10 Tips to Run a Successful Christmas Light Installation Business

LISTEN: Make $1k Per Job with Christmas Lighting, on the Masters of Home Service Podcast

When to buy Christmas lights

To get the best deals, consider buying new inventory at the end of the holiday season. According to Kirk Brown, owner of Outdoor Splendor and Dynamic Celebration Lighting, most vendors offer preorders in February to get a more accurate count of what they’ll be selling next season.

A Christmas light installer can save anywhere from 10% to 20% by taking advantage of these early presales. The closer you wait until Christmas, the more you’ll pay for lights and decorations.

When to market your Christmas light installation business

Your marketing window for seasonal lighting is small.

Reach out to return customers as early as late August or early September to renew them, book them, and collect their deposit. To encourage customers to sign up early, you can offer an incentive, like a small discount on services.

To attract new customers to your Christmas light business, start marketing to a wider audience in October or early November.

When to install Christmas lights

The holiday lights season typically runs from November 1st to the end of January.

But be prepared. Your busiest period will be the two weeks before and after Thanksgiving. If you’re new to the business, learning how to install Christmas lights professionally can help ensure efficiency and safety as demand picks up.

Tearing down will normally start as early as January 2nd and then run the remainder of the month.

Design a winning Christmas light website

When Kirk was ready to launch his new Christmas lights installation business, Dynamic Celebration Lighting, he did so with a stunning website.

A well-designed website makes you look more professional and can help attract new customers from Google searches.

Make sure your website includes at least the following four main pages:

• Homepage: The home page is often the first page visitors see on your website. It should direct them to the information they need. Don’t forget to include your logo, business name, service details, and contact information.
• About page: Why should customers hire you? Seal the deal by listing your background, experience, and testimonials from happy customers.
• Services page: List your Christmas light installation offerings with a detailed description of each service or package option, images, and pricing when possible.
• Contact page: Tell your visitors how to get in touch by including an email address, phone number, and links to your social media business pages.

Advertise your business

Christmas light installation ads work well in places where potential customers are already thinking about holiday preparations. Here are a few options that could attract new clients and build visibility:

• Facebook and Instagram ads: Use demographic targeting to reach homeowners in your service area. Especially those who show interest in holiday decorations or home improvement. Run festive, eye-catching photo or video ads from October through early December to catch people as they’re planning for the season.
• Local magazine and newspaper ads: Advertise in holiday editions of local magazines and newspapers, which many homeowners look through for seasonal ideas.
• Radio ads: Local radio stations—especially those that switch to holiday music—reach people in a festive mindset. Advertise your Christmas light business with limited-time deals or specials, like discounts for early booking.
• Direct mail ads: Send postcards to local neighborhoods where your services are likely to be in demand. Highlight your holiday lighting expertise with high-quality photos and a special offer.

Get more customer reviews

Testimonials and reviews go a long way in growing your business. People looking for a professional Christmas light installer want to see proof that others had a positive experience with your services.

What better way to build trust than by having happy customers tell the world?

You can even use those testimonials on your website to help potential clients feel confident they’re making the right choice.

After a successful job, follow up with the customer to ask if they’re willing to leave you a review, and especially on Google. Or, set up automatic review collection in Jobber to follow up with clients on your behalf.

Positive reviews add legitimacy to your business. They grow your reputation as a high-quality, trustworthy Christmas light installer.

Start a customer referral program

Creating a referral program can turn satisfied customers into your biggest advocates. By offering a discount or bonus for referring new clients, you’re incentivizing them to spread the word while attracting leads.

People trust recommendations from friends, family, and neighbors. So, a well-planned referral program can lead to loyal clients who are already excited about your service.

A few tips:

• Promote your referral program consistently throughout the holiday season
• After completing a job, remind customers to tell their friends and neighbors about your Christmas light service
• Include details about the program’s incentives in your email newsletters
• Post announcements and reminders on social media about the program
• Consider offering a special bonus where clients get twice the reward for referrals made in December

With Jobber, it’s easy to promote your referral program with a professional email campaign that’s ready to send in just seconds.

When a customer makes a through their unique link, it’s automatically tracked in Jobber. The next time they use your service, their referral credit will automatically be applied to their invoice.

Then, visit the referrals dashboard to see:

• How many referrals have been generated
• The number of jobs earned
• How much revenue those jobs have brought in

Run effective email campaigns

If you already run a seasonal business, like lawn care or pressure washing, you’re sitting on a pool of potential customers for your Christmas lights installation business.

Use email marketing to reach out to your existing customers and drum up crossover business.

Include details about your holiday lights service and a catchy call to action that sends customers to your website to learn more.

Jobber Campaigns make it easy to connect with customers and promote your business with just a few clicks. Set up your campaigns just once and they’ll send in the background while you focus on your operations.

Build brand awareness by giving back

Supporting your local community can help build a positive brand association for your business. And the Christmas season is one of the best times to do that.

That’s why Kirk Brown started Holiday Lights for Heroes, where residents can nominate another person who they feel is a community hero. Kirk will then award one deserving nominee with a holiday light makeover of up to $2,000.

It’s a way for Dynamic Celebration Lighting to get its name out and give back to the community.

You can make a big impact on your service area by collecting food or toy donations for a family in need.

Invest in offline marketing tactics

Try offline techniques, such as yard signs and business cards, to attract potential customers while you’re out at installs.

You can also have work trucks wrapped to draw even more attention while driving to and from the worksite.

Make a Christmas light installation flyer

Let customers know about your new Christmas light installation business by distributing flyers in your local community.

Be sure to include the following information on your flyers:

• Your business name and logo
• Service description
• Contact information (phone number, email address, or both)

You can also post tearaway flyers on community bulletin boards in grocery stores, libraries, or community centers. (Just make sure to get permission first.)

Pro Tip: To make it easier for clients to request work, paste the link to your online booking page into a QR code generator. Then, add the QR code to flyers, door hangers, postcards, business cards, or brochures.

Determine your pricing model

As a Christmas light installer, you can either sell or lease the lights to your customers.

In the leasing model, you’re responsible for the installation, maintenance, dismantling, and storage of all holiday lighting and accessories. This means if a light goes out mid-season, you’ll be expected to provide the repair.

This model also gives your customer greater flexibility in their lighting designs. When they lease the lights, they can change from red to green, to multicolor without having to make another investment.

The selling model is a much more hands-off approach. Once the lights are installed, it’s your customer’s responsibility to maintain or replace any damaged strands.

This can lead to more hidden fees. If a light goes out during the holiday season, you’ll have to charge the customer for the replacement.

READ MORE: Tips for bidding Christmas light installation and winning more work

Calculate your hourly rate

Now that you’ve determined your pricing model, you’re ready to calculate your hourly labor rate.

If you’re new to Christmas lights installation, time yourself installing lights on a one-story house, two-story house, and trees or bushes.

Then use a labor cost calculator to add up your hourly salary, direct costs, and desired profit amount to determine the hourly rate you’ll charge.

Pro Tip: Consider the difficulty of the job and add premiums for installations that involve high or steep roofs, difficult trees, etc.

Create an estimate template

Creating estimates from scratch takes a great deal of time, and a short Christmas season means you have no time to waste.

Using a free estimate template is one way to speed up your quoting process. Simply fill in the blanks to create and send a professional-looking estimate to prospective clients in minutes.

Your estimate template should include:

• Your company name, logo, and contact information
• Your customer’s name, phone number, and email address
• A breakdown of the services you’re providing (installing holiday lighting, holiday decorating, etc.)
• Estimate expiry date
• Total cost to complete the job – including labor, materials, and sales tax
• Terms and conditions
• Space for the customer’s signature

Add optional line items

You can also use job quoting software to create estimates that include images and optional line items, like timers, wreaths, or other décor. This helps you win more jobs worth more money.

Automate your quote follow-ups

Once your quote has been sent, don’t leave any work on the table. Use Jobber’s automated quote follow-ups to send texts or emails to customers you haven’t heard back from.

Use on-my-way text messages to let clients know you’re headed their way or running behind.

Or two-way text messaging to manage conversations with clients in one place.

Schedule automated appointment reminders to remind clients when you’ll be taking down their lights after the holidays are over.

READ MORE: 8 appointment reminder templates to use for your service business

Invest in PPE

Set your crew up with the right PPE to keep them safe on the job. This includes:

• Wooden ladders
• Ladder levelers
• Ladder standoff arms
• Harnesses
• Roofing shoes with replaceable pads
• Work gloves

Create a safety protocol checklist

Then create a health and safety checklist for your team to use on-site. Here’s what that looks like using Jobber’s job forms.

Your safety checklist may include the following:

• All light strands and extension cords are rated for outdoor use
• All light strands have been inspected and tested
• We are using a wooden ladder to install the Christmas lights
• The wooden ladder has been inspected and is in good condition
• The wooden ladder extends past the roofline
• If installing lights on trees, verify that no trees are in contact with power lines
• No electrical outlets are overloaded with too many lights
• All extension cords have been tucked away and are not a tripping hazard

READ MORE: 5 job safety analysis forms to share and use on jobsites

The same job details will then be converted into a professional invoice that you edit or send to your customers for payment.