The key to keeping your audience engaged across Social Media is to share a well-balanced mix of content. Sometimes it’s easy for businesses to get lost in the need to drive sales and unintentionally leave their audience unengaged.
In fact, just 10% of your Social Media content should be sales-led, with the rest being a helpful mix of awareness and engagement-driving posts.
It’s also easy to get stuck in a creative funk and unsure how to keep your Social Media content planner fresh.
One easy way of finding inspiration is to simply scroll your own Social Media accounts and see what style or tone of content stands out most to you. However, you must remember to stay on brand when posting on behalf of a business.
Keeping an eye on competitors or similar businesses is also a good way to see what works for others and may well work for you.
Ready to start planning your Social Media content?
Here are five simple post ideas for your Garden Centre to get the ball rolling.
New In
A Garden Centre will likely have some products that they sell consistently and are available all year round. Keep sharing these as part of your content but be careful to get a good balance so posts or products don’t feel overdone.
Furthermore, don’t forget to promote any new stock, especially anything unique or interesting that will work well on Social Media.
Top Tips
You likely know more than most how best to tend to a garden or revive a plant so use this expert insight to add value to your followers by sharing your green finger top tips. You could also encourage your audience to share their questions to increase engagement and get the conversation flowing.
Going Live on your Social Media platform of choice is another fantastic way to share helpful information on all things gardening and it gives you the chance to answer any customer questions in real-time.
Seasonal
Garden Centres are at an advantage when it comes to seasonal content because most annual events such as Christmas or Valentine’s Day tie in well with their products. Whether it’s Christmas Trees or Red Roses, be sure to share your seasonal products and best wishes with your followers.
Garden Centres often sell other products such as homeware or treats from the Farm Shop so consider how one product may compliment another in a post and showcase more of your offering at once.
Events
Similar to Seasonal posts, Garden Centres will often host key events throughout the year to promote Summer Sales or celebrate Christmas and Easter. If you’re looking to increase your footfall then there’s no better place to start than on Social Media.
Share opening times, promotions and any key information with your followers and encourage them to share with friends and family to really increase your organic reach. Garden Centres could also create ‘Events’ on Facebook to encourage their followers to pop along.
Memberships & Perks
If you offer your customers any loyalty perks or membership schemes then don’t forget to let your Social Media followers know. Often a Garden Centre will be associated with other local businesses such as Gyms or offer a free slice of cake from their café on a member’s Birthday, for example.
This doesn’t need to be limited to memberships – simply think about how you add value to your customers and any unique selling points that may encourage your Social Media audience to visit you over a competitor.
Review and Revise
Although planning content in advance is advised so as to ensure a consistent and quality stream of posts, it shouldn’t mean your copy or creative is set in stone.
Firstly, if something topical (and relevant) comes up then definitely shift the plan to share the most time-sensitive content first. Just be sure to keep your content suitable for the brand and intended audience.
Secondly, businesses need to regularly review their Social Media analytics to ensure they’re getting as much out of the platforms as possible. If you see some posts are gaining better reach or engagement than others, then use this insight to influence your future posts.
Mixing up your copy or creative is a fantastic way to keep your audience engaged. Consider utilising video content such as Reels or Boomerangs to add a touch of fun and personality to your posts. Don’t forget, although Reels are a feature within Instagram, they’re also downloadable so you can share them across your other Social Media platforms too!
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