It’s easy to feel skeptical about all the new technology that’s become commonplace over the last decade or two. Smart this, AI that — it’s enough to make you long for a simpler time.
But while there’s nothing wrong with a little trip down memory lane, you have to face facts: Marketing your tree service effectively means using technology when it makes sense. And there may be no better example for tree care services than unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
Or as most people call them, drones.
When equipped with a professional-caliber camera and piloted by a trained expert, drones can capture incredible footage high above the ground, where tree care professionals make their living.
We’ll lay out some of the reasons drone photography is no longer optional for tree care services and identify some of the unique opportunities it presents below.
Simply Put, Drone Footage of Tree Work Is Gorgeous
There’s a reason every award-winning documentary crew and filmmaker weaves drone footage into their work as a matter of practice:
It. Is. Stunning.
And this definitely applies to tree-related content. The elevated perspective drones provide helps turn ordinary tree work into something dramatic and memorable. A wide shot of a climber silhouetted against the canopy, or a sweeping overhead view of a newly pruned landscape, creates a sense of scale and artistry that ground-level photos simply can’t match.
This kind of beauty isn’t just nice for its own sake; it’s also powerful when incorporated into your marketing assets. Potential customers may see dozens or even hundreds of tree-crew photographs while searching for a service provider. But the eye-catching visuals drones can provide will draw more attention, generate more clicks, and ultimately lead to more leads.
The aesthetic value of drone photography also carries over to your website and printed materials. By inserting your best drone photos in the hero image on your homepage or the banner photos in your brochures, you’ll instantly communicate professionalism and attention to detail.
Put another way, drone photography makes your work look as impressive as it really is.
Drone Photography Fosters Trust and Builds Authority
When homeowners or commercial property managers need help from a tree service, they’ll be thinking about a lot of things. Cost is certainly one element in their decision-making process, but that’s often overshadowed by things like safety and the impact the work will have on their property.
And that means their decision often boils down to one simple thing: trust. They need to trust that you’ll carry out the work safely while protecting their property from damage.
Drone footage is likely the most effective way to demonstrate exactly that.
Aerial footage gives potential clients the chance to see your crew’s professionalism in action. They don’t just get to see a photo of a stump leftover after a removal; they get to watch your team handling ropes, rigging, and equipment with skill and precision. This kind of transparency helps to reassure them that you’re capable of taking on complex jobs and you don’t cut corners.
You can also demonstrate your commitment to safety with the help of a drone. By collecting footage of your climbers wearing proper harnesses and PPE, your team lowering limbs in a slow and steady manner, and your crane operator positioning the equipment securely, you’ll show potential clients that you put safety first.
Additionally, aerial content positions your company as a modern, authoritative service provider. In an industry where many competitors still rely on cell phone snapshots, professionally shot drone footage signals that you invest in the best tools.
Drone Imagery Boosts Your Local SEO Efforts
High-quality drone footage isn’t just good for impressing homeowners — it can also be used to send important signals to Google. Specifically, by incorporating drone photographs and videos in your Google Business Profile (GBP), you’ll likely find your business rocketing up the local search rankings.
In fact, one of the biggest ranking factors for local SEO is GBP engagement. According to BrightLocal, businesses with more than 100 images receive 520% more calls and over 1,000% more website clicks compared to those with fewer visuals. And because humans are drawn to unique-looking images, drone photos will help draw that kind of attention.
Drone imagery also improves the performance of your service-and-location keyword pages. For example, a page optimized for “tree removal in Austin” will appear especially relevant to Google if it features drone footage of your crew performing exactly this kind of work in an Austin-area neighborhood.
Further, as noted by Semrush, unique, high-quality visuals tend to increase the length of time visitors stay on your site (while simultaneously reducing bounce rates). These are both important behavioral signals that indirectly support better rankings.
Bottom line: Drone photography not only helps your business look professional, it helps your SEO perform at a higher level, too.
Practical Ways Tree Services Can Use Drones
Knowing that you should be using drone footage to market your tree service company is one thing, but knowing what kind of things to film is entirely different. Don’t worry — there are tons of different things you can focus on or capture with a drone that’ll catch the attention of potential customers, including:
- Showcase Large Tree Removals: From the ground, it’s hard to capture the true scale of a big removal job. But a drone can provide sweeping shots of the canopy and wide-angle footage of the crew at work, giving potential clients a clear sense of the impressive scope such a project entails.
- Create Dramatic Before-and-After Comparisons: Aerial “before” footage of a crowded canopy contrasted with an “after” shot of an expertly pruned tree will convey a powerful story to potential customers. In fact, drone footage will highlight this kind of transformation in a way ground-level photos can’t.
- Document Your Commitment to Safety and Precision: Drone footage showing your team’s use of ropes and rigging to carefully lower limbs helps to demonstrate the kind of care and control your crew employs. This is very helpful for fostering trust with homeowners who’re worried about property damage.
- Capture Property-Wide Perspectives: While you may occasionally get jobs that focus solely on one tree, a lot of other projects involve work on dozens of trees. Drones allow you to present a bird’s-eye view of an entire property and help potential clients visualize how your services can transform an entire landscape.
- Build Branded Marketing Content: With just a little editing and a logo overlay, you can turn footage of a typical job into the kind of polished, scroll-stopping content that generates leads. Best of all, you can use these kinds of branded video assets in a variety of places, from your website to paid ads.
Let ORB Tree Services Marketing Capture the Drone Footage You Need!
While drone photography is clearly important — bordering on necessary — for tree service companies in the 21st century, you don’t have to tackle this kind of project on your own. You don’t have to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a fancy new drone and then take the next six months learning how to pilot it effectively.
Instead, you can just rely on the ORB Tree Service Marketing team to capture the kind of stunning drone footage you need to catch eyes and attract new customers. In fact, we have a full-time, FAA-licensed drone pilot photographer on our team, as well as experienced editors and graphic design professionals.
We’d love to produce the kind of drone video that’ll help you reach the next level with your business. Book a call with our CEO today to get started.
Sources and References
ArboStar – “Best Marketing Ideas for Tree Service Companies in 2025”
Created by arborists for arborists, ArboStar is an all-in-one business management platform designed specifically for tree care companies.
Source: https://arbostar.com/education-hub/best-marketing-ideas-tree-service-companies-2025
Semrush — Why Drones Can Help Marketers Create Soaring Visual Content for Social Media
Semrush is a leading online visibility management and content marketing SaaS platform.
Source: https://www.semrush.com/blog/drones-and-social-media-marketing-why-this-content-is-taking-flight/
