maria Zampini \u2014 February 1, 2012<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a new year, and as every new year seems to be, it\u2019s full of new obstacles as well as new opportunities. Social media was one of many challenging topics discussed in the Green Industry Leadership Summit held at the National Green Centre trade show in Kansas City in January. The Summit \u201cleadership\u201d comprised a diverse body representing a varied array of associations and industries.<\/p>\n

Social media replacing real, face-to-face networking was just one point this group pondered. I will confide in you that I have an associate, who shall remain nameless, who attended the summit. So far she has resisted the pull to use social media. Even though others are pushing her to, she questions why should she use Facebook or Twitter or any of the other types of social media.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t blame her. I have people asking me all the time what I get out of Facebook. This sort of reminds me of being a kid and wanting to do something just because my friends were. The standard parental comment was, \u201cIf all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it, too?\u201d Should you use social media for your business simply because everyone else says you should?<\/p>\n

Even though it is \u201cfree,\u201d it is still an investment of your time and\/or that of your employees. And I don\u2019t know about you, but my time is pretty doggone valuable. I believe that if you are going to utilize social media avenues, you must first research, gather facts and determine what the bottom line benefit could be to see if it might be a good fit for you.<\/p>\n

The first new social media tool I used was Facebook. Quite honestly, the only reason I signed up for it was to silence Tim Kline of Kline Nursery Sales LLC. Tim and I are close friends who were classmates from kindergarten to graduation. We were approaching our 25th high school reunion and our classmates had created a page for the event. \u201cEveryone\u201d was on it, people were asking about me and he said I \u201chad\u201d to be on Facebook.<\/p>\n

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I eventually gave in and set up my own personal page under \u201cMaria Zampini.\u201d At first I just sat back and observed. I didn\u2019t make a post until after I\u2019d had a few tutorials from friends. I was afraid I\u2019d do something wrong and the entire world would laugh at me!<\/p>\n

As I connected with people outside of my schoolmates, Facebook grew on me. In fact, for some it can become addicting. It was fun connecting with friends and business acquaintances. And it was really cool when someone I didn\u2019t know (but really wanted to know) agreed or asked to be my \u201cfriend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally the light bulb went off. Although I started on Facebook for personal reasons, I saw what a powerful device it could be business-wise. In the simplest of terms, Facebook is an electronic conversation. And this was a window of opportunity for me to \u201ctalk\u201d with, learn about and reach out to many more people than I ever could have otherwise.<\/p>\n

For instance, while I was at MANTS in January, I made a post and a \u201cfriend\u201d I\u2019d only met through Facebook, Carmen DeVito, reached out to say she and her partner were also in Baltimore for the show and asked if we could meet. It was great to converse with Carmen and her business partner, Alice Marcus Krieg. I not only learned about their business \u2013 Groundworks LLC, which focuses on urban gardens \u2013 but also that they have an online radio program called \u201cWe Dig Plants\u201d on www.heritageradionetwork.com. In turn, they got to know me. In the few short minutes we spoke, we came to the conclusion we will undoubtedly collaborate in the future!<\/p>\n

Facebook has no doubt enabled me to convey to a larger audience my quirky sense of humor and down home personality, to educate readers on my products and services, and to promote myself, my company and my customers \u2013 all of which support my value proposition. Could I have done so without Facebook? Probably, but in what medium, and how long would it have taken me to get the same results?<\/p>\n

My company recently went through a rebranding process, evolving from Lake County New Plants LLC to a new, fresh name \u2013 UpShoot LLC. We felt this name better reflected who we are and what we are doing as a business. The rebranding also meant updating our social media strategy.<\/p>\n

I now have two pages on Facebook to deal with; one personal and one for my company. I also have personal and business pages on LinkedIn. I have a personal page on BranchOut. Do I get paid more for learning all these social media avenues and having to post to them on a regular basis? I wish! I also have a new Twitter account: @UpShootHort. Truth be told, this scares the bejeebbers out of me! But this is the way of Gen Y and the new \u201cMillennium\u201d generation, so in my case \u2013 for what I\u2019m trying to achieve \u2013 I feel I must adapt or become extinct.<\/p>\n

Is the reward for my time on Facebook quantifiable? In concrete numbers, no, not yet. But it is part of a business strategy that I see opening new doors every day. It will be up to me to capitalize on those chances, and I\u2019m confident they will pay off in the end.<\/p>\n

Is social media right for you? I don\u2019t know. But I wouldn\u2019t jump on the boat \u201cjust because.\u201d What I would say is this: Social media is a part of our newest customers\u2019 lifestyles practically from birth. I encourage you to at least put your toe in and test the waters. Join Facebook or LinkedIn, follow a blog or Twitter account. Maybe you never make a post but instead, use it as a window into the world of our current and future customers.<\/p>\n

To Facebook or not to Facebook; that is the question. Only you can determine the answer.<\/p>\n

Maria Zampini is the president of UpShoot LLC. Her company\u2019s focus is \u201cliving, sharing and supporting horticulture\u201d through new plant introduction representation including LCN Selections. She can be reached at [email protected], and her website is www.upshoothort.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

maria Zampini \u2014 February 1, 2012 It\u2019s a new year, and as every new year seems to be, it\u2019s full of new obstacles as well as new opportunities. Social media was one of many challenging topics discussed in the Green Industry Leadership Summit held at the National Green Centre trade show in Kansas City in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nursery"],"yoast_head":"\n