Don't Stop Expanding Your Business

The floriculture market has matured, and there are no new sales out there to be had. Growers who expand their operations are simply taking market share from each other.

I read this a few weeks ago from grower, and his response to this situation is to focus on current customers and not worry about finding new ones. I can understand this point of view; you should take care of current customers fully, and work at what works. But something about these comments didn't sit right with me.

Then at Short Course last week, I heard Stan Pohmer speak, painting the same picture of the industry, but said that this mentality is a self-fulfilling prophesy, and is exactly why the market has slowed down.

Maybe you're happy with the size of your business and your revenue, but you can't keep all your customers forever. You'll have to replace that business somehow. And if you want to grow and be more successful than you are now, you need to find ways to fight, don't you?

This industry has matured -- does that assume that there's only one way to go now? Is the industry just going to decline without a fight? Most of the houses in my neighborhood aren't landscaped with color at all. Isn't there room to expand the market there?

Reaching the consumer can't only be the responsibility of the retailer, I believe. What about partnering with your retailers for in-store education? Or better, what about going out into your community? Earlier this summer, a group of California growers opened their doors to the public. Even a non-gardener would be amazed at what they'd find behind the walls of a greenhouse during the height of production.

It's easier than ever for a grower to reach through directly to the consumer. I love what Ball and Proven Winners are doing with the free tools of social media. Check out the Wave and Proven Winners Facebook pages when you have a minute.

And if you think only the big brands can reach people through social, check out Rocket Farms' Facebook following. The more demand there is out there for plants at the consumer level, the more market there will be for growers.

Have you seen what Bob's Market is doing with smart tags? Other growers/retailers are testing them out, including Hort Couture, and more are thinking about it.

Please don't stop thinking about ways you can help create new gardeners!

Six Tips For Better Social Media

So you've set up your Facebook and Twitter pages. Now what?

I spoke at ANLA Management Clinic about social media in January. You can find my presentation below. It contains a bunch of examples of how garden centers and national brands are using social media to communicate with customers.

Thanks to the panelists for the session, Melodie McDanal of Gardenhood in Atlanta (@melodiegardens) and Larry Grossman of Grossmans Garden & Home in Penfield, NY (@grossmansgarden). They also shared some great ideas and you should check them out.

Here are six tips from my presentation on how to enhance your brand using social media.

1. Don't forget the "social" in social media. Talk with people, not at people. Interact.

2. Post things that your customers will want to share with their friends/fans. This can include local information, links to stories (on your site or others), fun stuff.

3. Post photos and events on Facebook. Photos kill and events can be viral. And if I know my friends are attending your event, I'll want to attend, too.

4. Put your name (or the contributor's name) on your Twitter account. I like to know who I'm talking to on Twitter. I think Twitter represents less of a corporate identity and more of a personal conversation.

5. Integrate your social media. Ping.fm, HootSuite and Tweet Deck allow you to post once to multiple types of social media like Twitter and Facebook.

6. Also cross promote your social media. Post links to your Facebook page on Twitter, and vice versa.

Bonus Facebook Photos Tip: If you want other people to tag themselves in your Facebook photos, you need to change a default setting behind the scenes. Under your Fan page profile pic, click on Edit Page, then on Edit under Applications -> Photos. Edit Settings -> Allow all fans to tag photos.

See the presentation below for even more ideas.

Proven Methods To Enhance Your Brand Using Social Media

View more presentations from Sara Tambascio.