Gardening Insights
Event Promotional Package
Sarah Vogel
Extension Educator, Horticulture
University of Illinois
Decatur
Team Members:
Vogel, S*1
-
Extension Educator, Horticulture, , Decatur, Illinois, 62521
Abstract
Gardening Insights mailer, magazine advertisement, and social media posts were designed to attract current clientele, reach new and underserved audiences, and increase specific session attendance for current issues in horticulture.
Master Gardeners in Macon County, Illinois, host the annual public outreach day for home gardeners throughout central Illinois in late February each year. A $35 registration fee allowed participants access to their choice of 12 sessions, a keynote speaker, local vendor shopping, and camaraderie. Session topics included pollinators, tree diseases, raised bed gardening, hummingbirds, sustainable landscaping, natural lawn care, and Illinois’ hidden treasures.
Approximately 166 people attended; an increase of 24 from last year. 4-H provided parallel programming for youth; this option had not been offered in previous years. Response for youth programming was phenomenal and nearly all spots were filled. Families voiced appreciation for childcare barriers being removed by free, all-day 4-H activities during the event.
Some Facebook posts targeted those with children, while others aimed to increase registration for sessions focused on local plant pathology issues. In addition to inclusion of families with children, marketing efforts attempted to reach underserved audiences in low resource populations by removing part of the financial barrier. This was achieved through an ad specifically made for a free area-wide publication (TV Revue) that includes coupons and discount codes. Gardening Insights advertisement promoted a discounted registration fee of $25 through a unique link.
Using unique links or QR codes for each promotional item, marketing for Gardening Insights improved tracking procedures in 2023. Though not all who used links registered for the event, the use of 9 separate links provided ability to track how many people followed each link and from what origin. Total hits were as follows: 296 through mailer, 23 through magazine article, 15 through flyer, 457 through social media, 7 through media releases, 17 through coffee labels (distributed through three partnering businesses), 7 through Macon County 4-H newsletter, 19 through table tents (two local restaurants), and 43 through TV Revue ad offering discounted registration. The use of various materials will simplify targeted marketing for all local programs.
Program Promotional Piece