Join the Conversation

By Paige Collette

Remember when you used to run into a fellow grower at your local retailer and discuss weather, crop conditions and pest issues? The times they are a-changin’.

The term “socializing” has taken on new meaning as more farmers, growers and agriculture professionals join the social networking craze by hopping onto Facebook and Twitter to communicate with their peers. Face-to-face meetings, phone calls and even email, to an extent, have become passé as the much more informal modes of communication have taken over. The concept behind it all? Function over form. Social media is about building relationships. Smartphone-friendly platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs, have become useful and efficient for networking, sales and lead generation—who saw that coming?

Belluz Farms of Thunder Bay, Ont., was recently the focus of a story in the March 2011 issue of The Grower for creating a Facebook page for their customers, which includes updates on specials, stock quantities, and recommendations for fruits and vegetables each week. It also serves as a place for consumers to post and share recipes and market information. Smart idea. Why? It keeps customers and target markets engaged in their business. It also keeps Belluz Farms at the forefront of their customers’ minds when those customers are deciding where to buy produce. Catching on yet?

If you’re looking to jump on this trend, establish a goal for how you want to use social media. Become familiar with the tools first and then develop a strategy. Start small and start simple. Here are some content tips:

• Describe what’s going on at your farm—this is a great way to connect with your peers, and to find out what farms around you are doing so you can share success stories, struggles and advice on how to overcome challenges.
• Post photos of your farm as well as events you’ve attended. Photos show people what’s happening on your farm (and also helps any non-ag “friends” become familiar with agriculture).
• Post market information, relevant news and articles to create reader interest and engagement.
• If you’re a grower who sells produce to the general public, post contests. This could include specials and discounts—an especially good tactic considering the rise in food prices on the horizon.

In other words, share your business message with family, friends and colleagues; recommend and comment on potato-related stories; discuss topics around specific issues the industry is facing; share photos and video—the possibilities, really, are endless. Some companies even use social media as a tool for referrals, as platforms such as Facebook are great for building rapport via word-of-mouth.

For those of you who are gun-shy: start out as an observer. Check out other pages created by growers. And then join the conversation.

Paige Collette is the communications manager for Issues Ink, publisher of Spud Smart.