9/29/2016
Frankly Scarlett, I Don’t Instagram
Amanda Thomsen
Instagram is the second most important tool in your social media toolbox. If you’re confident that you truly own a social media toolbox, go ahead and skip this article. If “social media toolbox” causes you to make any kind of smirk, eyeroll or “I just smelled a skunk” face—you need to keep reading.
With more than 300 million users, most of them Generations X and Y, Instagram shouldn’t be written off as simply photos of cups of coffee and #selfies. If you’re a little behind on what Instagram is, it’s a collection of curated photos and short videos that are shared either publicly or privately. As a business, you share publicly (seems like a no-brainer, but I see it allll the time). So these are the best photos you can take, shared in a timeline, open for commenting and, most importantly, hashtagging.
Stop making the skunk face. Hashtagging is awesome, useful and sometimes just used to inject humor and originality. Hashtagging is the art of adding words, following a “#”, that become hot links that hitch photos, and people together. A first step to finding people in your community is to do a search for #yourtownname. Then you scroll through and see who might be a good gamble to follow, so you can see their photos. Your gamble doesn’t pay off until they follow you, in return, so they can see YOUR photos. You should go through and “heart” and comment on these photos, where applicable.
Other hashtags to explore: #gardening #shoplocal #gardens #annuals #diy #eatlocal #organicveggies #Instagarden #yourgardencentername #dirtyhands #pollinators.
Good rules for content:
• Post photos you’d text to your best friend.
• Use 75% product photos and 25% personal stuff. Like photos of employees, happy customers, pets that visit …
• Can you post every day? That would be great. If you can do a few times a day that would be better.
• Still baffled? Start with A in your inventory, photograph, blurb, hashtag and post! #itsthateasy
Now, to make this more complicated, Instagram has copied a feature that Snapchat has made popular. It’s at the top of the screen and it’s called “Stories.” You can use “throwaway” photos and video—maybe not your best work, but definitely photos that are in the moment. You post them and they can be viewed for 24 hours, then they disappear. I wouldn’t worry too much about this feature until you can say “social media toolbox” with a straight face.
Instagram also has a private message function on the home screen where you can reach followers or they can reach you without hundreds of other people reading your conversation.
Can I suggest some Instagram accounts that are KILLING IT? Their content is rad and their consistency is great. Their numbers may not be in the millions, but they’re growing organically and I love them.
@WallitschGarden—has fun with their account, they use vids and googly eyes
@DIGnursery—flowers and dogs, can’t go wrong
@StackRockGroup—is changing my perception of landscape architects
@anniesannuals—doesn’t have to try to be charming
@plantfoundry—is KILLING IT
I know you won’t copy these people. You do you. But it gives you a good idea of what can be done with the ’Gram.
Here’s the best use of Instagram for garden centers EVER: Ask a happy customer if they’re on Instagram. If they are, snap a photo of them with their wagon or box of purchases. Make sure they have a big ol’ smile on their face. Post it to your Instagram and make sure to tag them using their Instagram handle and you follow them. You’ve increased the odds of them following you to 2,000,089%. You’ve given them an EXPERIENCE that they can talk to their friends about. You successfully made them feel important by validating and showcasing their plant choices. Also, their photos are now shareable on their personal social media. And THAT is how it grows, organically.
GP
Amanda Thomsen is now a regular columnist in Green Profit magazine. You can find her funky, punky blog planted at KissMyAster.co and you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter AND Instagram @KissMyAster.