Stacie Zinn Roberts's Blog

What’s Your Avocado? Wins 4 National Awards for Public Relations, Websites, and Branding

What’s Your Avocado? Marketing & Public Relations, spearheaded by Stacie Zinn Roberts, was honored with four national awards recently at the 2025 Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) conference held in Charleston, South Carolina. The awards include:

Client: Tahoma 31 Bermudgrass by Sod Production ServicesFirst Place: Writing a Feature Article

The article, “The Landing at Torresdale”,  ran in the Fall 2024 issue of By Design, the official publication of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. The article aimed to educate golf course architects about the benefits of grassing their golf course designs with Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass on the tees, fairways, collars, and driving ranges. Promoting the grass was accomplished with a profile of the design and construction of a new golf course called The Landing at Union League Torresdale, a new 9-hole course developed to handle overflow from the Union League’s historic 18-hole course designed by legendary architect Donald Ross. The story held special meaning for me as the author. When I was a child, I lived in the working-class neighborhood surrounding the golf course. The plot of land where the course was built was a dense woods behind my elementary school. The very first time I ever saw a golf course was the day I emerged from those very same woods and saw the rolling fairways of the Union League with the clubhouse beyond. At the time, I had no idea I’d spend my career writing about golf. When I shared my personal story with the architect and golf course superintendent, they were both touched by my personal connection to the place. More than a profile, the story was an act of love.

READ THE ARTICLE

Client: Horizon Turf NurseryMerit Award Websites – (overall, discuss design and writing, strategy)  horizonturfnursery.com  

Horizon Turf Nursery is a family-owned sod farm operation in Colorado. The farm’s website was old, outdated, and failed to tell the company’s story. The structure was disorganized, with one-paragraph pages, choppy information, and no SEO. We rewrote every word of the website with an eye toward Search Engine Optimization in the Denver area metro, while also telling the family history. We created sections for each grass the farm grows using data charts and information to help customers could compare and contrast varieties. We created a comprehensive About page that offered history, leadership, and sustainability content. An old newspaper clipping on the Home Page links to this section, adding continuity and credibility.  Giving potential customers a peak behind the curtain, we dropped in whimsy (the family dog Odin is listed as a staff member with the title of “Professional Napper.” The owner’s son whose baby pictures are on the site came up with the name). Animations and elements that flip or slide make the site feel up-to-date and modern, which gives customers a sense that this company understands technology and grows a quality product while also being family-run. A contact form at the bottom of every page with a strong Call To Action makes it easy for customers to contact the farm and buy their sod. Services such as installation and delivery are highlighted to help the farm sell more than just grass. We used a mixture of family photos, recent photos, and stock photography to strike the right balance between local and professional. Upon launch, we started a location-specific Google Ads campaign to drive traffic to the website. Sales increased immediately, and the owners were ecstatic!

EXPLORE THE WEBSITE 

Client: Mach 1 Ultradwarf Bermudagrass by Modern TurfTwo Awards:Merit Award: Websites – (overall, discuss design and writing, strategy)  horizonturfnursery.com  Merit Award:  Branding – Written brand identity elements (product name, brand story, supporting brand ID elements including but not limited to Mission, Vision, Core Content, and brand descriptors and standard language)

We combed through nearly 20 years of scientific data to convert raw research stats into useful data points that could be converted into marketing language. Sources included research from the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program, the inventor’s background materials and webinars, and the original grass patent. Once data was organized, Stacie classified each data point into categories and crafted marketing messages that drove home the many benefits of Mach 1 Ultradwarf Bermudagrass for use on golf course greens. Once the research data illuminated actual product benefits, she moved on to creating standard language for the brand. Although a name and tagline were already in place, brand descriptors were not. For several years, the sales staff had made up all terminology on the fly without standardizing any of the sales language. Now, that language was crafted so the entire team could be “singing from the same hymnal.” This new standard language was then used to create the website, PowerPoints, trade show materials and handouts, and other marketing tools.

CHECKOUT THE WEBSITE

 

 

 

About TOCA

The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) membership includes editors, writers, publishers, photographers, public relations/advertising practitioners, industry association leaders, manufacturers, and others involved in golf, sports turf, and green industry communications. It is a national organization based in New Prague, MN. toca.org

About What’s Your Avocado? Marketing & Public Relations

What’s Your Avocado? Marketing & Public Relations, founded by Stacie Zinn Roberts, creates messaging, marketing, public relations, and advertising campaigns for a national audience. The firm serves clients nationwide, with a focus on the agricultural, turf, landscape, golf, and real estate industries. By the way, the Avocado? It’s the element that makes a person, product or company special. What’s Your Avocado? guides our clients to find their avocado and express it in the marketplace, thereby building a recognizable brand and a successful business. What’s Your Avocado? Marketing & Public Relations is based in Mount Vernon, WA.

What’s Your Avocado? Wins 4 National Awards Including Best of Show

The creative team at What’s Your Avocado? Marketing and Public Realtiions, spearheaded by Stacie Zinn Roberts and based in Mount Vernon, Washington,  earned  four national awards, including the equivalent of Best in Show at the 2024 Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) Awards held in early May in Lake Las Vegas, Nevada. The awards were for marketing tools created for the firm’s client Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass, a propriety brand of natural grass developed by Odklahoma Stte Univsity, licensed by Sod Producton Services, and planted worldwide on golf courses, sports fields and home lawns.

The awards include:

FIRST PLACE: WRITING A FEATURE ARTICLE (MARCOMM)

The article, “Building the Battlefield” by Stacie Zinn Roberts was published in “By Design” magazine, the official publication of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, (Fall 2023). The article chronicles the design and construction of The Battlefield at Shangri-La on Monkey Island, Oklahoma, utilizing Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass. Judges comments noted:  “Interesting info conveyed in an intriguing format and style. Everyone loves to read about the challenges of creating a course!”

GARDNER AWARD: “BEST IN SHOW”  – NEW MEDIA

FIRST PLACE: NEW MEDIA- WEBSITES (for the overall  website)

MERIT AWARD: DIGITAL DESIGN – WEBSITES (design-only category)

In early 2023,  Tahoma31.com was completely redesigned with all new graphics, functionality, text, research and content.  The website earned three awards in the competition including the special recognition of the competition’s Gardner Award (equivalent of the Best in Show). Judges comments for the all-new Tahoma31.com were “Beautiful website! Having the tool bar stay on the top of the page as you scroll down makes for easy navigation. It’s a good use of information, testimonials, photos … Very well done website. Great use of color, animation, the carousel, photos, testimonials, technical information … Well-organized, highly-informative web layout and content … Easy to navigate and has good consistency. Good use of hierarchy, pull quotes and photography. Organized and easy to navigate.”

Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass is regarded as the premium choice for golf courses, sports fields, and lawns in warm-seaons and the northernmost Transition Zone climates. Projects of note include stadium surfaces for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders;, MLB’s Los Angeles Angels & Dodgers; SEC Football’s University of Arkansas Razorbacks; hundreds of golf courses; and the National Park Services’ National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Outsmart A.I.

Artificial Intelligence, otherwise known as A.I., is all the rage right now. Everywhere we turn there’s another scary story about how A.I. is about to overtake humanity much like the Skynet robots did in the Terminator movies. And while the prospect of a maniacal Arnold Schwartzenegger-look-alike murder machine is terrifying, the truth is that A.I. is already here. And you’re most likely already using it. Yes, really.

Case in point: If you run spellcheck in Microsoft Word or use texting prompts on your phone, guess what? You’re using A.I. If you’ve typed questions into a customer service chatbot on a website, yup, you’re using A.I. If you talk to Alexa or Siri on your phone or digital assistant to look up facts or play music, right, that’s A.I., too. 

Rather than fearing the android apocalypse, let’s outsmart A.I. and use it to our marketing advantage. 

ChatGBT https://chat.openai.com/ 

ChatGBT is a free service that allows you to write content, conduct research, and generate ideas. For marketing, you can utilize ChatGBT to write first drafts of blog posts, come up with campaign ideas, and write emails. For the most part, ChatGBT is a good place to start when you’re having trouble creating new content. However, because it’s a bot, not a person, in order to get really useful content out of ChatGBT, you have to enter in succinct prompts. 

I typed in: “Help me write an article about how to use A.I. in marketing for sod farms.” 

Most of what I got back was generic or went off-topic about using A.I. for precision agriculture and GPS. But this one paragraph was actually pretty good:

Chatbots for Customer Interaction:

Implementing AI-powered chatbots on websites and social media platforms can significantly improve customer interaction for sod farms. These chatbots can efficiently handle customer queries, provide product information, and even assist with the purchasing process. This not only enhances customer satisfaction but also frees up human resources for more complex tasks, ultimately increasing operational efficiency.

Anytime you utilize ChatGBT, consider that the A.I. does not know your brand story, history, or customer. It is a tool best used as a starting point that you’ll then edit and refine. Think of it as a way to begin a project or campaign without staring at an intimidating blank screen. 

The ChatGBT website recommends:

ChatGPT can answer questions, help you learn, write code, brainstorm together, and much more.Don’t share sensitive info. Chat history may be reviewed or used to improve our services. Check your facts. While we have safeguards, ChatGPT may give you inaccurate information. It’s not intended to give advice.

Social Media & Email Blasts

Some social media scheduling software, such as Sprout Social and Later, among others, offer options to use A.I. to craft social media posts and research hashtags. I’ve used both of these programs and find them good idea generators that need a human touch before posting.

I’ve mentioned MailChimp in other columns because I use this software to create email campaigns. One of the cool new A.I. features of MailChimp, available on certain levels of paid plans (not the free one),  can tap into your website to select your color palette and photos to create on-brand graphic design elements that you can customize.

While A.I. should not replace your marketing team, it can help save time and generate a new perspective on your marketing efforts. Don’t fear the robots. At least, not yet.

Stacie Zinn Roberts is an award-winning marketing expert and founder of What’s Your Avocado? Marketing & PR. Contact her at whatsyouravocado.com

Originally published in The Pallet, Spring 2024 issue. Used by permission.

Diary of an Award-Winning Ad Campaign

Gardner Award Best Copywriting for a Display Ad – Commercial Publications

 

Please describe your project.

The project was a full-page ad for my client, Sod Production Services, and their product, Tahoma 31 Bermuda. This grass, developed by Oklahoma State University, is the most cold-tolerant bermudagrass on the market, but it also has a long list of features and benefits. The ad depicts a Swiss Army Knife transformed from its traditional red into Tahoma 31’s blue brand color. The knife has the Tahoma 31 logo engraved on it. Arrows radiating from the extended arms of the knife point to short subheads that name each of the product benefits and short descriptions of those benefits. To bring it all together, the headline of the ad says: Like This, But in a Bermudagrass.

What were your main objectives in developing this project?

The main objective in developing this ad campaign was to quickly and succinctly convey that the product has many benefits without getting bogged down in a long bulleted list. I also wanted the ad’s target audience (sports turf managers, golf course superintendents, golf course owners and builders, and other related turf industry pros) to understand that the grass could be a tool to help them overcome challenges like cold, drought and wear. Additionally, the product’s main competitor focuses on just one attribute (drought tolerance) in their ads. I also wanted to show that Tahoma 31 could handle drought and much more.

What influenced your approach?

Influencing my approach was the desire to draw a straight line from the usefulness of a Swiss Army Knife to the usefulness of the grass as a tool, not just a turf, that solves problems and helps turfgrass managers overcome challenges. I wanted to speak to the issues they face and offer a solution to those issues. Once I came up with the campaign idea, the next step was to order replicas of the knife to give out at trade shows. This made the campaign jump right off the page and into the hands of potential customers. It’s been highly effective.

What do you think stood out in your winning entry?

The writing was crisp and to the point. The reader doesn’t have to wade through long blocks of text. They can glance at the ad and get it immediately. I compared my client’s product to an iconic brand that everyone knows and the comparison strengthens the message.

Reprinted from TOCA Talk, Spring 2023 issue

What’s Your Avocado? Marketing Campaigns Win 3 National Awards for Client Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass including Best in Show

Once again, What’s Your Avocado? Marketing &  Public Relations and its founder, Stacie Zinn Roberts, has been recognized for award-winning marketing campaigns on behalf of national clients. At the 2022 Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA)  Awards held in early May in Kansas City, What’s Your Avocado? won three national awards, including the equivalent of Best in Show for’ marketing campaigns on behalf of client Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass, developed by researchers at Oklahoma State Univeristy.

“I am thrilled to be recognized for doing the work that I love on behalf of my clients,” said Stacie Zinn Roberts, founder and president of What’s Your Avocado? Marketing  Public Relations based in Mount Vernon, WA. “My goal is always to help my clients succeed by telling their stories in ways that connect with their customers. To win awards for doing that is icing on the cake.”

The awards include:

FIRST PLACE: WRITING A FEATURE ARTICLE (MARCOMM)

The article, “Grass Selection with Purpose” co-authored by Stacie Zinn Roberts & Dr. Yanqi Wu, professor of turfgrass breeding and genetics at Oklahoma State University, was published in “By Design” magazine, the official publication of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, (Summer 2021). In it, the authors discuss how to research and real-world performance shows Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass is bred to play great and address common golf course issues. The goal of the article was to educate golf course architects about the benefits of grassing their new golf course designs with Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass, a  genetically-improved turfgrass variety. Co-authoring the article with the plant breeder gave the article scientific credibility. An Interview with a fellow golf course architect gave the readers a testimonial by a peer. Interviews with golf course superintendents provided testimonials on how the grass performs over time.

FIRST PLACE: COPYWRITING FOR A DISPLAY AD – COMMERCIAL PUBLICATIONS

The campaign, “Swiss Army Knife” was designed to show how Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass has many benefits without just listing them all. A competitor’s grass has just one benefit, drought tolerance, that they focus on. By comparing Tahoma 31 to a Swiss Army Knife, the campaign built upon the idea that Tahoma 31 offers many tools/attributes for many jobs, such as drought, cold tolerance, and early spring green-up. The headline, Like This, But in a Bermudagrass, drew the connection without paragraphs of copy. Arrows pointing to the tools on the knife showed what would have otherwise come as a list. Instead, minimal text told the story. By the way, we had knives made with the logo on it to give out at tradeshows. It was a huge hit. 

GARDNER AWARD, “BEST IN SHOW” WRITING – MARKETING

The copywriting for the Swiss Army ad was additionally honored with the prestigious Gardner Award, the equivalent of Best in Show, in the Writing – Marketing category, winning as the best in marketing communications writing of all entries in the competition. This is Stacie Zinn Roberts’ third Gardner Award.

ABOUT TOCA

The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) is comprised of editors, writers, publishers, photographers, public relations/advertising practitioners, industry association leaders, manufacturers, and others involved in green industry communications. It is a national organization based in New Prague, MN. toca.org 

ABOUT WHAT’S YOUR AVOCADO? MARKEING & PUBLC RELATIONS

What’s Your Avocado? Marketing & Public Relations creates messaging, marketing, public relations and advertising campaigns for a national audience. The firm serves clients nationwide, with a focus on the agricultural, turf, landscape, golf and real estate industries. By the way, the Avocado? It’s the element that makes a person, product or company special. What’s Your Avocado? helps clients to find their avocado and express it in the marketplace, thereby building a recognizable brand and a successful business. What’s Your Avocado? Marketing & Public Relations is headquartered in Mount Vernon, WA. Contact us at 360-428-2878, whatsyouravocado.com, or on social media at @whatsyouravocad.

How to Develop a Targeted Marketing Plan

Plan your work, work your plan. It’s good advice when developing a marketing strategy for the new year. But what if you don’t know where to start to create the plan to begin with? The best advice I can give you is to first create a reasonable, attainable goal, and work backward to fill in the steps that will help you to achieve that goal.

Let’s say a reasonable goal for 2022 is to increase your sales by 15%s to homeowners in the affluent part of town that we’ll call Richland. What steps can you take, what marketing plans can you make, to achieve that goal?

Set Your Marketing Budget

If you are going to increase your sales to the fine folks of Richland, you’ve got to ask them to spend their money with you. This “ask” is called marketing. Since it takes money to make money, you’re going to need to spend some of yours to get more of theirs. Ah, but how much should you spend? Conventional wisdom has always been to set a marketing budget of around 2 – 3% of gross revenue. The Small Business Administration recommends that small businesses with revenues less than $5 million should allocate 7 – 8% of their revenue to marketing, assuming you have margins of 10 – 12% after expenses. I recommend you do the math and allocate funds in the 2- 5% ballpark that feels right to you. If you go low and need more, you’ll have room to maneuver.

Define your target audience

As you’ve already set your goal to increase sales among the well-heeled folks who can afford your services in Richland, your target audience is defined. This means that advertising in other neighborhoods will not help you achieve your goal. So, don’t advertise there. While this seems simplistic, it’s not. Over the course of the year, you’ll be hit up by advertising salespeople who want you to exhibit at an event, buy an ad, or sponsor a team for a really good cause, and you’ll be tempted to spend part of your budget. Your best defense against these salespeople is to keep in mind your goal. If the event, ad, or team does not reach your audience in Richland, then you can more easily say no. Conversely, if the advertising vehicle presented does reach your Richland audience, you’ll feel more confident in evaluating the merit of the request.

Create Your Strategy 

Knowing something about the residents of Richland will help you to deliver your marketing message in a place where they will be likely to receive it. Are there local newspapers, websites, community forums, or newsletters that specifically reach Richland residents? Since you know where they live, would community or HOA restrictions allow you to walk the streets of the neighborhood and drop off door hangers or brochures? Considering that you are being so specific with your target audience, a postcard direct mail campaign could be effective. And, of course, digital marketing through Google Ads and Facebook allow you to pinpoint your message to regions and zip codes.

Develop Your Campaign

Now that you know who you want to receive your message and how you could deliver it, it’s time to decide what you want to say. If Richland residents are really that wealthy, they might not be motivated by coupons or discounts. Think instead of what would motivate this customer to buy. It may be concierge services, specialty products, or messaging that conveys prestige. Develop a creative campaign that speaks to what the customer wants, using language that motivates them to act.

For help with defining your target audience and creating messaging that they’ll respond to, download your FREE workbook at: https://whatsyouravocado.com/workbook/ 

This article first ran in Irrigation & Green Industry magazine.

Inside PR Strategy: Article About Olympic Softball’s Home Field Wins Gold

When devising a public relations strategy,  the goal is always to tell our client’s story in a way that educates their potential customers and drives sales. Every once in a while, when done correctly, an agency’s public relations efforts yield accolades for the campaign itself. This happened recently at the 2021 TOCA Communication Awards  (Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association) held in Denver in early September. What’s Your Avocado? Founder Stacie Zinn Roberts won First Place in the Writing a Feature Article category. The winning article, “USA Softball Hall of Fame” was created for client Sod Production Services and their product, Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass.
 

Public Relations Strategy for the Article

 
When the USA Softball Hall of Fame stadium, the home field of Team USA Olympic Softball, chose our client’s product, Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass, as the natural grass for the facility’s renovation, we knew we had an opportunity to tell a significant story. We pitched the idea to SportsField Management, the official publication of the Sports Turf Managers Association, whose members are a main target buyer for Tahoma 31. We positioned the story as a profile of the renovation. We interviewed the stadium staff and construction company to highlight how Tahoma 31 solved challenges at the facility. We also interviewed the sod producer who grew the grass to talk about preparations he made in growing the grass. The story ran in print and in digital formats. The article not only showed how the product features could help sports turf managers address issues on their athletic fields, but also associated Tahoma 31 with a high-profile and prestigious facility built for a team recognized worldwide as elite. You can’t get much more elite than a Gold Olympic Medal!
 

How the Judges Evaluated the Entry

 

Judged by a panel of marketing professionals, the judges evaluate entries on three criteria: creativity, concept, and clarity of message.

Criteria: Creativity Judges were asked to evaluate the entry with the following questions in mind:  How creatively does the entry accomplish its stated purpose? Does it create excitement? The judges noted that while the headline was a bit bland (a choice of the magazine editor who ran the story), the opening of the article had a “Great lead-in.”

Criteria: Concept For this criteria, judges were asked to evaluate based on the following: Is the reasoning logical & sound? Is the concept and strategy effective? In this section, the judges remarked, “Excellent material, well organized, great use of quotes/sources, and in manageable chunks (e.g. paragraphs).—-Good overall education about the project instead of just promoting the client’s product, well done.”

Criteria: Clarity of Message: Judges were asked to consider: Is it clear? Well executed? Tell a complete story? Capture & hold interest? Judges’ comments for this criteria were, “Thorough review in a ‘feature’ format.  Focused and clear.”

Overall Comments When asked to sum up their overall impression, the judges were definitive. The entry was a “Well-deserved winner.”
 

Why PR Matters

 

Awards aside, the reason to write the article in the first place was to highlight the benefits of our client’s product,  Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass, to a clearly targeted audience. The magazine where the article was published, Sports Field Management, reaches 37,000 key decisionmakers at schools, universities, parks ,and athletic facilities. All of these facilities have sports fields, and most of them will need to buy grass for their fields at some point in the near future.

An article of this kind shows potential buyers that the product has credibility, helps to overcome a challenge,  and is well-regarded by industry peers. It accomplishes this in a subtle way. It’s not an advertisement. It doesn’t scream bullet points or product benefits. Instead, it tells a story of how a respected facility used this product to solve a problem. We let those interviewed offer real-life testimonials that drive home our point without ever having to sell. That’s the beauty of public relations. And that’s why we love it.

If you’d like to know how your product or service could benefit from this kind of public relations approach, please give us a call at 360-428-2878 or shoot us an email. We’d love to help you publicize what makes your company or product special—Your Avocado.

If you’d like to explore your avocado on your own,  download our FREE workbook here. This easy-to-follow guide will take you through a series of exercises to help you drill down to the core of your company or product’s reason for being. It will also help you to clarify your thoughts about  what features and benefits you should promote in your marketing

What’s Your Avocado? Marketing & Public Relations creates strategic narrative messaging, marketing, websites, graphic design, branding, public relations, and advertising campaigns for large and small businesses. The firm serves clients nationwide, with a focus on the agricultural, turf, landscape, golf, and real estate industries. By the way, the Avocado? It’s the element that makes a person, product or company special. What’s Your Avocado? helps clients to find their Avocado and express it in the marketplace, thereby building a recognizable brand and a successful business. What’s Your Avocado? Marketing & Public Relations is based in Mount Vernon, WA. 360-428-2878, www.whatsyouravocado.com , @whatsyouravocad

5 Offseason Marketing Tips

Just because your business slows down in the offseason doesn’t mean your marketing should slow down, too. Marketing in the offseason creates a top-of-mind awareness of your company so that when your customer is ready to buy, they think of you first. If you wait until spring to market your business because you assume that is when buying decisions are being made, you’re probably already too late.

Here are five tips to keep your marketing working to grow your business all year long.

1. Email marketing. Every time you onboard a new customer, you gather email addresses as you record their contact information. The offseason is the time to begin turning those email addresses into assets that work in your favor. Create an email marketing campaign, launch a digital newsletter and send special offers for booking services ahead of the spring rush. If you have a blog or are just starting one, send an email to your customers asking them to subscribe. Use that email list to let your customers know you’re on social media. Provide links to your accounts and ask them to follow you.

2. Social media. You’ve been taking photos all year long of your best projects, right? Turn those photos into social media posts. In the offseason, folks staring out their windows at snow will relish some scenes of green grass and trees with foliage. If you don’t already have Facebook, Instagram and Houzz accounts, create them now in the offseason. Research which hashtags are popular in our industry and use them. A few to start with are: #landscaping, #backyarddesign, #irrigationsystem. Be sure to tag your location so local customers can find you.

3. Think beyond traditional holidays. Everyone sends Christmas cards (print or e-cards) or holiday gifts — and you should too. But don’t just think about the traditional holidays. Build promotions around other significant dates, especially ones that tie into landscaping and irrigation. Groundhog Day (Feb. 2) is the perfect time to remind your customers that spring is coming and they’ll need your services soon. Use Groundhog Day to suggest they get on the calendar now, offer discounts or simply use it as one more marketing touchpoint. Earth Day (Apr. 22) provides another option to get your clients thinking about landscaping, especially if your company has a sustainability focus.

4. Branded trinkets. Consider sending your customers something beyond the typical (and expensive) hat or T-shirt. Smaller trinkets emblazoned with your logo such as pens, tote bags or coffee mugs are good choices. My favorite idea with a landscape connection is flower seed packets with your company logo printed on them. You can find them online priced at less than $2 each depending on how many you order, and they’re easy to mail. I’ve seen some that are self-contained postcards/seed packets in one. How cool is that? Imagine your customer’s reaction when they receive a packet of seeds in the mail on a dark winter day. It’s like sending hope with a postage stamp.

5. Create a marketing plan. In peak season, when you’re busy serving customers and running crews, the last thing you have time to deal with is an advertising sales rep. Take the time now to create a marketing plan for the year. Contact your local media outlets to get pricing on ads. Develop a budget. The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends that small businesses with annual revenues less than $5 million should allocate 7% to 8% of their revenue on marketing. When you have a plan and a budget in place, you’ll be less likely to feel pressured to make marketing decisions when your focus is on other parts of your business.

If you use these tips in the off-season, the work you do now will pay off in the year to come.

Stacie Zinn Roberts is an award-winning writer, marketing expert and founder of What’s Your Avocado? Marketing and Public Relations, Mount Vernon, Washington, which specializes in green industry marketing. She can be reached at stacie@whatsyouravocado.com. This article originally ran as par to the Marketing Matters column by Stacie Zinn Roberts in the December 2020 issue of Irrigation & Green Industry magazine.

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Happy New Year!

Here’s an Avocado Toast to the New Year!
May 2021 bring you Health, Wealth & Happiness.

Stacie & the What’s Your Avocado? Marketing & PR Team

 

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How to Practice Gratitude in Tough Times

It’s easy to be grateful when things are going well. The real challenge is to practice gratitude in tough times. In a year like 2020, with COVID-19, social unrest, politics, and a shaky economy, can we find the grace to be grateful? 

I remember a time, not too long ago, when I was in a very dark place in my life. As I struggled to find a way out of my misery, some friends of mine gave me a gift of gratitude beads.

Similar to Buddhist mala beads or Catholic rosary beads, gratitude beads are a string of 100 same-sized beads with one larger bead in the center attached to a tassel. You sit with the beads in your hand, starting with the bead to the right of the large bead, and move your fingers from one bead to the next. Rather than reciting a mantra or repeating a Hail Mary for each bead, as you slide forward along the strand you say one thing (silently to yourself) for which you are grateful. You keep going until you reach the big bead again. That’s when you know you’re finished.

The first time I sat to do this, I couldn’t think of 100 things. Isn’t that sad? I struggled to find 100 unique elements of my life that elicited gratitude.

So, I stepped back for a moment. I realized gratitude didn’t have to be for material possessions or measurable success. I could start with the most basic elements and build from there.

I began again.

I am grateful for air. I am grateful for sunlight. I am grateful for trees.

I did this every night before I went to bed.

I am grateful for my parents. I am grateful for my sister. I am grateful I have enough food to eat.

As time went on, I was able to add more personal things.

I am grateful for my health. I am grateful for my job. I am grateful for hope.

Then, a funny thing happened. The more I practiced gratitude, the more things that I could be grateful for began to show up in my life. People, situations and opportunities arose to help me on my path, support me and show me the way clear to my new, happier life.

I eventually adopted an attitude of gratitude.

Even now, in the face of adversity, through gratitude I can look at a situation, no matter how challenging, and look for that one element that will teach me something, and be grateful.

For me, gratitude has opened up a whole new way of living in the world.

And so, as you hover over your turkey and mashed potatoes this Thanksgiving holiday, I challenge you to question whether giving thanks on just one day of the year is enough.

Can you be grateful today …  and every day?

A note about Gratitude Beads

Frank and Heidi Smith created Gratitude Beads 101 as a way to share their philosophy of gratitude with the world. They are the friends who gave me my first set of gratitude beads, the ones I recently gifted to my daughter Emily as she embarks on her own gratitude practice. Always a positive force for good, Frank and Heidi made practicing gratitude easier for anyone seeking the practice. Frank also created beautiful soothing guitar music perfect for a spa, meditation class, or deep relaxation, as a Windham Hill recording artist. His personal mantra has always been “Just Love.” Sadly, Frank passed away a few weeks ago following a long illness. You can still hear his music on Pandora and Spotify. And you can still get a set of gratitude beads, $15 for the set. To order your gratitude beads,  Email Heidi directly. Tell her you read this story and were inspired.

 

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