Hi Philip - We welcome your participation in the Horticulture week forums, but posts like the one about the APL/SGD Autumn workshop are pretty blatant advertising, which our terms and conditions don't allow.
Of course, if you would like to pay for some advertising we would welcome that too."
Just to reiterate what I had said in the post - Landscape Juice had been brought up at the recent APL/SGD Autumn workshop. Seems that they [APL] only changed their website because of LJ and otherwise wouldn't have bothered.
Many APL members attending told the 100 strong gathering (remember, SGD cancelled their Autumn jolly through lack of interest and joined the APL for free - good work Annabel:) that they use the Landscape Juice Network because it is useful.
Birdy tells me that HW are telling advertisers that an advertising deal on HW would be better than LJ - seems like HW are getting a little worried, you decide.
After my little go at Yell about their exploitation of garden bloggers, it seems that they have been forced into a re-think.
This is what they wrote when they approached me:
Starting from April and continuing for most of this year, Yell.com is developing greater site content and functionality designed to help consumers make better informed decisions, offer advice and tips etc.
Part of this relaunch will include a Gardening blog and we would welcome the opportunity to establish a digital collaboration with Landscape Juice, in the form of a weekly branded blog post.
Our partnership model is non-transactional and is based upon Yell.com being able to provide substantial value in the form of exposure to a very engaged audience and providing reciprocal traffic, in return for our partners' involvement within the site. To support this, I have attached some Yell.com blogging information for your perusal.
The 'non-transactional' bit has been dropped and the text changed to this:
Our partnership model is based upon Yell.com being able to provide substantial value in the form of exposure to a very engaged audience and providing reciprocal traffic, in return for our partners' involvement within the site (see attached document).
By way of indication, each month Yell.com has 10 million regular monthly users, generating more than 40 million searches. In the Gardening sector for example, we have more than 1 million searches per month. We are already working with a number of media and industry organisations in this collaborative way and we would welcome the chance to include you in our discussions too.
Yell are offering up to £30 per pop for bloggers' posts - I think this should be at least £50 and it should apply to ALL bloggers who spend time writing for Yell.
Yell didn't do their research properly when it came to Landscape Juice and tried to piggyback its success for free - I want to see other bloggers get a fair compensation.
Read this - Yell.com Expanding Content Strategy With 100 Bloggers
Paul Hervey-Brookes is obviously an early riser. Got a call at 7.30am - remember I am an hour later here so 6.30am in Blighty - thanked me for yesterdays news coverage and promised a guest blog on his Chris Beardshaw mentoring scholarship. Says he's an avid LJ reader when time allows.
Steve Callaghan tells me that the Hard Landscaping Show is now 50% booked up and Kubota are the latest 'big' name to commit.
The HLS is billed as the biggest new event in the landscapers diary and the only event dedicated to our profession - normally in events such as Glee, landscaping is an afterthought. Landscape Juice is proud to be part of the change.
Marshalls tell me that they won't be exhibiting but they will attend and check the show out. Show runs 24th and 25th March at the Ricoh Centre.
Coming soon - personalised small business package for landscaping and garden businesses using online tools as a way of communicating. Prices yet to be decided but it is aimed to significantly undercut BALI and APL - and no joining fee either watch this space.
I am getting worried about the Landscaper Magazine. In its tenth anniversary year there seems to be a bit of a vacuum with their website. Irritating flashing banner is saying that 'this page is viewed nearly 1000 times a month' advertising card says the site gets nearly (note the emphasis on nearly) 2,400 times a month.
I emailed editor, David Curtis recently - no response - am a bit concerned that TLM's ABC audited circulation figures have not been released despite the promise for August.
Despite my concerns that horticulture print is in trouble, the landscaping industry needs a publication like The Landscaper. Noticed of late that TLM it is more like an advertising directory trying to sell commercial vehicles.
I am delighted to say that Terram have agreed a three month advertising slot for the front page of LJ. They have been particularly impressed with my recent coverage of their new domestic landscaping website (they didn't asked me to write it).
A big thank you to Lauraine and Emma too for being so, so courteous and friendly - it's a pleasure to deal with people and a company that has a good one-to-one interaction - if this ethos is carried over to the whole of the Terram business then they will do well. Great products too (and no, they didn't tell me to say that either).
Talking of friendliness - a message to all of the other PR companies who send me emails with their client news and expect to get coverage. Not so much as a please or thank you. I get your client above all the other publications on the net and you show no gratitude - you know who you are and you won't get any more change out of me until you do - change that is.
The HTA have a new website and I think it looks awful - rather like a cheap template set and what about those colours - any thoughts?
...lastly, do you need babies to sell editorial?
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