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.

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.

Drum roll please! Pinterest is finally embracing its role in public relation media plans! Yes, businesses have been using Pinterest to promote new products and connect with customers.

But, until recently, commercial use of Pinterest was actually prohibited! Some rules are just made to be broken! Garden Media Group has been getting a ton of buzz for being one of the first PR firms to properly harness the power of Pinterest.

Now, it’s your turn! Learn the ins and outs of the new business accounts on Pinterest. Apply these tips to your garden business’s Pinterest page.

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.

As if the media didn’t have enough political coverage, KitchenAid wiggled their way into the spotlight as well. During the first Presidential debate, the appliance maker tweeted,

“Obamas gma even knew it was going 2 b bad! She died 3 days b4 he became president.”

The tasteless, offensive “joke” was broadcast to the company’s 25,000 Twitter followers.  Before the tweet was deleted, a few of their followers were able to retweet it.

KitchenAid needed crisis communication—and fast! Their tweet was all over the news, so they had to take action quickly. The head of the company apologized and contacted various media sources to discuss the debacle, but despite their profuse apologizes, many customers on their Facebook page have vowed to never again use KitchenAid products! If only KitchenAid had a concise public relations media plan, the crisis could have been avoided!

Ensure you and your garden business don’t make a mistake like this by creating a fool proof public relations media plan!

Below are five tips to prevent (or recover) from a social media crisis.