Hints and marketing and promotions

Competition makes us grow and improve our business however the importance is to get the customers and clients above and beyond your competitors.

Are you after volume of clients, each who contributes a small income to your business, or do you seek a niche clientele who are capable and willing to pay more for your services or products?

Once you identify your client group, research them:

• what do they read?
• what do they listen to?
• what do they watch?
• where do they socialise?

How can you reach, attract and win them?

Here is a list of the some media to consider:

• magazines topics such as garden, landscape, design - or think outside the square and consider boating, sport, fashion, knitting, etc. Internet websites are also worth considering (such as Plant ID - www.plant.id.au)
• radio stations - talkback garden shows, easy listening, rock, alternative, etc.
• television - free to air or pay TV.
• internet - growing as one of the most important avenues for people to access information, watch TV and 'Utube', and buy products.
• events - gardening/fashion/sporting events, community fairs, home shows, etc.

Consider the following:

• target market - is the media focused to the target clientele you want or are you paying money that will not capture your audience?
• duration - will the advert last one day, one week or many months?
• longevity - will the product in which the advert is placed last a long time or be thrown in the bin (e.g. comparing local newspaper to a magazine)?
• cost - if the cost is $6000 but only lasts one month and is not targeted to your audience it may not be a good investment. Alternatively a cost of $3000 that lasts 3 months focused on your type of audience is worth its value. If a company claims to reach 500,000 as an audience, it is wasting your money if most of the audience are not your target clientele.

Comments on types of media:

• Newsletters - good, but expensive if posted. Electronic is good but it will only cater for your existing email database and clients. It is very hard to capture new clients with newsletters.
• Mail drop - best described as junk mail by most consumers but it can be success if you run a small 'local' business focused ONLY on local residents.
• Local papers - good for local resident clients only but majority of people read the paper quickly then throw them away within 12 hours. Most people skim pages and overlook the adverts.
• Major papers - very expensive and rarely cost effective. Again, this is a throw-away media.
• Magazines - target audience immediately identified. Good relationships can be created with readers to foster clientele. Most magazines are kept for extended periods with some kept for years as reference journals. Open new markets by trialing something new by checking out a sports magazine. Some publications can be expensive so consider the target market, focus on clientele and quality of print production. This is clearly the best targeted form for advertising to the gardening and landscape public due to price and focus. Look at www.stgmagazine.com.au to see a niche publication with a target audience created as a journal for people to collect and keep.
• Websites - very variable. Some very good but many dubious. Is the site targeted to consumers, industry or both? If it is not promoting itself beyond the internet (ie. in other media) then it is not doing a good job at promoting its advertisers to the wider population. Where it sits on search engines (such as Google) is also important. Internet sites that are cross-media platforms for other media types (such as magazines or TV) are the best avenues for advertising as they benefit from enhanced broader public/industry awareness. Check out PLANT ID website (www.plant.id.au) that promotes itself in both a trade magazine (hortiQ) and a consumer magazine (subTropical Gardening).
• Radio - this can be expensive and it does not last long. A 30 second advert is rarely recalled by people a few hours later, unless the advertisement is shockingly good. Multiple advertising over an extended period of time will work for radio. Find a station or program that suites your products or service and evaluate the costs, which is expensive for the longevity of the advertisement.
• Television - basically too expensive for more horticultural businesses. Adverts are short but can assist some companies with branding.

VALUABLE HINT ABOUT ADVERTISING AND BRANDING - do it often and regularly. It often takes 7 or more 'hits' at a consumer/client until they recognise your business as the place for quality and service. A single promotion will rarely work so plan your marketing strategy and invest in multiple advertising placements. Good news is that most media companies will offer you better deals when you become a regular advertiser, even if you only do it 4 times.

A more detailed article will be written with stats and figures in hortiQ magazine in due course.

this article written by Paul Plant