Reports – lawn & garden

How Green Industry Companies can Develop an Effective Database Marketing Program Targeted to Dealers — Database marketing is one of the most significant developments in marketing the last several years. The development of the internet and other online media is increasing database marketing’s value to companies and organizations. Database marketing, when practiced properly, can enable your company to better serve customers and be more profitable. Not only is database marketing excellent for targeting customers and prospects, it is a tremendous strategy for marketing to existing and potential distributors.

The Grapevine Survey 2006 — This report provides the attitudes homeowners have toward gardening activities. Much of the information in the report deals with shifting demographic dynamics, such as the aging baby boom generation and a younger homeowner who has different ideas about how to spend discretionary income. This report deals with these changes in an industry that is approaching maturation. Business models need to be tweaked by growers, gardening centers and suppliers to remain competitive in a changing industry environment.

Public Relations Technology: Ways Brand Managers can Protect Their Interests — This report will provide a bridge between the “trade” public relations/product publicity you may directly conduct already, and the “consumer” public relations work that is being carried by others on a larger, industry-wide basis. Knowing how “news” gets disseminated can help you more effectively contribute to that news.

How to use Direct Mail Advertising to Reach Green Industry Audiences — This report provides a comprehensive look at the basics of direct mail advertising, but it is tailored to the needs of turf marketers. It discusses the strengths and weaknesses of direct mail as an advertising medium. There is a thorough analysis of the three key elements that determine the success of turf mailings: (a) the list,
(b) the offer and (c) the creative. In addition, the report contains hundreds of suggestions regarding how turf marketers can make their direct mail advertising more effective.

How Green Industry Marketers can Bond with Customers to Maximize Loyalty and Profits — Customer bonding helps companies solidify relationships with customers. The report explains the five levels of customer bonding and how to reach the top levels through database marketing. It discusses eight benefits of customer bonding for turf marketers including maximizing customer loyalty, increasing income from customers, reducing marketing costs and getting current customers to recruit new customers. The report contains examples of successful customer bonding programs in a variety of industries and presents ideas on how turf companies can bond with their customers.

Exhibit & Trade Show Marketing for the Green Industry — Your company’s effectiveness at industry trade shows is dependent upon many factors. There are proven ways to bolster performance. From strategic planning to cost analysis to evaluation methods, this report covers a wide variety of exhibit techniques aimed at maximizing results.

Using Product Profiles in Marketing Communications to the Green Industry — This report provides a step-by-step approach to analyzing your company products’ benefits and the benefits of competitors products. In working with our turf clients, we typically analyze their marketing situation in terms of the product profile process described in the report. You will see why we have found it useful to think in terms of three categories of benefits when practicing our market-driven approach to communications.

How to Ensure your Media Buys are on the Money — Based on years of experience in placing tens of millions of dollars on media in the Green Industry, this report offers 21 tips that can help you minimize your costs and maximize your returns from paid media placements. It examines both the quantitative factors as well as the qualitative, and offers suggestions as to how creative and media can work better to produce an optimum media plan.

Maximizing your Publicity in the Green Industry — Product publicity can offer one of the highest returns on investment in a marketing communications program. Publicity can also have a significant impact on corporate positioning. This reports outlines key components of an effective approach to media relations as it relates specifically to the habits and characteristics of trade publications serving the Green Industry. You’ll find specific tips on how to maximize the potential of many tools employed to generate positive press.

How to Measure the Effectiveness of Marketing Communications in the Green Industry — Green Industry advertisers are demanding that their marketing communications become more accountable. This report describes the steps in the marketing communications effectiveness measurement process. It discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the four key approaches to measuring marketing communications effectiveness. The report contains sections that describe special challenges and opportunities associated with measuring the following types of communications used by Green Industry marketers:

• Magazine/Newspaper Advertising
• Special Media Opportunities
• Direct Mail Advertising
• Database Marketing Communications
• Brochures and Other Literature
• Catalogs
• Videos
• Web sites
• Web Banner Advertising
• E-mail Communications
• Trade Show & Exhibit Marketing
• Sales Promotions
• Telemarketing

Taking the Final Strategic Step: Evaluation of Public Relations Programs in the Green Industry — Most companies understand the value of a good public relations program designed to generate favorable editorial coverage. Unfortunately, many companies in the Green Industry fail to evaluate the success of their public relations programs. This report discusses evaluation criteria and techniques along with third-party evaluation tools and services. It provides a step–by–step approach to setting up a publicity results tracking system and offers samples of reports prepared by Swanson Russell.

“He Wouldn’t Know a Good Print Ad if it Jumped Off the Page and Bit Him on the Nose.” — This report combines research data, the thoughts of advertising industry leaders and Swanson Russell’s years of experience creating Green Industry magazine ads. It provides a variety of suggestions and guidelines for creating print advertisements that will appeal to turf maintenance professionals.

How to Maximize the Value of Distributors and End Users After the Sale — Green Industry marketers often spend significant dollars promoting their products to end users, but rarely have a formal communication program for their most important customers—distributors. This report discusses the reasons why many marketers fail to devote sufficient attention to current distributors and offers more than 20 ideas for maximizing the value of distributors and end users once they become customers.

Positioning and Building your Brand in the Green Industry — Swanson Russell has helped many Green Industry clients develop and enhance brand positions. We compiled some of our thoughts based on the experiences into a report. This report explains what a brand is, describes the benefits brands offer, discusses the importance of brand positioning, talks about brand growth and building a brand franchise. In addition, there is a step-by-step approach to positioning a brand.

A Successful Product Launch — A classic product introduction consists of three phases: pre-launch, launch and post-launch. The pre-launch phase is used to prime the marketplace. Launch involves releasing, or introducing, the product. And in the post-launch phase, the company builds sales momentum. This white paper will provide you an in-depth review of each product launch phase to help insure your product launch is a successful one.

Demographic Profiles and Trends of Gardeners — The purpose of this report is to provide a current demographic profile and demographic trends during the past ten years for United States adults that participated in gardening activities during the previous 12-month period. The trend analysis can be a real eye-opener when we see that the picture formed of the audience in our minds five to ten years ago is no longer completely accurate.

Does it Pay to Have a Web site? — Effective use of interactive marketing can go a long way towards increasing your business. Knowing the right tips to follow will help you better utilize the two most popular forms of interactive marketing, Web sites and e-mail marketing. Before you dismiss the web, know that it can be quietly working for you and thus increasing your business.

How to use E-Mail Marketing to Reach Green Industry Audiences — E-mail offers marketers an opportunity to deliver an instantaneous, personalized communication at a fraction of the cost of other media. However, SPAM, declining response rates and legal issues are concerns. This report reviews the growth of e-mail, details the steps in developing an effective e-mail marketing campaign and discusses potential problems. You will find advice regarding list selection, structuring offers, message formats, use of graphics, response options, results measurement and much more.

Marketing Communications for Uncertain Times — During economic hard times it can be hard just to survive, let alone grow as a company. How do you protect your bottom line and your brand at the same time? How do you battle in a faltering economy and stay intact? This white paper will address these and other questions and provide you with light at the end of the tunnel.

Southern Shades Point–of–Purchase & Building Brand Equity — Are point–of–purchase materials in retail garden centers effective? Are they worth the investment of suppliers? Can retailers and growers win more shelf space and create faster product turns using these materials? The debate is tested at the retail garden center by Swanson Russell and partners and our report will surprise you with the results of the study.