Tweet like you mean it

@LandscapeTexas

Molly Wallace, communications specialist for the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association

Twitter is a great social media network for sharing information, but it's also a useful tool in creating a sense of community within our association. The goal is to tweet things that will be helpful to followers. Whether it’s learning about employee management or breaking down new legislation, hopefully our followers feel that they are informed.

No. 1 Tip: Follow great accounts. Not only will they keep you in the know, but you can retweet their content. Retweeting is an easy way to provide excellent content to your followers and build relationships with individuals and organizations.

@MyTomBom

Chad Diller, marketing coordinator for Tomlinson Bomberger Lawn Care, Landscape & Pest Control

I've found Twitter more of a way to connect within the industry rather than with prospects or clients. The No. 1 use of any social platform is to gain brand recognition that sends prospective clients to our website.

Because of the hard work we've done with generating hundreds of blog articles over the years, tweets come easy and are planned ahead. I also have a file of funny pictures I share on a purposeful schedule. Still, there are many tweet-worthy photos and links I find throughout the week.

No. 1 Tip: Use great pictures to get people to stop, read and actually click on your link.

@BartlettTreeExp

Tina McNulty, marketing manager for Bartlett Tree Experts

Twitter offers a unique way to develop personal connections with a variety of audiences via social media.

Without a strategy or plan in place, the day-to-day execution of maintaining a social media presence would quickly become unwieldy.

The need to maintain a balance of strategy and spontaneity is especially true on Twitter where you need to have a consistent presence while still capitalizing on trending topics.

No. 1 Tip: Twitter is not about pushing your own talking points. Create an open dialogue and be engaged with your followers by sharing and discussing content that is valuable to them.

@waterguru2

Warren Gorowitz, vice president of sustainability, Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply

Twitter is a great way to easily find relevant information to learn from and share with others based on topics of interest. I have found that many of the people I follow I will reach out to directly when I'm looking for more information on a topic or product.

I have a strategy in that I have committed to sharing a minimum of five interesting articles I've come across each day during the week. There are times when I'm spontaneous in that I'm attending a conference and I will share quotes from a speaker that I think others might enjoy.

No. 1 Tip: If you're looking to be a thought leader on Twitter, then I suggest you have to commit to spending 15-20 minutes each day looking for content to share.

@weedmanusa

Braeden Etienne, social media coordinator for Weed Man USA

Twitter is a great platform for interacting with industry influencers while at the same time providing valuable and easy-to-digest information that will help them care for their lawns. We have a social media strategy, but a lot of what we push out on Twitter is news-related, so we plan to be spontaneous. We include about 20 percent of our own, planned promotional content and 80 percent spontaneous content from industry influencers.

No. 1 Tip: Use Twitter lists. There’s way too much information out there to not have it organized, and lists give you a way to segregate content into more digestible chunks. We manage several lists of our own, including a Green Industry Magazine list, a Gardening list and a Lawn Care Influencer list, so we can quickly cross-reference and keep an eye on what each segment of the industry is tweeting about, while interacting with them.