I usually start off Saturday mornings by catching up on some of my favorite blogs... from design, fashion and of course, those from the garden industry, I get my fill of information for the week! But this weekend, I read a particularly different post about social media etiquette.

Etiquette.  Ahhh... society has gotten so far from the writings in the very first Emily Post Blue book.  And as the rules of social media evolve, how does etiquette evolve with it? 

No, I'm not saying change is bad.  Change is good!  It's just that there are some basic principals of etiquette that should never change, on or offline:

Be kind.  Treat others with respect.  Show your appreciation.

This post will offer tips on how we can continue to follow these basic principals for these social media platforms: Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Otherwise, we all will have Miss Post rolling in her grave. 

Press releases have been on the chopping block. They've always been an integral part of the public relations world, but in 2013, are they still relevant? YES! This medium has been around for so long because their impact is stellar.

But, as with most mediums, the trick is to evolve. Press releases are still an integral part of a public relations media plan, but we need to approach them differently than we did last week or last year.

One of the best ways to do this is to optimize your press release for social media. Social media allows you to easily share your content, so you'll get more eyeballs reading your big news. Sharing on social sites will help boost your SEO, and you'll get to deliver the news right where it's wanted: to the people who follow you! They're craving the news your business has, so give them what they want and share it!

Writing a press release tailored for social media is a bit different, so we'll walk you through it.

At Garden Media, we’re all about the latest social media trends. So today, we’re introducing you to our favorite new social media tool, Vine. We love Vine not only because it’s a great name (c’mon, vines... gardening… get it?) but because it’s a great tool that can help you market your business.

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Vine, Blogging. Ugh, my head is already spinning! Anyone else's?? 

Social media plays a HUGE role in any modern, successful company's media plan, but it can also take up a good deal of time.

It doesn't have to, though.

Load up your social media toolbelt, and prepare to be amazed. These four tools outlined below will save you and your garden business oodles of time. Plus, time is money. Need we say more?

Blogging is a must for all businesses anymore. Social media platforms only allow you to say so much, which is exactly why we link every single one of our social media accounts back to our blog. We have two blogs in fact since our business is two-fold: gardening and public relations/marketing.

Our blogs are a chance for us to really hash out important issues in our industry. We're able to show that we are an expert at what we do; plus we can connect back to our main website. Blogs can also link back to your e-commerce website.

For us, the most important aspect of blogging is connecting. We've connected with new clients, fellow industry leaders, and even print media moguls.

Moral of the story: you and your garden business should be blogging! But, if you need a bit more convincing, read our ode to blogging here.

The morning after: your hopes crushed or validated, your stomach full, your jersey messy as anything, your hands still have a bit of dirt on them, and your head's buzzing with PR lessons learned.

It’s none other than the Monday after the Super Bowl and Super Sow Sunday.

Being lovers of yummy food and beautiful flowers, we had to take part in both. Yup, I sowed my seeds this year with the brawling noises of the Super Bowl in the background. Which seeds, exactly? Sustainable Seeds, of course!

With our seeds planted, let’s reflect on the Super Bowl and the hysteria that surrounds it every year.

The Super Bowl is PR GOLD. It’s the most watched sporting event of the year, it has its own culture, and each year, the paper is chock full of Super Bowl articles for weeks.

Recapping the best Super Bowl PR lessons of 2013 below. 

We recently wrote a post, Does Your CEO blog? written by our fearless leader and CEO, Suzi McCoy.  In it, she mentions that "there's an untapped opportunity for an early CEO adopter with the right touch." Untapped- meaning, not enough CEO's blog. 

All too often it seems that blogs, social media and entire content marketing plans are left to the control of an intern or recent college graduate. Content marketing is too important to be left to someone who doesn't understand the brand goals and values of the company.  It is of the utmost importance to have the CEO and top level management at the company invested in the marketing plan. 

Email marketing, like most all things, can do some amazing good... or irreparable damage. Email marketing lets you build relationships with leads and current customers. Customers have even said that they like email marketing more than a regular email. Not only are they a customer favorite, but they also are more effective.

The emails sent by email marketing are usually beautiful. They're gorgeous to look at, so you'd think they'd be more likely to be read. Well, yes and no.

Email marketing is good, but only to a certain extent..

So, how much email  marketing is too much, and how can your business avoid getting on customers' black lists?

98% of journalists think it's important for a company or public relations firm to have an online newsroom. Plus, 97% of journalists use an online newsroom at least once a week. Bottom line: if your company or firm wants press coverage, an online newsroom can be the difference in news coverage.

Lucky for you, setting up an online newsroom is easy, and we have the fastest, most efficient way to update your newsroom and keep it hip. To keep it as simple as possible, we're going to set up our how-to season in a classic journalist style: the 5 W's.

 Instagram has been dominating headlines over the past few weeks. Right before Christmas, Instagram announced a change to its privacy policy. In essence, the new policy would let advertisers pay Instagram to use your personal photos without telling you. As you are well-aware of by now, there was an uproar. Users shed the site and expressed their rage all over the media--social media included, of course.

However, Instagram is saying that this policy is NOT true. Instagram is in full-fledged crisis management mode and had their CEO email all of their users clarifying their new policies. In their rebuttal, Instagram said their privacy policy will remain the same as always and vowed that users would still own their photos--as they always have.

However, users across the globe are opting to keep their photos private to avoid them being used in advertisements. At this moment, the privacy policy puts business accounts in a tricky position.. What have you been talking about doing with your garden industry account?

Now that we know we're in the clear with the Instagram policy mix-up (for the most part), we can exhale deeply and hug our smart phones. Instagram is here to stay! Instagram is a fun, simple way to beautify your business and Facebook page.