Presented to a group of farmers through the Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator of Slippery Rock University, as an overview of how and why to use social media

1. Social Media Marketing for Your
Farm Business
Presented by Deanna Tomaselli
April 23, 2014

2. The Social Media Revolution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxpa4dNVd3c

3. Source: http://andressilvaa.tumblr.com/post/18715435789/whats-social-media

4. Why Social Media?
• It properly reflects your business
• It keeps your business and brand fresh in the
minds of you customers
• Cultivates loyalty between your business and
your customers, buyers and/or partners
• It positions you as an industry expert
• It can help spread CORRECT information about
your industry and defy stereotypes
• It can help drive business and sell your product
• Social media humanizes your company

5. Where to begin

6. Step 1: LISTEN
– Set up a search in Google, Facebook, Statigram
(Instagram search) and search.twitter.com of
keywords and hashtags
– Hashtags are a word or phrase preceded by a hash or
pound sign (#) and used to identify messages on a
specific topic
– Use these searches to see where your customers are,
what your competition is doing, identify trends and
potential issues and, what and if is being said about
your business

7. Step 2: Determine your plan
What do you want to convey in social media?
• One-on-one dialogue? Try Twitter
• Promotional messages? Facebook
• Bold, impactful imagery? Instagram’s where it’s at
• Business news and articles? Get LinkedIn
• Curated news and images? Pinterest
• Videos of your business messages? YouTube

8. Step 3: Start SMALL
• Start in ONE network that makes the most sense for
your business, based upon your observations and
goals
• Gather content (photos, videos, articles, testimonials,
etc.)
• Lay out a content calendar to create a steady stream
of messaging
• Get a FREE content management platform to schedule
your posts (Hootsuite or Buffer allows you to set your
posts so you don’t always have to post live)

9. Step 4: Engage!
• Don’t just set your posts and forget them. See what
people are posting back and answer their questions and
comments
• It takes awhile for people to come to you, so instead, go to
them first! Do a search like you did before of keywords
and hashtags. Follow potential customers and partners by
engaging with them on their pages, linking back to yours
• It takes time, so have patience!

10. Step 5: Promote
• Add your social media channel(s) icons and links to
your email signature, website and business cards
• Tell everyone to follow you
• Consider investing in social media ads to turn your
posts into sponsored content, amplifying your reach
• Ask your partners to cross-promote your business on
their social networks and in turn, do the same

11. Step 6: Analyze & Refine
• Look to see how your posts are performing via free
analytics tools like Facebook Insights or Hootsuite.
• Determine what’s working, what’s not and what
needs to be tweaked
• If something’s working, keep at it!
• If something’s not, keep trying and modify as needed
• It takes awhile to ramp up, so KEEP IT UP

13. Chipotle’s Well-Rounded
Social Media Approach
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMfSGt6rHos

14. Chipotle Social Media
• Company-wide goal: to change the way people think about their food
• Its stance on family farms and local ingredients exhibited via Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and YouTube
• Chipotle focuses its marketing efforts on grassroots initiatives which has worked in
its favor: In 2011, Chipotle posted an 11% increase in same-store sales, making it
one of the most successful fast-food chains in America
• Employs a one-on-one approach with social, answering 83% of its Facebook fans
and 90% of its Twitter fans. More important than “likes” is engaging with its fans
and letting them know they are listening
• When it comes to posting content, each post shared pertains to Chipotle's core
philosophy of getting people to think about where their food comes from. The
material it produces is creative, impactful and intricately tied to the company's
philosophy
• “Back to the Start” ad aired during the Grammy Awards in 2012, generating nearly
6 million views on YouTube, and thousands of mentions on Facebook & Twitter
– It got other organizations involved in the conversation and opened up that
awareness and dialogue: for example, the Ohio Pork Producers Council
discussed their thoughts on sustainable farming practices

16. Community- Driven Initiatives
Each Halloween, Chipotle hosts a "Boo-rito" contest where fans upload photos of themselves dressed
up as a family farm animal and receive a ticket to buy a burrito at a local Chipotle restaurant for $2. The
$2 would go toward FarmAid, a non-profit organization dedicated to family farmers.
Another initiative: The Chipotle Cultivate Music Festival, a Chicago event bringing together food,
farmers, chefs and musicians. At the festival, Chipotle offers samples of new, responsibly-grown dishes,
as well as educational opportunities for people who wish to learn about sustainable farming and
responsible treatment of animals. Celebrity chefs join in to provide cooking demonstrations, while
musicians offer live entertainment. Last year's festival drew 17,000 people and proceeds went to
FamilyFarmed.org
Source: http://mashable.com/2012/03/21/chipotle-social-media/

17. “Farmed & Dangerous” is a unique
approach to marketing, and generating
a lot of comments online and mixed
reviews
http://www.hulu.com/watch/587931

18. But it’s not all good…

19. The Chipotle “Cat Controversy”

20. • A hacker approved posted on an employee’s Facebook page saying she ran over a
cat, which sparked outrage on the Chipotle page
• Both the employee and the company posted a same statement on their pages:
“The statement about the cat is completely false. Someone hacked into our employee’s
account and posted that update without her knowledge. We at Chipotle respect all
animals and would not joke about something like that. We are working with local
authorities and hope for a quick resolution. We also ask that you be respectful as this is
a difficult situation for our employee. We appreciate your patience.”
• Chipotle did the right thing by addressing the situation, and answering all fan
inquiries and concerns
The Chipotle “Cat Controversy”

21. What to do if you mess up?

22. 22
CASE STUDY: GOING
ROGUE WITH THE RED
CROSS

23. 23
2/15/11
11:24 P.M.

24. 24
2/15/11
11:30 P.M.

25. 25
2/15/11
11:54 P.M.

26. 26
2/16/11
10:00 A.M.

27. 27
2/16/11
11:30 A.M.

28. 28
2/16/11
NOON

29. 29
Keeping the
humor up

30. 30
The Red Cross’ moral of the story
2 words of caution:
You’ll want to space out
giving a pint of blood and
drinking a pint of beer for
health reasons.
Be careful with social media!

31. Takeaways
• Do your research
• Determine your goals
• Start small
• Have patience
• Portray the REAL you and post what makes
your business thrive – what are you good at?
What do you want to showcase? Show that on
social

32. Helpful Links
• Twitter 101 for business:
https://business.twitter.com/twitter-101
• Facebook basics:
https://www.facebook.com/business/overview/
• Facebook for business: https://www.facebook.com/business/
• The beginner’s guide to Instagram:
http://mashable.com/2012/05/29/instagram-for-beginners/
• The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Mastering LinkedIn:
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/23454/The-
Ultimate-Cheat-Sheet-for-Mastering-LinkedIn.aspx
• Social Media Management Platforms
– Hootsuite https://hootsuite.com
– Buffer https://bufferapp.com/