KNOWLEDGE CENTER | ANLA.org | ANLA EVENTS | JOB BOARD | CONTACT US
HOME SEARCH BUSINESS PROFILES DISCUSSION FORUMS
Forgotten Password?    Not Registered? Sign up

Part I: A Social Media Guide Just for Us!
You count on ANLA to help you navigate trends. We’re here to tell you that whether you choose to jump in with both feet or just dip a toe in the water, regardless of what segment of the industry you’re in, you absolutely need to raise your awareness level of social media in order to consider how your business can benefit today and in the future.

A lot of these particular tools are changing quickly, but if you don’t get started now it will just get exponentially harder as the train picks up speed. Because we’re here to tell you, friends, that the Social Media train has most definitely left the station.

Part 1: We examine the basic question of “what is social media and does it make sense for my business?” Then we provide a primer to help you get started on the most popular sites.

Part 2: Join us Tuesday, April 20th for a look at how to start using social media for your business, along with some expert tips on optimizing your efforts.

Special thanks & recognition goes to Spring Meadow Nursery – one of the industry’s early adopters of Social Media technology, blazing a trail by example. They’ve not only funded the distribution of this guide, but they’ve helped out by sharing some of their examples and knowledge throughout.

All Aboard! Let’s get started, shall we? The articles in Part I of the social media guide are listed on the right in the "table of contents." Just click on them and begin watching/reading. The lead video article, Getting Started with Social Media is the place to begin!

* This issue of ANLA Today requires that you complete a free registration on the ANLA Knowledge Center. To begin the brief (we promise!) registration, just click on the link in the upper right hand corner.
Social Media: All Aboard!
featureYou've heard all the hype, but is social media just for big corporations and tech companies? Just like websites and cellphones, what started as a technology trend is here to stay. Get started with some advice from Spring Meadow Nurseries social media guru, Kathy Garfield. Then continue with our guide to getting started with social media in your business.
ALL ABOARD: Real world advice from a green industry expert!
Kathy Garfield, of Spring Meadow Nursery (MI) offers her experience on using social media to connect with your customers.
Laying the Foundation: Overview and Basic Definitions
featureYou can’t move these days without tripping over a reference to social media. You can follow your favorite restaurant, politician or magazine columnist on Twitter and Facebook. But you’ve got some questions: What are these social media tools and how do they work (and why do I want to share my life with all these strangers online)? More importantly, in a tough economy you are wondering whether a social media strategy makes sense for your business or is just a black hole sucking in your limited resources? Let’s start there…
OVERVIEW: Is social media just a fad or here to stay?
A brief over view of social media and how it is changing the way we communicate with each other and**MORE**
OVERVIEW: Help! What are Facebook, Twitter and Blogs?
A quick reference to the most popular social media tools and the language they use. Includes: blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,**MORE**
OVERVIEW: Black hole for resources or business tool? A look at social media and business.
A strategic look at how social media fits into your marketing efforts, what costs are associated with it and whether**MORE**
OVERVIEW: Are Twitter and Facebook just time wasters?
Graden Center MagazineTwo case studies shed light on why garden centers are choosing to add social media to their marketing mix.
OVERVIEW: Can social media deliver a branding breakthrough?
Graden Center MagazineAngela Treadwell-Palmer, walks away from a tradeshow with a passionate perspective on marketing plants.
Basics: Getting Started
featureYou've decided that there's something to all of this talk about social media, but you're wondering how to get started? Well, start right here! ANLA's guide to social media continues with the wheres, whats and how-to's of setting up accounts, managing your privacy settings and building your network of contacts. This is the 'basics' section where we'll help get accounts set up for you. While much of this information is readily available online, we wanted to put it all in one place as an easy reference. No promises that this is the most riveting content you have read in a while, but it will address the most common questions of getting started with the most popular social media tools. Let's jump in!
GETTING STARTED: The smart Facebook approach to putting your life online.
An easy how-to to help you get started on Facebook including setting up a profile, thinking through security settings and**MORE**
GETTING STARTED: Tweet, tweet. This is not your childrens' Twitter.
A brief overview of how to set up an account and get started with Twitter.
GETTING STARTED: Professional networking made easy, step-by-step.
Get started using the LinkedIn professional networking tool with this simple tutorial.
GETTING STARTED: A small steps approach to putting your big thoughts online.
Blogs, the foundation of social media, are easy to start with this quick tutorial.
GETTING STARTED: Kathy Garfield's top links for understanding social media.
Kathy Garfield, Social Media Specialist at Spring Meadow Nursery, has generously shared a list of very helpful links. We suggest you bookmark this page and Kathy’s resource guide and return often as you run into questions!
 
Produced & Published by: The Design Works, Inc.
© 2009 The Design Works, Inc. All rights reserved.
For more information: webmaster@anla.org