Marketing and Communications

Overview
Branding and Design
Marketing and Audience Engagement
Social Media Tips

Effective marketing and communications help arboreta share their mission, grow their audience, and build lasting community support.

This resource section provides tools, templates, and examples to help institutions tell their stories, promote programs, and highlight the value of trees—whether through branding, digital outreach, signage, or media engagement.

With clear messaging and consistent visuals, arboreta can strengthen visibility, increase participation, and inspire public connection to tree conservation.

Branding and Design

These resources help arboreta create clear, consistent visuals and messaging that reflect their mission, engage audiences, and elevate the presence of their programs and collections.

How to Create a Great Museum Brand Identity? (Richardson, 2019)

Goodness, Gracious, Great Graphic Design: How Visual Communications Benefit Your Garden (American Public Gardens Association Conference, 2018)

Marketing and Audience Engagement

These resources can help arboreta reach new visitors, deepen community connections, and communicate the value of their work through compelling storytelling and outreach strategies.

Marketing Your ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation (ArbNet)

Best Strategies for Marketing Non-profit Cultural Institutions (Cultural Owl, 2023)

Exhibition Marketing Plan Summary (excerpt from Rakow and Lee, 2011)

How to Utilize Your Plant Collections for Powerful Marketing and Engagement (American Public Gardens Association Conference, 2018)

Leading Audiences to Take Action! A New Approach from the Field of Conservation Psychology (American Public Gardens Association Conference, 2017)

Membership, Giving, and Loyalty: The Power of Data and Engagement (American Public Gardens Association Conference, 2018)

Visitor Motivations: How They Can Help Plan Experiences & Measure Success (American Public Gardens Association Conference, 2018)

Looking to boost your public garden’s social media presence? You don’t have to be a large arboretum to make a big impact on social media.

Follow these tips to keep your social channels thriving.

Research Best Practices and Trends

Social media technology and trends move fast. Stay up to date with the latest best practices, developments, and strategies by seeking out social media resources and signing up for free newsletters from industry outlets such as Social Media Today.

Tag Partners

Tag partners mentioned in social posts. On Instagram, add them as a post or reel collaborator. This practice helps to build rapport, boost your social network, and increase your channel’s engagement if the partner shares the content.

Use Hashtags and Searchable Keywords

Optimize social posts by including popular and relevant hashtags and top keywords so more people find your content. See this Sprout Social resource: Hashtags: What they are and how to use them effectively.

Include Strong Visuals

Short videos and compelling photos, especially a photo gallery, are popular on social media. High-quality videos and photos taken on your phone work just fine. There are many free or low-budget video and photo editing platforms such as CapCut and PhotoPea to support content creation. A gimbal stabilizer and wireless microphone for your phone help immensely with video creation.

Repurpose Popular Content

It’s a common practice to repurpose top posts for future use, perhaps with a different image and updated copy.

Interact with Your Audience

Engage with inquiries, comments, and messages on your channels. Share public posts about your arboretum created by followers and other vetted content creators to enhance your social media presence.

Announce Your ArbNet Accreditation

If you haven’t already, share the news of your ArbNet accreditation!

Explore examples of marketing your ArbNet accreditation through social media and other channels.

Follow and Analyze Arboreta Social Accounts

Follow the channels of ArbNet, The Morton Arboretum, other public gardens, and cultural institutions to analyze their content and inspire your own ideas.

This practice will expand your social network and could spur future potential opportunities for social media collaborations with peer institutions.

ArbNet

Facebook: @ArbNet
Instagram: @arbnetorg
X: @ArbNetorg)

The Morton Arboretum

Have Fun!

Elevate your public garden, including its expertise, in an approachable way for a general audience. Embrace innovative storytelling, have fun, and let your creativity shine!

Popular content topics include beauty shots of spring blooms and fall color and “did you know?” posts that reveal interesting facts.