This 'n' Data

The Poll Position
Here’s what industry professionals have been telling us in recent online polls. Be sure to check www.gardencentermagazine.com each week to cast your vote on various pertinent topics.

VIRTUALLY SPEAKING
Get thee to Pinterest!

While the general public bemoaned the most recent changes to Facebook, and experts weighed the pros and cons of Google+, a real social media breakthrough occurred as most Web-driven breakthroughs do: Slowly, quietly and at a grassroots level.

Let me introduce you to Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/), a new social media platform that—for once—has immediate relevance to garden retailers. The concept is elegantly simple. Step 1: You see something on the web you like—a craft, home design, flower arrangement, etc. Step 2: You upload the link to your Pinterest account, "pinning" it on your virtual bulletin board. Step 3: You share your Pin with friends, who can comment or Repin on their own boards.

Pinterest only allows users to Pin high-quality images. The result? When you open your Pinterest homepage it's like browsing through a collection of top-notch home, garden, fashion and design magazines.

OK. Back to the garden-center-relevance statement I made earlier. Why is your favorite jaded social-media columnist extolling the virtues of yet ANOTHER platform? I offer these observations:

Check out who's pinning. Pinterest is tailor-made for women in the 30-50 age bracket. It has been quickly embraced because it's a simple, elegant way to do what we've already been doing on Facebook: Sharing ideas.

See trends. The owl décor craze that started back in 2009? Yeah. It's still around, and stronger than ever. Especially for baby nurseries. I didn't realize this, until I started seeing it all over Pinterest. Now I'm in the know about this and other décor trends. Wouldn't it be great to hit the winter gift markets armed with this knowledge?

People are pinning pictures of plants, flowers and landscapes. Hold onto your hats! Gen Xers, whom many would classify as "reluctant" gardeners, are pinning hort-related images at a fast clip. Yes, they're interested in what you sell. But you'll quickly see they're not jazzed by how you're selling it. A pin I've seen on at least a dozen boards shows a row of houseplants potted in small containers, hanging from an IKEA towel rack by these clever little hooks. Got anything like that in your garden center?

You have cool pictures, right? Want to get those out to the public in a non sales-y way? Start building a Pinterest account. Share the cool stuff you've done while you get a glimpse of what's striking your customers' fancy.
 

– Sarah Martinez, managing editor