With Bon’s Eye Marketing’s editor-in-chief, Marita Bon, at the helm of their public relations efforts, the New Hanover County Aboretum had another successful event. Arboretum in the A.M. brought more than 400 people through the gate. To learn about the education and outreach showcase, read below. If you missed out on it this year, mark your calendars for 2011.

Arboretum holds tool sale, family activities at new garden event
Both grownup and junior gardeners will find plenty to do at the newest family-focused outdoor event to hit the Wilmington area.

Arboretum in the A.M., 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 24 at the New Hanover County Arboretum, 6206 Oleander Drive, will feature hands-on gardening projects, demonstrations and workshops. The agenda also includes a used garden-tool sale offering top quality equipment at bargain prices, as well as a full slate of children’s activities. Admission is free.

New Hanover County Extension Agent John Wooldridge, head of the planning committee, hopes to accomplish several goals. “We wanted to provide an education event on the grounds of the Arboretum that was available to everyone – a fun morning for people of all ages,” said Wooldridge, who oversees NHC Extension’s commercial horticulture programs.

“In addition, we wanted to hold a celebration of spring gardening that will show off all the resources provided by the New Hanover County Arboretum and Cooperative Extension.”

Besides providing practical tips and demonstrations for turf management, raised vegetable beds, container gardening and herb growing, extension experts will be on hand to answer participants’ questions. Meanwhile, youngsters will keep busy with an adventure scavenger hunt, sunflower-potting sessions and garden-themed crafts.

“Parents can enjoy the presentations knowing that their youngsters are having fun,” Wooldridge said. “Yard sale enthusiasts in particular will find the used garden tool sale a highlight of Arboretum in the A.M.”

Persons interested in donating equipment to the sale can contact Valerie DeSanti at vdesanti@ec.rr.com or 470-8180. Proceeds will benefit the New Hanover County Arboretum.

To learn more about Arboretum in the A.M. call 798-7664. Visit www.gardeningnhc.org for general information on Arboretum programs.

About the Cooperative Extension
The New Hanover County Cooperative Extension gives county residents easy access to the resources and expertise of N.C. State University and N.C. A&T State University. Through educational programs, publications and events, the agency delivers unbiased, research-based information to New Hanover County citizens.

About the Arboretum
The Arboretum, home to a wide variety of plants grown in the coastal area, as well as to emerging trends in plant material, occupies seven acres in the heart of New Hanover County. In its role as the Cooperative Extension’s “horticulture laboratory,” the Arboretum boasts a knowledgeable staff and many volunteers, all working to make the gardens beautiful and educational.

Realizing I’m well overdue for writing a blog, I’ve decided to crank up MS word and start tapping some computer keys. I’m having trouble coming up with a good topic, though. See, in the background, Syfy’s Ghost Hunters keeps stealing my attention. Ohhhh, it’s the reveal. I hope that they captured some spooky EVPs. Yikes, Jason’s sporting a fairly deep bellybutton wedgie through his shirt. That’s scary enough.

Moving on…Yes, I’m a Sci-Fi nerd and authentic paranormal investigator. Well, not quite. Sarah and I once went on a Ghost Walk in St. Augustine. EMF detectors in hand, we shuffled along in a 90-degree swelter, paying $20 a piece to roam back alleys.

By the end of the night, I walked away $40 down. I did, however, break my streak of 27 years without a migraine. It’s funny how headaches work. Pressing heat and one woman screaming every three minutes about how she “captured an orb” on her Kodak camera… Let the throbbing begin.

I don’t mean to sound critical of the gal. She just seemed so convinced that she caught earth-bound apparitions – or as I call them, pollen. Sorry, but I don’t invest much faith in her scientific approach, especially when her photographic equipment is made of cheap plastic. Even so, she made the night entertaining.

Truth be told, I’m a wimp when it comes to everything paranormal. I’m not sure if I believe in hauntings, but I don’t want to find out if they’re real – at least not in person.

So why did I spend that Florida night ghosting (that’s what the cool investigators call it)? Well, I don’t know. I guess I’m complex.  Either way, I can appreciate what Ghost Hunters has done for Syfy, virtually taking the network from an unknown to a haven for geeks like me.

Marketing alone, the series’ name goes hand in hand with about every promo the channel runs. In fact, they’ve franchised the show – rolling out Ghost Hunters International and Ghost Hunters Academy. Talk about branding.

As business owners, I guess we can learn something from the show’s model. Let’s face it; they’re selling the chance to see the unseen. Every episode kind of mirrors the last. Still, a growing number of people keep watching, waiting for a glimpse of something, anything… They just don’t know what it is.

Call it wonderful packaging. Call it innovative advertising. But Ghost Hunters continues to scare the masses of fans – and the primetime competition.

Hey, I think I just wrote a blog.

Looking for a way to build your prospect database without glad handing at every after-hours event around town?  While not applicable to every business, social networks make the perfect tool for gathering information on potential clients.

Aside from allowing you to gather contacts 24/7, online resources like Twitter, Facebook, etc. provide other tangible benefits. First, the prospect must opt in to follow your company. Unlike mass e-mails, advertisements, commercials and so forth, social networks net only folks who are interested in your operation. They must be – they signed up for more details.

If maintained properly and on a regular basis, this targeted approach tends to yield loyal fans. They check in from day to day, recommend friends become followers, and keep your business name at top of mind. Moreover, these accounts build a relationship – the most essential rule of marketing.

Social networks have been around for some time, so none of this is new. However, the methods we use to run a social network campaign have changed. Companies continue to concoct fresh approaches to get the most people inspired to sign up.

One of the more elaborate approaches involves holding a contest of sorts. The business announces its goal to reach online supremacy – or something like that. For example, Acme Beer pushes for 500,000 new followers. If they reach this number, they will give everyone a free shirt that says “Official Acme Brew Taster.”

The idea is to create incentive to not only sign up individually, but to encourage others to sign up as well. The participants, in a sense, become part of a movement. As a result, Acme Beer gets a half-million contacts for its database. Even better, those same people serve as living advertisements, wearing apparel (that they clearly wanted) that dons the Acme name. It’s cross marketing at its finest.

Other ideas for growing social networks – hence building a prospect database – include offering valuable advice (weight loss tips, recipes, etc.), coupon codes to other Web sites, to-be continued content, etc.

Remember, the end goal isn’t to draw everyone and everything, but to reach a core of people with a real interest in your business. After all, these are the folks who most likely want what you’re selling.

Someone recently told me “You can’t beat free” when it comes to marketing. This made me think a bit. I often see businesses settle for lower-cost options when investing in PR and outreach efforts.

I understand that many folks hit a wall when it comes down to available budget. Let’s face it, the cost of building a business does not come cheap. However, sometimes “more-affordable” doesn’t necessarily translate to “greatest value.”

For this particular blog, I’ll use the example of online marketing. At one point or another, most companies realize they can benefit from a Web site. Many of them shop around and discover, huh, it’s kind of expensive!

Overwhelmed with price tags and techno-dork jargon like SEO, back-end programming, etc. – the quest for Internet presence quickly turns into a journey of hellacious proportions. Confused and discouraged, the business decides to explore simpler options. Enter: the friend whose nephew builds Web sites in his spare time.

We all know someone who fits this description. They find out you’re in need of a site, and pitch a family member’s IT services. The real clincher: “He does everything for around $300!”

Now that’s what I’m talking about. No over-the-top lingo to decipher, no signed agreements, no four-figure fee… In short, no-brainer – right?

Listen, if you can get a professional-looking, custom Web site with clean aesthetics, strong market message and smooth navigation for less than $1,000, more power to you. Jump at that bargain and never look back. In fact, e-mail me the contact info of the person building the site. I want to use them as a contractor!

In my experience, it just doesn’t work that way. Yes, I’m one person, so please understand that I hope I’m missing out on something. I think every business owner deserves a fair shake to promote their products and services – whether it be through online or traditional marketing methods.

But the idea of delivering a company’s greatest asset – a steady stream of consumers – for pennies on the dollar…It simply doesn’t add up. I liken it to buying a new BMW for the cost of a pinto – it can’t happen. The fact is, we pay more for performance. The same goes in marketing, whether it’s a Website or other tool.

I talk to entrepreneurs every day who let price determine their marketing decisions, not quality or effectiveness. Those same folks tend to come back a few months later looking for fixes to their once “bargain” purchases. Sometimes we can help them without completely starting over, but those occasions are few and far between. More often, they must spend additional money to correct the situation – one that could have been avoided if they questioned: “Why’s the price so low?”

It seems the answer always comes back to the same three scenarios.

The contractor charges less because they:
A.    Do this just as a hobby (the son of a friend’s friend)
B.    Lack experience  (the portfolio builder, looking to get some work under their belt)
C.    Lack capabilities (a template seller – one size fits all)

Don’t get me wrong, there are cases when these folks step it up and provide a stellar product. But, you should at least review their track record before letting the low cost sway your decision. The main thing to remember is: if money’s tight, there’s nothing wrong with waiting for marketing. That’s fine. While the need might feel urgent, investing in useless or inferior tools and services won’t help. If anything, it will just make it more stressful. Take some extra time to build up savings, do research and purchase effective marketing. No matter the case, don’t dive head first into the grave that is frugality – at least when it applies to your growing your livelihood.