STEC’s Brandon Cox on how to use social media to your advantage

Social media can be a double-edged sword. As a turf equipment salesperson for more than 10 years and an active member of the online turf community, I have witnessed firsthand the impacts of social media on the turf industry. Here’s what I’ve discovered through conversations, experience and trial and error.

On one hand, social media is an incredible opportunity to showcase the ongoing work and effort put into your course. However, it isn’t always easy to see long-term improvements, especially on a golf course. Members typically don’t see the hours of labor behind the immaculate greens unless someone allows them to appreciate the final product more.

On the other hand, social media can be a burden. The unfortunate reality is that the world we live in has unnecessarily unkind people who will jump at any chance to tear you down. Those people could be other professionals in the industry, members or people who don’t understand the extent of your course’s progress over time.

Still, being vulnerable and sharing your progress, questions and concerns might be even more valuable than sharing that aesthetically pleasing photo of a freshly mowed fairway (please still share this too, of course). You learn as much — or more — from your mistakes than you do from your successes.

In this industry, sometimes successes and failures depend largely on circumstances. Grass will die, rain won’t come when you need it and your finances won’t allow you to purchase the latest and greatest products and equipment.

When you’re open and share your shortcomings, struggles and questions on social media, you’ll likely find people willing to reach out and offer solutions and advice based on their experiences with the same problem. Everybody has a story about a failure; the question is, who will be the person to start sharing?

A presence on social media allows insight into how you manage your course. There’s a reason you choose to verticut, topdress or fertilize on the days you do. Social media allows you to explain those reasons in a few hundred characters with some pictures, prompting more understanding, appreciation and interest in the work that goes into a successful course. Plus, it’s a heck of a portfolio to showcase all the projects that have benefited your team and members.

Negative reactions

Don’t be discouraged. No matter what you do, people will always point out the negatives in your professional or personal life.

Encourage members to approach you or someone else on your team and start an in-person conversation. It’s important to remember that you only see a snapshot of the situation on social media. Taking the conversation off social media is the most professional way to handle situations you run into with an upset or negative comment. It provides a better chance of turning it into a positive outcome.

Knowledge is power. You can get all the degrees, titles and awards, but sometimes, it is just a matter of having the unmatched education that hands-on learning gives you.

Strength in numbers

Hearing other people’s stories of employees not showing up for work and broken equipment forms a bond and helps you realize you are not the only person in the world who has had an intern drive a golf cart into the lake, get a mower stuck or flip tractors.

Everything you post is open to criticism as much as positive feedback. Don’t hyper-fixate on either one, but try to lean into the endless opportunities to connect with and learn from other superintendents, turf professionals and members.

When social media is utilized for connections and conversations and not unhelpful comparison and criticism, it opens a world of possibilities for the future of your course. Post to engage with others in the industry, not to be perceived as perfect.