6 Ways To Market Your Garden Centre Successfully

If you’ve spent any time working in retail, you’re probably well aware of the many challenges facing garden centers today. With fierce competition from big-box stores and online retailers, as well as an understanding that most people are shopping for plants rather than lawnmowers, garden centers have a lot of catching up to do. So, how can you succeed in the competitive retail environment? By implementing some strategic marketing tactics, of course! Read on for 6 vital marketing actions you can take to increase your garden center’s sales, revenue, and profitability.

Ensure Your Business Is clearly Positioned

It’s important to understand that, in the retail environment, customers generally shop a store with a specific intent in mind. For example, you might go grocery shopping, but your goal is to get food. Or you might want to buy clothes for work and head to your local department store. As such, it’s crucial for garden centers to stay focused on their core merchandise of plants and gardening supplies. This means that any branding should focus on this purpose and not offer anything outside of it. One way to easily identify with your customers is by creating a logo that incorporates plants or gardening elements. You can also use this design language on apparel, signage, and other marketing materials. In addition, don’t forget about social media! While most people love Instagram for pictures of food or selfies with friends, the platform has proven itself invaluable for brands looking to connect with their target audience (and potential customers). You can post photos of live plants as well as expert tips on how best to care for them or share home improvement projects like painting a deck or building an outdoor kitchen.

Utilise Technology

Successful marketing is all about understanding your customers, and utilising technology is an excellent way to do this. In fact, 75% of people will share their shopping experiences with friends on Facebook or Twitter. That’s a lot of potential customers who you may have been missing out on! At the very least, make sure you have a website that’s easy to navigate and provides clear information about your products and company. Posting updates on social media pages, including links to your blog posts or informative videos, is also a great idea as it can keep your business in front of customers year-round. Your website doesn’t need to be fancy – just functional and easy-to-navigate. Garden Centre Marketing

Create an Anthill Network

To build customer loyalty, garden centers should implement an Anthill Network. This is a marketing strategy where your center’s customers can sign up for information and deals on your website. By doing so, you will create a loyal customer base that will visit your store more often while they wait for their email to come in with the latest deals.

Diversify Your Offer

Garden centers are increasingly being forced to diversify their product offer to remain competitive. This means that if you’re selling all plants, you need to sell other products, too. And while the variety of products might seem daunting at first, this actually presents a number of benefits: * You can be more competitive with big-box stores who offer a range of outdoor and gardening products in one place * Your customers will have more options for what they want to buy * You’ll be able to cater to a wider audience, meaning you could get more repeat visitors Alongside your plants and garden decoration items, consider stocking things like seed packets, flower bulbs or seeds, fertilizers, plant containers or pots, gardening tools, patio furniture sets or cushions. The possibilities are endless!

Create Content That Converts

Content is an excellent way to market your garden center. It’s the backbone of your digital marketing strategy; good content will convert readers into customers. But what makes content successful? – The length: Shorter posts have a higher conversion rate than long posts, but the ideal length for posts is somewhere between 500 and 1000 words, which is enough to get readers invested without being too wordy. – The tone: Tone matters more than you might think. Content that comes off as informal or overly salesy will be less effective than content with a more serious tone. – The keywords: Include keywords like “garden center” in your post when possible, as this helps people find your content on search engines and drives traffic to your site. – The timing: Content that’s posted on Wednesday has a better chance of going viral than content posted on Saturday.

Consistently Communicate With Your Customers

One of the most important things you can do to boost your business is to consistently stay in touch with your customers. Whether it’s through email, social media, or traditional mailings, staying in contact with your customers is one of the most cost-effective marketing tactics available. You don’t want to be sending out a lot of emails that are just reminders for people who already purchased from you, but sending out a few relevant emails—or even just one every few months—can go a long way in boosting your sales.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve read through this article, you should have a solid understanding of the six key principles of successful garden centre marketing. Be sure to apply these principles in your own garden centre and you’ll be well on your way to a successful marketing campaign.

This article is provided by  https://www.gardenconnect.com/online-marketing