Author: Green Apple

Maxwell Roofing: Sales Playbook Project Case Study

Green Apple Strategy has had the privilege of serving as Maxwell Roofing & Sheet Metal’s marketing partner since 2017, helping them navigate a changing industry with clarity, strategy, and confidence. Most recently, that partnership took on a new shape: building a custom sales playbook — one of the most foundational tools we’ve created together to date.

Maxwell Roofing knew that in order to scale, their sales team needed a unified approach—a resource that could help them work smarter, communicate consistently, and stay aligned with the values that set the company apart. Green Apple stepped in to help develop a comprehensive sales playbook to support day-to-day operations and facilitate long-term growth.

Tailored Structure and Custom Content Built for Maxwell

We didn’t use a plug-and-play template to create Maxwell’s sales playbook. From the very beginning, we engaged in deep collaboration with Maxwell Roofing’s leadership team and key sales stakeholders to build the playbook. Over the course of several months, we worked together to map out a structure that mirrored how their team actually works in the field and behind the scenes.

The result is a sales playbook that truly matches how Maxwell Roofing operates. Every section was tailored with purpose—from high-level messaging to daily operational tools. Core components like “MAXCare,” “Operational CRM,” and “The Maxwell Way” weren’t generic—each section was custom-built to reflect the language, process, and culture of Maxwell Roofing.

Long-Term Sales Enablement

More than just a training manual, the sales playbook was designed to be a dynamic, ongoing tool for enablement and growth. Our team delivered a beautifully branded and visually polished resource that’s also deeply functional and user-friendly.

This is a tool Maxwell’s team can continue to use and adapt over time. It supports sales performance by clarifying internal communication, highlighting the customer experience, and codifying operational excellence. Whether onboarding new hires, streamlining proposal processes, or aligning messaging across teams, the playbook will serve as a scalable foundation for Maxwell Roofing’s next chapter.

– Results –

Tangible Impact of Collaboration

While the playbook is still in its early stages of rollout, the impact is already clear. It’s creating stronger alignment across the sales team, streamlining onboarding for new reps, and serving as a go-to resource to save time and reduce confusion. As Maxwell Roofing continues to grow, this tool will serve as a scalable foundation for its sales team.

– Creative –

What We Did

Marketing and Sales Strategy, Sales Collateral Design, Copywriting, Graphic Design

A small selection of Green Apple’s solutions and marketing services.

Charter Construction: Retirement Celebration Case Study

Event Planning, Public Relations

Celebrating a Legacy of Leadership When longtime Charter Construction leader Turner Talley announced his retirement, his team knew they wanted to host a send-off

See Case Study

Saffire: Crafting a Buzzworthy Comeback for a Local Favorite.

Event Planning, Public Relations

Crafting a Culinary Comeback Saffire Restaurant was a beloved Franklin, TN staple for 17 years, known for its innovative menu and vibrant atmosphere. After

See Case Study

father dropping off baby with daycare provider

The Gardner School: From Experiences to Reviews: Designing a Five-Star Campaign.

Content Marketing, Reputation Management

Transforming Positive Experiences into Five-Star Reviews The Gardner School is a nationwide leader in early childhood education and preschool, with nearly 40 locations across

See Case Study

Testimonials

President & Founder

Green Apple has been a helpful partner as we’ve launched our platform, learned together, and adjusted to help more patients and their families through CaringWays. It’s evident their team cares about our mission, which makes our work together easy and enjoyable.

Kristi Morrow

CaringWays

COO

Green Apple has successfully implemented various strategies and projects that have both increased our brand recognition and directly driven business to our organization. Our dedicated Green Apple team is knowledgeable in what they do, produces quality work on time, and is flexible in pivoting to our ever-changing priorities. We’ve been very happy with the results of our relationship together and would highly recommend their service.

Charlie Kunberger

ATECH

CEO

Samantha and her team at Green Apple Strategy will treat your company like their own. They will take the time to get to know who your Company is, what it stands for, and who you are, personally. I'm very grateful to work with the team, each member specializing in a different marketing and communication segment. I highly recommend partnering with Green Apple Strategy for all marketing strategy

Kathleen Maxwell

Maxwell Roofing

Marketing Manager

The Green Apple team is a trusted partner in our marketing activities and goals. Their team of experts consistently works to exceed our expectations to provide insightful solutions to engage and connect with families. We are grateful for their hard work and dedication.

Joy Haynes

The Gardner School

Practice Leader

Sam and the Green Apple team have worked hard to learn our business and help us develop a strategy to best represent our company to our clients. They are professional, responsive, and creative — the perfect combination for a marketing partner!

Mark Burnette

LBMC Advisory Services

Creative Public Relations Tactics for Building Brand Authority

Getting your name out there feels like a must, but also a mystery. You’re juggling a hundred other priorities, you don’t have a network of media contacts, and traditional PR can feel out of reach. When most people think about PR, they picture press releases and media mentions. While that’s still a part of the puzzle, public relations has evolved, especially for small to mid-size businesses.

Today, PR is just as much about community, creativity, and connection as it is about coverage.

As a marketing agency deeply rooted in the art of storytelling and PR, Green Apple Strategy has always aimed to help our clients recognize how PR fits into their overall marketing. We understand that modern PR is about building genuine connections and shaping perceptions, not just getting a headline.

In this article, we’re excited to share insights from our own Public Relations and Content Marketing Strategist, Chris Song, on some of the most effective and often overlooked approaches to PR that can help your brand cut through the noise and build lasting authority.

Rethinking PR for Today’s Small and Mid-Size Businesses

PR isn’t about blasting out a press release and crossing your fingers. A successful PR approach involves layered storytelling, credible partnerships, unexpected moments, and the guts to be interesting.

That means thinking more deeply about the voice of your brand and how you show up in tone, style, and substance. It’s about speaking in ways that feel genuine to your audience and aligning with moments that matter.

When you combine your authentic voice with content that shares your expertise, you’ve unlocked two of the most critical components of a successful PR strategy. And when you build on that foundation with creative tactics, that’s where the magic happens.

The Most Effective PR Tactics for Small & Mid-Size Businesses

If you’re a small or mid-size business trying to get more bang for your PR buck, here are four of the most effective (and often overlooked) strategies we recommend:

1. Partner with Micro or Nano Influencers

Big influencer partnerships can be expensive and often feel inauthentic. But micro- and nano-influencers (those with smaller, more engaged followings) are often more effective, especially on a local level.

These individuals often boast incredibly tight-knit, loyal communities. Their credibility stems from their perceived authenticity and relatability to their audience. Partnering with micro or nano influencers in your sphere of influence can often generate more authentic buzz and heartfelt endorsements than a highly produced, expensive sponsorship with a larger influencer that might feel forced or over-engineered.

2. Earning Exposure through Random Acts of Generosity

Sometimes, the best PR isn’t about what you say, but what you do. Engaging in random acts of brand generosity brings tremendous potential for authentic brand exposure and goodwill.

Imagine sending unexpected, personalized thank-you gifts to your smallest but loudest brand advocates: the customers who consistently sing your praises online. Or, consider surprising someone by comping their service or product for a genuinely good deed. Then, if it’s appropriate, subtly share that heartwarming story with your audience. A relatively small upfront cost can generate a ripple effect of positive sentiment, social sharing, and genuine appreciation for your brand.

3. Create a Narrative with Newsworthy Launches or Milestones

A product launch, a significant company anniversary, or a major business milestone can be a golden PR opportunity. The ultimate goal here is to strategically bolster your brand narrative—the compelling “why” behind your business.

Without an effective PR strategy, you’re essentially just dropping a new product or announcing an event in a vacuum, hoping people will magically care.

4. Become the Go-To Voice through Thought Leadership

When executed effectively, thought leadership is one of the most powerful PR tactics. It involves presenting fresh, original, and interesting ideas in ways that position your brand, or key individuals within it, as the go-to subject matter experts in your field.

People trust people more than ads, however clever or creative they may be. If you consistently become the person (or brand) people turn to for genuine insight and expertise, your pipeline naturally warms up long before you ever ask for the sale.

Measuring Modern PR Success: Beyond the Clip Count

The metrics for PR success have also evolved. While media mentions are still valuable, modern PR measurement goes deeper, focusing on impact and influence rather than just volume. Here are some key tactics to consider when evaluating your modern PR efforts:

Share of Voice: Are you being mentioned more often, or more prominently, than your key competitors in relevant conversations and media?
Brand Sentiment: Utilize social list e ning tools and media monitoring to gauge the overall tone of mentions. Is the buzz around your brand positive, negative, or neutral? This offers a qualitative understanding of perception.
Inbound Opportunities: Look for tangible business indicators. Did you see an increase in direct web traffic after a campaign? Did you receive new speaking invitations, unexpected partnership requests, or direct media outreach? These are strong signals of increased authority and visibility.
Community Growth: Track the growth of your owned audience channels. Are you seeing new followers across social media platforms? An increase in email sign-ups? These indicate that your PR efforts are successfully expanding your engaged community.
Search Trends: Monitor how people search for your brand and related topics. Are you seeing an increase in branded search queries or searches for solutions where your brand’s thought leadership might appear? This points to growing brand recognition and authority.

The key is to align your PR goals with your broader business objectives. Whether you’re trying to boost credibility, reach new audiences, or build long-term brand trust, the metrics you choose should help you measure real impact.

Let’s Build Something Buzzworthy

PR isn’t just about being seen, it’s about being remembered. For small to mid-sized businesses, the most effective PR efforts often happen outside the spotlight—in the quiet brand touches, the thoughtful partnerships, the stories that spark conversation.

At Green Apple Strategy, we specialize in helping brands find those moments and bring them to life. Whether you’re launching something new, celebrating a milestone, or looking for more visibility in your market sector, we’re here to help you tell your story in a way that gets noticed.

Think you might be leaving some brand exposure on the table?

Let’s talk about how creative PR can take your visibility and credibility to the next level.

The Pillars and Pitfalls of Event Marketing: Lessons Learned from Our Experiences

There’s nothing quite like an event to generate excitement and bring your brand to life in a tangible way. Whether it’s a grand opening, a customer appreciation party, or a milestone celebration, events have the power to engage your audience in ways few other tactics can.

But here’s the truth: events are gigantic undertakings. There are hundreds of details to manage, from catering to AV to signage to seating charts, and by the time you get around to actually promoting the event, your energy (and creativity) might be running on fumes.

That’s why a smart, strategic approach to event marketing can make all the difference. At Green Apple, we’ve helped businesses make their events not only beautiful and well-attended, but brand-building and buzz-worthy.

Drawing on our extensive experience as professional marketers and event planners, the team at Green Apple Strategy has put together a list of practical dos and don’ts. These insights will help you cut through the chaos and ensure your next event is a successful, cohesive brand experience that drives measurable results.

The Pillars of Event Marketing: Winning Moves to Make Your Event Shine

Set Clear Goals: Start with the Why (and the Wallet)

Always begin with the end in mind. Before you even think about a date or a venue, define your event’s primary objective. Is it to position your brand as a community leader, tell a powerful brand story, generate leads, or drive sales? Your goal will inform every subsequent decision. Crucially, once your goal is set, establish a firm budget. A $5,000 budget will lead to a vastly different event strategy than a $50,000 one. Staying true to these foundational elements will guide all your choices, from venue to marketing channels, ensuring a successful and strategically aligned event.

Maximize Partnerships: Turn Vendors into Amplifiers

Most events thrive on collaboration, involving a myriad of third-party vendors, sponsors, and even community partners. Don’t let these relationships be one-sided! Capitalize on these valuable partnerships by actively highlighting them across your marketing channels – think shout-outs on social media, mentions in your company newsletter, or dedicated sections on your event website. Showcasing your brand as a collaborative community player is excellent PR, and tagging your partners can expose your event to new, relevant audiences, multiplying your reach organically.

Be Personal with Outreach: Slide into Their Inbox (and Texts)

In today’s multi-channel, always-on world, you need to meet your audience where they are. This means leveraging personalized, well-timed text messages and email drip campaigns. Text messages are fantastic for sending urgent, concise information like event reminders, last-minute updates, or directions. Meanwhile, a well-crafted email series can build excitement, share valuable content related to the event, and gently nudge your target audience towards attendance. The key is balance and relevance. Don’t overdo it, but ensure your communications are valuable.

Make the Event a Living, Breathing Expression of Your Brand

Imagine your event as a pop-up experience, a temporary opportunity to tell your brand story through your event. Every touchpoint, from the entrance signage to the smallest swag item, is an opportunity to reinforce your brand identity. Be intentional about where and how you place your brand throughout the physical space and in all pre- and post-event communications.

What unique experience do you want people to have with your brand at this event? What specific feeling or message do you want them to remember when they leave? Strategic branding ensures your event is a memorable immersion into your brand’s world.

The Pitfalls of Event Marketing: What Can Derail Your Efforts

Don’t Limit Your Focus to Just Ticket Sales: Don’t Just Sell—Tell

Of course, you need attendees – an empty event isn’t much fun. However, resist the temptation to make every piece of marketing content solely about buying tickets. Your audience is looking for value and reasons to be excited. While the ultimate goal of all event-related content is indeed to drive attendance, some of it should take a more subtle, informative approach.

Provide valuable details about the agenda, participating vendors, nearby amenities, or even a “what to wear” guide. This builds anticipation and provides practical value, subtly encouraging ticket purchases.

Don’t Set It and Forget It: Autopilot Promotion Could Lead to Disaster

We love strategy so much, we put the word in our name! But a strategy isn’t a static document you create once and then ignore. When marketing your event, be diligent about monitoring your analytics. Pay close attention to email open rates, click-through rates, social media impressions, and engagement levels. If you’re not seeing the desired results, don’t hesitate to adjust your approach. Marketing is an iterative process; being agile and ready to pivot ensures you can capture greater interest and hit your attendance goals.

Don’t Forget to Follow Up: Keep the Momentum Going

Congratulations! Your event wrapped up, and it was a smashing success. Is your work done? Not quite. Post-event follow-up is an often-overlooked yet critical opportunity to deepen connections and gather insights. Send out surveys to collect meaningful feedback that can assess the event’s success and inform future gatherings. This is also the perfect time to nurture new leads you’ve acquired, thank your vendors and sponsors (strengthening those valuable relationships), and repurpose event content. Post-event communication closes the loop and leaves a lasting positive impression.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of PR: Give the Press Something to Talk About

In the whirlwind of event planning, it’s easy to overlook traditional public relations, but intentional PR can deliver significant long-tail exposure. Think strategically about who might be interested in your event beyond direct attendees – local media outlets, industry publications, community calendars, or even relevant podcasts. Pitch compelling angles pre-event to build buzz and secure media coverage. Post-event, share success stories, key takeaways, and compelling visuals. This extends the lifespan of your event far beyond the actual date, building reputation and reaching new audiences that you might not otherwise touch.

Event Marketing in Action: Green Apple Success Stories

At Green Apple Strategy, we’ve had the privilege of partnering with clients to bring their event visions to life, translating meticulous planning into memorable experiences and measurable results. Here are a few examples:

Saffire Restaurant Grand Opening Celebration

When this iconic Franklin restaurant made a comeback, we helped them make a splash. Green Apple curated a priority guest list of Nashville-area media and influencers, ensuring the right people were in the room. We also secured targeted local media coverage that aligned with Saffire’s ideal customer, keeping the momentum going long after the party ended.

The Skylight Grand Opening at The Factory at Franklin

To celebrate the opening of The Skylight and reintroduce The Factory at Franklin, we planned and promoted a high-energy “Sip & Sample” event featuring vendors from across the property. The interactive format encouraged exploration and community-building, and it paid off. The event sold out within 24 hours, with a waitlist of over 350.

Crain Construction’s 90th Anniversary Celebration

For this milestone moment, we didn’t just plan a party. Instead, we told a story. We created a powerful video and photo slideshow that honored Crain’s legacy and pointed toward its future. These assets became part of the company’s long-term content library for digital and social media.

Turner Talley Retirement Celebration for Charter Construction

When Charter Construction President Turner Talley retired, we helped make his send-off both personal and brand-forward. Held at one of Charter’s milestone projects, GEODIS Park, the event featured a surprise video tribute to Turner featuring dozens of interviews with his closest friends and colleagues, branded banners, jumbotron messaging, and custom screen displays that honored Turner while reinforcing Charter’s identity. It was more than a celebration; it was a brand moment.

Ready to Make Your Next Event One to Remember?

Event planning is about the details, but event marketing is about the impact. If you want to create an event that lives beyond a single evening, Green Apple Strategy is here to help you think strategically, plan creatively, and follow through with purpose.

Let’s talk about how to bring your next event to life. Reach out to us today to start a conversation about how the right event can bring unparalleled benefits to your business.

Your Email Strategy Reset: What to Keep, Cut, and Rethink

It’s easy to overlook email when shiny new marketing tools pop up every month. But here’s the truth: email still works. In fact, B2B email marketing generates an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent. That’s a number worth paying attention to.

That said, what worked a year ago might not work today. Inbox competition is fierce. Platforms like Google and Yahoo are incorporating authentication updates to create a more secure and trustworthy email ecosystem. Everyone’s fighting for attention, and your audience is getting savvier. They’re skimming faster, ignoring the generic, and only clicking when something feels truly relevant. That’s why strategy is essential, and that’s where Green Apple Strategy excels.

The Green Apple team is constantly helping clients rethink and refresh their email approach. To give you the inside scoop, we asked Amanda Monroe, one of our email strategists in the Green Apple Orchard, to share what’s working, what’s not, and what you might want to try next.

Email Marketing Tactics That Aren’t Working

Here’s a quick audit of the email habits you might want to rethink, plus smarter ways to reach your audience.

1. Don’t “Just send another email!”

We get it: email is fast and easy. But mass-blasting without a strategy can hurt your sender reputation and frustrate your audience. If your open rates are tanking or your list is shrinking, it might be time for a change.

Instead: Clean your list regularly. Run a reengagement campaign and remove subscribers who never open your emails. Focus on the contacts who do engage and create more content for them. A smaller, more interested list is better than a big one that ghosts you.

2. “Hi [First name]” is not personalization.

Sure, it’s technically personalized. But consumers are past the point of being impressed by a mail merge. If your content doesn’t feel relevant beyond a name, it’ll likely get skipped.

Instead: Start to think about personalization based on behavior, interests, or location. Try different subject lines to increase engagement. You can even reference a recent download or a service they clicked on. The goal is to make readers feel like the email is actually for them, not just their first name.

3. Batch-and-blast everything to everyone.

This one’s tempting, especially when you’re short on time. But sending every email to your full list dilutes your message and can lower your engagement across the board.

Instead: Segment your audience. Send fewer emails tailored to their interests or stage in the customer journey. You’ll get better open and click rates and build stronger connections with each group.

New Email Tactics Worth Trying

When it comes to optimizing your marketing, it’s important to recognize that not everything needs a total overhaul. Sometimes, it’s about adding smart, strategic upgrades. Here are five trends we’re using right now that are actually moving the needle for our clients:

1. Send intent-based emails.

Let your audience’s behavior lead the way. If someone visits your pricing page twice in one week but never reaches out, that’s your cue. Trigger an email that says something like, “Need help deciding?” and share a helpful case study or offer a quick consult. This feels personalized and timely—because it is.

Test It: Set up a basic behavior-based trigger in your email platform using a key webpage (like your pricing or contact page) and link it to a single follow-up email.

2. Try plain-text, human emails.

Polished, branded emails have their place. But lately, plain-text emails that look and feel like a real message from a real person? They’re winning. Try sending a short note from your founder or sales team, something conversational, warm, and focused on starting a dialogue. It’s a simple way to sound more human and drive more replies.

Test It: Write a three-sentence email from your founder to recent leads with one simple CTA like, “Want to chat?” and see how the response rate compares to a branded campaign.

3. Create reengagement journeys.

You probably already have a list of past customers or inactive subscribers. Why not check in? A thoughtful reengagement series with phrasing like “We miss you!” or “Here’s what’s new!” can bring them back into the fold. For most brands, it’s often easier (and cheaper) to reconnect with former customers than to start from scratch.

Test It: Export a segment of inactive contacts and send them a one-time check-in email with a warm update and simple ask: “Still want to hear from us?”

4. Use lead gen automations.

Want more leads? Offer something useful. Create a guide, checklist, or quiz, something that helps your audience solve a real problem. Then be intentional about building trust and nurturing the relationship with a compelling email newsletter strategy or automation campaign. Focus on being helpful before being salesy. Your future customers will thank you.

Test It: Create a basic PDF guide or “top tips” checklist related to your industry, and gate it with a form that adds all new contacts to a short welcome email series.

5. Pursue consumer-led content and segmentation.

Guessing what your subscribers care about? It’s risky. Instead, give them choices. Use a quick survey, a preference center, or even a fun quiz to let people self-select the content they receive. This leads to fewer unsubscribes and better engagement—because you’re building and nurturing your email subscriber list by offering content they want to see.

Test It: Add a one-question poll to your next email: “What do you want to hear more about?” Use the responses to inform your next campaign.

Email Is Evolving

Email is one of the most valuable tools in your marketing toolkit, but only if it’s evolving with your audience. A thoughtful strategy, timely insights, and a little experimentation can go a long way in helping you drive better results (without sending more emails).

Need a fresh perspective? At Green Apple Strategy, we help small and mid-size businesses take a smarter, more strategic approach to every part of marketing. Whether you’re looking for a full-service marketing partner or just need help refreshing your marketing strategy, we’re here to help. Check out our strategic planning services or contact our team for a quick consultation.

Charter Construction: Retirement Celebration Case Study

When longtime Charter Construction leader Turner Talley announced his retirement, his team knew they wanted to host a send-off that celebrated his legacy and honored the values he championed.

As Charter’s strategic marketing partner, Green Apple Strategy had the privilege of helping bring this vision to life. Together, we created an unforgettable day that reflected Turner’s leadership, honored the people behind Charter’s success, and marked a pivotal moment in the company’s history.

– Event Branding –

Celebrating the People Behind the Success

From the beginning, it was clear that this event needed to honor Turner’s retirement while celebrating the Charter family. Turner, known for his humility and people-first leadership style, would never want the spotlight solely on himself. With that in mind, we designed the event to reflect his legacy through the lens of Charter’s collective success.

The retirement celebration was held at GEODIS Park, one of Charter Construction’s most high-profile and meaningful projects in recent years. The venue not only provided a stunning backdrop but also felt deeply personal to both Turner and the Charter team. We partnered closely with the staff at GEODIS Park to offer guests exclusive behind-the-scenes tours, creating a full-circle moment that tied Turner’s leadership to one of Charter’s standout achievements.

From the branded jumbotron to digital displays and banner backdrops, the event was a celebration of Charter’s identity, intentionally crafted to showcase the people, culture, and community that made Turner’s journey so impactful. Every detail reflected Charter’s brand and the values Turner helped instill.

– Surprise Video –

A Heartfelt Tribute to a Memorable Career

One of the most moving moments of the event was a surprise retirement video carefully planned and kept under wraps until the day of the event. In the weeks leading up to the party, Green Apple worked behind the scenes to interview 28 of Turner’s closest friends and family members.

The result was an emotional, heartfelt tribute that reflected Turner’s professional and personal impact. The surprise video played during the event and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room—including Turner, who was genuinely touched by the gesture.

In addition to the pre-recorded footage, we partnered with a video team on-site during the event to capture additional tributes and memories from attendees. These post-event recordings invited guests to share in the moment and gave Turner something personal to hold onto as he stepped into his next chapter.

– Results –

A Legacy Worth Celebrating

Turner’s retirement celebration brought together 198 guests, each representing the relationships, milestones, and achievements that shaped his career.

From start to finish, the event embodied everything Turner stood for: humility, excellence, and a deep appreciation for people.

Most importantly, the Charter team—and Turner himself—were thrilled with the outcome. The event flow was seamless, allowing everyone to fully enjoy the moment without worrying about logistics. Green Apple handled the planning, coordination, and storytelling, allowing the Charter team to focus on what mattered most: celebrating one of their own.

Client Testimonial

“Green Apple Strategy did an outstanding job coordinating Turner’s retirement party. It felt effortless on our end because they had it under control the whole time. They listened carefully, communicated consistently, and executed flawlessly. It allowed me to focus on celebrating my friend, and they took care of the rest. I still get comments to this day on how remarkable that event was. Their creativity and vision made the event heartfelt and memorable. I can’t recommend them highly enough.” – Richard Wilson, President & CEO of Charter Construction

– Creative –