can supplement the B2C “boots-on-the-ground” tactics that landscapers typically rely on. It’s also a good way to warm up sales prospects before in-person meetings.
Anna recommends that home services businesses embrace change in their marketing. What is working well at one point will inevitably become less effective, so trying and testing new ideas is essential. The Halstead team is always trying to evolve and learn through hands-on experimentation.
Build your business by focusing on long-term success
To continue to grow and achieve long-term success, the Halsteads suggest viewing marketing strategies as building blocks. Create a multi-year marketing strategy, so each year, you improve your marketing system to get closer to your business's vision. For example, you may plan to improve your website one year and add Google Ads or SEO efforts the next.
“Marketing used to be about finding ‘the thing’— now it’s about building a system that works long-term.”
— Corey Halstead, Co-owner of Halstead Media
Prioritize your marketing investments based on your business stage. Each improvement should bring you closer to one of your objectives. While goals are important, it’s also important to be adaptable as marketing technologies evolve.
Ready to stop guessing and start growing?
CallRail helps home services pros attract, track, and convert leads into jobs across all channels. With Call Tracking and other smart features, you not only gain customers but capture data to build better marketing systems.
Try CallRail for 14 days free.
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