The Most Powerful Word in Marketing and Mulch – FREE

FREE! FREE! FREE! Using this word in an advertisement is almost certainly guaranteed to get someone to sit up and take notice.

Use this same word in conjunction with mulch and you will not only get gardeners to take notice, but quiet possibly you may get them to stampede.

I come from a direct marketing background and I was carefully schooled in the art of using the word “free” in advertisements. I am also from Scottish decent and was sternly raised to understand that the word “free” was second only to the word of God and a good bagpipe rendition of Amazing Grace.

With that kind of background, when I got the notice from the city yesterday saying there is FREE MULCH at the cemetery, I was near instantly in my husband’s SUV with tubs and buckets in tow.

Yes, you read right. The cemetery. They store the free compost there too. Do you know what kind of looks people give you when you tell them that you are going to the cemetery to get some compost?

But, free is free and I won’t complain about the location.

Think I am lucky getting all this free compost and mulch? Well, if you live in the city or in suburbia, there is a good chance your city gives away free mulch and compost as well. If your city does leaf or branch collection, chances are that they provide what they pick up back to you free as mulch or compost. See, tax dollars do accomplish something.

Try giving your city hall a call and ask if they provide free mulch, dirt and compost for your city. The worst they can say is no. And no is not nearly as powerful as FREE.