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.

This Trending Thursday, we're looking at 2014 to see what social media trends are coming over the horizon.

Some networks are here to stay and will continue to grow while others are already stale.

With Garden Media's 2014 Guide to Social Media Trends, you can begin to see where to budget your time in the upcoming fiscal year.

Without further ado, here are the top 5 social media trends of 2014.

1906-?

Press releases aren't dead. We're saying it!

But, just because they're still alive, doesn't mean they're fine as is. The strategy, format, and goals of press releases are still relevant. Yet, the tactics with which we write and market our press releases need some work.

Below are 4 tips and tricks to bring your press release into the 21st century.

When connecting with journalists in the wild and wonderful world of PR, there are proven tactics that work--like email.

PR pros cite emails as the top medium to reach out to journalists, and journalists agree. Email is their favorite way to be contacted too.

While public relations gurus and journalists are on the same page about email, after that, there's a major disconnect.

Namely, 35% of journalists prefer contacts and pitches on a social platform that a mere 15% of public relations professionals use.

Read on to discover what the social platform for pitching and connecting with an audience is that you're missing--and how to master it in a snap.

If you're about to hire a PR firm, you want to do your research. Know when to hire a PR firm, questions to ask, and what public relations can really do for your business.

Before you sign the contract, clearly set your expectations. The last thing you want to do is sign a year-long contract only to discover you've made a terrible mistake.

To make your partnership with your (almost) new public relations firm, outline a clear plan of attack for these 4 criteria.

Public Relations, you know your garden business needs it, but you're not 100% sure why.

Yes, stories will inevitably result from public relations. And, if your business is ever in a crunch, they're there to help you work through a crisis. But, what about the other 95% of the time?

In a nutshell, a public relations firm spends their time building your brand to make your customers fall in love with your company and become loyal consumers who ask for your product by name.

Each Wednesday in August the GROW! Blog will be delving into all your garden business needs to know before hiring a PR firm.

To see if your business is truly ready for a public relations firm, first see what the function of a PR firm is in your business plan--and learn a bit more about the services offered, which go far beyond securing stories.

Whenever you sit down to write something, do you imagine how impactful it will be?  Or how many eyes will read it?

Well, did you know that 40% of your articles never get read?

Yes, the one you slaved over and edited again and again.

If you're lucky, about 60% of your articles will be read! But there are secrets to increase readership and give your posts some punch.

Below, we've got some more facts about consumer reading habits... HOWEVER, we have ways to combat these findings and advice on how to produce pieces your readers will love.

Presenting new ideas, whether it's to your in-house team, your board, or a green audience at a conference, is your time to shine.

This is your moment to tell a captive audience just exactly why your product or business is the bee's knees.

Yes, public speaking is terrifying, which also means it's exhilarating. 

One of the quickest ways to flourish (or flunk) a presentation is to use visual aides. The next time you're presenting, mesmerize your audience with one of these hip, modern presentation tools. 

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.