Facebook and Instagram are visual mediums. And lately, they have turned the focus from photos to video. If you ask most marketers which content dominates social media, we say video.

BuzzSumo studied 777 million Facebook posts and says, there’s no better way to boost engagement than through video content.

Video posts generate 59% more engagement than other post types.

It’s not just organic posts that see higher engagement from video on Facebook either. Rounding up content from all of our clients shows, video is queen. 

Do some types of video work better than others on Facebook? Yes. Facebook Live has 10 times greater reach than all other forms of Facebook content and earns 6 times more interactions than pre-recorded video.

So whether you share video in an ad, an organic post or by live streaming, videos on Facebook and Instagram can be a great way to build an audience, as well as to kick off your customer journey…but how do you get started?

Read more to learn how to use Facebook and Instagram videos to build an audience.

For years, garden businesses measured their social media presence by how many “likes” they acquired. Particularly on the platform that first introduced “likes” — Facebook.

Facebook has undergone numerous changes over the past decade. Just a few years ago, you needed to have more page likes to have your content served to people — it wasn’t even an option for people to comment on a brand’s post unless they liked the page. As Facebook grew, a larger number of page likes meant that more people would see your content and possibly engage with it.

Social media marketing continues to evolve as newer platforms like Instagram and Snapchat bring new features. Metrics that were once relevant, have lost their luster in light of news feed changes and competition for finite amounts of news feed space.

Having social influence online and in-person is still necessary for brands to thrive. Users look to one another to validate brands and what they have to offer, however there are more relevant ways to measure your garden brand’s impact on social media than page likes and followers.

Read more to learn why...

While Facebook still reigns queen for gardeners, Instagram is quickly overtaking the demographic. But many users - and brands - have found it difficult to build an audience on the platform.

Why is that? Well, for one, people are more selective with whom they follow on Instagram. It seems to be more personal of a platform. And two, the algorithm keeps your followers from seeing your posts. Yet, Facebook tell us 66% of the audience says Instagram is a place that enables interaction with brands. 

So how do you do it? Well, Instagram's parent company, Facebook, has just published a new report on Instagram titled: How to Connect with New Audiences on Instagram. Pretty smart, eh? So, we read it. 

Read more to learn how to win over Instagram audiences and build an engaged following.

In a recent interview for Oregon Association of Nurseries magazine I was asked about influence. Who has it, why is it important and how do you get it. The interview got me thinking about the future of social media influencers.

And then I read a New York Times story about the rise of the nano-influencer and Ellen Wells' Buzz in which she pointed out a great article about the future of social media marketing.

"Influencers will need to prove more value as brands question inflated vanity metrics driven by bots and sophisticated click networks." - Susan Beebe thought leader with a background in technology, project management, and corporate communications.

It seems I'm not the only one questioning the model.

Here at Garden Media we love working with influencers. Our clients have partnered on a tremendous amount of video and blog content, co-hosted and sponsored events and worked with influencers to simply grow brand awareness.

While not abandoning our favorite influencers, we also have to look to the future. Where are we going and what are the best ways to acquire new customers?

Read on for alternatives to influencer marketing that will help grow your brand in 2019.

People have easier access to information - whether from websites, videos or their phones. Leveraging video marketing is increasingly the most powerful way to promote your brand online.

In fact, by 2019, global consumer Internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic, according to SmallBizTrends.

More people are interacting with videos today than ever before so it’s vital to use a video marketing strategy to connect with your audience.

Social media has been a great component for helping us get the video out. But with all the different platforms, is it fine to share the same video across them?

Continue reading to find out how long videos should be for each platform.

Creative director Katie Dubow recently attended Hubspot's INBOUND 2017 inbound marketing conference in Boston.

The conference was filled with lessons on the future of inbound marketing, the new features of HubSpot and better ways to reach customers with data-driven, unique content.

Energy was high. From the speakers (Michelle Obama, John Cena, Issa Rae, Billie Jean King, just to name a few) to the session topics (Courageous Creativity, The Quest for True Belonging, Content for the FOMO Generation and more) it is one of the most inspiring marketing conferences to attend.

Here are the big themes marketing professionals are talking about world-wide.