The IGC show in Chicago just wrapped up.

If you are a garden center retailer, or someone who sells to the IGC's, this show is a 'bulls-eye' for doing business.

Someone commented that 'I just don't do shows anymore - too much of the same stuff'.

I understand that feeling too, but the PEOPLE is the difference maker. The networking that goes on at IGC Chicago is the best in the business - period.

A thanks to Jeff and Cheryl Morey for making it happen.

Steve

A thank you to Dr. Charlie Hall for having a vision.

Dr. Hall has been talking common sense to the green industry for months - telling us how to prepare for the onset of an economic recession.

Now he is telling us to prepare for an Economic Rebound. Are you preparing?
Source: Bill Conerly.

See the larger version here: http://ellisonchair.blogspot.com/2009/04/upcoming-challenges.html

Hang in there. The green industry's best days are ahead.

Steve

We've added another great local niche publisher to the 10-20 Media Network of publishers.

Washington Gardener magazine has been serving the DC, Virginia, Maryland and surrounding states for a while.

We are pleased to be a part of their new Internet publishing strategy.

Here is a link to their marketplace.

Welcome aboard.

Steve

We recently scrubbed some data in our 'LawnandGardenSearch.com' database and found that in any given region, less than 50% of garden centers have web sites.

Obviously it made me scratch my head in bewilderment. I guess most garden centers are not getting this research data:

(IYP = Internet Yellow Pages)

Searches with geographical modifiers are on the rapid rise. Yes, believe it or not, people are actually figuring out how to use the search engines effectively.

This second chart shows that the number of searches per user has risen dramatically over the same period of time.

All the data says that local consumer spending is SIGNIFICANTLY influenced by search. To say it differently, the consumer is searching on the web for products, then going to the store to buy.

Multiply that by the increased frequency of local search and you have the perfect storm for advertising your businesses on the Internet.

I wonder when our industry is going to figure it out?

Any thoughts on this?

For your consideration,

Steve Cissel

Building Share Of Voice In A Recession

It is easy to cut the ad budget in tough economic times. Particularly when you have know idea if the ad spend is working.

Internet advertising is measurable, especially when dealing with verticals or niche marketplaces (consumer publication sites).

This article in Media Post suggests that using targeted Internet advertising in a down economy will be a great investment as your company will gain 'voice share'.

"And when houses do begin to sell again and America gets re-bitten by the home-decorating bug, "that share of voice will be worth more."

Tough economic times won't last forever.


Steve

Brand Marketing in a Weak Economy

 

Brands work because they have a clear message, they connect with consumers emotionally, and their products fulfill a consumer need. In a weak economy, when consumers must be especially careful of their spending, brands can earn a lifetime of brand-allegiance or lose it, depending on how they market themselves in a down turn.

 

In his article, Marketing Your Way Through A Recession, Harvard Business School professor, John Quelch, prescribes eight guidelines for marketing your brand in 2008-2009. “…brands that increase advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share and return on investment at lower costs than during good economic times. Uncertain consumers need the reassurance of known brands.”

Steve

Thank you Cheryl and Jeff Morey for hosting such a powerful event (IGC trade show).
It was well attended by the GC's and vendors and full of educational seminars, good food, good music and good friends.

Chicago is such a beautiful city. The blue water of Lake Michigan and the cool breezes blowing across it. Nice.

I am already looking forward to IGC trade show 2009.

If you didn't make it to the IGC show in 2008, put the IGC show on your calendar for 2009.

Here are the details.

See you there.

Steve

'Local Search' is a term that is gaining a new perspective among today's businesses (even though the model is over 100 years old).
 Question is, what does 'Local Search' mean?

I am going to join Greg Sterling (Greg's blog) and agree that the defenition is: "Reaching particular people in particular places — who will typically buy something or do something in a physical location."

For you and me in the 'green industry' the term 'locally' drives the bus:
    ~ Contributing locally with people
    ~ Contributing locally with products in and products out
    ~ Contributing locally with services in and services out

It's not like most of our businesses are branded multi-location businesses. Most in this industry have a local flavor.

Reaching 'particluar people' in 'particular places' means you have to meet them where they are, when they are.

The Internet is where they are - locally, and they are looking for you.

This survey drives that point home:
"A Nielsen survey in May 2008 found that among a representative group of people who had recently made consumer electronics purchases in a brick and mortar store, 80 percent bought from a store whose Web site they visited first. Further, 53 percent purchased from the retailer on whose Web site they had spent the most time." (Here is the link)




Here is a table that shows the preferred source of Information gathering

Table 1: Information Sources ranked by Preference among Consumers
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preferred Information Source                   Percent of Consumers
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internet                                                                 58
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit to local stores                                                    25
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reviews in newspapers/magazines                                           8
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends and family                                                        8
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other                                                                     1
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Nielsen Online

There are lots of things happening in the 'green industry' that will make your web site 'more visible'.

Best bet is to have a professional web site and engage those who are visiting it in a professional manner.

Yes, it is The Information Age, and our businesses need to serve it up with a local flavor.


Steve




  

Survey Results - What do people do on the Internet?

Survey Results - Who is using the Internet?

Should you have a web site?

Small Companies are finding a home on the web

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (Definition)

URL Configuration

URL's, or Domain Names are a significant piece of the SEO puzzle.

It is important to choose URL's that are keyword sensitive.

For example: Landscape Services - I've seen many a web site that says they provide 'Landscape Services' such as pruning, mowing, etc. The URL for this page is typically in this format:

www.yourcompany.com/landscapeservices.html

The problem: people don't search for landscapeservices (or landscape services for that matter). It would be much better to optimize the page for 'landscaping' and have the url in this format:

www.yourcompany.com/landscaping.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next, I want to explain how to configure two-word URL's.
When dealing with 'landscape design', flowering plants and red flowering shrubs, configure the URL's in the following format:

www.yourcompany.com/landscape-design.html
www.yourcompany.com/flowering-plants.html
www.yourcompany.com/red-flowering-shrubs.html

By separating the words with a dash tells the search engines that individual words are represented.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Database driven sites often create dynamic URL's. These dynamic URL's lack keywords. Consider masking the dynamic URL for SEO purposes.

Here is an example of a dynamic URL:
www.yourcompany.com/results.asp?cc=KGYH&b=30&catID=11

Here is the same web page using a masked URL:
www.yourcompany.com/The-Best-Products-Money-Can-Buy.htm

Library

Recent and Relevant Reading

 Recession Marketing
"There are four crucial investments you need to make to ensure a long-lasting return on your internet marketing."

SEO Tips for Product Pages
"The SEO benefits of product pages can often be overlooked, with many just offering basic product details, photos and a brief description."

The Basics of Local Online Advertising
"With all the avenues available for reaching customers online, it's important to be able to determine what is working and what isn't."

Website Design - The In's and Out's of Using Flash for Flare
"While Flash can radically enhance the appeal of website, it does come with a couple of caveats. If you're a business looking to employ Flash to add spice to your website, there are a few things both positive and negative to be aware of that may affect you depending on what your target goals are."

Designing or Redesigning Your Web Site - Has The Time Come?
"Whether you've had your Web site for two years or ten, it might be time for a change."

Got Duplicate Content? Don't Let It Dilute Your SEO Efforts
"There's really nothing wrong with having multiple versions of a page co-exist on your website. Sure, there's some redundancy, but it won't break the Internet. However, the problem arises when the same page lives in different sections on your site AND it has different URLs. Then it's considered duplicate content by the search engines."

Sound Investments For Your Web Site
"Regardless of the purpose of your website, selling stuff, getting leads, or page views, utilizing these three methods of website improvement will pay off far beyond your investment in a specialist, in-house training, attending a seminar, or however you choose to get it done."

Observations

People Want To Buy Stuff

Data is pouring in from different places about how people use the Internet to do research before they buy.

It is going to be next to impossible to get real-time inventory data on live goods at the local garden center / nursery until RFID systems are ubiquitous.

Regardless, Internet users want to know what you have. Here is a chart that shows what they are doing:



Click here to see the full size graph.


Yes, they are doing research on the Internet and going to the store to purchase ... in a combination of scenario's.

The chart below shows what they influence of the Internet and in-store combinations:



Click here to see the full size graph.

10-20 Media, Inc. is an Internet Publishing Company with specialized knowledge in Database Development and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). We have specialized knowledge in the green industry.

The 10-20 Media, Inc. mission is to be the authoritative aggregator of fragmented green industry data and utilize the Internet to deliver structured data to the trade and to consumers so that the industry may grow, and consumers may know, that we realize the full potential of the industry's environmentally beneficial and mentally stimulating products and services.

 

Internet Publishing Company - we publish several web sites serving the green industry

   ~ www.LawnandGardenSearch.com - a directory of Lawn and Garden consumer products and services

         ~ GardenViews - a blog network about lawn and garden topics for consumers and businesses

         ~ BrandMAX - a unique advertising that places brands in local search. Here is an example.

   ~ www.GreenIndustrySearch.com - a directory of Green Industry trade products and services

   ~ www.VirtualPlantTags.com - a searchable database of plants

 

Database Development

   ~ All of our web sites are database driven. That means that the pages are created on the fly by a computer.

   ~ Our databases are developed and published using the Microsoft platform.

Web Site Design – Our award winning web site design team has the creative knowledge to make your look good and deliver the message needed to develop relationships with customers.

 

Search Engine Marketing

   ~ We Search Engine Optimize (SEO) web sites using our graphic design department and our technical design department.

   ~ We act as a SEM agency on behalf our clients to give them visibility in the search engines. We are an authorized reseller of the Google Adwords™ program.

 

Specialized Knowledge of the Green Industry

Data Fragmentation - We have specialized knowledge in the green industry (lawn and garden). Our services aim to address a severe fragmentation issue found in the green industry. For example, each plant has a Latin name (Example; Acer rubrum 'Red Sunset'). The same plant has a common name (Example: Red Sunset Red Maple). Then the same plant has a trade name or patent name (Example: Franksred Maple). Fragmentation can be aggregated using computer databases by standardizing and structuring data.

Company Fragmentation - Companies in the green industry may have multiple profit centers under one roof. It is entirely possible that one company could do the following: Landscaping, Landscape Design, Landscape Construction, Nursery, Greenhouse, Garden Center, Lawn Maintenance and Arborist Services. Some might include paving and pool installation as part of their portfolio.

Missed Opportunities From Fragmentation - The Yellow Pages Association has 5,000+ categories that make up their Yellow Pages books. When a company advertises in the Yellow Pages, they have to select the categories that best define their company. The Lawn and Garden category (is not really a category in YPA data) is broken into 11 categories across 5,000. If you were to aggregate the 11 categories together and call them Lawn and Garden, Lawn and Garden would be the 7th most popular category with 296,000,000 (two hundred ninety six million) look-ups annually - ahead of the Automotive category. That is a huge number of eyeballs looking in just a few categories. Categories that are absent from YPA data are one's like Annuals, Perennials and Shrubs for starters. Then there's Hydroseeding, Lawn Renovation and Erosion Control too. Bottom line is the language of the industry is missing from the data structure.

10-20 Media, Inc. uses its industry knowledge to create and manage categories that truly represent the fabric of the green industry. This data is then stored in databases and blended smoothly into web sites that are user friendly and advertiser friendly.

 

Business Model

Our business model (revenue) is earned by advertising a company at the right time and the right place (when the Internet user asks for it). We do not charge a fee to those who want to use our site for information. There are no barriers to entry such as user names and passwords. Use our web sites all day long for FREE. Fees are paid by advertisers only.

We currently use a flat-fee subscription model on the trade web site and a performance-based model on the consumer web site.

 

Since 1998

We started this journey in 1998 as Green Industry Online, Inc. We then became Green Industry Yellow Pages, Inc. in 2001, and expanded into 10-20 Media, Inc. in 2007.

The changes we've made along the way (including our names) are many. However, the changes have been made with the sincere desire to provide products and services that are easy to use, affordable and effective.

 

Steve

 

 

"The Increasing awareness about the personal, community and economic benefits of choosing local, independently owned businesses FIRST."
~~~~~~~~~~~

The combination of 'Big-Box Influence' and 'Organic Influence' is creating an awareness of the importance of buying local.

I think there is a real opportunity to sell landscapes where the plants are locally grown (and I don't mean locally distributed).

I have sat through a number of consumer focus groups that say they are willing to pay a higher price if their 'purchase power' positively influences the local economy and the environment.

The day is coming when the consumer will ask for (or we graciously offer) a 'Carbon Footprint' value on the products supplied.

We as an industry need to be able to provide the answer, as well as the 'Oxygen Footprint'value as an antidote.

Steve

I sit here in the Marriott Residence Inn in Mountain View CA tonight in preparation for a visit to Google Headquarters tomorrow.

10-20 Media is an Authorized Google Adwords Reseller. That means that 10-20 Media (me) is receiving 2 days of training from a team of Googlers on their home turf.

I feel like I am representing and industry tonight. I wonder how many other pure-bred green industry genentics have been in the door at the GooglePlex?

This is a big deal for this reason: The power of an aggregator.

You see, Home Depot and Lowes can build sophistecated web advertsing applications and deploy them across the enterprise at a low cost per location. Need a materials calculator? Sure, they have it on their home page. Use it and then contact your local store.

A message board - sure. Ask the Big Box expert, get the answer, and buy locally the solution.

One critical part is missing though. Relationship.

The web is interactive. The Big Boxes are not using the web to build relationships with their users (atleast not that I can tell). And I don't mean "Sign Up For This Newsletter". That is one directional.

So 10-20 Media and our Lawn and Garden Search site is an aggregator. An aggregator of many, many localized small businesses that have lots of knowledge and willing to share. They also have LOTS of products (how many plant names are there? Whew!).

There is no way that your local garden center and nursery is going to be able to build a page for every plant and product that is worth selling and search engine optimize it. Ain't happenin'.

So Lawn and Garden Search, as the aggregator of said information, can build content and commerce pages and send the searcher to the local business for the information. It is a practical reality and a need within our industry.

To tie this thought together, this visit to Google is going to fill my head with the means to bring the local searcher to the local enterprise to find exactly what they need, and build a relationship with the customer along the way. Great things ahead for this industry of ours.

This is no small task, but I'm up for it.

Starts tomorrow.

Steve

I had a fascinating 2 weeks in December as I traveled to Los Angeles for the Kelsey ILM:07 Conference and then to Chicago for the Search Engine Strategies Conference.

Without question, there is a growing movement of the SMB (Small-Medium Business) to the Internet. At ILM:07 one of the speakers (CitySearch) noted that they are finding that marketplaces with advertisers that traditionally spend little on advertising, are finding that Internet Advertising is an effective channel for them.

Well H-E-L-L-O.

For the first time ever, there is an affordable vehicle for getting your advertising message out to the "local masses". Every form of traditional media is invasive - it interrupts your mission. Watching TV ? - Interrupted by advertising. Reading a magazine ? - Interrupted by an ad.

Internet Search is totally different. So I go online and search for something to address my (immediate) need, and behold, there are potentially advertisers on the page that can address my need (at least that is how it should work).

Enter niche content, or vertical publishing or however you want to say it. Bottom line is that now there are web sites out there that address a theme, hobby, interest, business etc.

While the big search engines fragment into their "universal search" experience, the niche players refine - creating silo's of information that meets the very need of its users. Cool.

There is an unprecedented opportunity here for brands and local companies of all shapes and sizes (and budgets) to be heard.

What are you waiting for?

 

Steve

 

I recently attended the Search Engines Strategies Conference in Chicago and learned a ton.

One of the take-aways was the fact that consumers are increasing the number of searches they are doing at the rate of 17% a month.

One gentleman said that their web site had an 84% increase in product quieries on Black Friday over the same day last year.

In store transactions makes up 95% of retail sales (eCommerce is only 5 percent), and that number is holding steady.

This has huge implications for your lawn and garden business:

~ Is a garden center / nursery web site able to give the user the product information they are looking for? Or will the user have to search for the brand, only to be lead away to a store locator (possibly a dead end)?

~ Does the garden center / nursery have a means to communicate in a timely manner about the product or service they are looking for?

~ Does the garden center / nursery have a mechanism in place to take the online order and have it picked up in the store?

The answer needs to be yes to all the questions above in order to provide a satisfactory experience to that customer.

Garden Centers and Nursereis that do not embrace the new shopping paradigm will be struggling with one arm tied behind their backs.

What are you waitning for?

Steve

As I reflect on 2007, I can’t help but notice a sound - a sound that is growing louder by the day.

 

The sound is the beating drum of environmental awareness. In the last week I have heard of plans at the University of Maryland to engage ‘sustainability’: turning the campus into an arboretum, working on the rooftops with plants, recycling etc.

 

Also, our allies at Maryland Cooperative Extension are proposing a Green Building at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center. Howard County Executive Ken Ulman wrote a $250,000.00 dollar check to kick off Howard County’s support of this Green Building.

 

When completed, Stanton Gill and his team will have the “real deal” of an environmentally constructed facility. Here are some of the features (terms): a breeze funnel, rain collection, living roof, daylighting, earth sheltering, reflective paving, greenhouse, solar chimneys, bio-filtration, earth tubes, silo wind generator, wind blocks.

 

It is time for us, the green industry, the stewards of the environment, to join the beating drum with our instruments and make some music!

 

It is in this spirit that I offer a thought for your consideration: The excessive consumption of fossil fuels, the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and its negative effect on the environment has all been boiled down to one phrase: Carbon Footprint.

I know you’ve heard it before. It is a “kitchen table” term.

 

Our green industry has an opportunity to be a lead instrument in the environmental ensemble. In my opinion, we need a simple message. The consumer is not going to understand what a “green building” is, and certainly isn’t going to understand the “terms” listed above. I don’t understand the terms above, but I know they’re a good thing.

 

How do we say: plants, purification of water and air, water usage efficiency, energy efficiency, recycled waste, efficient use of natural resources?

What phrase makes it simple and a kitchen table term?

 

I submit for your consideration: Oxygen Footprint.

 

Oxygen Footprint is the antidote to Carbon Footprint. Might we develop an Oxygen Footprint calculator? Architects currently do an energy consumption calculation on buildings. Ideally, an Oxygen Footprint calculation on a building should offset the Carbon Footprint, and the excess sustains life. The thought of consumers being aware of the Oxygen Footprint of their properties would be a good thing.

 

In an effort to spark discussion, I built a web site: http://www.oxygenfootprint.org/ - my desire is that our green industry takes ownership of this idea and leads it to an encore performance at the kitchen table.

 

May God bless you, your family, and our green industry.

 

Steve

Have you looked for yourself lately. You may be lost.

You may be lost in the search engine world, while others are being found in your place.

Go to a major search engine and do a search for one of your high margin products or services and see if you show up. Add a geographic qualifier if / when necessary and see if it helps.

The more keywords you add to a search string the higher the odds are that you should show up.

If you don't show up, you're lost. Lost in on the web. To get out, or to be found, you need a plan, or a map of keywords and pages that are 100% relevant to what you are searching for, and the pages will have to be Search Engine Optimized.

First things first, make a list of words you want to be found for, then do some searching on the web for them. Take note of who is being found first for the query, and take a look at the pages to see "why" they are showing up first. Can you do the same. Can you beat them with some good creative?

Time to start learning how to do this now, as it takes a few months to get results.

Steve

I am assuming you are dropping in here because of the GCA newsletter. Well, come on in !

Actually, the GCA FIB thread is a few down, so I've given you a shortcut at the bottom of this blog entry.

On another note, I see the newsletter mentions the web award we received. Thanks for the acknowledgement.

Thank you GCA for giving us the free reign to push the edge of creative design for the event. There has been a lot of positive feedback on the mix of fashion and plants in the web design. Here is a link to the site if you haven't seen it.

And last, this blog is a place where I convey Internet advertising information and knowledge. There is SO MUCH information in the space that is not making its way to our industry. I'll do my best to put it here, so stop in again.

I'll leave the light on for ya.

Steve

 

PS - would really appreciate a comment or two as you're passing through. Thanks.

 

Shortcut: Click here for GCA's Fashion In Bloom blog entry.

 

A couple snippets from Website Magazine worth noting (and understanding).

"The Department of Commerce estimated total e-commerce sales for 2005 at $86.3 billion, an increase of 24.6 percent over 2004. Total retail sales in 2005 increased 7.2 percent over 2004, with e-commerce sales accounting for 2.3 percent of total sales. "

That means that 97.7 percent of retail sales in 2005 happened in stores or catalog's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Most people don’t buy right away; they like to shop and compare. The study found that over half of online holiday buying activity occurred in subsequent Internet sessions. This shows a strong trend known as latent buying and the importance of search marketing."

This really tells the story of how people use the web to do research online and then go to the store to buy.

If you think about the perishable products of our green industry, I would estimate that MOST of the green products are sold in store because the buyer wants to physically touch what they are buying.

They'll ask: "Does it have any flower buds on it? Any broken branches? What kind of container is it in? Is it a bio-degradable container? Is it rootbound? What kinda bugs does it get?"

We need to serve the web audience the information they are looking for so that they WILL come to the store.

Otherwise, we'll lose out to those descretionary dollars to another category.

 

For the full article from Website Magazine, click here.

 

Steve

 

Brian Wool wrote an interesting article today at ClickZ.

It is titled: Is One Good Web Site Enough for a Local Business?

The thinking behind it is that there are many opportunites to list your business in different directories, and many have profile pages that showcase your business.

As a business person, you should make the profile page as robust as you can make them.

Here is a snippet from his article:

"I don't think these profile pages are meant to -- or can -- replace a well-built Web site. But for some business categories, where in-depth product details, services, or inventory are necessary, profile pages can help drive traffic."

Click here for the full article.

 

Steve

So what in the world does Brand Search is Category Driven mean?

It means that consumers don't normally start their search on a search engine with a brand name, they usually start it with a generic category-like term. Here is an example using the travel industry.

Search 1: Vacation

Search 2: Caribbean (search completed some time after search 1)

Search 3: Carribbean Cruise (search completed some time after search 2)

Search 4: Carnival Cruise (the brand)(search completed some time after search 3)

 

Here are some real examples using categories and keywords from our green industry using a popular search engine.

Plants - is a top tier "generic" category keyword

Searches done in January 2007
Count	Search Term
126007	plant
40227	robert plant
26073	house plant
23194	plant nursery
21887	power plant
15913	plant cell
11455	medicinal plant
9511	tropical plant
8760	bamboo plant
7813	indoor plant

"Plant" got 126,007 searches and "Plant Nursery" got 23,194 searches. "Plant" wins.

 

Shrubs - Another category keyword, but would expect to fall under "Plants" in the scheme of things

Searches done in January 2007
Count	Search Term
10972	shrub service
10789	shrub
2508	tree and shrub
1414	flowering shrub
973	garden shrub
871	evergreen shrub
719	shrub roses
695	tree and shrub field guide
473	real estate shrub oak ny
369	plant and shrub

"Shrub(s)" got 10,789 searches. The numbers are getting smaller. "Flowering Shrub" even smaller.

 

KnockOut Roses - Here is the brand. Currently the most popular rose in the marketplace.

Searches done in January 2007
Count	Search Term
2203	knockout rose
287	double knockout rose
148	knockout roses pruning
94	knockout roses care
49	knockout rose bush
40	knockout shrub rose
36	knockout rainbow rose
31	knockout roses wholesale
29	pink knockout rose
26	companion knockout planting rose

"KnockOut Rose" scored a total of 2,203 searches at the same time "Plants" did 126,000

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just for information purposes, here is the data on "Roses".

Searches done in January 2007
Count	Search Term
302248	roses
190639	gun n roses
53987	rose bowl
41410	rose parade
40435	red rose
22122	sativa rose
19256	black rose
17718	rose mcgowan
16285	picture of roses
16230	rose tattoo
15337	rose flower

Man there are a lot of "Lover's" out there searching for a handful of roses. It is almost IMPOSSIBLE for a local garden center or nursery to buy the keyword "Roses" in the search engines. WAY too expense a keyword.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So here's my point.

If you are a brand, and you have a store locator. That is great. Keep doing it. There are those who will drill down far enough to find you. When they do, make sure your store locator is really good.

However.....

Don't rely soley on your store locator thinking it is THE answer. Invest in other web publications that move traffic through top tier keywords. They can drive traffic to the points at which your brand is sold, and in some instances, can introduce your brand.

 

Steve

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BTW, I understand this concept because our Lawn and Garden Search dot com site introduces brands at top tier category levels. We will be serving brands into the local businesses with the keyword "garden center" over 500,000 times this year. Not to blow my own horn here, but show me another web site that does that and I'll buy you a rose.

The Purchase Funnel

Above is the classic Purchase Funnel diagram that marketers have been using for years. It has been a tried and true model of the decision making process of the buying consumer.

Not any more.

The "old" purchase funnel diagram does not take into account the influence of the Internet.

The change to the model is happening in the middle tiers of Opinion and Consideration.

Search and the social aspects of the web are making the the center of the funnel bulge. Time to re-stack the funnel or maybe even throw it away, because when using search, the user gets to the tier that says "One make/One model intention" and the funnel comes apart.

Why?

Because brand search is category driven. (I'll address this in tomorrows blog)

What happens now is that when someone searches on the web, their consideration set goes from one to many, as many brands are introduced on the web search. So the funnel gets MUCH wider in the middle.

 

Maybe we need to start calling it something different:

The Purchase Droplet

 

See you tomorrow.

Steve

 

 Phil Adikes 

Phil Adikes and I spoke at Retail X in Cleveland the first week of September 2007.

A nicely run event from Ball Publishing.

Phils Blog, called Garden Center Blog, (along with Eric Wilder) bring blog commentary to us that makes a lot of sense to business owners, but even more so to garden center owners and managers.

Here is an entry from Garden Center Blog that needs to go in the Smart Marketing file:

 

Notes from Ball Publishing’s Retail Experience 

Posted September 8th, 2007 by Phil Adikes (click here for actual blog entry)

I had a great day today at the Retail Experience show in Cleveland. I told attendees that I would post notes on this page for them to refer to.

Keys to getting new customers:

Search Engine Optimization:

Page names that reflect search terms.

Inbound Links:

• Vendors
• Charities
• Newspaper Articles
• Website Comments

 

Considerations for Maximum Lifetime Value from customers

For the full blog entry, click here.
 

Wednesday September 19, 2007

The fall plants showcase called GCA's "Fashion In Bloom" starts today.

It is a showcase of the new plant introductions from some of the largest growers in the world hosted at Conard-Pyle Nursery in Pennsylvania and Homestead Growers in Maryland.

The weather is cooperating for this event - blue skies - upper seventies.

I'm heading there today. I'll use this thread to report on what I see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My visit to Conard-Pyle was worth the trip. The colors and textures were outstanding. I would think that garden center managers and owners would come away with many display ideas.

I shot a little video footage while I was there.

Click here to see video of Conard-Pyle location.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday September 21st - Homestead Gardens 2 locations

A lot of energy and thought went into the displays at the Homestead locations.

At the Homestead Growers facility, the pathway that wound through the greenhouse was very inviting.

Had a long chat with Sharon Gravit-Warschauer and Doug Parkinson from Euro American Propigators. Their Retro Succulents line on display was really cool. I particularly liked the rooster (on the video).

Here is the video from the 2 Homestead locations.

 

 

Steve

In today's marketplace, a web site is a MUST. No question about it, people are doing research on the web, and then going to the location to buy.

Now, it doesn't always start with a search engine. It might just start out on the highway.

Example:

So you are driving down the road (at the posted speed limit of course), and you drive past this garden center/nursery half a dozen times a week....and there is the sign out front with the company name. Bet if you closed your eyes you can picture it.

Does it have a web site address on it? Probably not, but it should.

People will remember the url (web site address) more than any one thing you can publish about your business. It should be legible from the road at the posted speed (or faster).

Here is Bill Calkins talking about his perspective on just this topic. Bill knows what he is talking about !

Take this idea and run with it.

 

Steve

In the world of search, it is important to know the difference between (existence of?) horizontal and vertical directories, and how to utilize both in an effort to drive users (who don't know about you) to your web site.

Horizontal Directories:

Let's start with horizontal directories. These are the directories you're most familiar with. Traditional yellow pages (print and online) are in the horizontal format. They cover topics like: pizza, mufflers, doctors, lawyers, automotive, restaurants, plumbers etc. The horizontal directory covers a lot if different subjects, all arranged on a horizontal line so you can find them.

Here are some examples of horizontal directories:

YellowPages.com

SuperPages

Switchboard

CitySearch

DexKnows

 

Vertical Directories:

Vertical directories are not as widely known, but are increasingly popular and relevant. Vertical directories take a subject matter that lands on the horzontal directory line and drills deep into the knowledge base of the subject. It is within these vertical directory spaces that you may find your ideal customer. The horizontal diretories have traditionally been used when a service is needed. For example, if I have broken pipe, I need a plumber now, and would use a horizontal directory (or a vertical about plumbing) right away.

However, if I were researching an arthritic knee solution, finding an appropriate restaurant for a party, researching what kind of lawyer handles my need or planning a garden, a vertical directory woud be the place to start. You will find MUCH more information about the topic in the vertical space. The vertical will cover in depth information that the horizontal can't touch.

Here are some examples of vertical directories:

Health: WebMD.com

Dining: Restaurants.com

Lawyers: FindLaw.com

Lawn and Garden: Lawn and Garden Search

 

A Search Engine Marketing strategy should be inclusive of horizontal and relevant vertical directories in order to expose your business to the broadest audience. You will be pleasantly suprised by the traffic you get from a both areas.

 

Steve

 

One of my favorite resources is the Search Engine Land blog. Greg Sterling's recent contribution titled "Local Search Is About Products Too, Not Just Restaurants And Plumbers" has eye opening impications for our green industry.

We have a fragmented industry. We have breeders that don't know where their plants are being sold. We have brands that utilize a growers network, but each grower in the nextwork won't share information with the brand as to where the plants are being sold.

Ultimately, the consumer loses, as does the green industry as a whole. We are fighting for the attention of the consumer and their descretionary dollars. When they can't find us for the information they need, they take their dollars elsewhere to a place where they understand what they are getting and where they can get it.

So Greg has this to say about product related searches:

"ShopLocal found that "65 percent made an in-store purchase within a week after visiting a site and another 23 percent within three weeks." As more data like this is compiled tactical implications for online marketers will become apparent."

He - llo ! He just said 88% make a purchase in less than a month after doing online research.

Bottom line? You need to have your web site in places that people are searching. When found, they will meet you at your cash register.

 

Steve

There is all sorts of content being published these days about "Local Search". There are huge amounts of money being thrown at local search platforms as well from the likes of Google, Yahoo, MSN, YellowPages.com, Local.com and many many more.

A recent Piper Jaffray survey showed that local search is now the second most common activity online. They created a recent document called the "User Revolution". It discusses the new advertising ecosystem and the rise of the Internet as a mass medium, and makes some pretty incredible forecasts.

Did you know that people are using the Internet now to make locally focused decisions more than anything other medium with the exception of email? I'm not sure that your local business really understands the size and frequency of the audience that is looking for you. Truthfully, most green industry businesses are missing the boat.

Has "Build it and they will come" been the thinking of your green industry business web site so far? You need a layer of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) on top of your web site if your site is going to be found by those who do not know about you.

Sure, put your URL on your letterhead, invoices, shirts, signs, vehicles etc. But reaching out to those who don't know about you is the strength of SEM. And it works.

I will take some time here in the near future to write about SEM.

 

Steve

 

 

Saturday morning. 6:30 am. Hot bagel and a cup of coffee.

Thumbing through the Sept/Oct issue of Green Profit Magazine. There's a lot of information about the OFA Short Course and Trade Show in this issue, and rightfully so. It was a great show and learning experience.

My friend Bill Calkins gives his farewell salute to us as he is moving up the chain of command at Ball Horticulture. Bill is taking on the position of Manager of Independent Garden Centers. If you are an independent garden center, keep an eye on Bill. He gets around and is very observant of things that can really work for garden centers. . . and he doesn't necessarily get his ideas from garden centers.

The Consumer Buzz Live event is covered pretty well. Kerry Herndon, a grower of Bromeliads and Orchids in Florida, wrote a column about the event and how the Internet was the underlying theme of the CBL event (p. 42). The panelists of 40 year olds said they wanted the garden centers to help them, get to know them, and maintain a relationship. They want to hear from the garden center every month about what they should be doing, whether it is with new things for gardening, or whether is has to do with the things they bought there.

These panelists also reenforced the data that says consumers go to the web to do research first, then go to the store to buy.

My friend Pete Bottomley wrote an article about how garden centers can succeed with customer seminars.

Bottom line take away this morning: We (consumer focused green industry businesses) need to do a better job of developing relationships with our customers, and find ways to establish the relationship that find them where they are.

Sun's up. Time to get moving.

 

Steve