Pre-RHS Chelsea marketing checklist for garden brands
Simple marketing checklist for garden brands at RHS Chelsea: We’re now in the final countdown to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, but there’s still time to double-check you’ve covered all the important things with a pre-launch checklist. Make sure that you’re doing all you can to lever your website, social media and marketing, whether you’re a garden designer, landscape gardener, landscape architect or horticulture business.
Garden design by Ula Maria for RHS Chelsea: ‘Muscular Dystrophy UK Forest Bathing Garden’ | Garden design photography by Kat Weatherill
Maximising the Chelsea buzz: your essential pre-show marketing checklist
There’s still time to harness the huge surge in interest that RHS Chelsea generates in gardening and to help you do your last minute checks, we’ve listed all the top tips from our series on ‘How to market your garden brand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show’, and you can also download it as a printable checklist!
In this series, we’ve been helping garden brands take advantage of the interest that the Chelsea Flower Show generates: whether you’re exhibiting, helping to create one of the incredible show gardens, supplying the many garden designers or just visiting the Chelsea Flower Show for inspiration.
Top ten takeaway ideas
Prioritise accessibility: ensure your contact details are obvious and your enquiry forms are fully functional to capture leads during the Chelsea buzz
Capture the surge: use the peak interest in RHS Chelsea to grow your maillist by offering a freebie or incentive for sign-ups
Demonstrate expertise: write timely, helpful blog content that answers common questions or solves problems for garden lovers
Sift your leads: use a media kit to filter out clients who are not a good match, saving you time on unproductive discovery calls
Optimise for search: research what people are searching for on Google regarding Chelsea and tailor your content to match those terms
Engage through video: utilise Instagram Reels and short-form video to reach a wider digital audience beyond those physically at the show
Update your portfolio: make sure your latest and best work is visible on your website to attract your ideal garden design clients
Focus on value: when presenting services or a media kit, highlight the benefits and impact of your work rather than just the features
Consistent CTAs: include clear Calls to Action at the end of every blog and on key website pages to keep visitors engaged
Connect your platforms: ensure your Instagram bio is updated for Chelsea and links seamlessly to a website that is ready for visitors
1. Make sure your garden website is ready for Chelsea visitors
The purpose of this marketing checklist for your website in the final countdown to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is two-fold:
Ensure that you attract and engage with the right type of potential customers
Make it easy for prospective clients to take next steps with you as a garden designer, landscaper or garden brand
Don’t worry if you’ve not got time for some of the more meaty ones, you can work on these throughout the year. At the very least, ensure new clients can get hold of you quickly and easily via your website.
Your contact details should be totally obvious and your enquiry form fully functional to stand any chance of capturing new work off the back of the Chelsea Flower Show. You’ll be surprised at the number of garden websites we see that are either broken or make it really hard to get in touch with the business owner!
Check that your garden website enquiry form is working
Update your garden or landscape design portfolio with your best, current work
List the benefits & impact of what you offer on your garden services page (not just features)
Include Calls to Action on key pages across your website
Summarise what you do & for whom as a garden brand on your homepage
Key points
Focus on making it easy for prospective clients to take the next steps with your brand
Verify that enquiry forms are working and your contact details are easy to find
Update your portfolio and homepage to clearly state what you do and who you serve
2. Get your garden brand maillist in place for Chelsea exposure
As we’ve said through out this series, you need to make the most of your new audience from RHS Chelsea, otherwise it’s a wasted opportunity - ensure to engage with new followers afterwards!
This marketing checklist is all to do with your newsletter maillist, setting it up and creating the initial steps to engage with new people who are interested in your garden design or horticultural business.
If you’re pushed for time, we’d suggest making it the top priority to setup a maillist and subsribe button on your website - that will then give you time to put the other things in place afterwards and some time to work on newsletter content.
Create a newsletter maillist to capture client e-mails who are interested in following your garden brand after RHS Chelsea
Add your newsletter sign-up form to high-visibility and high-traffic areas on your garden website
Set up an e-mail marketing system (e.g., Mailchimp) to engage with your new audience
Add a welcome message for new subscribers to your newsletter
Offer a freebie or incentive to encourage signups in and around the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Key points
Setting up a maillist is a top priority for engaging with new followers after the show ends
Place sign-up forms in high-visibility areas and set up an automated welcome message
Use incentives or freebies to encourage visitors to subscribe during the Chelsea countdown
3. Have helpful blogs ready for your new garden audience
This section builds on the previous one about your newsletter maillist. When people start visiting your garden website in and around RHS Chelsea it’s vital to demonstrate expertise and show that you’re someone who can help them with their problems.
Your website blog is a great place to show all the value you bring, how you can solve issues that they are facing or answer questions they may have to do with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. If you write timely, helpful content, especially ahead of the show, you can put yourself at the top of Google searches, maximising new traffic to your website.
Linked to this, if you are producing content on your website that helps answer the questions people put in Google, Google will start to promote you in its organic search results, putting you in the best position possible going into RHS Chelsea.
Check who your ideal clients or customers are before writing blog content
Research what people are searching for on Google to do with RHS Chelsea or garden design
Add high-quality images to your blogs and ensure to optimise them (especially for size!)
Add a Call To Action at the end of each blog to keep people engaged
Repurpose your garden website blog content for social media or as incentives
Key points
Use your blog to show expertise and answer the specific questions your audience is asking
Optimise high-quality images for web speed to improve user experience and SEO
Repurpose blog content for social media to drive more traffic back to your website
4. Create a media kit to help convert garden enquiries after Chelsea
A media kit it s vital marketing tool, considering you’re likely to be deluged with enquiries or interest off the back of RHS Chelsea. If you anticipate your garden design or horticultural website is likely to be swamped after the flower show (or each Spring), a media kit is a really helpful way to weed out potential clients who are not a good fit for your garden brand.
In our summary list below we’ve listed a mixture of benefits of a media kit as well as things to include in it, and you can find a link to the full blog on it below that. Overall, it’s well worth considering if you want to stop answering the same questions from your garden design website enquiries; justify your prices; plus spend less time on discovery calls that go nowhere.
Put the focus on value first before pricing
Show your best work to attract your ideal clients
Unpack your prices on your terms
Sift for your best clients to reduce discovery calls
Safeguard your health, reputation & confidence
Focus on what you love & is important to you
Stoke desire without being salesy
Key points
A media kit acts as a vital tool to filter enquiries and justify your pricing structure
It helps reduce time spent on discovery calls by answering common questions upfront
Showcase your best work within the kit to stoke desire and attract high-quality leads
Make the most of your Chelsea opportunity
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a pinnacle moment for the industry, offering unparalleled visibility. To ensure you are fully prepared to turn that spotlight into long-term growth, explore our comprehensive guide on Marketing for garden designers: Chelsea Flower Show.
If you want to ensure your digital presence is as stunning as your landscape projects, our Website design services are tailored specifically for garden brands looking to stand out.
Ready to elevate your brand? Enquire today to find out how we can help you grow
5. Prep your Instagram account & double-check your website
With the huge crowds that RHS Chelsea attracts, Instagram is a key part of marketing your garden brand, as it not only engages those present at the Chelsea flower show, but all those looking on digitally from home. Instagram also gives you a wider window before and after a garden show to be getting your garden brand out there and engaging with potential customers.
In short, social media - particularly the photo-sharing app, Instagram - needs to be part of your marketing approach when it comes to RHS Chelsea. Make sure it’s not an after-thought and ensure it’s all linked up with the preparations you’ve made on your website.
Finally, if you’ve not yet checked your website, make sure to do it alongside Instagram, otherwise all those people who check you out from your Instagram profile are going to be disappointed and a chunk of potential clients may fall away.
Update your Instagram bio & make it relevant for RHS Chelsea
Plan your Instagram content & start talking about RHS Chelsea with your followers (now!)
Create Instagram Reels and short form video (not just photographs)
After you’ve sorted out your Instagram profile, this is your last chance to get your website fir for purpose:
Check your website homepage is clear, concise & engaging
Start talking about Chelsea everywhere on your website
Start writing blog content for garden lovers & brands to consume in and around RHS Chelsea
Key points
Plan your social content early to engage both physical attendees and digital followers
Use a mix of Reels and photographs to increase your reach across the platform
Perform a final website check to ensure the journey from Instagram to your site is seamless
Anything else I need to know about marketing my garden brand before RHS Chelsea?
That’s all for this time on last minute marketing checks ahead of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show if you are a garden designer, landscaper or horticultural brand - whether you’re at the Show or want to make the most of the buzz. It’s part 6 in our ‘How to market your garden brand at RHS Chelsea Flower Show‘ series, helping your business make the most of the Spring surge, if you’re a garden brand or preparing for RHS Chelsea or a big industry event. If you’d like to get more helpful tips from us or visual inspiration, follow @wildings.studio on Instagram; or read more of our garden designer-focussed blogs on website design below.
Frequently Asked Questions
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This is the top priority for most designers and brands, as the show is a global media event. The consensus among experts is that successful media attraction relies on coordination and storytelling:
The Hook: Press outlets look for more than just pretty plants; they want a story. This often involves a partnership with a charity or a focus on a timely issue like sustainability or mental health
The RHS Press Office: Exhibitors must coordinate their activities with the official RHS press office, which helps manage photo calls and media interviews
Preparation: Having high-quality professional photography and a clear media kit ready before the show is essential to capitalise on immediate interest from journalists
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The most effective strategy to solve this is through your digital setup:
Website Readiness: Your website must be Chelsea-ready, meaning it should be easy to navigate, clearly showcase your best work, and have an obvious and easy-to-use contact form
Lead Capture: Use the show as a catalyst to grow a newsletter mailing list. Offering a Chelsea-inspired garden guide or a similar freebie in exchange for an e-mail address allows you to stay in touch with potential clients long after the marquees are gone
Social Connectivity: Ensure your Instagram bio is updated with a relevant link to help bridge the gap between social media browsers and website visitors
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Pre-qualify is the key strategy here:
The Media Kit/Services Guide: Instead of just responding to every email, use a digital brochure (often called a media kit) to outline your process, ideal project types and general pricing.
Filtering: Sift for the best-fit clients. By providing this information upfront, you discourage those who are not a good fit for your budget or style, saving time for more serious consultations
FAQs: Including a set of frequently asked questions directly on your website can handle mundane queries (like VAT or project timelines), allowing you to focus on the creative aspects during your first meeting
Read more: expert marketing insights for garden designers and horticultural brands:
About the author:
Simon Cox is the co-founding director (along with his wife, Rachael Cox) at Wildings Studio, a branding, website design and content marketing studio in Torquay, UK. He’s the writer and editor of the Wildings Studio blog which you’re currently reading. Simon is also responsible for the Wildings Studio content marketing services. Simon blogs regularly on topics to do with the core Wildings Studio services on branding, website design and content marketing (blogging). He’s passionate about helping small business develop great content that answers the questions people type in Google in order to get found online (SEO).
In this article:
Maximising the Chelsea buzz: your essential pre-show marketing checklist
Free Chelsea checklist: Help your website grow
Get your garden brand maillist in place for Chelsea exposure
Create a media kit to help convert garden enquiries after Chelsea
Anything else I need to know about marketing my garden brand before RHS Chelsea?
About Wildings Studio
Thoughtful, beautiful branding and websites for design-led businesses
Wildings is a website designer for small business offering website design. Based in South Devon, UK, we deliver small business website design for design-conscious brands like garden designers, interior designers, architects, circular ethos restaurants, speciality coffee shops, organic cafés and boutique hotels.
