Twitter 101

Whether you’re constantly updating your feed or completely unplugged, social media outlets like Twitter have definitely found their place in the garden center. Garden center owners use it for weather and stock updates for customers, as well as a connection to other green industry professionals. But for all of its benefits, Twitter can seem overwhelming for a beginner.

Here’s how to get started using Twitter:
First, keep staff members in consideration when signing up for an account. Choose a username and password that could also be used by assistants or other crew members. Keep the username brief and easy to say when telling course members about it.

During the process of signing up, you can allow Twitter to take a peek into your online e-mail address book (such as Gmail) to send e-mail letting your contacts know you’ve started an account. If your account is intended to reach just other superintendents or members, you may want to skip that step.

Once the account is created, it’s time to start adding content to your feed – which is made up of the Tweets posted by people you follow, with the newest Tweets at the top. Search for people you know using the Search bar – we suggest starting with @GardenCenterMag – but be sure to check the profile or a few Tweets to make certain you’ve found the right profile. The “@” symbol in front of a name indicates a username, which can be very different from a person’s actual name. Another easy source of people to follow comes from looking through the feed of someone you already follow. If you share interests, chances are good that person will know others you’ll find interesting.

But for many superintendents, the real usefulness of the Twitter feed is in reaching customers. Once an account is created, it’s time to get the word out and start gathering followers in your membership. Even with just a few in tow, make it a point to start regular updates – maybe just one each day – to get in the habit and establish a routine of posting information about new products or sales. The 140-character limit on tweets is ideal for an immediate, short update that needs to reach your entire membership quickly.

Composing a tweet is easy enough. The simplest form is a straightforward phrase or so, used as a quick note. There’s no required length to a tweet, and nothing is more or less important than anything else.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Want to get someone’s attention? Use their @username in your tweet. Twitter collects these as “mentions” under the “connect” tab, where users can see who’s talking to them. When an @username begins the tweet, it will only show up in the feed of the person mentioned, and users who follow both accounts.
   
• You can attach photos, locations and links in your tweets. Having trouble with a plant disease and want to ask colleagues about it? Take a photo with your smartphone. If you can tweet from your phone, you can upload photos it as well.
   
• When you’ve got several tweets about the same topic, or are part of an event, hashtags are especially useful. These are phrases with # in front of it – are especially useful. Whether a single word in the message, or a separate phrase at the end of a tweet, a clicked hashtag will collect all of the tweets from about the past two weeks that include it. Many Twitter users also use hashtags to make quick afterthought jokes, since one of the main uses of Twitter is humor.
   
• It’s easy to re-tweet (or RT) someone else’s information if you think your followers will find it useful, but don’t get into the habit too much. A stream of retweets clutters others’ feeds. But adding your own comment to a tweet is just as easy – try a Reply to their tweet instead, beginning with your note and then copying most of their original tweet with “RT @username.”
   
• Web links get shortened when posted to Twitter, and most people won’t click on a link without knowing where it leads. When posting a link or photo, be sure to add a description of your own, even if it’s just a few words.

How does a Twitter feed work?

The kitchen sink

Of course, there’s more to social media than just Twitter. Here are a few of the other networks your or your employees might use, and how useful we think they are for garden center owners:

Facebook: Chances are good you already use Facebook, but have you thought about using it for sales and helpful links to educational pages for your customers? Updating a status can include those, photos and videos, all of which can be easily uploaded from a smartphone. Facebook has been working hard to catch up to Google+ in quick selection of who sees what content.

LinkedIn: Keeping things professional is what LinkedIn is all about. It’s a solid communication tool for keeping channels open for career movement and advancement, since connections will be on a professional level.

Google+: What Google+ brings to the table is an unmatched ability to select who sees what you’re posting by gathering your followers into circles. If you’re posting a weather update, it would be a perfect fit for your “Members” circle; posting some turf photos to try and diagnose dollar spot? That’s more apt for your colleagues circle. Google+ also gives you the ability to do instantaneous group chats with friends through Google+ hangouts.

Pinterest: The newest kid in class, Pinterest has gotten a following by creating a purely visual way to collect interesting content on the Web. So it’s not the right place to post information on upcoming sales or new store hours – but it’s perfect for photos of new and interesting products, or shots of happy customers at your most recent event.