SOCIAL MEDIA For Your Farm or Farmer’s Market

Why Social Media?

• It BIG and it’s Growing!!

• Extremely Mobile Friendly

• Facebook Users – 157 million daily US users.

• Twitter Users - 53 million US users.

• In 2014, the daily average time spent on Facebook by the adult population amounted to 21 minutes.

• Half (47%) of internet users ages 50-64 and one in four (26%) users age 65 and older now use social networking sites.

What you can do with Social Media on a Daily Basis

• Tell Your Story

• Grow your list of loyal fans

• Communicate with customers

• Increase awareness about agriculture in New Jersey

• Promote Events

• Encourage photo sharing from visitors

• Implement Paid Hyper Targeted Ads

Your First Steps

Learn the Tools

You can’t know how to market and have a strategy without understanding the basic functions of the channels.

Facebook BasicsA Facebook page is your second website, just with more personality.

Facebook Pages for Business vs. Personal Profiles

Pages rank very well in the Search Engines

You can Add Apps to pages

Very Mobile Friendly

Take advantage of paid FB advertising options

Your fans can post their photos and comments to your page

Facebook Page best practices

Build out your history timeline – tell the story of your farm or farmer’s market

Add apps like Volunteer, Subscribe, Twitter, Instagram, and more.

Upload videos and photos to build engagement.

Upload an eye catching Cover image and change often.

Make sure your profile image is sized properly.

Complete your About section.

Why are people on Facebook?

What to ShareFarmsRecipes using seasonal produceWeather related updatesWhat’s in seasonLots of Pictures of life on the farmStaff spotlightsEvents Details – Before, During & After

Farmers MarketsMerchants NewsProductsEncourage visitors to share their photosRecipes from MerchantsVolunteers

Twitter Best Foot Forward

Fill Out Your Bio

Great Big Cover Photo

Say Something

Profile Avatar

When Tweeting

Use relevant hashtags #NJFarms#NJFarming and tag influencers like @JerseyFreshNJDAand @JerseyBites

Twitter – Short, Sweet & Simple + Visual

Instagram

Great for Story Telling with Images

All about Mobile

Great way to attract a younger market

#Hashtags are very important

Many of Your Merchants Have Fans

Be Sure to Tag Them

Get them in the conversation

Engagement Tip #1

• Ask for the Likes, Shares, Comments and Re-tweets. People will oblige.

More Engagement Tips

• Strike up a deal with a local food blogger. Ask them blog about what is in season and events on the farm in exchange for goods.

• Like Us or Connect with Us signs everywhere.

• Assign a Hashtag to your Farm or Market and encourage visitors to use it.

• Hold a season long photo contest. Winner gets membership in your CSA or something else of value.

BloggingBenefits of Blogging

Search Engines Love Them

You Own Your Blog

Your Blog is your online magazine.

Syndicate Each Post to All Social Media Channels

Repurpose in an Email Newsletter

Facebook Ads

$250 Total Spent

3,685 Website Clicks

424 Page Likes

CTR 7.544%

TargetingMorristown 25+ Miles

InterestsWinemaking, Wine & Food Matching, Food & Wine, Winery, Wine Bar or Wine Tasting

Orchard Example• Location: United States: Princeton (+25 mi)

New Jersey

• Interests: Apple picking, Fruit picking, Orchard, Farmers' market, Local food, Community-supported agriculture, Slow Food, Sustainable agriculture, Community gardening or Compost

• Audience – 41,000 People

• Age: 20 - 65+

• $20 spend – Estimated Reach of 3,400 -9,100

Your Strategy

• Just enough resources for one Social Media Channel – concentrate on Facebook

• Enough for 2 – Facebook and Twitter

• Enough for 3 – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

• Enough for more? – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest

Do one thing really well, rather than 5 things really poorly.

Saving Your Social Media Sanity

FoxtrotMediaLLC.com

DeborahLSmith.com

JerseyBites.com

Facebook.com/JerseyBitesTwitter.com/JerseyBites

Pinterest.com/JerseyBitesInstagram.com/JerseyBitesDSmith@JerseyBites.com