6 Seminars About Social Media and Digital Marketing at the IGC

I had the pleasure of speaking at the Independent Garden Center Conference this week in Chicago. The purpose of my training sessions were to outline the different experiences, strategies, and the overall purpose of digital marketing in the world of the garden center. This was a the second event I had presented at for the garden center and landscaping world. The first event was the ANLA Conference last year in Louisville.

Big thanks to 10-20 Media who sponsored my training sessions. They have an excellent game coming out for Facebook called Garden Quest. Everyone should check it out.

There were a total of six sessions that covered everything from integration of marketing tools, Facebook, and Twitter. We also had amazing panels of industry experts talking about the world of digital marketing. I have listed the session below. Check out the Slideshare presentations associated with the training.

Evolve or Die : The Future of Online Communication for the Independent Garden Center

Hundreds and thousands of people have been flooding sites like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, and what are they talking about? How do you build an integrated marketing campaign that captures the transactional, aspirational, generational and psychological aspects of the consumer at your garden center? Learn about the future of online communication and digital marketing, and why it’s important to change the way you view your marketing and customer communication.

Being Productive in Social Media Adds Up

Learn how to save time, energy and resources by being smart with your usage of social media tools. Learn what tools to use and why, how to stay productive on a daily basis for 30 minutes a day, how to integrate tools to save time and energy, and how to measure your use of social media to stay effective. Kyle is joined by Fern Richardson, the new media expert behind Beetnik Media, a social media marketing firm, who will share her experience in getting the word out to consumers about the new products at IGC 2011.

Maximizing and Monetizing Your Facebook Page

You’ve already created a Facebook page, and you’re posting content. Now, learn what a vanity URL is and if it really matters; how to sell products on Facebook; how to use analytics and monitoring to maximize your page potential; and five ideas for viral growth.

Twitter 101 : Driving Sales at Your IGC

ant to start marketing with Twitter, but have no idea where to begin? Or have you started and want to know how to maximize your efforts? This session breaks down the common uses of Twitter. Learn how to set up and maximize your profile, the importance of re-tweeting, how to share content that matters and stories from customers, how Twitter can grow your foot traffic and much more.

Integrating E-mail, Social Media, Direct Mail, and Other Tools for an Effective Marketing Strategy

This session is a breakdown of an integrated marketing campaign that was conducted by Altum’s garden center in Zionsville, IN, this year. See specific examples from the social media campaign, and listen as Kyle and Owner Dana Altum break down different ways the campaign worked and didn’t work. Hear firsthand how one of the nation’s most innovative garden centers is changing the way it does business to connect with new customers.

Panel : How Professionals Use Social Media

Kyle is joined by Garden Chic magazine’s Clint Albin in moderating a lively and practical discussion about how people who communicate for a living are using social media. Panelists include Shirley Bovshow, garden designer, TV host, product spokesperson and new media producer; Melinda Myers, garden author and radio and TV host; William Moss, garden TV host and author; Trey Pitsenberger, Owner of The Golden Gecko Garden Center and the personality behind The Blogging Nurseryman; Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, Director of the Garden Writers Association; and Jennifer Youngquest, Marketing Manager at English Gardens. Learn how the panelists are using social media to tell consumers about what they’ve discovered at IGC 2011.