Using Influencer Marketing To Grow Your Garden Business

When I started writing for the web in 2010, influencers were still a new thing.  Gardeners tended to skew toward older people who did not use social media.  A lot has changed in eleven years. 

Gardening Changed 

When President Obama was in office, Mrs. Obama started a kitchen garden at the Whitehouse.  She wanted children to know where their food came from and to eat healthy so they could stay healthy.  Research has shown that children are more likely to eat vegetables they have grown than vegetables purchased from the store.  Mrs. Obama revived the depression era Victory Garden, urging everyone to grow as much of their own food as possible.  Since people can use food stamps to buy vegetable seeds and plants, many people did start vegetable gardens, especially since the Great Recession meant many people were out of work. 

When the pandemic shut down the economy, many people lost their jobs.  Everyone also had lots of time on their hands.  Many people responded by gardening.  This was something outdoors that they could enjoy.  Vegetable gardening again took off because it was a way to reduce the grocery bill.  Suddenly, everyone from Gen X to the Baby Boomers was playing in the dirt. 

Embracing the Internet 

It took a while for Baby Boomers, as a group, to embrace the internet.  These people had called or written to family often but didn’t like computers because they felt email was too impersonal.  They were also worried they could not learn to use a computer.   

This computer phobia gradually went away as people learned they could stay in touch with family using email, videos like FaceTime, and other programs.  During the pandemic, email and video programs became the safest way to stay in touch with unvaccinated people, especially before the vaccine came out.  Nothing replaces a hug, but computers were the next best thing. 

Organizations Changed 

Before computers, companies were used to controlling the narrative about their brand.  They put things out in print, where they did not get immediate feedback.  As the internet became available, customers started communicating with companies on social media.  Complaints started going viral (who can forget “United Airlines broke my guitar”).  Companies were not sure how to handle this new world where customers controlled the narrative.  Customers contacted or called out companies on Twitter, reviewed them on Yelp, and demanded action. 

Gradually, companies learned to communicate with their customers on social media.  Many of them hired experts to do nothing but manage their reputation on social media.  They began to answer questions, contact disgruntled people and offer to make things right, and interact directly with their customers through websites.  The problem became how to find the experts that could help them. 

Influencers Became Important 

This is where the influencers stepped in to help companies reach their customers.  Influencers are people who know how to take advantage of social media.  They amass large numbers of people who read their Tweets, Facebook posts, Tik Toc videos.  A comment on social media can send their followers running out to buy the product the influencer mentioned or swear off a company who dissed them.   

Some companies now use influencers as spokespeople for some of their brands, much like putting sports figures on Wheaties boxes.  However, finding the right influencers is difficult.  Measuring the impact an influencer really has on purchases is still hard.  Some people claim to be influencers but aren’t really one.  Terry Tateossian has written a good article on the challenges influencer marketing poses. 

Finding Garden Influencers 

There are a lot of websites that cover general gardening, flower gardening, and vegetable gardening.  How do you find the influencers that will best serve your company and your communicators?  One option is going to the Garden Communicators International website and searching for them.  This group used to be called Garden Writers but has expanded their scope.  However, the membership fee is pretty expensive, and many influencers are not qualified to join. 

Another way is to search the niche you want to talk to and see who is speaking about it.  Do one or two people seem to be putting out solid, factual information?  How many people are using this person as a resource?  A person with a large number of followers is not necessarily an influencer.  A person with fewer followers who actually listen to the remarks, Tweets, etc. Is preferable to someone who is all talk but cannot mobilize their followers.  While not a garden influencer, Josi Maia is an example of an effective influencer. 

In summary, marketing has changed a lot in the last eleven years.  Influencers are now important ambassadors for companies.  Finding one can be a challenge.  Don’t despair, however.  You can contact me through this website if you need a garden influencer for your brand.