Times have quickly changed in the agricultural and the business worlds, where now billboards and flyers don’t cut it when trying to grow your brand. A trend that has grown with these changes is the use of social media. Allison Young, the quality assurance and communications manager with Premier Co-op, shares ways to use social media to your benefit.
“Social media is a powerful tool because it reaches people of all ages,” explains Young. “It is an easy and free way to get your product out there whether it be with reels or Facebook posts.”
Young says with the cooperative they use their pages to “humanize” their business. She explains that showing customers and potential customers that you are human and not just a business goes a long way. They also post their customers which shows the appreciation for those that benefit from their products. Doing this also acts as a testimonial for their products while giving back to the consumers.
When it comes to targeting specific audiences, agriculture is in a unique place due to the turnover of the older generation to the younger. Young says that they currently make posts that adhere to both, but there are ways to target specific audiences. If your business wants to target a younger audience, watch the current trends on social media and see where you can put your twist on it. If you would like to target the older generation, use a platform like Facebook, where they are more likely to be and have a more professional look.
Starting Your Presence
“When you are looking at getting into social media, try just focusing on one to three platforms,” explains Young. “We focus mainly on Facebook because that is where our target audience tends to be.”
If you are just starting your presence of social media for your business, Young recommends boosting your posts to start as it only costs a few dollars and has a great impact. She says when you make a post, you do not want it to be too plain or too busy. The consumers eyes will generally go to the picture first, then to the caption, and finally the person will click on the link.
Social media is an easy, cost-effective way to build your brand. The key is to make sure you are staying on top of the page and having content. This will keep your customers and prospective customers up to date on what your business is doing. That in turn helps build the relationship.
