Premium Outdoor Lighting

Premium Outdoor Lighting

Premium outdoor lighting has become an essential element in creating luxurious and inviting outdoor living spaces.

The global outdoor lighting market size was valued at $6.3 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow steadily, driven by factors like increasing consumer interest in elevated outdoor experiences, landscape lighting trends, and smart home technology adoption.

Target Market

From architectural path lighting and decorative lanterns to energy-efficient landscape lighting systems, this niche caters to discerning homeowners, landscape designers, and commercial properties seeking to enhance their outdoor aesthetics and ambiance.

The primary audience includes affluent homeowners looking to illuminate their exteriors, gardens, and entertainment areas with sophisticated lighting solutions.

Website Optimization Strategies

  • Detailed Product Specifications: Highlight key details such as lighting types (path, spot, flood, etc.), lumen output, beam angles, color temperatures (warm, cool, RGB), energy efficiency ratings, and integration with smart home systems. Example: Kichler's product pages provide comprehensive specifications on lumens, color temperatures, finishes, and compatible control systems for their outdoor lighting collections.
  • Immersive Visual Content: Invest in professional night photography and videos showcasing your lighting products illuminating breathtaking outdoor spaces and scenery. Incorporate 360-degree spin views and augmented reality tools to allow virtual product inspection.
    Example: Pavē's website features stunning videography of their landscape lighting installations along with an AR tool to virtually "place" lights around your property.
  • Robust Filtering & Comparisons: Enable customers to filter by lighting types, finishes, energy efficiency, smart capabilities, and other key features. Provide side-by-side comparisons of different products and series. Example: Volt Lighting's website allows users to filter the full range of path, area, deck, and landscape lighting based on their specific needs and requirements.
  • Customer Inspiration & Reviews: Share inspirational images of beautifully illuminated outdoor living areas. Feature authentic reviews highlighting durability, energy efficiency, smart features, and how the lighting transforms spaces. Example: FX Luminaire showcases a gallery of customer projects alongside owner testimonials praising the quality and effects of their lighting products.

Content Marketing Approaches

  • Develop comprehensive lighting design guides covering topics like layering techniques, choosing color temperatures, and highlighting architectural or landscape features through lighting. Example: Kichler's "Lighting Your Landscape" guide provides in-depth advice on lighting placement, techniques, and design principles backed by experts.
  • Produce video content like outdoor lighting tours, product spotlights, and interviews with designers to inspire and educate your audience on the latest trends and best practices. Example: BEGA's YouTube channel features a wealth of inspirational videos showcasing their architectural outdoor lighting products illuminating properties worldwide.
  • Share curated lighting design galleries categorized by architectural styles, landscaping types, or themes (e.g. modern outdoor lighting, poolside lighting, etc.) to spark creativity. Example: Volt Lighting's "Inspiration Gallery" allows users to browse beautifully lit outdoor spaces filtered by categories like gardens, landscapes, and entrances.
  • Document customer stories and case studies highlighting impressive lighting projects and the transformative impact on their properties or businesses. Example: FX Luminaire publishes detailed case studies on their blog covering large-scale custom outdoor lighting installations for luxury residential and commercial clients.

Social Media Marketing Tactics

  • Focus on visually captivating platforms like Instagram and Pinterest to showcase stunning outdoor lighting imagery and design inspiration. Example: Pavē frequently shares striking nighttime lighting scene photos and Reels across Instagram to inspire their high-end customer base.
  • Run targeted ads on Facebook and Instagram aimed at homeowners interested in outdoor living, landscaping, smart home technology, and related interests. Example: Kichler runs targeted Facebook ad campaigns promoting their latest outdoor lighting collections to users based on interests and demographics.
  • Identify influential home design, landscaping, and outdoor living bloggers to collaborate on sponsored content and product features. Example: BEGA has sponsored influencer campaigns with popular architecture and design bloggers who feature their innovative outdoor lighting products.
  • Encourage customers to share their beautifully illuminated outdoor spaces through photo contests and incentives for user-generated content. Example: Volt Lighting frequently reposts breathtaking customer images across their social channels through hashtag campaigns like #VoltLights.

Search Marketing & SEO Practices

  • Conduct keyword research around relevant terms like "landscape lighting ideas," "modern outdoor lighting," "energy-efficient path lighting," and long-tail phrases related to your offerings. Example: FX Luminaire likely targets keywords like "luxury outdoor lighting design" and "commercial landscape lighting installation" based on their services.
  • Optimize product titles, descriptions, image alt-text, and metadata with relevant keywords to improve search visibility for your outdoor lighting products and content. Example: Pavē's website shows strong on-page optimization around terms like "driveway lighting" and "front yard lighting ideas" throughout product pages and blogs.
  • Develop long-form blog content like outdoor lighting design guides, product comparisons, and trend articles built around your target keywords. Example: Kichler has a comprehensive learning center with articles like "How to Plan Landscape Lighting" targeting valuable informational queries.
  • For local businesses, optimize Google Business Profiles with location-based keywords, high-quality imagery showcasing your work, and detailed service descriptions. Example: Volt Lighting's GBP is fully optimized with location keywords, photos of their outdoor lighting projects, and services like design and installation.
  • Build backlinks through guest posting, local sponsorships, and by creating valuable tools like outdoor lighting calculators or design planners. Example: BEGA offers free lighting design services on their website, potentially driving referral traffic from partners and customers.

Marketing & Positioning Strategies

  • Differentiation: Highlight proprietary lighting technologies, premium materials/finishes, energy efficiency innovations, and smart home integration capabilities that set you apart. Example: FX Luminaire markets their American-made copper and brass lighting fixtures as unmatched in quality, durability, and offering a true luxury outdoor lighting experience.
  • Storytelling: Focus on the artistry, craftsmanship, and inspiration behind your lighting designs to create an emotional connection with discerning buyers. Example: Pavē tells the story of their co-founders' background in electrical engineering inspiring their patent-pending lighting technologies and minimalist aesthetic.
  • Premium Offerings: In addition to lighting, offer complementary products like outdoor audio systems, smart home controls, or turn-key design and installation packages for comprehensive experiences. Example: Kichler provides options to bundle their lighting with smart outdoor controls, landscape speakers, and expert installation services.
  • Customization: Enable buyers to customize finishes, lumen outputs, beam spreads, and other specs to create truly personalized lighting setups for their properties. Example: BEGA allows customers to fully customize their outdoor lighting's colors, configurations, control integrations, and more through their specialty crafting process.
  • Luxury Pricing: Position premium product tiers at higher luxury price points to elevate your brand's perceived value and appeal to affluent buyers seeking exclusivity. Example: FX Luminaire's high-end Lightographer series features handcrafted outdoor lighting fixtures priced in the thousands for discerning buyers.
  • Financing: Offer financing plans for larger projects like comprehensive landscape lighting installations to increase accessibility and average order values. Example: Pavē provides financing through partners like Affirm and PayPal to help customers manage costs on bigger jobs.
  • Warranties: Provide lengthy warranty coverage, satisfaction guarantees, and premium service plans like maintenance and repair packages to instill buyer confidence. Example: Volt Lighting offers lifetime warranties and dedicated customer support teams for their outdoor lighting product lines.
  • Email Lead Capture: Build an email list by offering premium gated content like outdoor lighting design guides or lighting calculators in exchange for opt-ins.
    Example: Kichler provides a free "Lighting Lookbook" to capture leads for their email marketing campaigns.
  • Strategic Partnerships: Collaborate with landscape designers, architects, builders, and complementary outdoor living brands for co-marketing opportunities and product integration. Example: BEGA partners with luxury residential developers and resorts to specify their architectural outdoor lighting solutions for large-scale projects worldwide.

What's next?

We hope these ideas and strategies will spark some inspiration that will help grow your business. 

If you'd like to brainstorm additional strategies and learn more how Shop Innovator can help you, please book a complementary strategy call. 

About the author: Art Palvanov

Art is a creative director and co-founder of Shop Innovator. He loves working with entrepreneurs on web design projects and digital marketing campaigns. On our blog he shares ideas on technology, creativity and business.

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