More Farmers Plugging Into Social Media
February 1, 2015 
University of Florida Ag Economics Students Andy Escobar and Jessica Fernandez presented a spot-on presentation demonstrating how to get the most out of social media.
Photo by Frank Giles
The older generation of growers might not be entirely comfortable with the use of social media, particularly when used for their business operations. Younger people have grown up immersed in the technology, so who better to educate attendees of the 2014 Florida Ag Expo about social media than students from the University of Florida’s Food and Resource Economics Department?
Jessica Fernandez and Andy Escobar presented “Getting The Most Out Of Social Media” during the event held at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Balm. The students made the point social media is an important tool in reaching consumers.
Be There Or Be Square
Consider that Millennials (ages 14 to 34) now have more buying power than Baby Boomers (ages 50 to 68) and that four out of five of them seek information using their mobile devices.
“That means whenever Millennials are curious about a product, they flip out their phone or open their tablet and go look for that information,” Fernandez said. “And, you want to be there and able to actively participate and motivate these individuals to go for your product.”
Social media is a cost-effective way to get in front of those Millennials with a whole lot of buying power. Facebook still reigns as the most used platform with 150 million Americans using the service.
Escobar pointed out companies can utilize multiple social media platforms to reach consumers and used Noble Juice as an example. The Florida-based company has more than 20,000 followers on Facebook and uses the page to link to their Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.
“Social media is really a great way for consumers to get to know the farmer better,” Escobar said. “It can show the consumer the extra effort being put into creating the product.”
Get The Picture
The students said there is a shift in preference to more picture-oriented posts in social media. That means (maybe) a site like Instagram could be the next big thing because of its emphasis on pictures in posts.
“With the way the Internet is, we really have no idea what the next big social media site will be,” Fernandez said. “Just remember to focus on quality and having a presence on these sites, whichever you choose is most important.”
Thanks to DuPont Crop Protection for sponsoring special coverage of the Florida Ag Expo.