Social Media Usage on the Rise

By: Jane Eckert

Recently I conducted a survey sent to farmers on their use of social media.  One of my intentions with the survey was to see just how many farms take advantage of social media.  And for those who do not use social media, I wanted to know why?

Social media is a completely free tool.  Basically social media is conversation and interaction between people online.  This is a great marketing technique, so why aren’t some promoting their business through social media?

Through my survey I received responses like:  I don’t have enough time, I don’t understand the benefits, I don’t know where to start and It’s just adds another site I have to keep up with.  I thought it would be beneficial talk about these responses. 

One major plus to social media is it doesn’t take much time to update your information and to keep it up-to-dated.  Setting up a social media site, for instance a Facebook fan page, might take you an hour or more to get all your configurations correct:  like what information you want the public to know, your security settings and the applications you want to use.  But, once you set it up, the amount of time you spend on it is completely up to you.  Most of the tasks like uploading photos or videos can be completed in less than 10 minutes.  Reading and responding to comments only takes minutes and updating your status takes merely seconds.  According to my survey, 83.3 percent of farms who updated their Facebook page at least once a week believed social networking increased their business.

Amanda Kutchey from Westview Orchards said, “We don’t check our Facebook site every day, but we probably spend five minutes on it when we check the site.”  Just spending five minutes once or several times a week to update your social media site can improve your farms business.

This leads us to the next statement of not understanding the benefits social media offers.  Facebook allows you to accomplish a strong connection between your business and your fans or followers.

Let’s start small and build to how you can use a site like Facebook to help build your business.  First Facebook allows you to acquire fans or followers, it’s important to gain these fans because they will be the ones receiving your updates.  In the survey, I asked how farms get fans to their Facebook page.  Here are the top answers:  farm web site links, brochures/flyers, posters and special offers like coupons.  The main goal is to gain customers attention so they will visit your social media sites and that will raise awareness of your business.

The next step is to distribute information to your customers.  At the top of a Facebook page is an open comment box where you type in a quick update and share with your fan base.  An update could share your farms new summer hours, or tell them what is in season and available to pick.  This comment box is a great way to get information out quick for everyone to see because your status updates appear on each of your follower’s home page.  For example, let’s say your farm had a huge Saturday rush and all the strawberries were picked so you closed your field to recover until Tuesday.  A status on Facebook could get that message out instantly to all of your fans. 

Another great feature to get fans interested in coming out to your farm is by uploading or adding photos and videos to your page.  This is a great way to show your amenities to your fans, and let customers get a visual of what your business looks like.  But what kind of pictures should you upload?  Upload photos of families having fun or the new sign you just purchased by the front gate.  Show the products you sell.  If it’s a family run business, upload a family shot.  This is meant to give your business character and to show your fans what your business is all about!  If you don’t like adding photos to your page, let your customers load their pictures. If you have a Facebook fan page, you can allow your fans to post the pictures they have taken at your business to your page.  Videos can also be uploaded to your page and are an added bonus, it appeals not only to the eye but to the ear too and a great way for fans to interact.

Once you have those features on your social media page, add more.  Facebook allows you to add a variety of different features.  You can have a section on your page dedicated to reviews, where customers rate your business.  You can create events for special days at your business and invite all of your fans. Or you can link your blog to your Facebook fan page using Blog Tab.  Facebook even allows you to have an online store where your fans shop your product through the My Etsy application.  All of these features add excitement to your social media page.

Facebook can help build relationships between your business and customers by allowing them to post a comment themselves. If someone poses a question about your business, answer it.  When you answer your fans questions it lets them know you care about what they have to say. When a fan writes on your Facebook page, write back. 
           
“It makes them [my fans] feel a part of the Westview farm family.   We can keep them up-to-date with what we are doing around the farm and educate them on our practices,” said Kutchey when asked if social media has increased her farms business.  Speaking to fans helps build a relationship and gains customer loyalty, which we all strive for and increases your business.

Sometimes though, customer comments aren’t always positive.  However, only 22.6 percent surveyed said they had a negative comment directed toward their business.  So how did they deal with the negative remarks?  Most replied directly to the negative comment in a polite way.  Some took advantage of the situation to explain why they run their business that way and educate their fans.   

“We haven’t had many negative comments, we do leave them posted and try to respond positively and correct the situation the best we can.  Sometimes customers help us out with their experiences,” said Kutchey.  Social media sites build an online community and you might be surprised to how many fans might jump to your defense. 

The last response I wanted to address was, “social media is just another site I have to keep up.”  Just like business owners, customers don’t necessarily want to search for information about your business.  So if you have your information posted on a social media site your customers regularly visit your messages will reach them.  With social media sites constantly gaining new members it becomes crucial to join the movement.  Even if your business has its own Web site, a social media site can be more:  interactive, immediate and it’s better at increasing awareness.

Jane Eckert, a national speaker, author and agritourism expert, is principal of Eckert Agrimarketing (www.eckertagrimarketing.com), a firm that helps farmers sell products directly to consumers and develop their operations into tourist destinations, and CEO of Rural Bounty.com, a consumer based directory of agritourism farms in North America.  Jane can be reached by phone 314-862-6288 or at jane@eckertagrimarketing.com