FEBRUARY 2024 9 Younger consumers—regardless of whether they are involved in ag or not—are more likely to use TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. But lest we slag Facebook for being “old,” some 2.9 billion monthly engagements occur on the site— more than any other social media app. The website www.blog.hootsuite.com noted that in 2022, 18.2 percent of US adults made a purchase via Facebook, and 66 percent of its users visited a local business page at least once a week. Some other social media apps to consider becoming involved with are: WhatsApp; Facebook Messenger; WeChat; X (Twitter); Snapchat; Pinterest; and LinkedIn—and because it works, one social media site—Hootsuite—to manage all your social media apps. Your writer has used it effectively. You need to know exactly who your audience is and plan accordingly. “Farmers” seems to be a straightforward enough of answer. But does your operation sell fertilizer? Does it sell tractors, combines, or both? Does it sell specifically to grain, root, fruit, or pulse farmers? Vineyards? Milk, beef, pork, mutton, or tur-duckhen? You know what we mean. Do you sell herbicides and pesticides, and for whom? Do you need to market to an older, more experienced customer, or cater to a younger, more social media-engaged farmer? With all of those sites mentioned a few paragraphs earlier, you can engage in paid marketing campaigns, or post and host stuff on each of those sites for free. As part of the ag industry, we know that margins can be razor thin, and while the initial thought may be that you cannot afford to “waste” money on a paid campaign, sometimes you can’t afford not to spend money to make money. Using eBay as a non-linear example, if you are selling a product on that site, you hope that people will search for and see your product as one they want. However, eBay also allows sellers the opportunity to promote their product on the site for the entire time it is up for sale. This writer has seen upwards of 40 percent more viewers interested in similar products at least take a look at what he has had up for sale, and sometimes that interest is further piqued into a bid or a purchase. While there’s a pretty good chance you won’t be using that site for your purchases, we have seen companies try and sell mechanical products this way. However, the point we are trying to drill home is Don’t do it alone! Work together with your team to determine the best way to perform brand marketing to separate yourself from companies that sell similar products. andresr/E+ photo
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