Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/301674
cover story M AY 2 014 To t a l L a n d s c a p e C a r e . c o m 27 How to gain followers – and what to do once you have them T he social media hype is higher than ever. You're con- stantly being told to tweet, post statuses, upload videos and share photos on a dozen different sites – but why? And how can you maximize your efforts to get the most return for your business? There's no magic bullet to social media success, although there are steps you can take to grow your online presence. To do that, you must fi rst understand why people visit these sites. "You're dealing with an audience that doesn't want to deal with you," says Marlin Caddell, web developer and social media adviser for Randall-Reilly, TLC 's publisher. "They get on to read and see funny things." So, instead of trying to conduct business, be less formal and more personal. "Think of your page as an extension of you," he says. "Facebook isn't a press release or a business communication. Be a person who is talking directly to other people." Solving Social Media BY LAUREN HEARTSILL DOWDLE