What do an abacus, a calculator and an iPhone have in common? They all represent a decline in learning everyday practices.

Less real world learning opportunities are offered in school today while more Googling anything continues to rise. The latest internet meme revolves around knowing what mitochondria are, but not how to file taxes – or even how to care for houseplants.

Generations Y and Z are all about YouTube and will look up just about anything from how to boil an egg, change a flat tire or French braid hair. In fact, no feat is too small for YouTube. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that America’s Retailers Have a New Target Customer: The 26-Year-Old Millennial. This age bracket, bigger than any other, is pushing companies to revamp marketing and products, including a lot of remedial education.

Being able to follow step-by-step instruction offers more to its user than assuming they know what to do with the product. Companies that offer how-to content are quickly climbing the ladder to the most influential brands.

REI’s loyal customer base is the leading example; they have over 500 in-depth articles and videos. In addition, they also have a LIVE chat feature and Q&A on their website.

Continue Reading to see how your brand can utilize How-To content.

We often assume our customer knows the ins and outs of our products or services, but rarely is that true. It is the brands job to shine in different ways. Simple “How-to Water My Houseplant" videos can offer more to your customers and increase sales.

Where to Start

Think about what questions your brand gets asked the most. Whether it’s “How much fertilizer is needed for my tree?” or “When should I plant daffodils?”, there is a how-to video to be made. Be clear and concise, focusing on the main question at hand. If there is an opportunity to entertain, add it in.

There are a few types of content to focus on: shopping content, follow-up content, and bring them back content.

Shopping Content

Shopping content should be focused on what customers ask and look for when trying to decide which product is right for them. Primarily, product reviews and buying guides.

The Espoma Company sells various organic fertilizers for gardening. New to the garden customers may not know the right fertilizer for their plant, or even that plants need fertilizers. Instructional videos about which fertilizer to choose, what it can be used on, and how much to use it will help in decision making and raise the chance of the customer following through with a sale.

Think about it. If a customer asks “What fertilizer do I need for blueberry bush?” A quick video about how to fertilize a blueberry (using Holly-Tone) will be much more enticing than a product page.

Follow-Up Content

Once you've made the sale and the customer feels confident they purchased the right product, how do you continue to engage with them?

Now it’s time for the next set of videos, follow-up content.

How do they use it? Take care of it? Repair it? After a customer gets home with their new Costa Farms Norfolk Island Pine, they need help keeping it happy and healthy. Costa Farms videos on decorating with, water and sun needs and when to repot would keep their customer coming back.

Offering useful information will retain customers and build loyalty. It will demystify what you sell and how to use your products and services.

Bring Them Back Content

Once your customer has the product and is happy with it, the relationship often dies there. But it shouldn’t!

Ideally your customer comes back for your product or service regularly. Creating new content that educates and inspires will bring your brand to the forefront of people’s minds when they’re shopping. And this is the best way to create repeat, loyal customers.

This content should be things like hacks, tips or knowledge to continue helping that customer that relate back to a product or brand. Luckily, in the garden industry, we have a world of video ideas that will help the customer hone their skills and keep coming back for more.

Having relatable, fun content available to our customers will help keep brands relevant and in the forefront of their minds.

Do you need help getting influencers to work with your product? Call us.