Box Stores And Facebook: How Social Media Has Changed Sales

Facebook logo

How many box stores are seeing direct sales in plants from social media? That was a question on the minds of attendees at OFA Short Course’s Grower Town Hall. Here are the thoughts of the grower panel. 

Advertisement

“I am a Facebook advocate. We don’t get a lot of Likes each week, but we see visits and unique visits from it over a week. I can tie sales to what we’re doing on Facebook. We’re trying to get potential customers into Home Depot stores. We do talk about pricing, what’s hot this week and what’s shipping. We get a good reaction to Facebook.”

“Our goal is to get on the Facebook pages of Walmart or Lowe’s. This will have huge impact on our business. It doesn’t always benefit the stores we serve, but that doesn’t bother us. It’s better for everyone involved [when plants are featured on their Facebook pages].”

“The big boxes’ investment in social media has been amazing to see and understand.”

Top Articles
Why This Hydrangea From Green Fuse Botanicals Is a Gamechanger (Video)

“There are great opportunities for IGCs, but they have to realize that it’s a different conversation. You can create a connection to the couple thousand followers you have. They can have a better understanding of you and how important it is to shop local.” 

“With social media, you get a chance to put a face on your business. We post pictures of the grower or the merchandiser. People really hit the Like button more when there are eyeballs in the pictures. It’s not the plant. It’s the way the plant makes them feel. A picture of a customer smiling is what it’s all about. You’re not selling the beauty. You’re selling what the people feel when they plant the beauty.”

“We post things we do in the community, like giving plants to Boy Scouts. That’s what IGCs need to focus on. Forget about pictures of the latest new echinacea.”

0