Mountain View Nursery

I first joined Mountain View Nursery in Moruya, NSW, through Australia’s Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa program, fulfilling the 88-day regional work requirement. I began in a full-time, hands-on role assisting with everything from plant care and propagation to customer service and retail sales. Working on-site gave me a deep understanding of the seasonal rhythms of the nursery, the plant stock and processes, and the needs of its diverse customer base—from the local Eurobodalla community to customers across NSW and the ACT who rely on delivery.

After completing my visa requirement, I transitioned into a freelance marketing role with the owner, Robyn, to support the business through a challenging transition: the retail sales arm of the nursery was shut down due to council restrictions. With a renewed focus on digital sales and customer communication, I stepped in to help build out a more strategic and sustainable digital presence.

I began by auditing the nursery’s primary website—already receiving solid foot traffic—and identifying areas to improve the customer journey and boost conversions through its Shopify integration. Simultaneously, I implemented a communications platform called Podium to centralize and streamline incoming inquiries across channels. With Podium, we were able to unify messages from Instagram, Facebook, Google, and the website into one inbox, creating a more efficient workflow for the small team. I also trained the team on using Podium’s built-in features—like messaging templates, lead status updates, and photo sharing tools—to improve customer service and better manage plant-related inquiries.

As part of this effort, I also spent time on-site gathering and editing photos of plants that were missing or outdated on the website. This gave product listings a refreshed, accurate look and improved the visual consistency across the site. I additionally created a system for the team to send plant photos directly to customers through Podium, resolving a key point of friction for those hesitant to purchase plants without seeing them first.

In tandem, I began organizing and launching bulk SMS and email campaigns using both Podium and Shopify tools—introducing proactive, personalized messaging as a new channel to engage with customers. I also used the data available across both platforms to segment our audiences and tailor messaging based on customer behaviors, preferences, and past purchases.

These foundational improvements extended into social media as well, where I launched targeted campaigns to re-engage lapsed customers and promote seasonal specials. By building out strategic audience segments and refining content themes, we increased reach and brought more customers into the digital funnel.

This holistic approach to marketing—rooted in hands-on experience, customer insight, and system improvements—allowed Mountain View Nursery to maintain and even grow its sales and visibility during a critical period. Together, we created a more connected, streamlined, and scalable marketing operation that continues to support the nursery’s success.