“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

― Mark Twain

Have you heard that expression? (Actually coined by Nicolas Chamfort, it became attributed to Twain after his death.)

Origin aside, the quote refers to the act of ridding oneself of the most ghastly obstacle that is required first. By eating a ‘frog’ in the morning (i.e. doing the worst or hardest task first), you know that the rest of the day will be far better in comparison. 

By now, your garden business knows social media matters.

Though startling new social media research shows that how you think about social media may need to be updated.

You know who you are targeting on social media, what types of content to post, and when to update your page.

But do you know where social media ranks in terms of activity on the web?  Or how often LinkedIn gets a new member?

The following statistics may shock and surprise you, and make you rethink your garden businesses social media strategy for 2014.

As we all know, the way we get our information has changed drastically over the last decade.

The world of print newspapers and magazines has struggled while the ever-changing digital world has dominated.

In short, the newspaper is out, and the Twitter feed is in. According to Garden Media's 2014 Trends Report, the internet is becoming our new friend and trusted neighbor for gardening advice.

Read on to discover more about how and where gardeners are getting their gardening advice in 2014-- and how your garden business can take hold of this trend.

This year-end checklist offers several suggestions to enable you to take control of your garden marketing and PR before 2014. 

Here are 6 actions to consider to jump-start your marketing in 2014.

You know the importance of consistently drawing in new customers, but it’s equally important to turn those one time shoppers into loyal customers who love your brand!

Though not every customer will remain loyal to your brand, there are a few ways to increase your chances.  Two of the major reasons that customers leave a brand are:

• Feeling that the brand is indifferent towards them

• A poor customer service experience

Loyal customers are a free and effective form of marketing, so don't miss out! 

Follow the tips below to make sure your garden business doesn’t get left behind.

The color experts at Pantone have announced the Color of the Year for 2014 --- Radiant Orchid. It's a color we love. How about you??

From organic produce to reusable grocery bags, concern for the environment is having a BIG impact on countless aspects of life. 

Due to this eco-friendly emphasis, an interest in eating healthier, and efforts to reduce wasteful spending, the gardening world is getting a face lift!

The lawn and garden industry has become the third most profitable market, bringing in around $58 billion annually.  But it’s not stopping there! 

Garden Media predicts that this number will continue to steadily increase on a global scale.

One big reason gardening will continue to grow is due to the growing number of DIY gardeners. Below Garden Media dishes on how the DIY gardening trend will keep growing in 2014--and how your garden business can capitalize.

After you’ve brought your website into the 21^st century and gotten your social media game under control, ask yourself: what’s the next step to building my garden business? 

Now, it’s time to start a blog. 

Why?  81% of U.S. online consumers’ value information and advice found on blogs, and a whopping 61% of those consumers have a made a purchase based solely on that advice.  If you haven’t already, it’s time for you and your garden business to get on board with blogging!

What is a blog, exactly? A web log (blog for short) is a website made up of short, information packed entries.  

Below are the top 4 reasons blogging affects the bottom line of your garden business.

We've talked to countless small garden businesses and start-ups looking to attract new customers and get the word out about their product. Most are inventors, creative and driven, but marketing is not their background. They feel overwhelmed trying to promote a new product or service.  

We offer free 30 minute consultations to such companies and try to keep marketing simple and straightforward for them. We listen to their goals and challenges and break down a few key things they can do to jump start a start-up.

Today, we wanted to share those tips with you, in the hopes that you, too, will feel a little less overwhelmed and have success launching your new product.

Happy, happy Thanksgiving from Garden Media Group!

Revel in the time you have with friends and family, enjoy the bountiful harvest, and remember all you're thankful for this year.

Of course, we wanted to share a few fun facts about the history of Thanksgiving--infograph style!