Agribusiness is Booming!

Agriculture, food, and related industries accounted for 5.4% of the United States’ gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021 — around $1.264 trillion. Despite agribusiness’s looming presence across multiple industries, social media platforms rarely see pages for farms and agriculture crop up online.

Previously, limited, in-person communication was the best way for farmers to share industry knowledge. Now that online infrastructure has advanced, it is easier for agribusiness owners to utilize social media and share insight. This knowledge is not only easily communicated to others in the industry, but now can be shared with consumers directly.

Undeniably, social media plays a huge role in getting small businesses off the ground. So how can you, as a small agribusiness owner, get the ball rolling and create an active online presence?

3 Easy Ways for Agriculturists to Get Started on Social Media:

1. Be Active & Post Consistently to Social Media

An active, consistent online presence is essential in social media marketing. Posting too often may be overwhelming to the average user. On the other hand, posting infrequently may leave posts buried deep within a user’s timeline. Scheduling content ahead of time is a great way to combat the struggle of now versus later. It’s easy to construct a few posts when you have some time, saving them as drafts to be scheduled and published later. With this in mind, third party social media calendars, such as Hootsuite, can actually do all the work for you. These platforms publish pre-written posts on a user-created schedule, making it easy to keep your pages active.

2. Use Eye-Catching Visuals to Draw Attention

“We eat with our eyes” — this phrase coined thousands of years ago remains tried and true today. Presenting products that are pleasing to the eye is key to drawing in consumers and making sales. Instead of trying to DIY the photos, it may be ideal to bring in a professional to perform the camera work. Hiring a professional can be your ticket to a great social media following.

A skilled photographer could help you skip dull photos entirely, instead capturing a perfect dew drop on a tomato vine on the first try. Arranging good lighting and a perfect set-up is their job: you provide product, and the photographer does the rest! Also, most professionals are experienced in editing. This is an added bonus and will allow you to share enhanced images that sell.

Consumers are wary of pesticides, genetically engineered veggies, and massive plantations. Showing off a recent harvest or giving a behind-the-scenes view of the operation means you get a chance to present your followers with some good, old-fashioned, backyard acreage. Seeing media featuring homegrown vegetables, mooing cows, or freshly-sheared wool helps to emphasize the farm-to-table aspect and allows consumers to truly connect with every piece of your business.

3. Engage – Be Someone Your Followers Want to Know

Lastly, engage your consumers! Being a good conversationalist may seem trivial on social media, but it really can make consumer engagement soar. Corporations are swiftly becoming grey faces to buyers, and powerhouse titans like Wendy’s go to great lengths to have a social media presence that personifies the company. By making your agribusiness’s profile approachable, interesting, and engaging, you gain followers like a person makes friends. If your operation is genuine and your social media is engaging, ensuring your customer sees you as part of the community will come easily. The more approachable your business is, the more consumers will come through the door.

Tell Your Story, Grow Your Business.

About 10 years ago, shipping conglomerate Maersk rose to social media marketing popularity. What social media presence could a company that sells shipping containers possibly have, need, or even want? Those are questions Maersk asked before marketing director Jonathan Wichmann launched a campaign to tell their daily stories. As a result of the digital marketing campaign, consumers were captivated by the relatable content. Soon, the company gained a massive following. Maersk’s followers went so far as to go “shipping-container-spotting” so they could connect with Maersk on platforms like Twitter, letting the company know the user saw one of Maersk’s pods.

Using social media as an agriculturist and agribusiness owner means you get to tell your stories. Sharing media, educating consumers, and engaging with your customers allows your agribusiness to come to life for those who don’t live it day-to-day. Through the use of social media platforms, your business — your world — can become an experience that will make people pause, think, and shop local.

Category: Personal Branding, Social Media Marketing 101