Garden Center web news and social media highlights from December 2018

Multimedia| Video

Spring marketing ideas

With the holiday season behind us and spring on the horizon, garden centers across the nation are prepping for their busiest time of year. The transition from holiday plants and decorations to the bright colors of spring at your garden center can make for fun time-lapse marketing videos. Take a look at this video by The Good Earth Garden Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, no. 43 on our 2018 Top 100 Independent Garden Centers list, as they prepare for the busy spring season. It may be from 2013, but it’s still a great example of how you can give your customers’ a behind-the-scenes look at your operations.

Watch Here: http://bit.ly/springtimelapsevideo

WHAT’S TRENDING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Instagram: One of our favorite ways to share stories and photos with our audience is on Instagram. This year we saw an influx in engagement on the social network. We shared many posts throughout 2018, but one post from The Great Big Home + Garden Show in Cleveland in February 2018 received the most engagement this past year. Follow us on Instagram to see that update and others we’ve shared.

See it here: http://bit.ly/topigpostof2018

Your Turn

Each month, we ask readers a different question about their retail operations, inviting them to answer via email or social media. Send your answers to associate editor Giovanni Castelli at gcastelli@gie.net.

THIS MONTH’S QUESTION:

“Where are you spending your marketing dollars, and how has your experience been with your local media outlets?

Answers to this question will be published in a future issue of Garden Center.

5 STORIES IN BRIEF: TOP INDUSTRY NEWS FROM OUR WEBSITE

1. IGC acquisition

English Gardens acquires Plymouth Nursery and is set to open its sixth location in Metro Detroit. http://bit.ly/englishgardensacquires

2. In memoriam

Renowned rose breeder David C.H. Austin passed away on December 18, 2018. http://bit.ly/davidchaustin

3. Color of the Year

Pantone announces Living Coral as its 2019 Color of the Year. http://bit.ly/2019colorofyear

4. Farm Bill passed

Congress passes the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalizes hemp and removes it from the Controlled Substances Act. Trump later signed the bill into law. http://bit.ly/farmbillpassed2018

5. Holiday sales

Editor’s Note: Bitly links are case sensitive