Last week, I spent a few days in Calgary with my clients at AdFarm, the largest agriculture-focused communications agency in North America. In addition to the single best room I have ever spoken in (see photo), I learned a lot from the good folks at AdFarm.
Every Company Will Be Social
Every company, regardless of type or size, will be social at some point in the future. Some are already social. Some are just starting to embrace it. For others, it may take a while. But eventually, every company is going to have to participate, because that’s what customers will demand of them.
Lack of Chatter Doesn’t Mean Lack of Opportunity
At AdFarm, most of their clients aren’t “natural” candidates for social media adoption. They are large agriculture companies that manufacture pesticides, and cattle dewormers, and tractors. Social media monitoring for these companies and categories typically yields very little online chatter.
But, that doesn’t mean social media isn’t appropriate or possible.
If people aren’t talking about your brand online, why don’t you give people something to talk about?
Be Chatter-Worthy
If your company or category aren’t being talked about, you need to move from a responsive/defensive posture in social media, to a proactive/offensive posture. Create content that gives your customers and prospective customers insight into what type of company you really are, and the great people that make your company roll.
(Remember, companies are made up of great people. Social media lets you prove it).
Create a blog. Create a Linkedin group (there’s one that’s only open to people that sell farm equipment). Create videos (the US Department of Agriculture has a pretty damn good video program). Create a Facebook page (here’s a great example from Liberty Swine Farms). Create a killer email newsletter.
If people aren’t talking about you in social media, maybe it’s because they don’t know you’re out there, and maybe it’s because you haven’t given them anything interesting to react to. You can and should fix that.
And it doesn’t matter whether you’re Burger King or a a tractor company. Customers want to know more about the companies with which they do business. Are you making that viable? If not, why not?
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Give People Something to Talk About via @jaybaer: [link to post]
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Jay, if there are no online conversations about a company or its category, I guess that’s one thing. But, I imagine that there’s only opportunity if you can demonstrate that your stakeholders are online, but just not talking about you. If you can’t demonstrate that there’s a gap to bridge, what’s the point? Won’t it just be a one-way conversation?
.-= Christina Klenotic´s last blog ..Types of Twitter lists helpful for PR pros =-.
Christina, thanks so much for the good comment. Given that 80% of Americans with Internet access are using social media in some fashion, it’s pretty safe to assume that the customers for ANY company are out there on the social Web.
A good approach to proving that point (if there’s not social media chatter about the brand) is an email survey asking customers which social networks and other sites they visit. You can also get that data from a company like Rapleaf, which will take your customer file and tell you where your customers hang out on the social Web.
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RT @jaybaer Give Them Something to Talk About [link to post]
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~ Excellent Post/Video ~ RT @sonnygill Give People Something to Talk About via @jaybaer: [link to post]
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My caveat: make sure stakeholders are online first. RT @sonnygill: Give People Something to Talk About via @jaybaer: [link to post]
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RT @jaybaer: Give Your Customers Something to Talk About [link to post] (Social media advice for B2B marketers)
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Nice B2M SM nugget from @jaybaer: “Remember, companies are made up of great people. Social media lets you prove it.” [link to post]
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Favorite quote from @JayBaer ‘s post today: “(C)ompanies are made up of great people. Social media lets you prove it.” [link to post]
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RT @StartupPro RT @jaybaer Give Them Something to Talk About [link to post]
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“Remember, companies are made up of great people. Social media lets you prove it.” [link to post] (via @kellydavis226 @jaybaer)
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“Remember, companies are made up of great people. Social media lets you prove it.” [link to post] (via @jaybaer)
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@jaybaer Social Media is a must for B2B too [link to post] (Great post from a fellow Arizonan)
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Good social media advice esp for #restaurants: RT @jaybaer: Give Your Customers Something to Talk About [link to post]
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RT @tweetmeme Give Them Something to Talk About [link to post] This is a great post by social media guru Jay Baer
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RT @jaybaer: Give Your Customers Something to Talk About [link to post] (Social media advice for B2B marketers) #socmed #b2b
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Jay,
Good post. I know this wasn’t the point of your video or post, but I would disagree that there aren’t a lot of folks in agriculture in social media. I work for Monsanto in St. Louis, and several of us in Public Affairs are connected with farmers, agribusinesses, universities and government officials through Twitter and Facebook. We also have a You Tube page and a blog. I think we’ve been successful in becoming part of the ag community in SM.
Farmers are very active in social media right now as a way to fill the void of mainstream media coverage and to tell their stories to consumers. Before Twitter Lists were unveiled, a group of farmers collected aggies on Twitter and created the FollowFarmer database, so that everyone in ag can connect. Check it out here: http://www.dataforag.com/followfarmer.a5w
I would encourage AdFarm to get involved. Plenty of aggies are out here!
Nick
Hi Nick. Thanks for the comment. You are 100% correct. In fact, I use some of Monsanto’s examples when I’m consulting on social media in agriculture. My point is not that agriculture isn’t and shouldn’t be active in social media. Just that in comparison to consumer brands, ag brands aren’t tweeted about as much, because they are so specialized.
I love the follow farmer DB, as well as #agchat
And just one other thing Nick, AdFarm is fully involved in social media. Lots of exciting stuff planned for their ag clients.
Agree complete. Too often businesses dismiss situations thinking there isn’t interest of volume, when really it should be viewed as an opportunity above all else.
Great article and tips.
.-= Claudia Guzman´s last blog ..Chiropractors and Social Media Marketing =-.
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“Create content that gives your customers and prospective customers insight into what type of company you really are.” [link to post]
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RT @jaybaer Give Them Something to Talk About (at AdFarm) [link to post]
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B2B marketers take note: “Social media is a B2 everything” via @jaybaer [link to post]
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RT @jaybaer: Companies are made up of great people. Social media lets you prove it. [link to post] (B2B social media advice + video)
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RT @jaybaer: Companies are made up of great people. Social media lets you prove it. [link to post]
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RT @jaybaer: Companies are made up of great people. Social media lets you prove it. [link to post]
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Jeff: I couldn’t agree more. We found the same problem with our linen rental business. Who wants to talk about that?
So we took some time to find out what our corporate story is and started creating content, using some techniques from Disney, to help create visual cues for our customers to grab hold of.
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RT @jaybaer: Companies r made up of great people. Social media lets you prove it. [link to post] Great companies trust great employees
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Good Advice RT @jaybaer: Companies r made up of great people. Social media lets you prove it. [link to post] -B2B soc med advice/video
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Eventually every company is going to have to participate/be social, because that’s what customers will demand @ [link to post]
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Another great video from Jay RT @jaybaer: B2B companies are made up of great people. Social media lets you prove it. [link to post]
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Great video from @jaybaer on why B2B cos need social media too.
[link to post] #socialmedia
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RT @jaybaer Companies are made up of great people. Social media lets you prove it. [link to post] (B2B social media advice + video)
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Give Them Something to Talk About | Social Media Marketing …: I’m a social media strategy consultant and .. [link to post]
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RT @jaybaer: Is your social media plan offensive or defensive? Responsive or proactive? [link to post]
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RT @jaybaer Is your social media plan offensive or defensive? Responsive or proactive? [link to post]
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RT @tweetmeme Give Them Something to Talk About [link to post]
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Social Media for B2B RT @jaybaer Give Them Something to Talk About [link to post]
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Regardless of your industry, you social media strategy should be proactive not reactive. Are you proactive? [link to post]
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RT @jaybaer Marketers – Give Them Something to Talk About [link to post] includes great video post
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Give Them Something to Talk About | Social Media Marketing … [link to post]
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You gave me a real good advice today. I just tend to RT or put a comment on something really interesting to read but haven’t really had the time to create something that others will talk about … I’ll take your advice on this…I can and I should fix this problem
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The secret to generating chatter about your brand in #socialmedia channels: Create something worth talking about. [link to post]
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RT: @jaybaer: Is your social media plan offensive or defensive? Responsive or proactive? [link to post]
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RT @DeepDishCreates: Good social media advice 4 #restaurants: RT @jaybaer: Give Yr Customers Something 2 Talk About [link to post]
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Your assertion that “every company will be social” is dead on. from my conversations, many business owners still feel it’s optional or superfluous to engage their audience on a personal level. Of course it’s optional, so is success in general. But to ignore where your customers are is the same as ignoring them altogether.
.-= Christian´s last blog ..Gary Vaynerchuk Rocks Chicago =-.
RT @DeepDishCreates: Good social media advice 4 #restaurants: RT @jaybaer: Give Yr Customers Something 2 Talk About http://bit.ly/3DESU4
RT @DeepDishCreates: Good social media advice 4 #restaurants: RT @jaybaer: Give Yr Customers Something 2 Talk About http://bit.ly/3DESU4
Give Them Something to Talk About http://bit.ly/1JCln2
RT @jaybaer Give Them Something to Talk About http://bit.ly/3DESU4
http://tinyurl.com/ylnlbv8
Give Them Something to Talk About
RT @tweetmeme Give Them Something to Talk About http://bit.ly/3DESU4