Week 5, Post 1 - Defining Your Target Market


Target Markets/Demographics/Psychographics

Armstrong Garden Centers’ target market includes the middle class, middle-aged and up, all races; do-it-yourselfers, people who care about the appearance of their yard or find interior plants to be aesthetically pleasing.  I don't think their target market includes Millennials or Generation Y as the site is not cutting edge or modern. 

Myrtle Creek’s target market includes young families, nature-enthusiasts of all ages, middle class, farmers, and local residents, those that prefer the small-town feel and find value in supporting mom-and-pop shops.  It also targets photographers as they offer access to multiple areas for a fee.   

Website Differences

Armstrong’s website contains a number of good design elements which include concept, alignment, typography, ease of use, and depth of content.  The website is colorful, organized, and informative.  There is a lot of information available but there are limited items that can be purchased online.  They encourage customers to visit the nearest garden center and also offer limited delivery.

Myrtle Creek’s website is simple yet informative.  It does not have as many good design elements as the Armstrong site.  The design and layout repetitious between sections/pages, and is easy to use.  I feel it focuses more on the daily attractions rather than its nursery. 

Obvious differences between the two websites are that Armstrong is a large business and Myrtle Creek is a small business.  Armstrong focuses on drawing customers into their local nurseries for landscape design, workshops, or just to purchase plants.  Myrtle Creek focuses on the attractions they offer.  These include Happy Goat Mountain (bridges and a tree-house), Cafe Bloom (which serves specialty crepes and lots of healthy-looking salads, etc. which would appeal to the younger crowd), an Open-Air Butterfly Garden, Song Bird Aviary, and Wild Bird Sanctuary.  Subtle differences are that they both are nurseries that sell plants, trees, and flowers, but the variety and quantity vary quite a bit.

There’s a bit of a crossover with the two sites.  Both are marketing to people who enjoy gardening and being outdoors, both genders, a wide age range, and the middle class.  


Calls to Action

At the bottom of Armstrong’s Landscape Design and Installation page, the call to action link, Book Now, allows customers to schedule an appointment with a landscape design professional.  Additional call to action links can be found on the main page embedded in rotating images: Visit Us and Learn More.  Prompted by another call to action, customers can sign-up for Free Garden Talks at their local Armstrong Garden Center.  The event calendar encourages customers to register for events such as Faux Flower Arrangements, Fall Fest, and Make & Take: Succulent Pumpkin.  And, if you're not ready to sign up for a consult or event, you can heed the call to action, Subscribe, to "receive tips and specials via email." 

On the Myrtle Creek website, the first call to action I came across is a link to their address at the top left of the main page.  The second is a newsletter sign up at the bottom of each page.  Although they offer tours, workshops, photography access, and other attractions, there are no call to action links to draw in potential customers. 


















 
















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