Adapt to your audience

Our current age of influencers, affiliates and social media posts contrasts sharply with tried-and-true advertising mediums of years past — radio ads, newspaper features and print media that perhaps offer a more formal (if less personal) perspective. So which path should your IGC follow? Shall you throw yourself into the world of TikTok challenges and Instagram reels or continue to renew your ad space in the local paper?

Lichtenfelt Nurseries (we now brand as “Lichtenfelt’s” to give ourselves the potential for future expansion outside the green industry if desired) was founded in 1989 by my parents, David and Deborah Lichtenfelt. Like many IGC owners, the business was a family affair, which meant most of our time away from school was spent in and around the nursery. Whether it be unloading flats of annuals, reconciling credit card receipts or spreading pine needles to spruce up our half-acre display garden, we saw firsthand the many hats operators wore in this challenging but rewarding career.

Illustration © abert84 | Adobe Stock

My mom, Deborah, wore the marketing hat for the business and was quite the expert. Advertising included print media in our local paper, a monthly newsletter to our customer list and even radio ads along with a “Gardening Advice” call-in show that she hosted for nearly 10 years. I remember weekly rides to the radio station for recording sessions and even group script-writing brainstorms when words were hard to come by. The objective was clear: when customers think plants, they think Lichtenfelt Nurseries.

Fast forward 20 years and though our strategy has evolved, the objective remains unchanged. (You can read more about our winding path to the green industry at bit.ly/GardenCenterMagLichtenfelts.

Let’s compare some of the old-school mediums with their 2023 equivalents: