International Red Brangus Breeders Association STAYING CONNECTED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

Transcription

1 International Red Brangus Breeders Association STAYING CONNECTED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

2 Introduction Mollie Lastovica Texas A&M University, Sophomore B.S. in Agricultural Communications & Journalism; B.A. in Political Science Grew up in Fredericksburg, TX; 3 rd generation Angus breeder Working for IRBBA since September 2011 managing communications efforts

3 Evolution of Communications Railroad system Printing press (mass communication) Telephone Cell phones Social Media

4 What IS Social Media? Used to describe a variety of online activities Encompasses technology integration, social interaction and constructing words, pictures, videos and audio in order to communicate Refers to having conversations and building relationships online

5 Social Media Outlets

6 Why does this matter?

7 There are over 400 million users on Facebook Myspace has over 200 million users 45 million people use LinkedIn

8 This is how people are choosing to communicate With this new form of communication comes new vocabulary, new lingo and new marketing tactics As the digital world progresses, it is important to make an effort to stay up with the times

9 I am a cattle breeder, how does this affect me? When used correctly and professionally, social media can be a great PR tool Global audience Free way to promote cattle, sales and events Build your reputation Promote your brand Maintain relationships with buyers, cattlemen and agricultural enthusiasts Share the story of agriculture with the world

10 For a company to get its message to an online community, it must join that community and not as a spectator, but as a passionate participant; a real fan Dr. Deborah Dunsford, Ag Communications & Journalism, Texas A&M University

11 Doing it right Key to successful online marketing is to focus on relationships, not advertisement Engage your farm or ranch with the online community Show that you care

12 Example: V8 Ranch Constant updates Photos to engage friends International fan base Rewards interaction Free giveaways Engages audience Example: Crystal Cattle Example: Star Lake Personal blog to advocate agriculture Brings in aspects from personal life and industry

13 Our Efforts:

14 E-Newsletter Weekly E-Blast with association and industry news sent every Friday to over 600 breeders Special Members Only E-Blasts to promote sale consignments, etc. Breeders can purchase E-Blasts to promote their sales or events

15 Facebook Post information on upcoming events Share industry news with fans Engage fans by asking for input for improvement

16 Facebook Most posts are reaching approximately 50 of our fans Steady increase in likes to page since Feb. 2012

17 Facebook Fans in 6 countries other than the U.S. Avg. age of fans is % male friends; 39% female friends

18 Redbrangus.org Share latest news Post updated show results Members Only advertising benefits: Featured Breeder, Marketplace, Directory

19 Redbrangus.org Feb set new record of monthly visits with 2643 Avg. daily visits for Feb.-April 2012 are up consistently Avg. daily hits for Feb.-April 2012 are up by approximately 650 from Nov./Dec. 2011

20 Moving Forward: E-Newsletter More breed-specific news Higher percentage of the 600 opening and reading Add breeders and cattlemen to the E-Blast list Increase use of E-Blast feature for special events and sales More photos included in newsletter

21 Moving Forward: Facebook Increase fan base Engage more Red Brangus breeders Increase interaction with IRBBA posts More photos added on regular basis

22 Moving Forward: redbrangus.org Update latest news on a more regular basis Increase use of Marketplace feature Facilitate more visits to the site through E-Newsletter and Facebook

23 This MUST be a team effort

24 How can you help? Join Facebook and like the IRBBA page Post photos of your Red Brangus and tag IRBBA Share the IRBBA page with your friends Provide input on what you would like to see in the IRBBA E-Newsletter Send suggestions to Mollie at Utilize the members only tools you are provided IRBBA Marketplace E-Blast (fee associated) Talk about IRBBA s social media efforts

25 Questions?

26 Special Thanks to the following for providing information for this presentation: Brittni Drennan, International Brangus Breeders Association Dr. Deborah Dunsford, Texas A&M University EDJE Technologies Facebook