Social media has been a big play for over five years. Whether you’re a public relations professional or a member of the garden industry, you know you have to be on social media.

It’s the absolute perfect blend of advertising and public relations. Plus, it’s FREE. Social media outlets of all kinds let you connect with your key demographic on a daily basis. Here, you get to interact with your clientele in a cool, friendly, funny manner.

Managing social media is without a doubt one of my favorite aspects of the job. But, realistically, it’s also one of the hardest. It seems like there’s always another social media site popping up, and to stay trendy, you and your garden business have just got to be on it.

How in the world can one business, especially a new, small, blooming business, manage all of these sites?

First, load up on social media tools. Next, take the advice of the pros at Garden Media Group to make sure the social media element in your public relations media plan is realistic and effective.

Balancing social media is an act you’ve got to learn to master quickly—before you burn out.

You Just Can’t Do It All.

This is one of the toughest lessons to learn, but the fact of the matter is that as a small business you can’t be on every social media outlet. If you’re dead set on having a presence on every social media platform, phone in a public relations team to help you manage.

Either way, attempt to cut the fat off of your public relations media plan. Not every social media site is going to be popular with your key audience, so try all of them for a bit. Then, look at the hard numbers, and decide which platforms are most popular with the people you want to connect with.

Invest your time in outlets where your impact will be fruitful.

Test the Soil

Whenever I try a new something new I have to acknowledge that no matter how much I research, there will be a learning curve.

Do the same on your desired social media outlets; research all the different ways you can utilize social media for your business. Look up different tactics and techniques, and try them all for a bit.

Then, see what your audience wants. They’ll let you know; trust me! An advantage of social media is that it’s social. Your key demographic for your business will vocally let you know how you’re doing via retweets, likes, pins, shares, etc.

Be the Brightest Flower

Surfing through Longfield Gardens website, I always am drawn to the flowers with the brightest hues or shapes I’ve never seen before. In a world of constant overload, we’re immediately drawn and enamored with the unique.

You really have to prove to your followers that you understand them! Show that you care about their interests—even if they’re outside of your business.

By this point, you should have enough data on your key demographic to go beyond the superficial. Tap into their interests, problems, loves, dislikes, and deliver to them what they’re craving!

Your content should be unique! Followers want to hear your voice, and know they can count on you for out of the box content. Don’t worry; you can still recycle content. Just recycle content wisely!

Before long, your business will be booming, and you should be feeling like you’re beginning to understand the intricacies of the social media balancing act. Revaluate every month or so just make sure you’re on take. And please, share your sanity tips with us!

Learn how to integrate Instagram into your garden business's media plan with our e-book below!

 Special thanks to Panoramic Interactive for the image!