Could you boost your business by maximising the potential of social media?
Do you already use social media for your business? Which social media platforms do you use and why? Do you get the feeling that you’re missing something? Here we’ll explain why it’s important to make the most of social media, which are the most suitable social media platforms and what steps you can take to increase engagement with your customers.
Why is social media important for the farming community?
Digitalization is inevitable. Social media plays an important role in this as more and more people become active on social media channels. That includes your customers and your competitors. Estimates on the use of social media in the agricultural sector vary, and vary from country to country (for example, 48.6% of Dutch farmers are active on social media according to a study by AgriDirect, while UK website social-farmers.com predicts 90% of British farmers will be using social media by 2023. But it’s likely that, at the moment, they use social media primarily for personal purposes, like keeping in touch with family, as well as reading agricultural news and following product and machinery news.
They could certainly be using social media to promote their businesses more powerfully.
A combination of online and offline visibility is the efficient way to reach as many potential customers as possible. Using social media allows businesses to promote themselves and engage with their existing customers, and to reach a wider audience. It’s fast, free and effective – if used correctly. Even at a very basic level, it’s a way to share agricultural news and enlighten and educate your audience, while demonstrating your expertise. Using social media can, in time, give you valuable insights about your customers’ behavior and interests. By observing the ways they interact with you – and others - you can adjust your communication and advertise your product or service in a more relevant way.
Which social media channels would suit your company best?
Deciding which social media platforms would best suit your business depends mainly on what sort of company you are and who your customers are. After all, if your existing and potential customers don’t use a particular form of social media, you won’t gain much from focusing on it.
So, which are the most popular and appropriate channels? Remember: it is not always necessary to be present on every channel. What is important is that you spend your time well and that you exploit the platforms which your target audience uses and which suits the nature of your business. YouTube, for example, is a video platform, so if you struggle to find ways to create interesting and/or useful videos relevant to your business, it would be wiser to focus on other forms of social media. Here, we have selected some of the most popular social media platforms.
Facebook is a very large social media platform, used monthly by 2.41 billion users in the second quarter of 2019, according to www.statista.com. It has broad capabilities for businesses, allowing you to create a company business page as well as community groups. On Facebook you can share photos, videos, stories, trade news and your own product/produce news. It’s even possible to set up an online shop, selling directly to customers. It is a perfect platform to promote your business, products and/or services. What’s more, Facebook Messenger allows customers to contact you at their convenience to ask questions, giving you the chance to build trust and one-to-one engagement. You can even integrate a chatbot (Messenger Bot), to automatically answer certain questions.
Facebook also has a testimonials and review function, allowing your customers to leave public feedback. This form of endorsement, known as social proof, is extremely powerful and – if your feedback is good – can lead to more sales.
Used well, Facebook is a great way to boost customer awareness and engagement.
● YouTube
According to www.omnicoreagency.com/youtube-statistics, 62% of YouTube users are male, which can be a plus when communicating services and products to other businesses within the Agri field.
The obvious advantage of YouTube is the ability to upload and share – via any social media channel and through email marketing – promotional videos or product explanations and walk-throughs. As an example, take a look at this video about grinding with a thicker disc.
LinkedIn is a platform for professionals. That makes it ideal for connecting with your colleagues, suppliers and buyers. You can easily share updates about your products and services, react to questions from buyers, and publish videos, photos and documents of all sorts. As well as your personal account, you can set up a business page, connecting all your colleagues and acting as a central resource for customers. It’s useful for recruitment too, with the ability to list new vacancies, and there are even learning resources to update certain skills. You can join discussion groups linked to your professional interests, which is an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise and make new contacts.
That’s what LinkedIn is really all about: strengthening and growing your network. If you’d like to know more about networking, you’ll find this article particularly interesting.
Instagram is a social media platform that’s all about visuals. You can share photos, collages of photos, individual pre-recorded videos and stories and live videos. It’s a good place to promote your company in an authentic and natural way and also a the perfect platform for showcasing products in a creative way. Instagram is big on engagement; not only can people like and comment on your posts, but you can include polls in your videos and stories. It makes it easy to capture customers’ opinions. As a bonus, with an Instagram Business profile you get access to data connected with your profile, including statistics about your stories, posts and followers. An Instagram Business profile is free and with it you can easily share your vital contact information, business hours and your location on a map. Making clever use of hashtags relevant to each photo or video you upload, as well as tagging your geographic location, makes it easy for new followers to find you.
Do you know our Kramp UK instagram page?
For Twitter, the focus is mostly on real-time information. So, what is happening within your company right now? Have you created a new product? Then this is perfect news to share on Twitter! Or have there been interesting developments in the agricultural sector? Then share this with your followers. Above all, Twitter is about conversations. Just broadcasting your new products won’t gain you many new followers. Being a useful source of information, discussing the pros and cons of particular agricultural practices, adding your professional opinion when sharing important news – these are all ways of becoming interesting and invaluable to your contacts.
And that advice goes for all social media use. The more engaging you are – and the more you engage with other people – the more likely they are to respect you, to try your products or services, to share what you have shared with them. And that builds awareness of and trust in your brand; vital attributes to increasing sales and customer loyalty.
