At Garden Media Group, we approach every single item on our agenda with oodles of excitement.

From the moment we wake until we sleep, we’re laughing, brainstorming, typing like crazy, and working as a team—all with enthusiasm.

If you are a dedicated GROW! Reader, you know firsthand how much we love to show our excitement even on the web. That’s right, exclamation points and emoticons galore! You’ve just got to love it!! We even have an exclamation point in our blog title!

But, what about the times when you’re just pleased and a small smile lurks across your face, but you don’t have enthusiasm exuding out of you.

Enter the Elrey Mark, the newest exclamation mark on the scene. Would you use this new punctuation, made for digital communications in 2013?

Yes! It's true. One of our favorite social media sites can actually boost your SEO for your business--big time. 

Honestly, what could be better? Pinterest, which is such, such a blast to use, can actually have major benefits for your SEO rank.

You’ve just got to know how to do it right. Every site and page your business has such be building your SEO. We’re all in this together!

With these easy-peasy, meaningful tips, you’ll learn how to use your Pinterest to improve SEO.

I usually start off Saturday mornings by catching up on some of my favorite blogs... from design, fashion and of course, those from the garden industry, I get my fill of information for the week! But this weekend, I read a particularly different post about social media etiquette.

Etiquette.  Ahhh... society has gotten so far from the writings in the very first Emily Post Blue book.  And as the rules of social media evolve, how does etiquette evolve with it? 

No, I'm not saying change is bad.  Change is good!  It's just that there are some basic principals of etiquette that should never change, on or offline:

Be kind.  Treat others with respect.  Show your appreciation.

This post will offer tips on how we can continue to follow these basic principals for these social media platforms: Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Otherwise, we all will have Miss Post rolling in her grave. 

Press releases have been on the chopping block. They've always been an integral part of the public relations world, but in 2013, are they still relevant? YES! This medium has been around for so long because their impact is stellar.

But, as with most mediums, the trick is to evolve. Press releases are still an integral part of a public relations media plan, but we need to approach them differently than we did last week or last year.

One of the best ways to do this is to optimize your press release for social media. Social media allows you to easily share your content, so you'll get more eyeballs reading your big news. Sharing on social sites will help boost your SEO, and you'll get to deliver the news right where it's wanted: to the people who follow you! They're craving the news your business has, so give them what they want and share it!

Writing a press release tailored for social media is a bit different, so we'll walk you through it.

At Garden Media, we’re all about the latest social media trends. So today, we’re introducing you to our favorite new social media tool, Vine. We love Vine not only because it’s a great name (c’mon, vines... gardening… get it?) but because it’s a great tool that can help you market your business.

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Vine, Blogging. Ugh, my head is already spinning! Anyone else's?? 

Social media plays a HUGE role in any modern, successful company's media plan, but it can also take up a good deal of time.

It doesn't have to, though.

Load up your social media toolbelt, and prepare to be amazed. These four tools outlined below will save you and your garden business oodles of time. Plus, time is money. Need we say more?

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.

 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.

But I've had several aha moments to shed some light on the subject from several sources. The first was from Kyle Lacey who said a dozen times in one day, "Social media is 90% narcissism."

Infographics have been on the to-do list at businesses across the country for the past few months. The medium began to gain traction in late 2009, but have since then exploded.

Infographics have the potential to go viral, specifically because of their share-ability. They're super easy to share on all social media outlets, and best of all, if you share it, your post will get six times more interaction on Twitter.

Trends come and go, and three years have passed since the creation of the inforgraphics, so are they in or out? Tell us what you think by commenting or tweeting at The Garden Media Team.

Until then, here’s the good and the bad sides of infographics. Decide for yourself if they should still be apart of your public realtions media plan.