Spreading the Message: Current Events

Hey I’m back! I want to apologize for my extended absence. Last Wednesday I drove down to Columbus Ohio to set up for the OFA Short Course, and I have been busy setting up and talking to industry revolutionaries since then. My body is finally adjusting to the temperature of my office after being in the cooler known as the Columbus Convention Center all weekend.

Anyway, I am back now and inspired as ever! I know I told you in my last post that I was going to talk to you a little more about what was going on with some different Twitter tools, but I think I will have to hold off on that for a little bit. I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss some things I saw this weekend.

First and Foremost: Things are changing in the industry and they are changing rapidly. Almost all of these changes are occurring because of the new rising generation – the Millennials. In the keynote address Joe Lamp’l gave growers, breeders, and retailers some real insight into some of the changes happening within the business. He stressed the need to take our industry from being one of “fast food to more of a bistro”. He said if we want to cater to younger generations then we have to change the way we do business. We have to cater to all the senses, and we have to cater to how young people get their information. Joe emphasized how Social Media plays a HUGE part of how youth obtain information in their daily lives from Facebook to Pinterest all the way to Yelp!. This really set the tone for the rest of the convention.

After listening to Joe on Sunday morning, I got a chance to walk the aisles for the next two days.  Companies are starting to get it. They are beginning to understand that Social Media and Mobile Apps are great opportunities for exposure in the industry. GIE Media had a booth demonstrating the use of certain mobile application technologies. MasterTag was displaying some cool QR technology linking to all sorts of things. Burpee Home Gardens unveiled their “Grow Anywhere Tour” stating that their truck would be “trackable” on Facebook, and posted a video to youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3J2R_NHc8Q. These were just a few of the awesome displays at OFA.

It was definitely a great weekend for the industry. I would say without a doubt the industry is coming into the “Smart” Era. Now it just seems we have to tread carefully and pay close attention to what we are doing.  Tomorrow I’ll be back at it in my usual style. Also if you get a chance you should check out www.24green.com  they recently featured one of my blog posts, and they have a lot of cool ideas about the industry.  Also Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @mday55 .

As usual, please feel free to email me at mday55@gmail.com or comment with any questions, concerns, suggestions, or job opportunities ha-ha! Thanks!

Missing In Action

Today has been super busy. I leave tomorrow for Columbus to prepare for this year’s O.F.A. Short Course, and there is so much to do until then! This brings us to a problem that many businesses face. What do I do when I am simply too busy to post on Social Media? This question to a business is frightening, and often discouraging. Often this problem can lead to disappointing results. The first is that this turns of businesses so much that they dismiss using Social Media in general, or that after a business has a busy period and misses a few posts, they simply fall off the wagon and rarely stick to their schedule or quit using Social Media entirely. They think that because they have missed a few posts their audience will be no longer be interested.

I’m here to tell you to “Stay calm and post on”. First things first, if you miss one post in your business’ regular schedule it is ok. It might even boost interest in older posts in some cases. In most cases it will have no impact on how large your audience is, especially your core audience that is actually listening to and engaging with your content. I would also recommend that you not hurry your next post. If you’re a day or more late in posting why not just wait till your next scheduled post? You have a schedule because content gets more attention at certain times, so don’t waste your content when it won’t be noticed.

For others of you out there who have already missed more than just a couple posts on any of your Social Media sites, it’s time to get back on the horse. Just because you may have lost some attention while you have been absent doesn’t mean that you won’t still have an audience out there. Social Media is a free marketing tool. Just because you might not be noticed by a million users your first day back to posting doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start again. It might actually allow for you to revamp and change your Social Media scheme.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for today. Next time I’ll talk about how to prevent this problem all together.  I will try to get at least one more post in while I’m on the road this week and the beginning of next week, so keep checking back, and if not I’ll for sure be back with something new on Tuesday! See you all at O.F.A. this weekend.

Also on another note if these posts have been somewhat helpful feel free to find me on Klout.com and shoot me a +K to let me know! Thanks

“Have they found a solution to the Downy Mildew problem yet? I’m so anxious you could say I’m being Impatiens”        I swear I think the posts are getting better but the jokes, I know are not.

Silly Rabbit Social Media is for EVERYONE!

Since I started this blog about two weeks ago, there has been an increasing amount of talk about Social Media within the Agricultural and Horticultural communities. It seems like more people are picking up on it every day, and there is an article in almost every trade magazine about how retailers should incorporate Social Media into their marketing strategy. It’s nice to see that people are starting to pick up on this new trend, whether or not businesses will increase their Social Media use has yet to be determined.

One thing I have seen lately in several magazines and articles that I STRONGLY disagree with is that some businesses should not waste their time with Social Media because it would be of no use to them.  Most of the stuff out there right now is saying that Social Media is important for retailers and companies that are working with consumer facing brands, and that’s about it. How can anyone that truly understands the essence of Social Media actually suggest something like that? It’s because these people see Social Media as a tool simply to sell sell sell. While I agree it is a great tool for selling a product, I know that Social Media is so much more than that. It is a constant stream of real information about current market status. Analyzing Social Media allows companies to have access instantly to millions of consumer opinions within a matter of seconds.

Take the Horticultural industry for example. I saw an article the other day that suggested that Facebook was only a useful tool if you had a garden center and you wanted to offer promotions.  I challenge this, and say Facebook is useful to every level in the industry, from breeders all the way to the consumer. Everyone knows (and if you don’t by now you should look it up) how the marketing channel works .In horticulture it wouldn’t make sense for breeders to be breeding plants that consumers won’t buy.  Therefore consumers need to influence breeders in some way. What better way to do this than through Social Media? If you searched around for five minutes you could find hundreds of things that consumers are looking for in new plants. People are always talking about the plants they wish were out there (and the ones they wish that weren’t).

For growers a simple reason to use Social Media would be to showcase their product. Facebook is an easy platform to store pictures and create albums. That way when a retailer wants to know what a grower has in availability they don’t have to go through a catalog but rather pop open an app on an I-Pad and show the retailer all kinds of pictures of products being showcased in different ways. Then later if the retailer wants to see the list again they just go back to Facebook to look things over.

Lastly, the biggest reason Social Media is useable by everyone is it is fast to setup and use and it is FREE. You pay nothing to get your content into a form of media that gets millions of more visitors than any trade magazine. Sure you might have to have someone “waste” ten minutes setting up a Facebook account. However, I assure you no matter who you are or what your business is, that ten minutes is being well wasted.

I challenge you today if you have a business think of how you could use Social Media in some way. If you can’t think of anything send me an email and I guarantee I can come up with a way that Social Media can benefit your business.  Also as usual feel free to comment or email (mday55@gmail.com) with any comments, suggestions, or questions. I hope to see a lot of you at the OFA Short Course this coming Sunday!

What did the potato say to the computer? “Nice Chips!”   Ok I know that one was rough. Ha-ha  

Myth-conceptions

Today I want to break routine a little bit and talk about something my mother mentioned to me last night when I phoned home. It’s funny how things our mom’s say always stick with us the longest. She was going on about how horticulture and agriculture have changed (my parents have owned a greenhouse/produce operation for over 30 years).  She was talking to me about how plants have changed. Vegetables have changed. Everything is changing. Every year new varieties of plants are churned out from breeding facilities each with unique characteristics slightly different than the previous generation of plants. However the rate at which consumers opinions and conceptions are changing is not keeping up with the technological and biological advances in the industries.

That’s when it came to me. Social Media is the prefect media to finally dispel some of these Myths that consumers hold about some products. Social Media is interactive, friendly, and reaches a lot of people. You can literally shove information out there and whereas in a person to person setting in a greenhouse or nursery if you told a consumer something they might think you were lying to make a quick buck or they might simply offended by the confrontation.

For example there are plants being bred every day that defy stereotypes. Thirty years ago you couldn’t find a Petunia at a garden center or anywhere that you didn’t have to pinch the blooms off of when they were done flowering (deadhead). Now almost all commercial varieties have traits that make it so you don’t have to do that. Do people know this? No! They still buy or don’t buy Petunias thinking they have to be deadheaded.

Why not turn this around? If you are a company that produces a petunia that doesn’t need to be deadheaded I would make sure that was all over my product’s Facebook page in peak buying season as a reminder. I would be sure to remind the consumer that they were bred this way and that just because an older variety of the same plant did something, that doesn’t mean the new varieties will.

This concept of confronting myths has many applications throughout the Hort and Ag industries. Seed Geraniums are still thought of as far inferior products to Vegetative Geraniums (Is this always true?). Some people think GMO corn is going to kill them (when undoubtedly they are consuming it and have been for years in some way).

Social Media can be a great way to get messages out to the masses  on topics that may be confrontational  or controversial. So I leave you today with a slight call to action. Is there any product/process in your business/industry that your potential consumer is misinformed about? Could you use Social Media to help fix this problem? It doesn’t hurt to try. Have a great weekend and if you have any questions or opinions, I would love to hear them comment or email me!

Remember, the customer is always right………..except when they’re wrong.

Pins and Pluses

In recent weeks there has been a lot of buzz about a couple different Social Media sites. The world is beginning to realize that there are far more ways to connect than Facebook and Twitter. Today we look very briefly at two of these sites, and analyze what they can do for your horticultural or agricultural business. The two Social Media venues are Pinterest and Google+.

Pinterest. What’s the point? (Ha see what I did there.) Pinterest is a relatively newer site that allows users to upload find pictures on the internet of things they like and “Pin” them to one or more of their “Boards”. It is essentially a virtual collage making site. Users can make all kinds of boards about weddings, gardens, camping, you name it. Pinterest has a predominately female user base. Another thing about the site that makes content so viral here is that it allows users to follow other users and then “Repin” things from one user’s board to their own board. How do I use that for my business you might ask? It’s actually pretty easy and if done right can have a nice impact. To get a Pinterest account you first have to be invited (it isn’t that hard don’t worry). From there, what I would suggest would be to SHOW OFF. Honestly put as many pictures of your flowers/vegetables or whatever you produce up on an array of boards. However, don’t stop there for instance for garden centers it might be a cool idea to make a board with creative potting ideas and either “Repin” some ideas or upload your own. For vegetable producers maybe post some pictures of harvest and planting and pin them to a board entitled “How it’s Grown”. These are just a few ideas. Also don’t forget to link any picture you upload back to your site. This is very easy to do when you go into “edit pin”. This way when users click on your photos they can explore your content deeper and perhaps lead to a product purchase.

Google+ is a bit of a different story. How long did you really expect Google to keep its hands out of Social Media? However, Google+ has started off a little slower than Google expected. It has not overtaken Facebook or Twitter – yet. I make this prediction now: Google+ will be the next generation Social Media site. That is why although it has a much smaller following than Facebook it is important to become fluent in the ways of Google+. Admittedly I am just getting the hang of it myself. However, just after digging into some of the preliminary features it seems quite clear that there is a great opportunity for getting content out there- and to the masses too! Google+ on the surface handles a lot like Facebook however on with any post you can reach different groups of people that you put in groups called “Circles”. You can even post to the general public. This could lead to all kinds of cool marketing options. Perhaps you are running a sale and you want to notify everybody- you can do that, but maybe you want to reward your “Green Grower’s Rewards Members” so maybe you put all those people in a circle labeled such and you send them specific offers. It also has a wide array of features that let you connect with other businesses and people with similar interests all over the world. Even though it might not be a hit yet, Google+ is sure to be something rather large in the future. As we have seen in the past Google doesn’t let anything fail and I don’t think they are going to start.

Starting next time I will talk about what content to push at what levels of the industry

Green advice is Dirt Cheap!

Tweeting Isn't Just for the Birds Anymore!

First off I apologize for my absence I have been without internet access for a while, but I’m back now!

One of the most important things to realize about implanting a Social Media strategy into the marketing plan for your horticultural business is that there are many venues in which you can get your content out there. Last week I discussed how Facebook can be used successfully. Facebook, however, is not the only site out there. Millions of people use Twitter every day. Twitter can be a great way to get quick messages and links out to people that are interested in your business. Also because Twitter is such a public space (more public and searchable than Facebook) it is a great outlet to increase overall interest in your business.

Many businesses in the industry do a good job of creating an account to get their name out there, but then that’s it. One of the most important things to know about Twitter is that it moves fast – like lightning fast. This can often be very intimidating for those that are new to Social Media or used to Facebook. The key to remember here is that Twitter is a totally different game and usually depending on the way you operate requires less created content than a page like Facebook. Twitter puts a limit in how many characters that can be put in each post and therefore effectively limits how much you can say. Users are used to this and are only looking for bits and pieces of things on Twitter. It is simply important to stay relevant and post a couple times a day to maintain your presence on the site. One tactic could be to have a “Tip of the day” or a “Link of the day”. I would recommend setting up a schedule of three times daily (perhaps: 10 am, noon, and 3 pm), and putting one person in charge of posting a little bit of content. Twitter is great also in a sense that it is extremely mobile friendly. That way your business can easily post even at times when you might seem very busy.

The last recommendation for your business’ Twitter account is that you make sure whatever content you post on there is unique. Many times businesses shortcut themselves and simply post the same content on all their Social Media sites. The problem with this is that many people have many different Social Media profiles and will get bored with your business if they see the same thing from site to site. A good strategy is to set up different goals for each Social Media site you are on. Next time we will discuss some other venues that are gaining some web cred and could be useful to Horticultural/Agricultural businesses.

Just a Chapter in the Facebook

Today, I really want to dig into the concept of using Social Media at a retailer or independent garden center level. Last time I talked about how larger growers and seed companies are beginning to use Social Media more, but I think that the area where Social Media marketing could be most effective is at the local or retail level. I will say that over the last couple of years Social Media pages for local garden centers have been popping up all over, the physical pages are out there but it’s not to say the content is. The major problem with this is that owners generally don’t want to spend lots of time updating their social media pages and they don’t truly know what kind of content is appropriate for their business or the Social Media channel they are on.

How IGCs currently use most social media is they throw a couple pictures up and put up a status update about different sales they are running throughout the season. It is a good idea to get your promotions out there, but it is a vast under-utilization. My suggestions for Facebook are: first decide on a plan of action with your FB page. Make the page worthwhile, if you want it to be just for advertising you still have to make the page interesting to keep people coming. For example if your FB page is simply used to advertise a weekly sale why not every week post a few pictures every day of things that are offered in your promotion. However this is kind of the easy way out. Why not go to the next step and put some real content on your page? If you create a page full of different ideas and concepts about gardening you change your strategy to more of a pull rather than the push mentioned above. Both can prove to be very beneficial. However my favorite idea lies in the concept of making your page not just a site to advertise on but a hotline for plant issues. If your customers have questions they just post them on Facebook and  at the end of the day you can check the page and answer them.  We will get in depth with Facebook later on, and next time we will talk about using Twitter as an IGC.

Green is the new Gold!

ALSO Please leave feel free to leave comments, I would love to hear what everybody else is hearing and saying in the Horticultural Social Media world! Thanks!