The fact that using social media is free isn’t the only perk. Rogacki notes that you don’t have to be an expert to use it successfully. His advice to those con- sidering getting started is to “just pick it up and start doing it.” Although it may seem a little intimidating to those who are less tech-savvy or familiar with posting on social media, coming up with a plan does not have to be a daunt- ing task. Rogacki says he sets aside a certain amount of time each day to fo- cus on creating social media content. “You can’t be good at something if you don’t start,” he says, adding, “It costs me nothing but a little bit of my time.” The companies he works with mainly use social media posts for education- al purposes and recruitment efforts. Rogacki stresses the importance of making sure posts are relatable and fun in order to show off the company’s culture. Oentimes, it’s more than just “showing cool pictures of tree work,” that he shares. “Social media users want to see what you're about,” says Rogacki, adding that tree companies can share photos or raw videos that show off brand new equip- ment, company team training, celebrat- ing a successful month with a celebra- tion with the team - anything that shows camaraderie and tells a good story. In addition to serving in a consultant role for a tree company, Rogacki has also been able to start up a concrete
Tree companies can share photos or raw videos that show off brand new equipment, company team training, celebrating a successful month with a celebration with the team - anything that shows camaraderie and tells a good story. Photo courtesy of Academy Trained.
and employers can track their staff’s ed- ucation and training progress. Also known amongst the tree industry as a social media guru is Hans Tielmann who owns three companies including NJ Crane Expert, Noble Oak, LLC and Bad Media, LLC. The second-generation ar- borist says it is crucial to use social me- dia as a way to establish trust and build reputation by focusing on one’s best skills and putting them in the spotlight. Tielmann started using social media back in the early 2000s when Facebook first launched as a social network for college students. “I’ve always been very big at leveraging social media,” says Tielmann, who has been holding social media talks with others since 2014. Instagram, however, was the media channel that really resulted in his claim to fame. “It really grew from there,” says Tiel- mann, who networked with tree care members from other countries and learned what he could from them. His success with social media landed Tielmann additional roles, including speaking at tree shows as a sponsored
company. He quickly realized that in his lines of work, safety training was a huge necessity, and subsequently, the Acade- my Trained school was launched. In ad- dition to providing job safety training, Rogacki also co-hosts Two Tree Guys, a podcast with fellow arborist Jared Abro- jena, who shares a similar passion for talking arboriculture over a cold brew. It doesn’t stop there. Rogacki’s social media experience led to the develop- ment of Academy Trained Online (ATO), which he describes as the first app of its kind for members of the tree care indus- try that will provide a one-stop-shop on- line marketplace where companies can access training videos, buy equipment
In an old and archaic industry, more and more tree care businesses are experiencing growth by leveraging technology of modern-day media. Photo courtesy of Academy Trained.
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