GETTING THE MOST OUT OF INSTAGRAM

By Matt Ross

Love it or loathe it, social media is very much part of our lives. Increasingly it’s where people go to learn, get inspired, socialise, share ideas and to feel part of a community. It’s a free and fast way to engage your target audience and share your message. For those reasons it makes total sense for your business to embrace social media.

In the coming issues I’m going to explain the different social media channels, how to use them and how to get the most out of them.

Instagram is the perfect place to start for horticultural businesses; it’s all about sharing beautiful, inspiring and educational images and videos, something horticultural businesses have access to in abundance.

If you haven’t got an Instagram account yet, you may think it’s too much work, that you don’t have the skill set, anything worth sharing or you don’t see the point. Think again.

I don’t have the skillset

You don’t need to be a master photographer to capture a beautiful image. Just point and shoot. Experiment with close up plant shots and stunning landscapes. If you’re still not convinced that you’re up to the job, find out if one or more of your team already enjoys and understands Instagram and empower them to manage your account.

I don’t have the time

All you need is a phone with a camera. Take a few shots of your plants, displays, machinery or staff hard at work, each day. And commit to posting a posting schedule, you might want to share an image each day or each week, but commit to something and start sharing. It doesn’t need to be something you allow extra time for, just take a few snaps and let the image do the talking, Instagram is not a channel for lots of copy, less is more.

I don’t have anything worth sharing

In our industry we’re fortunate enough to work with one of the most photographic muses there is; plants! There is a growing appetite to celebrate the beauty of nature and plants are the perfect vehicle. We’re also sometimes guilty of taking our work sites for granted, again in our industry we’re fortunate to work in some amazing spaces that change with the seasons and the stock.

I don’t see the point

What if I told you you could promote the excellence of your business, the expertise of your staff, the beauty of your stock and changes within your business, to thousands of potential gardeners and industry colleagues, and it won’t cost you a thing?

Now that you’re ready to give it a go, here’s some tips to help you engage and inspire an audience that will promote your business and the industry as a whole.

1. Have an overall aim or objective for your Instagram channel. What do you want to say? Do you want to educate would-be gardeners, do you want to celebrate the beauty of your stock, do you want to champion the benefits of horticulture? You may have multiple objectives but try to keep them in mind when you post to keep you on track.

2. Be in it for the long haul. Whilst the overall aim might to build up a sizeable following, who engage and comment on your posts, that takes time. Don’t be disheartened in the early days if you’re not getting the engagement you want. Keep posting good content and your audience will find you.

3. How to attract followers. The images you share are key, keep the quality of image high and don’t post for the sake of it. Keep copy to a minimum, it’s not a space for lengthy diatribes, but it is still important what you say and how you say it. Consider humour, fun facts or informative words. Use #’s in your copy. Use hashtags, a post with at least one hashtag averages 12.6% more engagement than posts without. A hashtag allows Instagram users to search for content that appeals to them, if you share an image of an orchid, #orchid could bring a host of orchid lovers to your post. Follow other similar businesses and comment and like their posts, there’s a good chance they will follow you back and engage with your own page.

4. Experiment. It can take a while to understand what resonates with an audience. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different images, tone of voice and messages. Be aware of what is proving to be popular with your audience and what isn’t hitting the mark.

5. Understand your USP. What is it that makes your business different from your competitors? Perhaps it’s the plant variety you specialise in, or you may have a unique approach to sustainability, or a particularly beautiful site. Whatever it is, be sure to champion that thing to stand out form the crowd.

6. Share your knowledge. Increasingly Instagram is a space that people go to learn. There is an army of gardeners out there with bags of enthusiasm that don’t have the knowledge to succeed. Create and share short (1 minute) video tips to help them; this not only gives them the taste of success, but it also sets you up as experts at what you do.

7. Be personable. Take the opportunity to introduce your team. This removes the barrier between customer and business and lets them in. Your team is made up of different characters with different personalities and skillsets. Your customer will often rather engage with a business that they feel they know and can relate to.

8. Ask questions. Make your audience feel like they are involved. The occasional question; what was the last thing you planted, what weekend gardening jobs have you got planned, what’s your top gardening tip; will make them feel they are part of your community and encourage sharing.

9. Have a regular theme. Adding a consistent them to your weekly posting schedule can be something that your audience looks forward to. It could be ‘Floral Fridays’, each and every Friday you post a picture of a different plant in flower. It might be Tuesday Tips, every Tuesday you share a gardening tip with your audience.

10. Don’t take it too seriously. It can be disheartening to share content and not receive the engagement you hoped for. Don’t let that put you off. Keep plugging away, keep learning and keep having fun with your page.

Here’s a snapshot of some of our members getting it right.

This post from Ozbreed shows that they care about erosion and the environment, they are sharing that knowledge with their audience and using the right hashtags. The Greenery Garden Centre take the opportunity to share news with their customers and whet the appetite at the same time. The emojis are a nice touch too.

Diaco’s Garden Nursery regularly share educational videos, this one on pest management received 55,000 views.

JFT Nurseries do a great job at introducing their smiling team and having a bit of fun at the same time. This is the sort of business you want to work with.

Tall Trees Nursery do well to tie their plant pic together with a day of celebration, in this case National Eucalypt Day, using the hashtag will encourage many a eucalypt fans to their page.

And here we are, letting consumers know that retailers are open again and encouraging them to splurge on plants

Whether you’re a grower, a retailer or an allied business, Instagram is a great tool to get your brand noticed, share your message and have a bit of fun at the same time. Boomaroo Nurseries celebrate the beauty and wander of a sea of seedlings and use video timelapse to capture the plant movement.