By CEMOH – Fractional Marketing Experts

Spring is the biggest opportunity of the year for nurseries, growers, and garden retailers. Whether you’re selling direct to consumers, supplying plant centres and landscapers, or tendering for government projects, spring brings demand, decisions, and doors opening.

But with competition increasing and customer attention divided, it’s not enough to just be busy. The businesses that grow fastest are the ones that combine seasonal readiness with strategic marketing.

Here are five ways to prepare and position your business for success this spring:

Don’t Just Prepare Your Stock. Prepare Your Brand.

Most businesses in this space invest heavily in inventory, logistics, and staffing in spring. But your visibility matters just as much. If people don’t know who you are, what you offer, or why you’re better, they won’t buy from you.

Whether your customer is a weekend gardener or a procurement manager, they need to feel confident in your professionalism, consistency, and value.

Start here:

• Refresh your website and social media presence. Does it reflect what you sell and who you serve?
• Make sure your signage, proposals, and pitch decks are cohesive and credible.
• Capture images or videos of your team, product quality, or past work for use in tenders and content.

Create a Simple, Strategic Marketing Plan

Most businesses in this industry do marketing. Few have a plan. A clear strategy not only saves you time, it dramatically improves your return on every dollar and hour spent.

Whether you’re aiming for foot traffic, trade orders, or council contracts, your plan should define:

• Who you’re targeting (for example, homeowners, landscapers, buyers)
• What messages and offers matter to them
• How you’ll reach them (social, email, industry channels, direct contact)
• What success looks like (for example, weekly enquiries, larger average order value, a signed tender)

You don’t need a big budget. Just focus and consistency.

Strengthen Your Relationships and Data

Spring isn’t just about attracting new business. It’s a golden time to strengthen relationships with past customers, trade buyers, and contract partners.

Tactics to build lasting loyalty and grow lifetime value:

• Send tailored communications to existing customers or contract clients.
• Offer early access to seasonal stock or volume-based incentives.
• Launch or relaunch a loyalty program, trade portal, or email series.
• If you sell wholesale or to government, ensure your contact database is up to date and reintroduce your capabilities.

The more you know about your audience, the more relevant and profitable your outreach can be.

Position for Government and Civic Contracts

Spring is also prime time for councils, developers, and landscape architects to source suppliers for upcoming projects. If you’re not front of mind or not easy to find, you’re already out of the running.

Ways to make yourself tender-ready:

• Highlight completed projects and professional accreditations online.
• Keep capability statements, ABNs, insurance, and sustainability info up to date.
• Attend local council events or trade expos where buyers and procurement officers are present.
• Join supplier directories or pre-qualified panels early. They often close before tenders go live.
• Regular brand presence can be the difference between a cold call and an invite to quote.

Measure What Matters

In a peak season, it’s easy to get caught up in the rush. But the best businesses take a moment to measure and improve.

Track key numbers like:

• Sales by customer type (retail, trade, government)
• Cost per lead or sale from different marketing channels
• Repeat order rate from past customers
• Growth in your customer database or contact list

You don’t need a fancy dashboard. Just a habit of asking what worked, what didn’t, and what should be repeated or improved next Spring.

GIQ Nurture and Thrive Members – if you’d like marketing help, get in touch with a marketing expert for free and unlimited general advice. Book this service.