I have been writing promotional materials for tree tubes for 22 years (I wrote my first piece on tree tubes in the spring of 1989 for a small non-profit newsletter).
Even after all that time I still struggle to find the right words to capture the scope of the benefits that tree tubes provide. The problem is that as consumers we have become cynical of overstatement and hyperbole. We only trust claims that are muted in their enthusiasm and limited in scope.
As a result I often find myself toning down and dialing back my statements about tree tubes – out of fear that if I tell the truth, no one will believe me.
Luckily customers aren’t bound by the same constraints. They can freely express their true opinions without fear of being considered too self serving.
As tree tube testimonials go, it doesn’t get much more forceful than this:
“Without a tube it’s a waste of time to plant a tree.”
This came by email yesterday from a customer in the Southeast. Pretty much sums it up! But if I said it – or made it the headline of an ad campaign – it would be seen as another overblown claim by a snake oil salesman.
Then again, there are worse problems to have than selling a product which delivers more benefits than what folks will believe (until they find out for themselves).
The only trick in selling tree tubes is convincing folks to buy them the first time – extolling the virtues of tree tubes enough, but not too much.
After a customer buys treeshelters the first time, they never again plant trees without them.
