INDUSTRY
NICH social media campaign
Promoting consumer horticulture and your business by Dr. Heather Kirk-Ballard, LSU Ag Center The pandemic of 2020 has forced many professions and businesses to get creative
with how they reach their clientele. The National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture (NICH) is no exception and we stepped up our game. Our mission is to grow a healthy world through the art, science, and business of plants, gardens, and landscapes and we won’t rest until every household participates in consumer horticulture. More participants mean more customers and that is good for your business.
UAC MAGAZINE | WINTER 2021
In 2020 we launched a social media campaign. We are creating content you can use in your social media that will promote your business and consumer horticulture. All NICH graphics and press releases are based on science, but they sometimes have a light touch. Each month focuses on a theme. July was smart irrigation month, August was fire-wise landscapes, September was back to school with plants, October was breast cancer awareness and November was trees.
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In the short seven months of the social media campaign, followers of the NICH social media platforms have increased dramatically. Facebook alone has seen a 22,964% increase in followers! That must mean we are doing something right. Join our social media and share the materials that work for your business. Contact the chair of The Industry Relations and Social Media Development Committee, Dr. Heather KirkBallard, Assistant Professor of Consumer Horticulture and State Extension Specialist for the LSU AgCenter via email at HKirkBallard@ agcenter.lsu.edu or the contributing members: Angela Treadwell-Palmer, Founder and Coowner of Plants Nouveau, LLC. Lauren Garcia Chance, Outreach Manager for American Public Gardens Association and Linda Reindl, Director of Education/NHF Executive Director Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association. Make suggestions, share, and grow, grow, grow. Website: www.Consumerhort.org Facebook: consumerhort Instagram: @consumerhort
