Beginners Guide to Social Media Marketing in Agriculture

Social media is kind of like a basement. When it’s filled with clutter, it’s a place you want to avoid. But when the junk is cleared out, you like to hang out there.

Today in agriculture, we are starting to see much wider use of social media by farmers and producers as younger generations begin to take over. According to a recent study by Connectiv, 40% of farmers 35 and younger are engaged in social media. When using social media for marketing in agriculture, you have the power to cut through the clutter and create a go-to space to connect with farmers. All it takes is a willingness to add the wow factor. Try these top 10 tips:

1. Remember--it’s not about you; it’s about your audience.

People are drowning in information and starving for knowledge. Social media posts shouldn’t be self-serving advertisements. What does your audience care about? Posts with the wow factor spark conversations that interest your target audience.

[caption id="attachment_824" align="alignright" width="236"] Like what you’re reading? For more great tips on marketing in agriculture today, check out our free e-book[/caption]

2. Grab attention.

Scary but true—the human attention span has supposedly dropped to a mere 8 seconds, a second shorter than a goldfish’s attention span! To grab attention, understand the factors that motivate people:

• Make money
• Save money
• Save time
• Be comfortable
• Gain knowledge
• Be healthy
• Enjoy greater convenience
• Make work easier
• Be appreciated

Knowing this, you’d never accept this real-life example: “In an effort to highlight competitive salaries and benefits in the pork industry, a recent compensation and human resource practices survey was conducted by AgCareers.com.”

Remember how money is a motivator? Try this instead: “Want to earn $40,000 to $60,000 a year and enjoy the advantages of rural living? According to a recent study by AgCareers.com, you can as a swine farm manager.”

3. Put the good stuff up front.

Grabbing attention means spending 95 cents of your dollar on the lead sentence. Look for ways to surprise or intrigue the reader. This tip works for social media posts, e-newsletter subject lines, titles and more. Even if your information is much more detailed than a social media post, write teasers that encourage your readers to click through to your company’s website or blog with the complete story. Here are some examples:

• Want to know the 5 marketing must-haves you can't afford to ignore?
• Enjoy more peace of mind when you cut these 10 useless items from your to-do list.
• What’s zapping your productivity? Ditch these 3 distractions.

4. Add value.

Put yourself in your readers’ shoes. What tips would make your life easier? What stories would be fun to share with your colleagues, friends or family? Social media posts with the wow factor help your audience learn something new, give them an interesting tidbit of information or offer helpful hints that make your readers’ lives better.

5. Timing is everything.

Social media is a real-time environment. Consider pegging your posts to a news hook or current event. Also, avoid sales pitches. Hard sells are a guaranteed way to turn off followers.

6. Make it personal.

Instead of writing to a nameless, faceless audience, envision a specific person you want to reach. Imagine you are talking to him or her, face to face.

7. Write short.

Your first line must be compelling. This usually works best when you’re concise and leave a little mystery. Let’s say you open with, “It had to happen.” Perhaps your post starts, “There’s a quiet revolution going on.” Now you’ve captured their attention.

8. Show and tell.

Social media posts with relevant images snag 94% more views than content without images, according to the marketing firm HubSpot. Research also reveals that when people hear information, they're likely to remember only 10% of it three days later. If a relevant image is paired with that same information, however, people retain 65% of the information three days later.

9. Include hard numbers.

When you add numbers to prove how your solution makes your reader’s life better, you’ve just added the wow factor—and credibility—to your social media posts. Example: Wish you could save $50 a month? You can when you switch to our service. Think of what you could do with that extra money!

10. Don’t forget the call to action.

If you want people to do something (call for more details, visit your website, etc.) specifically tell them what action to take. Provide relevant links and contact information. Also, ask readers to share your post. When you add the wow factor, it’s easier to keep the momentum going.

Post Source Here: Beginners Guide to Social Media Marketing in Agriculture

11 Great Pointers to Start Marketing Your Agribusiness Using Online Video

In today’s world, video is a key part of content marketing in agriculture. Video is everywhere. It’s accessible. It’s engaging. And, it’s surprisingly easy to create.

So, how do you get started making a video for your organization? First, stop thinking about the viral videos you see online. Those are for entertainment value. You want a video with marketing value—something that will engage your customers and prospects, drive them to your website and prompt them to purchase your product or service. Here is some content that works well in video format, and will also prove quite valuable to you and your customer: (more…)

Original Post Here: 11 Great Pointers to Start Marketing Your Agribusiness Using Online Video

In Times of Change, Awareness Is Key

Change. The word is everywhere. It’s not overused, really, especially as we learned on election day. With that said, let’s talk about what prompts change—progressive, positive change.

Change begins with a simple awareness of the world around you, and a keen desire not only to keep pace, but to jump ahead of what’s happening. This is especially true in the business world.

For many of our clients, 2016 has been a year of change. Mergers. Acquisitions. Joint ventures. Management realignment. At VistaComm, we have recognized our role in helping clients make change successful for them. We’ve worked hard to position our company as a leader in agribusiness marketing. And this has brought change to VistaComm.

Change in Leadership

The first change occurred in leadership this July. Maria Walz, a 19-year veteran of VistaComm, was named CEO. A CPA by training, Maria previously served as our company's CFO and COO. “My goal in my new role is to bring proven marketing expertise together with innovative solutions to help our clients thrive,” said Maria.

[caption id="attachment_310" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Maria Walz, New CEO of VistaComm[/caption]

A New Brand Identity

One of Maria’s first initiatives was to rethink and refresh our branding with a new logo and tagline. “Since we felt like we were writing a new chapter in our story, we wanted a logo that celebrated the ongoing evolution of our company and the success of those we serve in agribusiness,” said Maria.

Our new logo reflects our style and philosophy. Simple. Memorable. Meaningful. The icon depicts two gently rolling, plowed fields meeting to form a shallow “V.” As Maria explained, that intersection is the crease in which VistaComm thrives—where agribusiness challenges get matched with custom-built marketing solutions. It’s fertile ground for nurturing ideas and growing business. “Our logo now mirrors the quality of the leading-edge services and solutions we provide,” said Maria.

A new tagline—Next-Level Marketing for Agribusiness—positioned with our logo is direct at explaining the WHO and WHAT of our business model. “We’re marketing experts in agribusiness,” said Maria. “We know our rural, ag-based audience, their sensibilities and what they’re looking for in a marketing partner.”

VistaComm.com Gets a Facelift

Our next major change was a powerful new website to help payoff our “next-level” approach to serving clients. “Whether your challenge is upgrading your branding and messaging, clearly communicating with your stakeholders, growing your market share, or raising your industry profile, we can offer a variety of solutions—all outlined on vistacomm.com,” said Maria.

In summary, our awareness of our clients’ needs led us to many positive changes this past year. And with these major changes comes a commitment to responsibility. To keep up. To do better. To grow. And to always maintain awareness of what’s taking place around us.

See More Here: In Times of Change, Awareness Is Key

5 Reason Your Agribusiness Should Join the Social Media Party

You’re invited! That’s right, I’m inviting you to a party where a majority of your business’ customers will be. That makes this event a great opportunity to network and build relationships. It’s also the chance to promote products and services, notify your customers about upcoming events and educate them. Plus, who doesn’t love a good party?

Hopefully, I now have you wondering where and when this party is. Well, what if I said you didn’t have to leave the comfort of home to attend? Grab your laptop and cozy on up because I’m inviting your agribusiness to join social media.

According to a study by the USDA, 71% of farmers now own computers with Internet access.¹ Another study reported by Successful Farming stated that 42% of farmers who use Facebook and Twitter use it every day.² That means if your agribusiness isn’t on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or other networks, you’re missing the chance to interact with your customers.

5 reasons why your agribusiness should be on social media

1. Social media gives your brand a voice.

More exposure for your brand is always a plus, but social media provides the opportunity to define your brand’s personality. Social media can easily take you from just another agribusiness to an agribusiness customers connect with. Try posting a humorous quote your customers can relate to. It’ll foster a sense of camaraderie.

2. Social media builds relationships.

This is where the SOCIAL in social media comes in to play. The best part: There are so many options for getting conversations started on social media. You can encourage customers to share their stories (for example, a photo contest). Bring together customers who are facing a similar situation. Use social media to gain feedback. And the list goes on.

3. Social media enhances company trustworthiness and credibility.

Your agribusiness has a team of knowledgeable, agricultural experts ready to assist your customers with their needs. Social media is a great way to remind your customers of your expertise. Write blog posts on relevant topics and share the links on your social media accounts. If your company has any news releases or was in the media, post it to your social accounts. These posts will establish your agribusiness as an industry leader.

4. Social media helps increase your online exposure.

People spend a lot of time on the internet, but how are they spending that time? Multiview.com says individuals are spending 28% of their online time surfing social media, and the average time spent on social media per day is two hours.³ If you want to create an online presence for your business, it’s important to be where people are spending their browsing time—social media.

5. Social media expands potential sales.

If your customers are using social media, it means your prospects are as well. This gives your agribusiness another potential selling point. More and more producers are sharing their on-farm successes through social media that others are using to influence their buying decisions. Make sure to include posts tailored to this audience.

 

Sources:

1. Farm Computer Usage and Ownership, USDA, 2015 (http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1062)
2. Farmers Making Use of Social Media, Successful Farming, 2015 (http://www.agriculture.com/news/technology/farmers-making-use-of-social-media_6-ar50861)
3. How People Spend Their Time Online, com, 2016 (https://www.multiview.com/resources/infographics/time-online-breakdown/)

Read Full Article Here: 5 Reason Your Agribusiness Should Join the Social Media Party

New ideas for your ag cooperative’s next annual meeting

About this time every year, “plan annual meeting” pops up on the to-do list. If you’re like most people, you pull out the file and basically rehash your farm cooperative’s annual meeting from last year … and probably the year before. [caption id="attachment_1031" align="alignright" width="178"] Susan Meier, principal of Meier and Associates, and senior governance consultant with BoardSource, suggests easy ways to make your annual meeting more effective.[/caption] We checked with an expert: Susan Meier, principal of Meier and Associates and senior governance consultant with BoardSource , the nation’s premier governance resource for nonprofit organizations. Susan has 28 years of experience working with boards of directors—helping them make their organizations and annual meetings more effective.

“There are usually specific requirements for annual meetings,” says Meier, “but that doesn’t mean the meetings have to be formal and ‘all business.’ The best way to keep members interested is to actively engage them in the meeting itself.”

The bylaws for most agricultural cooperatives require annual meetings to provide a business review, elect officers and report on plans for the upcoming year. But you do have leeway to enhance the overall experience for members. Following are some suggestions you might consider as you plan for your next annual meeting.

1. Better meeting publicity

Cooperative bylaws typically require meeting notification—which is legally just a statement of date, time and place. But for no additional cost, and very little effort, you can beef up the annual meeting notice to make it more interesting and enticing for members. Following are a few suggestions:

• Ask a local high school art class to have a poster design contest for the annual meeting. Give the winning design a gift certificate to your c-store. You get a great poster … and you create goodwill with the community when you publicize the winner of the contest.
• Publicize the meeting on your Facebook page.
• Instead of just putting a notice in your newsletter, write an article telling members something interesting and different they can expect at the meeting.

2. Get members interested and involved before the meeting

Every year, members show up and expect the same thing—likely because the annual meeting content is basically the same year after year. Why not engage them before the meeting, so they’re more interested in attending? Meier suggests this simple approach:

• Include a questionnaire with the RSVP. Ideally, members would fill out the questionnaire when they RSVP online. But you could also collect answers over the phone and on printed RSVPs.
• Questions should have 2-5 answer options—not open-ended questions. Examples might include:
  • What was your biggest challenge on the farm in the last year? (commodity prices, input expenses, weed control, insect control, etc.)
  • Which of the following has had the biggest positive impact on yields in your operation? (precision ag, better chemicals, better seed, etc.)
  • What is your primary reason for attending this annual meeting? (socializing, patronage report, free meal, etc.)
• Start the meeting with a PowerPoint review of the answers. Then use these answers as a guideline for the overall message of the meeting—focusing on how your cooperative responds to members.

3. Simplify committee reports

According to Meier, you can improve these reports by asking officers not to simply report on activities or performance … but rather to frame those reports around several questions such as:

• What are the two biggest issues your committee is addressing this year?
• What is your committee’s single most important message to members?

4. Use an activity to engage the crowd

Meier suggests an “index card exercise.” Place blank index cards and pencils on each table. Toward the beginning of the meeting, pose a question to the audience that will engage members in the future of the organization. An example would be: “What can your cooperative do to help your operation be more efficient this year…in five words or less?” Give guests a minute to write their answers anonymously on the index cards, then collect cards. While the meeting continues, have a few staff members compile a list of answers. Later in the meeting, share an overview of member suggestions—perhaps relating those suggestions to things your cooperative is planning for the coming year.

5. Follow up with reports about the meeting

Be sure to take photos during the meeting. Think beyond the typical “crowd photos,” and try to capture shots of members interacting with each other. Then post the best photos on your cooperative’s Facebook page or Instagram account as a way to interact online with members. Also include a report about the meeting in the next issue of your farm cooperative newsletter. This would be a great place to include a recap of the survey results and “index card exercise. Want to know even more ways to improve communication with members and customers? Contact one of our agri-marketing specialists to get the conversation started, or take a look at our e-book:

Fast Fact About Cooperatives #3

Co-op Month Fast Facts

Co-ops Make Great Neighbors

We all want a neighbor that makes the neighborhood better—not the guy who never mows his lawn and keeps a car up on blocks. Cooperatives are great neighbors. Nationwide, cooperatives create 2.1 million jobs and generate more than $650 billion in sales and other revenue annually. 

They provide vital jobs in their communities. Through the real estate, sales and payroll taxes it pays, the co-op is a major contributor to the tax base of local governments, helping to support schools, police and fire protection and other vital community infrastructure. It also donates to a number of local charitable and civic causes every year.

 

One more reason VistaComm is proud to work with our cooperative clients across the United States.

Fast Fact About Cooperatives #2

Co-op Month Fast Facts

Co-ops Empower Their Members

There’s strength in numbers—a foundational reason that cooperatives were created. Take the agricultural industry for example. Individual farmers lack power in the marketplace and can be easily manipulated by the ever-more concentrated number of buyers. But united in a co-op, the power of one is multiplied by the many. The co-op enables producers to tap into larger markets than they could on their own, and to bargain for better prices.