How a Local Outdoor Living Company Turned Content Into a Lead Machine
AE Outdoor Living went from “we should probably do social media” to building one of the most effective lead generation systems in the outdoor living industry by combining education-first video, a conversion-focused website, and an instant estimate tool that homeowners actually want to use.
This started the way a lot of real partnerships start: a networking event, a quick conversation, and a shared belief that modern marketing is about trust, not hype. AE Outdoor Living already understood that social media is not just “posting.” It is building familiarity so that when someone is ready to spend real money on their backyard, they already feel like they know who they are hiring.
The difference was that they did not have a repeatable system yet. They had the intent, the workmanship, and the vision, but not the machine that turns attention into booked projects. Once the pieces were built and connected, the outcome stopped being random and started being predictable.
This case study breaks down what was built, why it worked, and the specific wins that followed, including lead volume that forced hiring, cost per lead that stayed aggressive, and brand reach that compounded over time.
Why Content Was the Foundation, Not the Add-On
AE Outdoor Living did not win by chasing trends or boosting random posts. They won by becoming the most helpful outdoor living educator in their market and turning that trust into demand.
The turning point was adopting the “They Ask, You Answer” mindset. Homeowners do not just want a pretty portfolio. They want clarity around price ranges, material choices, timelines, what breaks, what lasts, and what decisions they will regret if they choose wrong. Those questions are the real sales conversation, and most contractors avoid them until late in the process.
AE Outdoor Living did the opposite. They answered those questions openly, on camera, using straightforward explanations that sound like a real contractor talking to a real homeowner. That builds confidence fast, especially for high-ticket projects where buyers are nervous about making an expensive mistake.
Once the education engine is in place, ads become an amplifier instead of a crutch. You are no longer trying to “convince” people. You are simply putting helpful content in front of the right homeowners and letting the system do the work.
What Happened When the System Was Implemented
The first few months generated over 1,100 leads and created the kind of “bad problem” most contractors never experience: too much demand for the existing sales capacity.
This was not a lucky month or a viral fluke. The system was modified specifically for outdoor living projects, where the buyer journey is long, questions are predictable, and education dramatically increases conversion. Once traffic had a clear destination and follow-up was automated, lead flow became consistent instead of spiky.
The early volume overwhelmed the salesperson and the owner because the pipeline filled faster than the team could respond. That is the moment you know it is not just marketing. It is operational impact. They had to hire more people to keep up with demand, which is the clearest signal that the leads were real and actionable.
That hiring pressure is also a win. It means you have leverage. You can choose better projects, you can enforce higher standards, and you can build a healthier business instead of constantly scrambling for the next job.
Who This Works For and Who It Does Not
This system performs best for outdoor living and similar high-ticket home improvement services because homeowners need education to feel safe spending big money, and the content shortens that trust-building curve.
Backyard projects are emotional purchases. Homeowners are imagining how they will live, host, and relax. They also worry about price creep, bad installs, and being taken advantage of. The more expensive the project, the more they research, compare, and delay.
Educational video plus a clear “next step” works because it removes uncertainty. Instead of guessing the cost or waiting on callbacks, people get immediate clarity, and the sales process starts with momentum. That is why it maps perfectly to outdoor living, pools, pavers, turf, lighting, and similar categories.
If you are selling a low-consideration service, the same playbook will not produce the same scale. The buying psychology is different. But if you are in a category where homeowners ask twenty questions before they buy, this model is built for you.
The Website Rebuild That Changed Everything
The site was rebuilt to do one job: turn interested homeowners into qualified leads by making the brand feel personal, credible, and easy to take the next step with.
The site looks clean and professional, but the real upgrade was not the design. It was the message. The site became personalized and face-forward, with David showing up throughout the experience. That matters because homeowners are not hiring a logo. They are hiring people to change their home.
Video on the site also acts as instant trust transfer. It answers the silent questions buyers have: “Do these people know what they are doing?” “Are they the kind of company that will communicate?” “Do they feel legitimate?” A good video answers all of that in seconds.
When you pair that with pages that go deep on specific services, you get a site that does sales work even when nobody is available to talk. That is what most “pretty websites” fail to do.
Turning Video Into a 24/7 Sales Tool
Every service page was built to pre-sell the project by answering the homeowner’s biggest questions before they ever submit a lead, which improves lead quality and makes sales calls easier.
Instead of short service descriptions, each core service has a video that explains the basics in plain language. Turf, pavers, lighting, failure points, and decision criteria are addressed head-on. This is what homeowners actually search for, and it is what they ask on the phone anyway.
Those videos then become long-form pages that expand on the same topics. The result is content that feels overwhelming in a good way: it signals expertise, it reduces uncertainty, and it makes the company look like the obvious safe choice.
This also filters out weak-fit leads. People who are not serious or cannot afford the project tend to bounce earlier, while serious buyers move forward with more confidence and fewer objections.
The Learning Hub That Builds Trust at Scale
The learning hub turned AE Outdoor Living into a destination, not just a contractor site, by giving homeowners an educational library that answers questions across the entire backyard buying journey.
This is more than blogging. The content is anchored in video, which is the fastest trust builder for service businesses. A homeowner can watch a short explainer on why pavers fail, then read the written breakdown, then take the next step with pricing. That is an ideal funnel because it matches how real people learn.
That structure also creates compounding returns. Each new video and post becomes another entry point from search, social, and retargeting. Over time, the brand stops fighting for attention because it has accumulated a backlog of useful answers.
When a contractor owns the “answers” in their niche, they win the market without needing to be the cheapest. AE Outdoor Living built that advantage.
Why the Instant Estimate Tool Outperformed Contact Forms
Most contractor websites leak leads because they ask for effort first. AE Outdoor Living flipped it by giving value first: instant pricing ranges that homeowners can get without waiting.
Traditional forms are boring and uncertain. A homeowner submits a form and hopes someone calls. That delay kills conversion, especially when shoppers are comparing multiple companies and want information now.
The instant estimate tool solves that by letting the homeowner self-educate and self-qualify. They answer a few questions, and they immediately see realistic price ranges for the service they care about. That feels modern, helpful, and transparent.
Even better, it creates higher intent leads. Someone who completes a multi-step estimate is not casually browsing. They are raising their hand and saying, “I am actually considering this.”
How the Estimator Became the Conversion Engine
The estimator tool did not just “capture leads.” It connected the entire system by routing qualified requests into the CRM instantly and triggering follow-up that kept prospects moving.
After a homeowner completes the tool, they get a pricing range immediately. At the same time, the request is automatically sent into Jobber as a new lead, so the team can respond quickly and consistently.
Automation also handles the early follow-up touches: checking on budget, answering basic questions, and keeping the conversation warm. This reduces drop-off and makes sure leads do not die in the gap between inquiry and response.
This is the difference between a marketing campaign and a revenue system. Traffic is only valuable if it has a path, and this tool became the path.
| Conversion Step | Typical Contractor Site | AE Outdoor Living System |
|---|---|---|
| Primary CTA | Contact form | Instant estimate tool |
| User Experience | Wait and hope for a callback | Get pricing clarity immediately |
| Lead Quality | Mixed intent | Higher intent, self-qualified |
| Follow-Up | Manual, inconsistent | CRM + automation triggers |
Scaling Results With Paid and Organic Video
Organic video built authority and familiarity. Paid ads amplified the best messages and pushed homeowners directly to the estimator, creating a predictable flow of quote-ready leads.
The content strategy was not complicated. It was consistent. Educational videos that addressed real homeowner concerns were published organically, then repurposed into ad creative. That means the ads did not feel like ads. They felt like answers.
Instead of sending people to “Contact Us,” the call to action was simple: get a quote. That reduces friction and aligns perfectly with buyer intent. People who are curious click, people who are serious finish the estimate, and the CRM captures the opportunity immediately.
This is why the results were not only strong, but repeatable. You are not relying on clever copy. You are relying on a better path to conversion.
Lead Volume and Cost That Speaks for Itself
When ad spend was pushed, lead volume spiked. When ad spend was pulled back, results stayed efficient, proving the system was doing the heavy lifting, not just the budget.
During a heavy push in June to July, the campaigns produced roughly 550 leads on about $6,000 in spend, landing near a $20 cost per lead. That is aggressive for high-ticket home improvement and gave AE Outdoor Living the volume needed to scale.
Even in a slower month, around $2,000 in spend produced roughly 110 to 120 leads. That matters because it shows efficiency, not just volume. The creative and the conversion path kept working even when spend decreased.
Over 2025, the system drove roughly 3,000 leads, with multiple days spiking above 40 leads and many days staying consistently above 10, which directly contributed to the need for more staff.
| Period | Ad Spend | Leads Generated | Approx. Cost Per Lead | Notable Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June–July (High Push) | $6,000 | ~550 | ~$20 | High volume, scalable pipeline |
| Lower Spend Month | $2,000 | ~110–120 | Strong efficiency | System works even when spend slows |
| 2025 Total | Facebook-focused | ~3,000 | Consistently competitive | Daily consistency, hiring required |
From Underperforming Ads to Market Domination
AE Outdoor Living shifted from spending money on ads that produced mediocre results to running a unified system where ads, content, and conversion all reinforced each other.
Before the new system, spend was spread out and results were not strong enough to confidently scale. That is the worst place to be because you cannot plan, you cannot staff, and you cannot forecast revenue based on marketing inputs.
Once the video-first approach and estimator funnel were in place, the campaign strategy became simple: run ads that educate and point to instant pricing. That is not rocket science, but it is rare because it requires doing the unsexy work of building assets first.
The end result was consistency. The business stopped guessing and started operating with a pipeline that looked more like a machine than a hope-and-pray marketing plan.
Brand Reach That Compounds Over Time
The lead numbers were only half the story. The brand became unavoidable, with millions of views that kept expanding the top of the funnel for future projects.
The content performance shows how well the messaging landed. Across the broader content efforts, the brand generated about 4.1 million views and significant engagement, with reels alone producing around 1.7 million views.
This matters because reach lowers future acquisition costs. When homeowners have already seen the face, heard the explanations, and absorbed the education, conversion gets easier. Retargeting performs better. Referrals increase. Sales cycles shorten.
In other words, the brand became an asset, not an expense.
Why AE Outdoor Living Is the Perfect Case Study
This worked because AE Outdoor Living executed like a growth-minded company: they showed up consistently, leaned into transparency, and built a customer experience that respects the homeowner’s time.
Many contractors want leads, but they do not want to be on camera. They want ad results, but they do not want to answer pricing questions publicly. They want growth, but they are not willing to build the infrastructure that makes growth sustainable.
AE Outdoor Living did the opposite. They embraced the education role, invested in content, and made the website experience feel modern and useful. That is why the results were not just good, they were durable.
When a client is willing to do what others will not, they end up with what others cannot.
The Guarantee Behind the System
The partnership is backed by a clear guarantee: if at least 30 qualified leads are not generated in a month, the client does not pay for that month.
This is not a vague promise. It is a measurable outcome tied to lead volume and lead quality. That level of accountability forces the system to be built correctly, tracked correctly, and optimized relentlessly.
It also removes the typical fear contractors have when hiring marketing help: paying for “activity” instead of results. Here, results are the product.
Combined with no long-term commitments, it is designed to be fair, transparent, and performance-driven.
Why Partnerships Are Selective
This model is selective because the goal is to produce case-study-level wins, not to take on every business that fills out a form.
Not every contractor is willing to do the work required for a system like this. If a company cannot commit to being visible, educational, and responsive, lead volume will not translate into revenue, and everyone loses.
Selectivity also protects performance. Fewer clients with better execution leads to stronger results, stronger case studies, and a higher standard across the board.
That is why the partnership approach is “marketing partner,” not “vendor.”
Next Step for Contractors Who Want Similar Results
If you build outdoor living projects and you want predictable lead flow, the next step is straightforward: apply for a fit check and see if this system matches your market, capacity, and goals.
This is not for companies looking for a quick hack. It is for contractors who want a real pipeline built on trust, content, and conversion, and who are prepared to handle success when it hits.
If it is a fit, the team sets a strategy call, maps the system, and launches with a clear path from content to leads to booked work. If it is not a fit, you find out quickly and move on without wasting time.
Either way, the takeaway is simple: content plus a real conversion path is how outdoor living contractors stop guessing and start scaling.
