Learn the fundamentals of marketing and how to market horticultural products or services.

Would you like to improve your business or career?

Sell more horticultural products?

Then this could be the course for you. Learn more about marketing in general, but also specifically marketing in the horticultural industry.

• Learn more about marketing practices, with part of your studies specifically focused on marketing in the horticultural industry.
• Learn the theories and principles of marketing.
• Learn about marketing horticultural products or services.
• Understand the importance of customers and how to serve them.

COURSE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT

The course comprises six modules:

• E-Commerce BIT100
•  Horticultural Marketing BHT304
•  Marketing Systems BBS303
•  Marketing Foundations VBS109
•  Marketing Psychology BPS107
•  Advertising And Promoting BBS202

Module Summaries

The modules that form the Advanced Certificate In Horticultural Marketing are summarised below. Further details on each module can be found by following the title links to the respective module pages.

E-Commerce BIT100
This 8 lesson module is concerned with Electronic Commerce – the trading of goods or services via an electronic medium, such as the internet.  The module looks at the different issues that an E-commerce operator will need to consider for their business and how products and services are marketed on the internet.  As well as considering the difference in approach required to promote goods or services on the internet, the module looks at how to optimise your web site – how to get it seen and get potential clients to visit the site.  With potential clients looking at your site, you will then need to make sure of the delivery of the goods and services and how to continue to keep a flow of business.  Such matters are covered in lessons 6 and 7, with lesson 8 completing the module by examining the different problems that need to be considered and may be encountered by E-commerce firms.

Horticultural Marketing BHT304
There are 7 lessons in the Horticultural Marketing module.  The module looks at the different aspects to marketing and promoting a horticultural enterprise.  Applying the different theories of marketing to horticulture, students will learn about the varied approaches required to make a business visible, viable and profitable.  The module looks at areas such as marketing processes, methods, strategies, and research – covering areas such as assessing target markets, determining customer requirements, packaging strategies, product availability, delivery channels, and customer service.

Marketing Systems BBS303
Marketing Systems is a 10 lesson module which looks at the stages involved with marketing products or services to retail and wholesale markets.  The module looks at the different channels available to market a product and students will learn to evaluate and assess the most effective methods to achieve the required sales.  As well as looking at the different marketing systems and strategies that can be used, areas such as product presentation and packaging are considered, and the areas where products should be marketed – might they be suitable for exporting to other markets?  There are two lessons which consider international marketing, strategies to use in new markets, and potential restrictions which may impact on these.  Lessons on Market Analysis and the Marketing Mix provide the additional concepts to provide students with a good grounding of knowledge in the approaches to marketing products or services.

Marketing Foundations VBS109
Marketing Foundations is a 10 lesson module which seeks to provide the student with a broad range of knowledge in marketing.  The module looks at the what marketing is and how it works, with lessons explaining the different types of market, the importance of understanding a market place, and the marketing mix – the primary elements of product (features of the product or service), place (where the product or service is made available to customers), price (how much customers will pay for the product), and promotion (how customers find out about the product).  Knowledge in these areas will be critical to the success or failure of a venture.  Also understanding how to get to know your customers is important, and two lessons – on Customer Service and Market Research – provide students with the guidance of how to gather, asses and use information in these areas.  The module is completed with a lesson on business organisations, looking at law, financial management, business structures, and the terminology used in business.

Marketing Psychology BPS107
Your customer is critical to the success of your business, as it would not exist without them!  This 8 lesson module looks at identifying and understanding customers.  Learn about the different factors and influences on customers, their behaviours and approaches – understand market segments (geographic, economic, age, sex, and so on), theories of perception and personality, and how you communicate with potential customers and their steps to determining whether or not to buy a product or service.  Learning about the psychological concepts involved with marketing is an important part of understanding the approaches used by companies in marketing their products and services.

Advertising And Promoting BBS202
This 10 lesson module provides an overview of the history of marketing, providing students with knowledge of the different approaches that have been seen in the past, illustrating how attitudes and technology have influenced styles of marketing.  The course then looks at target marketing – identifying different sectors and segments, and developing a marketing mix.  It then looks more specifically at channels of distribution and the strategies involved with the advertising and promoting of products or services. Through this module, students will learn to determine the appropriate strategies for marketing of different products – new products, or those with a poor sales history, and different techniques which may be used to promote products or services.  The last lesson in the module looks at the use of exhibitions, shows, or events – students will be able to determine whether or not these may be suitable for a product, or how these may effectively be used as part of the overall promotional strategy for a product.  The lesson includes the practical elements such as how an event may be organised, and what can go wrong.

Know Your Marketplace

To have a chance of succeeding you need to know your product and your marketplace.

The marketplace needs to be analysed prior to launching any new service or product. It also needs to be continually monitored and periodically analysed to keep abreast of changes in the market.

• Look at the past and present, see trends, and use those trends to help predict the future.
• Maintain a broad awareness of society, and use that awareness to foresee political, scientific and cultural influences before they impact upon your market.

Reading newspapers, keeping up to date with news and current affairs, attending conferences, reading trade magazines are all things that contribute to your ability to make educated guesses about future trends. Google Trends, industry reports, Census data and reports and many other resources are also valuable ways to research the market.

Try to identify short-term, medium-term and long-term trends in markets and develop contingency plans for dealing with these changes (even if only broad general contingencies). After this, watch the market, and be prepared to adapt and change as the market place changes.

Be Equipped to Succeed

Being aware of marketing approaches and methodology will help you in understanding how to approach the promotion and sales of products, and sustaining a business.

Successfully completing studies can provide you with the tools and potential to move toward your career goals.

You can start the course at any time. If you have any questions or want to know more about the Certificate In Horticultural Marketing or any of our courses, please get in touch with us today.

You can phone us on (UK) 01384 442752 or (International) +44 (0) 1384 442752, 

or you can submit your questions to our specialist Business and Management, and Horticulture tutors.