Post on 17-Jul-2015
transcript
The Researchand Marketing Team
Susan HoganActionable Results
Research & Adjunct Prof. Marketing,
Emory University
Carol MillerEditor
Today’s Garden Center
Bridget BeheProfessor
Dept. of HorticultureMichigan State University
Lynn SwitanowskiFounder and President
Creative Business Consulting Group
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Thank you to our sponsor, AmericanHort, and to the USDA and the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which partially funded this research.
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Webinar Controls
Webinar Controls
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Goals• Increase the diversity (starting with age)
of the customer base.
• Understand what they want and how they “garden.”
• Unearth the barriers to activity and purchase.
• Identify the likeliest of potentialcustomers and lure them into action!
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The Focus Groups’ 4 Key Findings
1. The act of gardening has mostly positive impressions, although there are significant negatives (it’s dirty, it’s hard work) that need to be countered.
2. Consumers have a distinct ideas of the type of person who gardens – and it’s often a limiting viewpoint.
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3. Garden centers are the third most popular place to buy plants, after big boxes and grocery stores. The only exception was for the 30 to 49 year old group of consumers, which preferred local garden centers more than grocery stores.
4. Consumers lack a sense of control when it comes to gardening. They repeatedly used the terms “luck” and “risk” when describing gardening.
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The Focus Groups’ 4 Key Findings
5 Strategies To Connect With Customers
1. Create customer-loyalty programs that: – Showcase how garden centers meet today’s consumer needs.– Engage customers to keep coming back for more during the
entire season.
2. Showcase “new” in-store merchandising with an emphasis on how-to projects.
– Use targeted messaging – Explain how to complete a project both visually and in signage
3. Use visual imagery in messaging which:– Includes younger people in ads and displays using technology
(cell phone/tablet) that make it easy to get in-get out quickly– Showcase technology being used in store – tablets for education,
in-store QR codes, outside checkout with mobile devices
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4. Create an integrated marketing communications strategy
– Increase social media marketing
– Integrate messages:
• Across multiple media platforms (TV, newspaper, magazines, emails, direct mail)
• Between messaging and in-store experience (merchandising, employee tags and shirts, in-store promotional material and layout)
5. Community/Out-of Store Events
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5 Strategies To Connect With Customers
The 4 Recommended Campaigns
1. Helping Your Garden Grow – We Guarantee It
2. Grow Up Gardening
3. We LOVE Where You Live, Too!
4. How Does Your Garden Grow?
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Each Campaign Includes:
1. Communication Strategies 1. Bringing them in (out of store/media
promotion)2. In store promotion/merchandising
2. Implementation Strategies1. In-store (merchandising/activities)2. Out of store (community)
3. Measuring Success
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Campaign 1: Helping Your Garden Grow
– We Guarantee It
Promote & Deliver at Beginning of Season
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Sample of In-Store Signage
Helping Your Garden Grow – How to Tell The Story:
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• Offer grow guarantee to showcase expertise and commitment tocustomer service
• 30-minute sessions on how to plant/care
• Garden demos next to displays on busy days
• On-call gardener — via social media/eMail/ website — 24/7
• Contests on social media during campaign to generate excitement and education
• Social media links for more information when you have time
Helping Your Garden Grow – Where To Tell The Story:
• Dedicated eMails– To Introduce, Launch And Engage Customers During Campaign
• Social media engagement – Facebook: Posts, Cover Photos, Advertising, Contests, Fan Share Requests
– Twitter: Posts, Sponsored Posts
– Instagram: Pictorial And Video Messages From Campaign
– Pinterest: Dedicated Board For Campaign, Contests
• Traditional marketing (TV, Radio, Newspaper, Direct Mail
And Billboard)
• In-store signage
• In-store events
• Create coupon offers/bag stuffers to promote contest
• Highlight campaign on store website 17
Delivering The Campaign To Customers In The Store
• Set up windows with campaign images
• Set up key gardening project displays throughout store – Create lists for what you need to do each project
• Post seminar times prominently on store displays, registers and windows– Use bag stuffer with links to more information via social
media and website
• Showcase social media sites at display point where customers can go for more information– Pinterest board address
– Facebook page, Instagram page
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Telling Your Community About The Campaign Classes
• Communicate educational
session schedule via
social media
• Communicate sessions via
local community News (online
and traditional marketing)
• Create list of sessions on your
website for customers to track
• Send out eMails with list of
session times
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• Create a bounce-back coupon to be used at time of seminar for small discount on all purchases — or a free gift with purchase to measure return and sales from event.
• Teach sales associates how to capture this information based on their POS method (will vary by store).
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Helping Your Garden Grow – Measuring Your Success
Delivering The Campaign To Customers – Via Social Media Marketing
• Facebook posts about programs– Have customers ask questions, show
pictures of their progress-should be very interactive
• Targeted Facebook ads to showcase programs and education sessions
• Set up Facebook events for in-store seminars
• Twitter posts about programs and educations
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• Pinterest boards for each type of garden to grow– Weekly updates: have customers pin
pictures of their gardens growing
• How-to YouTube videos for each type of garden
• Blog posts linking pictures, videos and instructions for growing
Sharing Your Success: Continuing The Story
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Campaign 2: Grow Up Gardening –Grow Sessions for Kids of all Ages
Timing: Ongoing Campaign Can Be Use All Season Long
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Grow Up Gardening– How to Tell The Story
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Host Interactive In-Store Sessions Where Garden Center Experts Can Teach Kids About Gardening Via Fun Activities
• Showcase how gardening can be family time, fun and healthy
• Host classes that fit all types of families — 30-to-45-minute Saturday-morning sessions for working parents and weekday sessions for homeschoolers.
• Create activities for kids of multiple ages • Take pictures or videos during events to
engage parents with your social media. Invite them to share them with the extended family.
Communication Strategies• Dedicated eMails
– To Introduce, Launch And Engage Customers During Campaign
• Social media engagement – Facebook: posts, cover photos, Advertising, contests, fan share requests– Twitter: posts, sponsored posts– Instagram: pictorial and video messages from campaign– Pinterest: dedicated board for campaign, contests – Blog posting: sharing via moms blogs 26
Growing Up Gardening– Where To Tell The Story
• Traditional marketing – TV, radio, newspaper, direct mail and billboard
• In-store signage – All relevant product displays and windows
• Local event blogs
– Mom bloggers, school websites, community newspapers
• Highlight campaign on store website 27
Delivering The Campaign To Customers In Store
• Create series of weekly or bi-weekly events for kids in low-traffic times
• Create product displays nearby where parents can buy products from activity afterwards
• Create multiple places where parents can download activity to replicate at home (social media sites, website, eMail)
• Take pictures and videos of events and share link with parents while they are at your store or via a dedicated eMail
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Delivering The Campaign To Customers In Your Store
• Give kids who participate a prize or certificate or a stamp in a garden book they can fill each week
• Offer parents a one-time day of activity in store discount for all purchases made that day
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Delivering The Campaign In Your Community
• Showcase pictures from the event in outside-the-store marketing pieces
• Send press releases about the event’s success– Local newspapers, free press release sites
– Local community newspapers
– Mommy blogs
– Your eNewsletter or publication
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Delivering The Campaign To Customers In Your Community
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• Create albums from event on social media pages (Facebook, Pinterest)
• Create referral programs for parents to share link for next events with their friends (share with friends on Facebook)
• Ask kids to write notes about experience and post them on social media, Yelp, etc.
Measurement Opportunities: • Impressions via marketing messages
– eMail opens– Reach via social media– Website clicks
• How many people sign up in advance via marketing tools– Calls to store – Sign ups from social media
• How many days of transactions based on the number of attendees
• Sales from actual event – Teach sales associates how to capture this information based on
Their POS method
• Post event measurement – Likes/shares/re-pins from social media
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Collecting Data to Determine Campaign Effectiveness
Campaign 3: We LOVE Where You Live too …
Build Customer Engagement With Participation In Community Events/Activities
Timing: Ongoing Campaign Can Be Use All Season Long
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We Love Where You Live– How to Tell The Story
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• We’ve been part of this great community – List years here to personalize the campaign
• Off-site events give chance to be personal with customers in a fun, non-selling way – Allows you to showcase your brand’s personality and
the people who manage that brand
• Connect with customers on their terms, not yours
• Shake hands, meet potential new customers – Key for success is to provide multiple opportunities
for re-engagement based on the marketing activities you create
We Love Where You Live – Where To Tell The Story
• Dedicated eMails– To introduce, launch and engage customers during the campaign
– Ask community partners to showcase your participation
• Social media engagement – Facebook: posts, cover photos, advertising, contests, fan share requests,
share on local community pages
– Twitter: posts, sponsored posts
– Instagram: pictorial and video messages from the campaign
– Pinterest: dedicated board for campaign and contests
– Blog posting: sharing community pages 36
We Love Where You Live – Where To Tell The Story
• Traditional marketing
– Garner free local cable TV announcements , community events radio, classifieds In newspaper, sponsor town banner advertising if possible (and affordable)
• In-store signage
• Local event blogs (featuring community bloggers)
• Community newspapers
• Highlight participation on store website 37
Some pictures from Campaign here (email samples, SM cover photo?
Delivering The Campaign To Customers In Your Community
• Create in-store signs to generate excitement for event
• Use social media to market your participation at event
• Highlight event participation in as many community places as possible
• Showcase your fun (and local) garden center personality (exhibited by booth sales associates)
• Create strong visual imagery at booth– Offer products for sale that are tailored to specific event
• Run contest for prizes or gift cards – Through booth entry jar or computer sign up
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Delivering The Campaign To Your Community
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• If it’s an outdoor parade activity, make sure to carry your company banner with your logo prominently displayed
• Hand out coupon at event to get customers to come to your store
– Use short time frame for offer to prompt quick return
• Take pictures and videos of events – share via links after event
Delivering The Campaign To Your Community
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• Send press releases about event success
– Local newspapers, free press release sites
– Local community newspapers
• Create albums from event on social media pages
– Facebook, Pinterest (a board from the
event)
• Create referral programs to share link for next events with their
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Collecting Data to Determine Campaign Effectiveness
Measurement Opportunities• How many impressions via marketing messages
– eMail opens
– Reach via social media
– Website clicks
– Referral links
• Return coupons from event sales
– Teach sales associates how to capture this information based on their POS method
Campaign 4: How does your garden grow?
• Goal: Increase your Online Presence-ask your customers to help you do so
• Timing: All Season Long
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How Does Your Garden Grow – How to Tell The Story
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Your garden center will build marketing processes for customers to share their love of gardening – online via key internet sites, social media sites and blogs – with other potential customers.
• Marketing process is to create programs using online techniques and asking customers to share their best gardening tips, tactics and memories
• Goal of campaign is to remind customers how much fun gardening is, to share that online and for other potential customers to learn and see the passion that comes from gardening
How Does Your Garden Grow – Where To Tell The Story
• Dedicated E-mails – Create series of eMails asking specific how-to questions for gardeners to
answer and list multiple places to respond (eMail, social media, website, in-store)
• Social Media Engagement – Use Facebook to create a series of customer questions:
• Ask customers for Best Of… tips/tactics, product reviews,
• Use daily posts to share information, change cover photos with customer pictures
• Run contests to get customers to post quickly
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How Does Your Garden Grow –Where To Tell The Story
• Traditional marketing (radio, newspaper, direct mail)
• In-store signage
• Local event blogs (featuring community bloggers)
• Community newspapers
• Highlight participation on store website
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Delivering The Campaign To Customers In Store
• Create in-store signs to generate excitement
• Use social media to market the event
• Highlight participation by sharing notes, letters, pictures and videos sent in by customers
• Create Pinterest page to photograph all hand written notes and put there
• Run contest for prizes or gift cards • Use multiple contests during course of season
attached to campaign
• Best picture, best tip, best video, best overall garden
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Measurement Opportunities
• How many impressions via marketing messages
– eMail opens
– Reach via social media
– Website clicks
– Referral links
• Return coupons from event sales
– Teach sales associates how to capture this information based on their POS method
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Collecting Data to Determine Campaign Effectiveness
Contact Us!
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Susan Hogansusan@actionableresultsresearch.com
Carol MillerCLMiller@meistermedia.com
Bridget Behebehe@anr.msu.edu
Lynn Switanowskilynn@cbc-group.net