PUT SOCIAL MEDIA TO WORK FOR YOUR BUSINESS
By Suz Trusty
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have become primary sources of communication not just between individuals, but also between companies and their current and potential customers, associations and their members, and even within the even broader scope of an industry.
TPI Executive Director Casey Reynolds, PhD, closes his column on page two of every issue of Turf News with “Please follow us on Twitter! Turfgrass Producers International: @TPITurfTalk and Te Lawn Institute: @TLIhealthylawns.
By “following” those Twitter messages, TPI members gain insight into the current happenings not only within the association, but as turfgrass industry news is re- tweeted, within the turfgrass industry. You can then choose to follow any of those whose messages have been retweeted, including fellow turfgrass producers, industry suppliers, and turfgrass educators and researchers. Tus, Twitter is working for your business by helping keep you up-to-date on the happenings that matter most to you.
Tell Your Story on Social Media You can use these social media platforms to show your customers and potential customers who you are and what you do. In traditional marketing, through magazines, newspapers, television and radio, you needed a middleman to deliver your message to your customer. Social media allows you to communicate directly to them.
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram each have their own audience and these folks are actively engaged in following the postings. Check out each of these and decide which platform or platforms best suit your company’s communication “style.” Ten make a schedule for your social media postings—once a week or more— and stick with it.
Showcase your growing fields. How many people have visited your sod farm to see that amazing expanse of beautiful turfgrass? So, grab some beauty shots of early morning sunlight reflecting from the dew on the grass blades or a photo of your kids or grandkids playing on the grass. Show your crews harvesting.
Post before and after photos of your projects, from home lawns to golf courses and athletic fields. Even if you’re not doing the installation, put up a before photo with an after photo of your grass looking great.
Establish your company as an authority on turfgrass. Give lawn care tips by photo – here’s that insect or here’s that disease – attacking area lawns right now. Our local temperatures are heating up; apply your preemergent weed control now.
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have become expert at gathering and compiling the data that can tell you more about your customers and potential customers than you ever imagined possible. Tat data, in the form of analytics reports, is built in when you establish a business account. Use it. Tose analytics will reveal what types of posts draw the most attention, who is following you, and data on views and clicks, along with other specifics that you can monitor regularly. If you decide to use these platforms to advertise, you will be able to tailor those ads to your choice of demographics, such as location, age and/or gender.
Connect to Your Website Use links within your social media platforms to draw people to your website. While social media messages are short and focused on a single topic, your website is the storehouse for in-depth information about your company. It’s your online catalogue. It gives you the opportunity to showcase the turfgrass varieties you are growing and provide the details that your customers want and need to know about them. It’s your teaching tool. You can give do-it-yourselfers step-by-step instructions on how to measure the area to be sodded, how to prepare it properly and how to install the sod, even adding a YouTube show and tell tutorial for any or all the steps. You can post or provide links to help them identify weed, insect and disease problems. Add a link to Te Lawn Institute website to offer more insight on natural grass. You can use your website to receive questions from individual customers and to quickly answer those questions. It can even be your sales hub, if you have set up an online ordering system. To make the most of this resource, keep your website up-to-date and active.
Suz Trusty is co-editor of Turf News 10 TPI Turf News November/December 2018
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