In This Issue
Greenfingers ‘Nest & Rest’ garden opens at Grace House, Sunderland
Sir Terry Leahy and Just Eat’s Chief Operating Officer headline Cultivating Retail Conference
Could there be a bumper Christmas on the way?
Bottle Lights lead chart for third week
GCA heads to Bristol for January conference
Haskins offers first glimpse of Snowhill redevelopment
Langlands turns pink for breast cancer charity
Selby centre's extension set to double turnover in 5 years
Squire's lays on welcome at Wokingham site bought from Wyevale
Sara to sleep out in aid of homeless charity
£17m turnover YouGarden completes MBO with Kester Capital
Zest 4 Leisure employees smash charity fundraising target
Aussie independent wants laws to curb power of big box stores
SunPatiens passes with flying colours in Westminster
GIMA expands autumn workshops schedule
France will take centre stage at IPM Essen 2020
West Yorkshire businesses collaborate for a fourth Christmas experience
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Millbrook founder joins charity's board of trustees
Record October in sight for Christmas sales
September offers no respite for online retailers as sales continue to slow
Wet ground holds back gardening activity
Wet September hit garden centre sales
Steady growth for winter bedding
Garden centres await news about Bonmarché concessions
The best of last week's
Christmas unveiled at Bents Garden & Home
Cultivation Street LAUNCHES Illumination Street
Bumper week for Christmas product sales
Harnessing the Power of Social at the HTA Marketing Forum
Christmas and indoor gardening beat the rain
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Garden Centre Photo Tours
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
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Email neil.pope@tgcmc.co.uk, or trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call the GTN News team on 01733 775700






Harnessing the Power of Social at the HTA Marketing Forum

 

The importance of storytelling and the need to be authentic in your social conversations were just two of the key points made at the HTA Marketing Forum which took place at Horticulture House, Chilton, on Wednesday.

 

With social media and digital technology becoming such an integral part of consumers’ lives, the need to be active in the ‘social’ arena is more relevant than ever.

 

David Denny, HTA Futures & Sustainability Manager spoke about new online tools which provide us with extra targeting capabilities enabling us to deep insights into customers on a scale never seen before. 

 

Julie Hall from The School of Marketing highlighted the fact that social media is about building community and engaging with your customers. ‘It is a relationship tool, not a sales tool – it is about relevance, context and connection’, she said.

 

Simone Bonnett, from The Social Managers, spoke about the importance of treating social media as your shop window as first impressions count. She emphasised the need to get all the basics right on your profile and include important information such as contact details, opening hours and including an image.

 

 

Across all the different platforms storytelling was a key theme. People relate to people and so on podcasts and video people want to know about you and your business.

 

Keep your videos personal, in the moment and authentic’ said Huw Richards from Huws Nursery, with Skinny Jean Gardener, Lee Connelly encouraging all to ‘do something different to stand out and don’t be afraid to share your opinions’. 

 

When it comes to writing online Alan Down shared his experiences from writing his Down to Earth blog. ‘Keep it light and chatty but authoritative and make sure you use bright relevant images and keep your content topical for maximum impact.’

 

Summing up the day HTA Council Representative Neil Grant from Ferndale Garden Centre, who chaired the day, comments, “It is clear from this insightful day that digital marketing is such a key component of our marketing strategy and we need to embrace it within our businesses. As an industry we have such great stories to tell – about our plants, our people.  We all need to make time within our businesses to ensure we are maximising the opportunity the power of social – in all its forms.” 

 

Many thanks to event partners Alpha Packaging, Eight Days a Week, Garden Connect and Swan Retail and Frobishers for providing refreshments.

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