GROWING ORGANICALLY: HOW WE TOOK OAKTREE GARDEN CENTRE’S INSTAGRAM FROM 200 FOLLOWERS TO 7000!
Social Media isn’t new; creating a successful brand online in 2021 means you need to differ from others, especially without spending money on running advertisements across social channels. For many business owners who didn’t grow up with social media, iPhones or digital algorithms, navigating the social media landscape can seem like a daunting task. Even for myself, who saw the digital explosion in his late teens, things change at such a rate that it can be challenging to stay on top of ‘what’s trending'.
WHO WAS I TALKING TO?
Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Youtube, LinkedIn.. we have many options, but not every network is suitable for a business. When we took over marketing for Oaktree Garden Centre, we knew that our core audience wasn’t posting memes on Tumblr; we knew that they would be slightly older (40- 60+), staying in touch with their friends and family on Facebook. We also learned that we had more Millennials visiting the garden centre as they wanted to add plants to their homes and gardens, just as they had seen their parents do when they were growing up.
So we needed to dissect each platform available to us and focus our efforts on the ones that were most likely to widen Oaktree’s sales funnel and get new and returning customers to visit in-store or online. We also market across Pinterest & Twitter for the brand; we view this as an overspill for users who don’t use any Facebook Apps or Services, or who are more likely to interact with posts or need customer support.
ESTABLISHING A SOCIAL PRESENCE
Once we found out where our audience is, we then began working on establishing an online company persona and digging deep into what other channels similar to ours have been doing.
We started off posting short, fun posts that promoted a sale, in-store promotions, or an item of garden furniture they could buy online. This alone managed to bring in some existing customers who had looked online to find Oaktree. While creating a social hub for customers is essential, we had to find out how to attract more eyes to our Instagram page.
To find out what our followers wanted to see, we did something straightforward, we followed them back. While we don’t want to pry too much into their personal lives, we wanted to see if they shared any gardening content with their followers or shared other Instagram channel content to their own stories. If so, what content did they like?
This was such a great experiment for us that we still do it to this day. Each month we follow a few hundred people who have recently liked the page to find out what they want to see. After conducting this experiment for the first time, we could see that what our followers wanted from us was value.
We immediately got to work creating handy gardening tips with the help of RHS, we searched online for events happening throughout the year that we could get involved in, and we built a mood-board of the things that are important to our customers and what is important to us, to see how many overlaps we could find.
To say this worked is an understatement. Quickly we began to see massive growth in the number of followers we received. Oaktree started its Instagram channel way back in 2017. When we took over the account, they only had 200 followers, jump forward two years, and we are just about to pass 7000 organic followers who interact and enjoy the content we post. The best part? These followers didn’t come through to the page because we ran ads; they went to the page because they believe in the excellent service Oaktree offers in-store and the free tips they provide online.
BUILDING A COMMUNITY
This is the hardest part of digital marketing. While you can learn to run social ads, manage catalogues, and use Pixels, it’s hard to respond to an audience, especially as it grows.
Every time we create a post for Oaktree, we imagine who it is that is viewing it. What is the weather like? What time of year is it? Do we want to show them a free gardening guide? Or upsell a gardening set? It can be tricky to strike a balance. If you go too far into pushing expensive garden furniture and BBQs, you isolate your followers as they think that the page is not for them, or they might be priced out of your brand. Go too far the other way, and those living in apartment buildings with no outdoor space feel as if they can’t see themselves in the products and ultimately don’t engage with the brand.
Every week we look at who is commenting; what part of the UK are they from? And when did we get a batch of followers? Oaktree is located just outside London and has a respected brand name, so we knew they wouldn’t just attract those from the countryside nearby; they would also attract city dwellers with limited outdoor space or non at all. This is why we began talking to them directly and promoting indoor planting and window boxes throughout the year.
When you build any community online, you also need to manage the customer complaints and sometimes negative comments. You won’t always get it right, so don’t be afraid to apologise and listen to what your community is telling you.
HOW DID WE MAKE MONEY?
Every business needs to make money; Oaktree is no different.
Through our work building a community, we know exactly what people are looking for at every time of year. We also take time to build out shopping guides, promote specific products on occasions - such as national BBQ or Fathers Day. We also work closely with the talented staff at Oaktree to encourage customers to visit in-store and explore the incredible plant selection they grow on-site.
Bring people in with resources —> Turn them into customers —> Service them post-purchase with tips for the products they have bought.
It's an endless circle that not only helps the customers but also feeds the business financially.
WHY SHOULD I RUN ADS?
So I know what you’re thinking; if I can build a large following on social and create a community that will turn into customers, why should I ever run social ads?
Oaktree is a long-standing, very well run and respected brand whose staff are never afraid to go the extra mile to help customers. We embraced this and took it online. However, if you are starting a new business and rely on making quick sales, building a community organically takes a lot of time and patience, and might not be the most crucial thing for you as a brand right now.
Facebook Ads are a fantastic way to get people into your business and create customers fast. We would never recommend the organic root to everyone; every marketing plan must be uniquely tailored to the company it represents.
