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We are just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to social media. No one in the green industry has this completely figured out. Let your team experiment and try out new ideas, programs and plans. This is how you keep them engaged. At the same time, set expectations for your team. I recommend introducing a two strike rule for team members.

One inappropriate photo or status update, not a big deal. Explain why social media is important to your company and why you want your people to play a critical role. Give your team the tools to succeed. Would you send an employee out into the store with no prior training or plant knowledge?

No way. You need to give your social team every opportunity to succeed. This means providing them with the organization, systems, training and tools they are going to need to be effective.

You need to enable them by making the process as frictionless as possible. Keep your team updated. Share your successes with them. Has your website traffic increased significantly since putting together your social team? Is your blog generating more qualified leads?

Your team should be informed of it. Engage your employees in your efforts and empower them to tell a compelling story about your business. Provide your team with oversight. Whether you keep it in-house, hire an independent consultant or retain an agency, someone needs to be held responsible for providing oversight. And all successful teams have a coach roaming the sideline calling the shots. You will need one person in charge of keeping your social media program organized and running smoothly.

Start small, then build on success. Your social team might start out with two employees managing your company Facebook page. Then, later, you add another member to the team who manages your company Twitter account. This is perfectly acceptable.

Start any program slowly and build on your successes. Gain some momentum with one initiative like a Facebook page or blog before jumping into something else. Chris Heiler is the founder and president of Landscape Leadership. Visit www. There I was, miles away from my beloved garden center, surrounded by like-minded individuals all set out with a common goal — to improve their business.

With my name tag proudly on display, I was ready to obtain the knowledge and information needed to make our store the best in the business. Of course, just like a proud mother rarely sees faults in her own child, I was certain that my garden center was superior already, up to every expectation imaginable.

As I perused a few booths, a man came up to me and firmly grabbed my hand and gave it a solid shake, and then proceeded to tell me about how he was certain that he heard somewhere that my garden center had gone belly up a few months prior. Ouch again. Stand up and be seen Nothing gives you the feeling of uselessness in the business world more than being invisible.

It is very much a feeling like you would get as a small child singing in a Christmas pageant. As a business owner or manager, you have to find a delicate balance between being front and center at all times and being less visible. This business sense requires mastering the art of being adaptable and using your public relations pull at the right time and in the right way.

You have to think in a more micro-minded basis and take a few things into consideration before reacting, or not reacting for that matter, to an issue of public relations. Our garden center was asked politely by the local news channel if it could come down and tape a segment for the evening news, and of course we agreed. The news crew came out and filmed our flowers, our lovely staff and the front of our building.

All the while I was thinking it was great, free advertisement. At that moment, I wished there was a magical wand to make the garden center disappear from the story and get out of this negative spotlight. Deactivate a ticking time bomb After this bomb dropped, the timer was ticking on if and how we were going to respond to the negative news story.

Timing in situations like this is critical; without acting when the wound is fresh, you risk the possibility of the incident being absorbed by the public and accepted as a cold hard fact. Take the second example of an impending drought. When the news feeds first inform the public that a drought is imminent in your area and water restrictions will occur, be proactive. Start your game plan immediately on how to develop a counterattack Keep your information up to date and fresh, and always keep up with what the news is telling the public.

Invest in a newspaper subscription and keep an eye on local Internet sites and social media. This will give you an excellent window into the world of the public and how to develop relations with them. When it came to the bee story, we combated the news piece with an Internet piece on the benefits of bees. By losing your invisibility and standing front and center to defend your business, you show that you care, and the public appreciates businesses that care.

If the circumstances are drastic enough that you need to spend serious capital, take the time to analyze finances to figure out how you can fit public relations into your budget.

Offer free consultations on how to garden in dry conditions or host workshops teaching the public how to xeriscape. Nurture your public relations and watch it grow Plant yourself firmly in the ground, too, by placing little hints of your business around town. Start small, and keep it small. Little statements add up to one big impact after a while. Check into the local outdoor scene, and find out if there are any parks or trails being reconstructed that you could help.

Participate in the building or maintenance of new playgrounds, which are great areas to reach younger target audiences. Contribute a little something to a local park to help beautify something that might otherwise be ugly.

Find hot topics in your area and get your name associated with those activities — it will help fill your parking lot with new, happy customers.

Members of the public want to spend money at shops that support the community. Colorado Springs Plant Nursery Distance Search Current Location. Find a Garden Center. Get Direction. Ace Hardware Highlands Ranch Fort Collins Nursery Learn.

Windemere Garden Center Our concept is simple. Wilmore Outdoor Living Center W e are now hiring for the Christmas season! Apply in person, via email at fhgardencenter gmail. Starting November 18th , our beloved Santa Scott will be back for more wonderful memories! We look forward to welcoming all adults, children, families, and pets for another year of Christmas cheer!