¶ … marketing plan for an online lawn care company. The writer provides information about products, services and other objectives of the company. It performs a SWOT analysis as well and provides target markets and other important features that are needed to launch and maintain a successful business. The company is called, Complete Lawn Care.

This name was chosen for several reasons. The first reason it was chosen was because it indicates to the public what it is the company does. It will provide complete lawn care products to its customers that can be shipped once they have been ordered online.

A second reason it was chosen is because the word Complete falls at the beginning of the name and that places it at the front of alphabetized things such as phone book, Internet searches etc.

The name Complete Lawn Care Products indicates the customer does not need to go elsewhere for the products. This is key to the marketing objectives of the company and will be important when it comes to attracting new customers.

Mission statement

The mission of Complete Lawn Care Products is to provide solid products at competitive prices. The company will work to reach customers world wide and introduce them to the products of the company. The company will work to provide premium products at the lowest prices possible while at the same time focusing on customer service and providing it 24 hours a day. In addition to the products for sale the company will provide free lawn care advice by staffing phone lines 24 hours a day with experts in lawn care that have been trained by the company.

The mission of this company is to provide the best possible product at the most affordable prices. Customer service will be of the best quality. This can all be accomplished by setting up the most solid vendors possible. Once the company locates solid vendors the company will handle them professionally and with as much respect as possible so that they continue to service our customers with the best service possible.

The mission of this company is to provide the best online lawn care product service and product to the customer possible. The mission will change to include lawn care companies as target customers as the company grows and expands and becomes able to handle worldwide bulk sales and shipping.

What the company sells

The company sells a complete line of lawn care products that include preventative products as well as enhancement products. The products are geared to provide the finest lawn care possible. Weed killers, growth enhancers, plants, seedlings, bulbs, yard work equipment and plant vitamins are all products offered by Complete Lawn Care Products.

In addition, there is a wide variety of each type of product to meet all budgetary needs. The lawn seed comes in various grades as do the plants and bulbs.

The products are chosen first for their quality and then for their price.

The quality must be top of the line and the products are put through strenuous testing to be sure they are good enough to send to our customers. The products come with instructions and tips for improving lawn care.

Products include

Rakes

Lawn care bags

Hoes

Hoses

Tillers

Gloves

Lawn Mowers

Starter plants

Bulbs

Seedlings

Seed

Fertilizer

Roll out lawn

Garden rocks

Flowers

Vegetables

Keys to success

There are several keys to the success of the company. The first and most important key to success is going to be providing a top quality product for the lowest price possible. The products must be tested for duration, shelf life, performance and appearance before they will be included in our product line. They will also be chosen for their easy shipping qualities. We need to choose products that can be delivered quickly. To us so that we can be sure the customer gets them in a timely fashion.

Another key to the company success is going to be our free hotline. We will staff it 24 hours a day with experts in lawn care. The people who are answering the phone will work from their homes, thereby cutting out the expense of overhead. They will be available in four hour shifts and answer questions, using a notebook of key words to look up problems and answer the customer from that notebook.

SWOT Analysis

Strength

The strength of the company will be in its strong customer service. It will be an Internet company therefore will have to compete with thousands of other internet companies that are out there. The strength will be in the...

The second strength of the company will be the excellent products that are offered for sale as well as the speedy delivery that will be promised to the customer.
Weakness

The weaknesses of this company include the processing of credit cards as well as the fact that it is an internet company which makes customers wary about purchasing with a credit card. This can be addressed by explaining secure sites to the customer as the ordering takes place and then providing such a site for them to use for their order.

Opportunity

There is opportunity for this company to grow and opportunities for it to expand as time goes on. The opportunity to launch now, just before summer garden needs become heavy is perfect. In addition the opportunity to grow through expanding product lines and customer base provides a future for success.

Financial Objectives

The financial objectives of this company in the first year are to invest everything back into the company. With a starting capital of $750,000 it will be possible to take the time to build the company without having to make it or break it in the first year.

Financially the company needs to break even by year three.

Target markets

The target markets for this company include young married couples and older retired people. The young married couples are working on their first homes and they will have a need for a wider product base than a long time established person or family with a lawn.

Another target market is going to be the purchasers of new subdivision homes. As the homes are going in and being sold the company will send them sample packets of seeds and ask them to check our online site out and place an order.

Another market for the company is going to be the retired population. While they are often on a fixed income they also have more time to devote to their garden and lawn care needs. This will create a need for products and the company will fill that need with products they can afford.

The final target market will be lawn care companies. Landscape products and lawn care products will be offered to lawn care companies across the world in bulk quantity and at bulk costs.

The target markets for this company will grow and expand as the business allows. They will eventually include children because we are going to offer a child's garden kit to get them started on their gardening interests.

The target audiences will be reached through advertising. For example when it comes to reaching the retired population AARP magazine and other prints media will be used. Radio stations that play music popular in that time will be approached and ads purchased.

Placing fliers in geriatric patient doctor offices will also work to attract the older population.

For the young married couple audience there will be ads placed in business magazines as well as gardening print media sources.

Marketing Objectives

The main marketing objective will be to reach the target audiences. This will be done with several methods of marketing. Subdivision builders will be offered free sample packets of seed and other products to hand out at their open houses and their sale signings. In addition the company will send packets to the homes that are purchased and built and offer a ten percent discount to them buyer for their first five purchases.

This strategy will be used because one discount may not be enough to become their full time lawn product company. If we offer a discount on the first five purchases there is a stronger chance by the time they get to the sixth purchase that they have become acquainted with the products and customer service that we provide.

Marketing objectives are to reach the target audiences through advertisement in print ad as well as on radio and television spots encouraging people to place orders with us. The objective will be to increase our customer base by 10% a year.

The positioning of the company will be dependant on the marketing and efforts to place the company at the top of Internet searches. This will be accomplished by buying paid spots on the most popular search engines and running banner ads on all that can be found.

Marketing objectives will include more than just reaching the target groups. It will also work to open new target audiences by test studies, surveys and other means to determine where the next market may be. If the company can get people to answer surveys and tell us what they want and need in a lawn care product company we will be better able to serve the public with those needs.

Research Approach

The…