Composting is a great way to use what you have to make what you have, grow better, faster and produce more. Composting adds rich vital nutrients to your soil. When you hear all the benefits of composting, you may wonder, “If it’s so great, why don’t more people do it?”
It’s funny, but the same can be said about social media: Social media is a great way to use what you have to make what you have, grow better, faster and produce more. Social media can add rich vital facets to your company. And yet, when you hear all the benefits you may wonder, if it’s so great, why don’t more people do it?
In gardening and social media, many people think they don’t have the time, energy, space or skill. As a master gardener and social media professional, I have simple solutions for both challenges.
The Red Wiggler
Vermiculture, or worm composting, with the Red Wiggler, is easier, faster, and takes far less space than traditional composting.
The Social Media Strategist
Hiring, someone who understands the platforms, your market and your industry can make it easier, faster and take far less time than traditional networking, selling and marketing.
Container – Composting in the traditional methods involves two bins or spaces that you flip from time to time. *This can be back breaking and labor intensive. With worms, your container needs to allow for air and water to travel through, but not let the worms out.
Size only matters when you’re considering how much waste you produce. Worms can even be kept indoors in a small container.
Container – or platform. Choosing what social media platform is right for you, your company, your employees and, most importantly, your customers is a very important task.
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogging all might be great as long as you know that they are all different and each has a different content style that would fit.
What do you add in between? In any type of composting, additives are important. Adding leaves, pine needles and other dried plant parts help the compost break down. For worms, sheets of shredded paper that have been moistened is a good additive.
Tending it – As mentioned in the container section, traditional compost needs to be turned. Worms do this part for you, by eating the compost, they rapidly accelerate the decomposition process, but they also add spaces for air and water to get to the decomposing matter. Even with their help, you still have to tend it.
Be sure to check that the amount of content is equal to the amount of room, that space is sufficient. You need to learn when to turn it upside down, dig through it, get your worms out and start over.
But my compost stinks! That’s because you are not paying attention! Are you tending it? If you add a big pile of scraps in your back yard, and don’t tend it, it will stink! Are you adding more than kitchen waste? If you only add the material that needs to be composted, you will have rotten food, again that will stink. Are you adding the right stuff?
Look at your content. Does it have meat, eggs, or other waste in it? This just might be a good reason for your stinking pile. Do you have the right container? If you only have one pile and you are not flipping it, or if your container is not set up right for your worms, it may cause your compost to stink!
What do you add in between? It is not all about you. Be sure to promote the big sale this weekend, but lace it with promotions for local events, community assistance efforts or good causes. Again, it’s not all about you.
Tending it – “Doing” social media is work. It will take time. Hiring a Social Media Strategist or Community Manager will rapidly accelerate the process of developing your policies, goals, and strategy. They can also assist in exciting staff and brand advocates to create more content for you. Even with their help, you still have to do some work.
You have to monitor the conversations, get metrics on the campaigns and you need to learn when to turn it upside down, dig through it, get out and start over with a new approach.
Your Social Media may very well stink! That’s because you are not paying attention! Are you listening? Are you responding? If you add great content on your platforms and don’t listen and respond, you stink. Are you adding more than information about you and your brand? If you only add the material that offers no value to your consumers, you have a rotten strategy and you stink. Are you adding the right stuff?
Look at your content. Are you promoting you and only you? Are you on the right platform? If you only use one social platform, you are not going to benefit as much from social media.
People are all different. Some like certain platforms, others like several. Find out where your customers connect and meet them there!
So How Does Your Garden Grow?
Whether you are tending a compost pile or social media program for your business. a little careful attention to what you put in, what you leave out and when you add more can make all the difference.
