Navigating the waters of social media can be a daunting task. Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Houzz ... there are so many outlets.
The best plan is to find one or two channel that work well for you and focus your efforts on those, said Jeff Korhan, discussion facilitator and author of "New Media and Small Business Marketing" at the PLANET Green Industry Conference's Breakfast with Champions Oct. 24.
Even though his Facebook page has more than 1,600 likes, he's considering killing it because the interaction he wants just isn't there, so it isn't worthwhile, he said.
But what's the end goal of social media? Katie from Caterpillar said they're trying to engage customers and grow brand awareness, and Dave from New Jersey said his company wants to have a good web presence to help potential customers find them through search engines.
The ideal thing to do is provide useful content and education for customers. Travis from Austin said his company provides information on water restrictions, plant identification and more.
For David in Tuscon, the plant pictures of the week are a big hit. Korhan suggested also feature a customer of the week to get engagement from the customer's friends and family.
Brandon in Connecticut started posting photos of celebrity homes, suggesting that his company can do something similar for local customers. "People nowadays don't read; they want to click on photos," he said.
"The best SEO any business can do is put great content out there," Korhan said. "Ask yourself, 'What can I put out there that's useful to my community and how can I share that?'"
And it doesn't all need to be new content. "Once you write up 10 mulching tips, you don't have to do that again and again; you can just keep referring back to them," Korhan said.
Beyond social media, Korhan said the three big musts are a website, newsletters and blogs."That's what you've just got to do," he said. To get started, he suggested looking at other newsletters and websites to get ideas.
When you're thinking about your voice on social media, the group consensus was that keeping it light and fun is best. Stories, funny photos and heartwarming stories have all performed well for attendees.
Try different channels, see what works with you and stick with it, Korhan said.