With many ranchers adopting and adding social media marketing in their own businesses and daily lives, it’s certainly not too late for you to start! The purpose of social media is to keep us connected and social even online. This is a perfect way to connect to current and new customers locally and beyond no matter if you’re on dial-up or not. In this post, we’ll cover the two most popular platforms and give a shoutout to the hottest new social media sensation. Hint, your kids are probably on it.
Tried and true, Facebook remains one of the best ways to reach potential customers thanks to the fact that it remains the most popular social media outlet in the world. In fact, a 2019 study clocked the platform in at over 169 million mobile users! By creating a Facebook page for your farm, ranch or business you can reach the whole internet no matter where you’re located. On Facebook, you can have conversations, share photos and videos and even sell products. By creating groups and event pages specific to your ranch offerings such as bull sales or a ranch horse showcase can take the conversation even further, giving you another way to connect with your current and potential customers. Staying active on Facebook gives your business an authentic and personal feel that customers are sure to align with come sale day. While Facebook doesn’t make up for having a website, it aids in expanding the conversation.
Instagram is a great place to be for all agriculturalists due to the community-feel environment and vast hashtag expansion. We understand Instagram can be intimidating. First things first, don’t let your current number of followers discourage you. As long as you have one follower, consider yourself influencing at least that said follower. It’s a start! By continuing to share authentic content, following similar accounts and hashtags, and by using said hashtags, your posts will continue to gain traction. Instagram is a visual platform but don’t let that keep you from telling stories in the captions. With 2,200 characters available, feel free to go into detail about your ranch’s day-to-day happenings or a particular story that resonates with you. Don’t forget to use Instagram Stories! These can be found featured at the top of your newsfeed and they’re a good way to keep your business front of mind for your audience. In fact, one-third of the most-viewed Instagram Stories are from businesses! Whether you’re checking cattle or cooking with some of your home-grown crops or meat, be sure to share on stories and watch your audience grow. So, don’t forget your phone!
Snapchat
Snapchat is a great way to share behind the scenes video and photo content to the masses, especially to the Millennial and Gen-Z generations. In fact, more than half of all U.S. internet users aged 15 to 25 years use the photo-sharing app. Now with 60-second long videos, there’s no better way to reach the audience with behind the scenes content. A great way to utilize Snapchat for your business is to create custom filters or lenses based on location. For example, if you’re showing at a stock show, consider creating a custom filter frame advertising your business and contact information. Anyone who takes a Snap and uses that filter will expose all of their followers that engage with that snap to your business!
TikTok – One to Watch
Final thoughts…
Social media can be intimidating, but sitting down and asking yourself, “does this post reflect what my ranch and personal values?” will help you share the right content for your business. The best outlet for your business may be different than someone else’s, and that’s OK! When in doubt, see what other accounts are up to and what platform they’re on, and of course, try to stay informed on best practices. Social media is meant to be social, and keeping it authentic is the best policy. If you need help creating your own social media marketing strategy or managing your current account we’re here and ready to get started.