It's no longer good enough to publish ordinary content on the online universe - that content needs to be compelling to your audience. Compelling enough that they want to share it. 

A new study released by ShareThis explains how content is shared, what kind of content is shared and what platforms are being used to share it.

If you're not getting as many shares as you'd like on Facebook, maybe that content would be put to better use on Twitter or vice versa. Lets find out.

Read on to learn what your garden brand should be sharing and where.

If you read this blog regularly you know that social media is vital to any business.

But how is participating, or not, in this type of conversational marketing impacting your garden brand?

Want a glimpse into the future of what’s hot in social media for 2015? Allow me to let you in on a little secret: the future is already here and your garden brand needs to get on board. The fundamentals of social media haven’t changed, but their execution must. 

Learn about the 3 hottest social media trends that will drive customers to your garden brand. 

Whether your garden brand has received negative feedback online or not, it is important to be prepared and understand how to handle these situations before they happen. 

The reputation management agency, Igniyte, says that more than 52% of business owners thought their firm had suffered as a result of negative posts online.

Instead of letting negative feedback hurt your business and potentially turn customers away, learn how to handle the situation properly and build trust.

Continue reading to learn 3 tips on how your garden brand should handle negative online feedback.

With the advancement of social media and the growth of online conversations, there are now many ways for your garden brand to reach its customers and for customers to reach their favorite brands.

This unlimited two-way conversation can drastically help or hurt your brand. It all depends on how you manage it.

And how your customers share it. Your customer now have the power to alter the perception of your brand with the information they post online.

Read on to learn 3 important tips to managing your garden brands reputation.

Trends are always changing. New tools and outlets are constantly being created for the public to utilize.

While we here at Garden Media are always keeping you up to date on garden trends, staying on top of the social media marketing trends as well can really give you a leg up on the competition.

Keep an eye out for new trends, and make sure your garden brand stays up to speed.

Continue reading to learn about 3 social marketing trends for your garden business.

Great brands realize that sometimes the best ideas come from outside of the office.

Social media crowdsourcing can be used as a way to find ideas, content and solutions from a large group of people who care about your product. 

The goal of digital crowdsourcing is to obtain information or services from your digitial fans. Many brands are using social media crowdsourcing to expand their product line and engage consumers. 

For example, are you stuck between two flower varieties to bring to market in the next year? Have your garden brand fans vote on which they like more. They'll feel value and immediately become invested in what your brand is working on. 

Read more below to learn how your brand can benefit from crowdsourcing.

Using and maximizing hashtags takes your garden business social media marketing game to the next level.

But what are hashtags, and how did they get so popular?

Though they weren't envisioned as a world changing innovation initially, they've revolutionized the way we interact.

First introduced 7 years ago on Twitter, the hashtag has made its home on nearly every social media platform and is now conquering other mediums, too - such as internet ads, marketing campaigns, television ads and even conversations.

Learn the hashtag basics, from what a hashtag is to how you can use it to boost your garden business.

By now, you know Pinterest is a major player in the world of social media.  

There are 70 million users and 500,000 active business accounts on Pinterest. Plus, Pinterest generates more referral traffic than YouTube, Google+ and Linkedin combined.

The visually-driven content is clearly a winner for the gardening world since our industry is flooded with awe-inspiring colors and plants.

With Pinterest's newest update, users can follow topic categories in addition to individual pinners and brands. Users can follow topics such as gardening, hanging baskets and more. This update expands the potential reach of your content, allowing more users to connect with garden business. 

Add these tips to your Pinterest strategy to increase awareness of your gardening brand.

When it comes to PR measurement, there isn't one, definite blueprint - everyone does it a bit differently. From conversation rates to the quality and quantity of media hits, there are a ton of variables to examine.

While getting to pick and choose what matters most to your garden business, it's difficult to standardize a method of measurement that works across the board.

No matter what measurement system you're using, make sure to avoid these 3 common mistakes to help your garden business grow!

Shark Week begins in just a few short days on Aug. 10, and the excitement is mounting.

Soon, the internet will be buzzing about sharks - and gardening brands can take a few tips on how to raise brand awareness from the pros.

Shark Week, originally broadcast in 1987, is the longest running cable television programming in history. Featuring the most feared creatures of the sea, the series was developed to raise awareness and educate viewers. Now, Shark Week is broadcast in more than 70 countries and has social media users of all demographics talking.

Learn how to be a great white shark in the garden marketing game with these takeaways from past Shark Weeks.