Social media can be a powerful tool to help you grow your business profile. There is a lot of fun to be had managing your social media accounts, and it can be a chance for you to create an online community. It can be a bit of science and an art, but here are five important things to remember when building a social media presence.
1. Choose the right platform for your business
| What’s your goal; farm sales or followers?
If it is to increase sales, Facebook could help quickly generate sales from already established groups on the platform. It can also be great for building your audience and connecting with your local community. |
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If your goal is building your brand, Instagram and Twitter may provide the better platform to highlight desirable aspects of your business.
When deciding on which platforms, you will also need to consider who your target audience is. Understanding the demographics of each social media platform is vital to the success of social media marketing.
The range of platforms is increasing all the time. There is a careful balancing act in developing a social media presence that provides value, without being consumed by a need to engage in a range of platforms that take up endless amounts of time and energy.
2. Develop your brand’s identity
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Your brand identity is how your business presents itself, which can be achieved by visual branding. This can consist of designs, values, and advertising. By having a strong brand identity, people will more easily form a connection with your business. For example, this could be a reputation for quality, reliability, and trust. If your account is continually posting engaging, entertaining, or educational posts, this can aid in forming your brand’s identity. |
Your followers will grow to expect a particular style of post from your brand, which can help you tell your audience about your values.
3. Being active & consistent
| Being active and consistent when it comes to posting and engaging with your audience is important. Liking or replying to comments is also crucial to building your brand, but there is a fine line between too much activity and not enough. You don’t want to be spamming for followers, but too little activity, and people may not see your posts. This is something you can experiment with and work out what works best for you. |  |
4. Know what your audience is interested in
There has been a rising trend amongst consumers wanting to know where their product has come from. Only 2.2% of Australia’s population is directly involved in agriculture, but Australia’s agricultural industry makes up ~7% of Australia’s GDP (ABARES, 2021). We have seen this increased engagement with the industry through the rise of Ag Influences on TikTok who share their daily routine and farm jobs.
When opening your farming business up to the internet you must be prepared to answer questions that may seem obvious to you or reflect on criticism you may receive. When exposing your farm business you become an educator to a community, many of whom may not have any experience of what happens on farm.
5. Keep it professional
This is your business account and should be treated as such. Keep it professional and focus on providing your audience with clear information.
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Gemma Petsinis, Graduate Agribusiness Analyst