Forty Under 40 Perspectives: Building plant trust with video marketing

Why would a wholesale plant nursery need a full-time videographer? 

Key takeways

• Video marketing builds trust by visually validating plant performance and quality
• Exposure is critical in a crowded plant market with extensive variety
• Video enhances education, especially for visual learners
• Emotional impact drives stronger customer recall and connection
• Platforms like YouTube offer significant reach for horticulture brands
• Plants and video both evoke emotion, strengthening marketing effectiveness

That was the first question that came to mind when I saw the job posting at Spring Meadow Nursery eight years ago, and it’s the question I’m asked most often since I landed the job.

Today, it’s hard for me to imagine questioning the need for video in the horticulture marketing world. With new technology, social media, AI and answers just a click away, people expect to find what they’re looking for online. Add in some visual authentication, like photography or a video, and you’ve just become that much more convincing to your customer. 

Plants need marketing exposure. With so much variety in the plant world, it’s easy for some fantastic plants to go unnoticed. If people aren’t aware a plant exists in the marketplace, how long will it remain available? That’s where marketing comes in, since it’s our job to make these plants known. In 2025, YouTube was one of the most used mobile video apps worldwide — talk about potential for exposure! 

People form relationships with plants, and just like with any relationship, trust is important. Video offers new opportunities for plant companies to create and enhance that trust. 

For example, instead of simply saying that ‘Temple of Bloom’ heptacodium is an absolute pollinator magnet, video can show its white blooms swaying in the breeze and alive with buzzing bees, letting the audience see and hear for itself. 

Videos are also an incredible tool for education. Some people (like me) are visual learners, so seeing a pruning method performed on a video can help some learn and retain the information more effectively than reading about it or being told how to do it. Plus, videos can be paused and rewatched as often as needed. 

These reasons alone have helped solidify the need for video in our industry. But I’d be remiss not to mention one of the biggest benefits to video: its ability to move people. No matter the method of delivery, there’s a good chance your customers will forget the details you told or showed them — but they will remember how the content made them feel. Video is uniquely suited to stir those feelings. When it comes to creating a lasting impression, the combination of imagery and suitable audio is hard to beat. 

While the video is fantastic for evoking emotion, plants are equally powerful, sparking feelings of nostalgia, excitement, serenity and hope, just to name a few. I think plants and video have a mutually beneficial relationship.

FAQ

Why is video important for plant nurseries?
Video helps showcase plant traits, build trust and increase visibility in a competitive market.

How does video build customer trust?
It provides visual proof of plant performance, allowing customers to see results rather than rely on descriptions.

Can video improve plant education?
Yes, videos allow viewers to see techniques like pruning in action and rewatch as needed.

What platforms are best for plant video marketing?
YouTube is highlighted as a major platform with strong potential for exposure.

Why is emotional impact important in marketing plants?
Customers remember how content makes them feel, and video is highly effective at creating emotional connections.

Adriana Paez-Robinson is videographer for Spring Meadow Nursery and a member of GPN’s Forty under 40 Class of 2025.