Part 2:

As promised, we are back with part 2 of our blog post “10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a PR Firm”. We left half of the very important questions unanswered, and thankfully, they’re answered here. It is important that all of these questions and answers are read so businesses understand how a PR firm operates and how to make sure that they understand the services being offered. After all, as you’ll find out below, PR isn’t necessarily cheap and it is essential to make sure your hard earned dollars go towards an effective cause.

It is great if you can create some of your own questions as well so that you can tailor them to your PR needs. But if you need some ideas for questions to ask a PR firm before you hire them, take a look at part 2 below.

As I am sure you've heard, Bonnier Corporation announced that the April issue of Garden Design would be its last.

Garden Design has always been one of our favorite magazines, so we wanted to be sure we penned a valiant, fitting farewell.

Below is Garden Media Group's tribute to Garden Design.

We're outlining the history, the end, and our favorite aspects about Garden Design.

Share in the memorial by commenting your favorite moments.

A New Year means out with the old and in with the new, so where exactly does that put Facebook? Facebook has over 1 billion users, so it’s definitely here to stay. Yet, the social media mogul certainly is changing.

It goes without being said that at Garden Media Group, we LOVE plants. We think, write, promote, market, and revel in all kinds of plants and horticulture accessories day in and day out.

But, today, January 10^th, we want to stand on rooftop gardens and shout our love for one special kind of plant today: the houseplant! In fact, January 10^th is and always will be houseplant appreciation day.

After all, we’ve got a heck of a lot to be thankful for; houseplants are more than just a pretty face—though they truly are beautiful, aren’t they? Go ahead, revel in the day!

Buy a new houseplant, share your love by gifting a plant, sing to your plant today, whisper a thank you in its leaves, whatever works for you, works for us too! As long as you celebrate and appreciate the houseplant, we (and your houseplants) will be more than happy!

Can your CEO blog? was the question posed on the front page of USA Today.

And the answer according to an article written by Del Jones, is "Maybe. Maybe not."

The USA story notes that while CEOs of smaller tech companies and PR firms are blogging, so far no Fortune 1000 CEO or chairman has launched a blog.

Here's the inside skinny from author and corporate blogging consultant Debbie Weil who was interviewed for this USA Today article.

This week we've been discussing content marketing, how it works and ways to increase your brands reputation in the lawn and garden industry. 

But the one question we keep getting asked is, what kind of content works best?

There are dozens of forms of engaging content, but here are 12 types of content to focus on and how they can be used as part of any content marketing plan.

Christmas is almost upon us and this year there is one thing that business in the lawn and garden industry should have at the top of their marketing wishlist: Content marketing.

What is content marketing you ask? It's valuable content that delivers high-quality, relevant information yielding measurable results without promotional push. It provides useful information to aid purchase decisions, improve product usage, and entertain consumers. And, it's more credible than advertising.

In today’s advertising rich environment, fresh, engaging content has never been as important for businesses as it is today. People use the internet to research, compare and review products, and this information impacts buying decisions both online and in stores. You need content marketing regardless of whether your organization is a B2B or B2C. The one big reason is trust!  Businesses must use content marketing because consumers don’t trust advertising.

Businesses and corporations used to be able to fudge the truth. Check out this Coca-Cola advertisement from the 1950’s! It never fails to make me laugh; their copy is just so silly and untrue.

We’ve come a long way since then! Now, businesses are held accountable for their actions—especially in the garden industry. Customers want businesses that act ethically in their business practices. But, lately, customers want even more: they want corporations to embrace their role in social reasonability.

85% of consumers have a more positive image of a product when the company supports a cause they care about. Plus, more than 278 million consumers across the US want to know what your garden business is doing to benefit a cause. Read more about how cause marketing affects the bottom line here.

Below are a few of Garden Media Group’s favorite green cause marketing campaigns.

When you hear or see a creative public relations campaign, it grabs hold of you immediately. Some can move you to laugh or tears or inspire action. Powerful campaigns can change the public’s perception seemingly overnight about a brand, product, or social movement.

Nobody understood this more than the father of public relations, Edward L Bernays. As blogged about previously, the father of spin understood that it was the combination of the news, not advertising, and the manipulation of people’s unconscious through endorseme nts by doctors, celebrities, and other experts that truly made the difference.

Writing press releases is a key part of any and all public relations plans. But, reporters and editors receive 1,000 pitches every single week. Your press release has to stand out!

Creating unforgettable press releases that get lots of coverage is a blend of art, science, and magic! Magic, really? Yes! Public relations experts have perfected the combination, producing thrillingly magical results. Check out our latest release here on garden trends here!

To continue to perfect press releases for your garden business, use these tips every single time you write a press release, and watch your impressions bloom.