When it comes to marketing your green industry business online–in particular with social media–it is critically important that your business place strategy and principles above all else.
You know the cliche, “Don’t put the cart before the horse”. In our case, don’t let the “tools” of Internet marketing and social media dictate your marketing strategy.
The tools can and will change, but the principles–adding value through compelling and meaningful content, being authentic and transparent, engaging with followers, etc.–will not change.
Neave Group Outdoor Solutions (@Scott_Neave), a full–service landscape company in Wappingers Falls, New York, uses a photo-sharing mobile app called PicPlz to capture and share images of their work.
Neave Group’s strategy is simple: Enable our employees to easily capture interesting images throughout the day that can then be shared with our fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter.
PicPlz just happens to be the tool of choice for this strategy.
Neave Group didn’t begin by saying, “Boy, this PicPlz app is pretty cool…I wonder how we can use it?”
While the PicPlz mobile app is “pretty cool”, the company recently announced they will be shutting down service and deleting all user’s images on July 3rd, 2012 (evidently it’s not quite cool enough).
For companies who put tools before strategy, this would be a big blow. For Neave Group, they will simply find an alternative photo-sharing app and continue with their strategy (with only minor inconvenience).
The tools used to market your green industry business online will always change (see MySpace and Posterous as examples). Let sound strategy and proven principles guide your marketing efforts.
(Full disclosure: Neave Group Outdoor Solutions is a client of Landscape Leadership)
Chris Heiler (@Chris_Heiler) is a PLANET consultant member and founder/president of Landscape Leadership, an inbound marketing agency that combines social media, content marketing, and search marketing into integrated and measurable campaigns for green industry companies.
