Toolkit Guide

Do you consider sales and marketing to be part of your job description? Whether we like it or not, many of us are in the business of “selling” conservation. And, just like selling windows or siding for a home, selling natural resource conservation requires hard work, numerous contacts, and a thoughtful, targeted approach. This is especially true if you are targeting a new audience, like “absentee” or “non-operator” owners of agricultural land. Many of these landowners are completely unaware of you, your organization, and the services you provide. Getting (and keeping) their attention is not an easy task. 

We have discovered the world of marketing has a lot to offer the field of natural resource conservation, and we would like to share this information with you. The Center for Absentee Landowners, managed by Agren, Inc., has initiated direct marketing campaigns to absentee landowners on a pilot basis in the Great Lakes and other areas since 2006. Along the way, we have consulted with many experts and have learned a lot. 

Whether your target audience is absentee landowners or more traditional landowners, like farmers and ranchers, the practices explained in the documents below will help you develop an outreach effort that gets results.

 

• Take our Conservation Marketing Quiz to find out just how much you know about marketing conservation to landowners. You will find each question leads you to one of ten best practices for more information.
• Browse our Ten Best Practices for Engaging Landowners in Conservation. These short and easy-to-read summaries will help you understand the things you are doing right, and those on which you could improve. Each best practice provides resources to get you started in the right direction.
• Specific how-to articles, outreach samples, and worksheets are also included to help you put each of the best practices in action. Each best practice recommendation will direct you to relevant how-to articles.
• Case studies share many of our own specific experiences planning and executing direct marketing campaigns to absentee landowners. You’ll read about our successes, as well as our failures.

Best of luck to you! We sincerely hope this information will be helpful. And remember, selling conservation isn’t easy, but it is rewarding. Commit to it for the long haul! 

Jamie Ridgely

Center for Absentee Landowners

Agren, Inc.