Following these tips will ensure your work is efficient and effective
It’s well documented that social media can be useful for reaching and engaging farmers. Yet we often hear marketers say they’re disappointed in results from their social marketing efforts. They’re tweeting and posting, but few are following or liking or further engaging with their brands. Making matters worse, they see other brands having success. What’s going on?
The truth is, the accessibility of social media gives an impression that anyone can do it. Though true, the key to success in social is to keep it simple. To bolster the effectiveness of your efforts, consider the following tips:
- Know each channel’s purpose. Like all of us, farmers use different social media channels for different reasons. For instance, whereas Facebook is for sharing life experiences with friends and family, YouTube is a way to connect with others about a specific subject. If you want to engage with farmers on any given channel, first learn how they use the channel.
- Be choosey about which channels you use. Just because farmers use all social channels doesn’t mean you should, too. Creating and curating content takes a significant amount of time, a precious and finite resource for businesses of every size! Rather than trying to be all things to all farmers on all social media channels, focus your efforts on one or two channels. Once you’ve built an audience and are seeing engagement, you can explore expanding into other channels.
- Make it about them. Refrain from posting about yourself/your products, and instead offer insights and expertise about subjects important to farmers. Doing so positions you as an expert who’s given careful thought to the topics top of mind with your audience. And it encourages your audience to explore and engage with you.
- Speaking of engage….don’t just talk – listen! Perhaps the best part of social media is its ability to encourage two-way dialogue. Take advantage of this by continuing to be active, as your audience comments on posts. Customers are more likely to share their thoughts about your product/service via social media than by email or phone. Encourage them to share, and respond quickly to their concerns. By being proactive, you can address issues before they become big.
- Post consistently. Inconsistent and dated postings give an impression that you are disorganized and out of touch. Whether it’s once a day, week or month, determine the schedule that works for you and stick to it. To assist with this commitment, use an automation service, which will also help you map out your schedule ahead of time. Automation also frees up more time for replying to your audience.
- Measure your efforts. Nothing in marketing is as frustrating as finishing a project without knowing its impact. Avoid this by setting up benchmark metrics at the outset, so you can later determine success and more importantly, tie them back to overall marketing strategies. When writing your next social media plan, you’ll know whether to repeat the same steps or make adjustments based on what you’ve learned.
Tips for using social media effectively really are as simple as the channels themselves. By following these tips, you too will see a positive return on your social media investment. Good luck!