Horticultural Marketing

In any business, including horticulture, success depends upon your ability to successfully  market your product  - so that you stay ahead of your competitors.

• Learn to market horticultural produce
• Study different marketing components used in horticulture industry
• Learn to develop appropriate marketing strategies
• Understand the role of customer service in marketing

Lesson Structure

There are 7 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Horticultural Marketing
   • Introduction
   • Key elements of marketing
   • Resources and networking
   • Supply and Demand
   • Understanding economics
   • Marketing horticulture plant produce vs plant products
2. Horticultural Marketing Processes
   • Packaging
   • Plant labelling
   • Product line decisions
   • Problem Based Learning project
3. Horticultural Marketing Methods
   • Introduction
   • Deciding marketing methods on type of business
   • Legal obligations
   • Value of business
   • Controlling business growth
   • Improving results in business
   • Use of internet for marketing
4. Customer Service
   • Dealing with complaints
   • Customer satisfaction
   • How to become effective communicator
   • Ways of communication
   • Selling
5. Horticultural Marketing Research
   • Introduction
   • Research process
   • Statistics
   • Tracking trends
   • Marketing tips
6. Developing An Advertising Program
   • Publicity marketing
   • Public relations
   • Structuring advertisements or promotions
   • Advertising budgets
7. Developing A Horticultural Marketing Strategy
   • Introduction
   • Shop layout
   • Displaying products for sale
   • Merchandising
   • Type of service
   • Stock control
   • Understanding selling
   • Sales methods
   • Pricing

Aims

• Explain general economic concepts relevant to the horticultural industry.
• Explain different components of the marketing process which may be used in the horticultural industry.
• Explain different marketing methods for horticultural products and services.
• Explain the role of customer service in horticultural marketing.
• Conduct market research into a product or service in the horticultural industry.
• Develop an advertising program for an horticultural enterprise.
• Develop an appropriate marketing strategy for a given horticultural situation.

What You Will Do

• Explain the concept of supply and demand, in a specified horticultural context.
• Explain specified economic theories in relation to two different horticultural commodities.
• Define terms relevant to horticultural marketing.
• Distinguish between marketing and selling in a horticultural enterprise.
• Compare different packaging strategies for various horticultural products.
• Analyse the labelling of different horticultural products, to determine possible improvements.
• Analyse options for transportation to market of different horticultural products.
• Analyse storage options during marketing, for different horticultural products.
• Determine criteria which are critical to the marketing success of different horticultural products.
• Prepare a marketing plan for a horticultural enterprise, that summarises:
  • handling
  • storage
  • packaging
  • transportation
  • promotion
  • selling.
• Describe specific examples of three different marketing strategies, used in the horticultural industry.
• Analyse the marketing of a specific, successful product or service, in the horticultural industry.
• Determine target markets for different selected horticultural products.
• Compare the marketing of a specified horticultural product using different marketing methods.
• Evaluate the success of marketing methods being used by different specified horticultural enterprises, to market their products or services.
• Evaluate positive features of customer service, in a specific horticultural enterprise.
• Evaluate negative features of customer service, in a specific horticultural enterprise.
• Explain the importance of consistent product availability, in a specified horticultural enterprise.
• Explain the importance of well-trained customer service providers, in a specified horticultural enterprise.
• Develop guidelines for maintaining good public relations, in a specific horticultural enterprise.
• Prepare a customer service policy for a selected horticultural enterprise.
• Design a questionnaire to determine demand for a new specified horticultural enterprise, in your locality.
• Design a questionnaire to determine customer attitudes towards a specified horticultural product or service.
• Determine the socio-economic attributes of clients of a specified horticultural enterprise you investigate.
• Determine the behavioural characteristics of clients of a specified horticultural enterprise, you investigate.
• Conduct market research into a specific product or service, by questioning a representative sample of different customers, of a horticultural enterprise.
• Collate statistics from conducted market research that you conduct.
• Analyse statistics relating to market research undertaken by you.
• Explain appropriate applications for different advertising avenues, in the horticultural industry.
• Develop guidelines for writing advertisements for a specified horticultural service or product.
• Write appropriate advertisements for different specified horticultural services or products.
• Prepare an appropriate brochure, to the stage of finished art work, for a specific horticultural product or service.
• Evaluate the response from specific horticultural advertisements.
• Evaluate different advertising methods used in a horticultural enterprise investigated by you, in terms of costs versus benefits.
• Determine the significance of packaging, presentation and labelling to marketing of a specified horticultural product.
• Estimate the relative benefits different techniques which may be used to promote a specific horticultural enterprise.
• Produce design for a specific nursery, farm, or other horticultural enterprise, to enhance marketing in that enterprise.
• Develop a promotional campaign for a specified horticultural product or service.
• Explain different methods of determining a price for a specified horticultural product.

WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?

Horticultural marketing is a valued skill that can be applied to many different areas of horticulture including:

• Garden centre
• Retail nursery
• Garden shop
• Horticulture supplies
• Crop growing
• Fruit & vegetables
• Gardening services