Using and maximizing hashtags takes your garden business social media marketing game to the next level.

But what are hashtags, and how did they get so popular?

Though they weren't envisioned as a world changing innovation initially, they've revolutionized the way we interact.

First introduced 7 years ago on Twitter, the hashtag has made its home on nearly every social media platform and is now conquering other mediums, too - such as internet ads, marketing campaigns, television ads and even conversations.

Learn the hashtag basics, from what a hashtag is to how you can use it to boost your garden business.

In life, there are things that we recognize as necessary evils - paying taxes and doing dishes. But, we know we need to for our government and homes to run properly.

In the world of gardening public relations, the measurement metric, advertising value equivalency (AVE) has been getting a lot of flak lately.

Keep reading to learn the pros and cons of advertising value equivalency in the gardening public relations world.

By now, you know Pinterest is a major player in the world of social media.  

There are 70 million users and 500,000 active business accounts on Pinterest. Plus, Pinterest generates more referral traffic than YouTube, Google+ and Linkedin combined.

The visually-driven content is clearly a winner for the gardening world since our industry is flooded with awe-inspiring colors and plants.

With Pinterest's newest update, users can follow topic categories in addition to individual pinners and brands. Users can follow topics such as gardening, hanging baskets and more. This update expands the potential reach of your content, allowing more users to connect with garden business. 

Add these tips to your Pinterest strategy to increase awareness of your gardening brand.

Looking to give your business a productivity boost as the dog days of summer roll in?

Well, it may only be a plant away. That's right! Add a houseplant to inspire productivity, create a calming work atmosphere and even reduce stress.

Luckily for your garden business, there are so many ways to use plants and the natural world at large to motivate and boost employee productivity.

Learn how your garden brand can become more successful by incorporating indoor plants and more greenery into the work day.

When it comes to PR measurement, there isn't one, definite blueprint - everyone does it a bit differently. From conversation rates to the quality and quantity of media hits, there are a ton of variables to examine.

While getting to pick and choose what matters most to your garden business, it's difficult to standardize a method of measurement that works across the board.

No matter what measurement system you're using, make sure to avoid these 3 common mistakes to help your garden business grow!

Shark Week begins in just a few short days on Aug. 10, and the excitement is mounting.

Soon, the internet will be buzzing about sharks - and gardening brands can take a few tips on how to raise brand awareness from the pros.

Shark Week, originally broadcast in 1987, is the longest running cable television programming in history. Featuring the most feared creatures of the sea, the series was developed to raise awareness and educate viewers. Now, Shark Week is broadcast in more than 70 countries and has social media users of all demographics talking.

Learn how to be a great white shark in the garden marketing game with these takeaways from past Shark Weeks.

The heart of a successful garden brand lies simply in the story it tells.

Today, media is ever-changing. New forms of social media constantly pop-up, and 33% of adults under 30 get their news on social networks, according to Pew Research.

But it’s not the media determining the fate of your grand brand.

The significance and power of your story is what links people to their favorite brands, and keeps them coming back.

A powerful story will always resonate, no matter what platform it’s read on.

Learn three concepts to create powerful stories that will resonate with your target audience.

Garden businesses want clearly defined numbers when it comes to ROI.

While public relations departments and firms can collect all kinds of information, it's extremely difficult to produce a singular monetary representation of PR results. 

However, that game may be changing.

Adopting the sales metric of conversion rate can end some of the uncertainty surrounding PR measurement.

Can conversion rate change the public relations measurement game? Keep reading to learn more!

Four years ago, GoPro launched a YouTube channel promoting its personal, mountable cameras. To market the camera, the channel showcased professional stuntmen and extreme athletes using a GroPro. Now, an estimated 6,000 videos are shot every day with people mentioning GoPro.

As the trend has taken off, GoPro now produces many of its own videos and tripled its amount of views.

Gardening brands can tap into this trend by creating their own brand videos for YouTube using GoPros and by learning what worked from GoPro's marketing strategy.

Read more below for tips on how your garden brand can create videos that resonate with your target audience.

Digitally-driven Millennials may be more of a target audience for your garden business than you guessed - especially since they care about the environment. In fact, 29% want to make the world a better place. 

Millennials want to recycle, repurpose and up-cycle anything and everything. And let’s not forget, they are a huge up-and-coming demographic for retail; we're talking $200 billion in annual buying power.

Your garden brand needs to take advantage of this generation's interest in sustainability and show them how gardening can help them be better stewards of the earth.

Read on to find out what garden trends matter to Millennials in the garden and outdoor living world.