Through our GROW! e-Book club, we've been getting oodles of questions about how to measure social media--and for good reason.

In the scheme of public relations and the garden industry, social media is still a new medium. New or now, your garden business needs to be participating on the most relevant platforms for your target audience.

But, how can you tell if the time and energy your garden company invests is worth the return on your investment?

We're going to share an easy way to implement step-by-step processes to measure the success of your garden business's social media campaigns.

Big or small, no business is guaranteed a fruitful financial year. In fact, maintaining your popularity with customers is hard work--and you always need to be ten steps ahead.

A new study, released this week, surveyed professionals about the next 10 years of marketing.

Read on to discover what your garden business needs to remain thriving (and relevant) in ten years.

Last week, we focused on the steps to creating a public relations campaign. As promised, we've returned to walk you through steps one and two: defining goals and objectives. 

Our spotlight will be on Costa Farm's wildly successful O2 for You campaign from 2008-2012.

Below are our proven to work steps to define goals and objectives for a public relations campaign in the garden industry. 

Vine has been dominating headlines lately because (drum roll please) Vine is officially available for Android phones!

In case you missed it the first time around, Vine is the easiest way to make videos. Anybody with a smart phone can make a six second video and upload it to Twitter.

But, there's a catch. Now that Vine has been around for four months, we've seen a lot of the same videos.

While Vine may be called the Instagram of Video, like the picture above illustrates, you have got to be doing more with your video than the standard.

Freshen up your garden business's Vine tactic by trying 8 types of Vine that innovate--and consumers LOVE to retweet.

The first thing I do every day is write a to-do list--and I know I'm not alone in this!

Most days the list helps keep me on track and helps me accomplish more.

But, some days I get overwhelmed. Before I freak out though, I take a dive into my box of digital tools.

I'm always on the lookout for new web applications to make me more productive, which helps me cross items off my to-do list faster! Plus, the more productive you are, the more you'll see the impact on your garden business's bottom line.

Below I'm sharing my favorite websites and apps to boost your productivity while streamlining your to-do list!

As promised, GROW! will continue to focus on one case study a month. Plus, at the end of the month, we'll host a Google Hangout for our ebook club. 

Every Wednesday in June, we will be posting about the elements of a successful public relations campaign.

To begin, we're going to detail what a PR campaign is and how it's different than an advertising campaign 

Social media is, of course, at its core about connecting with green, gardening customers. Here, your company is able to transcend the stigma of being a money-hungry business. 

On social media, your garden company is able to meaningfully connect by showcasing your sense of humor, ability to listen, and individualized responses.

Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram provide a medium for your garden brand to show the face and personality behind your product.

Yet, in order to truly succeed in the realm of social media, you not only have to have a presence, but your digital persona should produce. The fruits of social media are different for each business: increases in likes, profit, website visits, or loyal customers.

Whatever your garden business hopes to achieve on social media, you need to create effective, meaningful calls to action with our tips below!

Google+ is the black sheep of social media. The rest of the gang, think Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest garner much more attention. 

While Google+ may not be the most popular, the one major advantage of Google+ is the Google Hangouts. 

Google Hangouts are the perfect fit for your small business--and will offer you a competitive edge over other garden businesses. 

See what a Google Hangout looks like in action by joining Garden Media for our first ebook club discussion on branding! 

Below, we'll detail how to use a Google Hangout and the many ways you can start using Google Hangouts to better connect with your green consumers.  

Once your brand has been defined and broadcast across regional and national media outlets, you need to ensure that your garden business stays the center of attention.

To gurantee that your product is not a one hit wonder, you have to strategically market your brand to be the new must-have item, year after year.

Consumers are constantly vying for the cutting edge, so make sure you and your gardening influencers are afoot of this year's trends.

By connecting your gardening brand and product to annual trends, you'll remain the apple of the media (and your consumers') eye!

We talk a LOT about choosing the right PR firm for your business on. this. blog. But recently I read an article about the difference between publicity and PR from Spin Sucks by Gini Dietrich.

She says, "publicity or earned media or media relations is all about getting your organization covered in the news. It’s great for the ego, it’s great for building awareness, and it’s great for credibility. It’s not great, however, for making the phone ring or for increasing sales."

Gini goes on to explain that publicity, when combined with PR, can be a powerful tool in building your reputation and growing sales.