Uncle had the program to grow the finest sod: "Imitate nature! Plant the finest seed. Feed it. Prevent crabgrass and weeds." Why that’s so simple, it was Idiot Proof. Customers wanted to know the secret. How did Uncle keep his sod so lush and green? Tey said, "Tell us the secret so we can make our lawns lush and green like your sod farm." “Uncle, write down that idiot proof program. Put it on a yellow sheet so it won’t get lost." Now people knew Uncle’s secret. Tey drove for miles down a gravel road to buy.”
Te Grass Pad now has grown to five locations surrounding the Kansas City metro area plus the original Loveland Lawns Grass Pad location. Yet, “… at Grass Pad it's all about dirt on our shoes and grass on our mind.”
Newspaper and television advertising and videos carry through on the Grass Pad image. “Idiot Proof” and “High on Grass” remain part of the message, in attention-grabbing style, with the emphasis on what matters most to potential customers.
Test It Rauwerda of Greenhorizons classifies himself as an analytical junkie, using Google analytics and additional analytical resources to track their customers’ purchase patterns. Tat has revealed that most of their customers browse their website first and then go to OrderSodNow, their online portal, to make the purchase. Contrary to popular belief, that pattern holds true across the board age-wise. In fact, their analysis shows it takes a more targeted approach to attract the younger folks to a website because they spend so much time online. So, while Greenhorizons uses Facebook and Twitter effectively, they’ll be adding content specifically to appeal to millennials during their website update.
Online marketing is essential to connect with today’s consumer. But it’s only as effective as you make it. Track your website visits and monitor your customers’ purchasing patterns—and don’t be afraid to change what isn’t working and enhance what is.
Suz Trusty is co-editor of Turf News.
All screenshots have been taken, with permission, from the noted websites.
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TPI Turf News January/February 2018
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