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.  

So, you've got everyone on board with your new gardening brand. You know how to describe your brand in three simple words; and, you've answered the 4 W's.

Now, you've have to work on making the world love your gardening brand.

To do this, you've got to get your brand in front of local and national media. 

The best way to ensure you get placements on t.v., magazines, and newspapers is to humanize your garden brand. 

Congratulations! Since you have outlined your three branding words, you're on the way to creating a stellar brand.  You know who you want to be, and now, you've just got to figure out how to get there.

It's time to describe who your brand is in more detail.

The easiest way to define your brand is by answering the 4 W's of your garden brand.

As a business, of course, you need to sell your product. But, being a business means far more than just your net profit.

Let's face it, if that's all your focused on, you're going to miss a trillion little steps that will get you to that point.

When it comes right down to it, the people who buy your product run your business. Scary, right? But, it doesn't have to be!

Follow our tips below to make sure you and your garden business are fostering a lifetime of customer l-o-v-e. If your customers love your product, then you'll be in a prosperous business forever!

We live in a 24/7 world, where there is always a conversation going on Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Youtube.. People are going to be talking about the latest ending of a Phillies game or posting reviews about the newest Modern Family episode.

Memes give the people yet another avenue to express their thoughts; memes are a cultural sensation that have been growing exponentially. If you don’t know exactly what a meme is, don’t fret! We’ll cover that in just a second.

Memes and social media unite us as a nation and as a global community. Here, we’re able to connect, converse, and laugh about the same cultural icons.

Yet, memes can be an extremely valuable tool in your small business. Learn just how easy it is to become the next viral share on social media with a laughable, sharable meme!

As new flowers are blooming, Facebook is attempting to stay fresh as well. The social media platform never stops evolving.

This time around the site is making a few BIG changes that will begin hitting the web in just a few weeks.

As Facebook continues to transform, how your brand utilizes the site will change as well.

To ensure your garden business keeps up with the changes, we're going to outline the upcoming Facebook changes while also looking at how they'll affect your brand's presence on the social media site. 

Facebook users are always up in arms when it comes to changes on Facebook, but one change I will forever love is the cover photo.

The picture is humongous with high resolution and is the perfect chance to showcase just your business who is.

Your cover photo is the first thing fans and passersby will see when they meander to your page. It has the ability to make users like you, or to have them glaze over you and your garden industry page.

Individuality is at the forefront of your Facebook page with the cover photo, but your business can always, always do better.

Strive to innovate, and lead the pack! Dazzle up your Facebook cover photo with these quick, easy, and beautiful transformative tips!

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?

Podcasting is often forgotten when forming a public relations media plan for your garden business. Yet, more people each and every year listen to podcasts. Last year, 29% of Americans, or one in three, listen to podcasts.

With your garden industry blog or website, it isn’t about reaching more people, but targeting the right people. Those 29% of podcast listeners are affluent, active on social media, and are advertisement avoiders.

Integrating a podcast onto your garden industry blog or website allows you to reach a key demographic of listeners, who you may typically miss out on. 

Belo are a few reasons why you should be podcasting as well as a simple guide to create a podcast.

What is it with monstrous storms near Halloween?! Last year, our only snow storm of the season fell on Halloween, and now, we’re getting a hybrid wind, rain, and maybe snow storm.  “Sandy Frankenstorm” (gotta love that name!) appears to be getting worse by the hour. This whirlwind storm is estimated to cause one billion dollars in damage and could be the worst storm to hit the northeast in 100 years!!