There are so many different platforms, that sometimes you just don’t know where to start! I am going to break down the main reasons why you would (and would not) want to participate in some of the most popular platforms, and ones that I believe are essential.
However, remember that every business is different and you have to know who you want to attract and where to find them. For example, targeting LinkedIn is probably not going to result in you finding your ideal client if you are looking to target the consumer, but would be best if it is a business you are looking to attract.
My main takeaway from this are to invest your time in an awesome website, YouTube channel and Google Page. You can play with that content to use on social media channels that you deem worthwhile (my opinions on those are below), but you should spend the majority of your time building up the searchable places where people can find you (website, YouTube, Google).
(We may earn an affiliate commission (at no cost to you) on links included in this post. Please read the disclaimer for more.)
Table of Contents
Why is Marketing Your Company Important?
Whether you are looking to attract consumers or other businesses to your business, your marketing matters. The first impression that a consumer or business sees can affect whether they buy from you or do business with you. You want to make it a good first impression!
Your marketing program can help you succeed in selling your product and getting consumer buy-in, just by sharing about your business, what you do, and by providing understanding to potential customers. Your brand presence throughout the different platforms should be continuous and be a clear reflection of your brand.
Website
Every business needs one. People need to be able to find you. If they hear about you on social media or via an ad or whatever, they need to be able to easily go to your website to learn more about your company and the services/products that you offer. (The same goes for setting up a Google account, so that your company shows up when someone Google’s you, and learns the details of when you are open, where you are located, etc.)
Your website does not need to be super intricate or complicated, but it does need to contain a few key components, including:
- Information about your company – Is it a 3rd generation family farm or just getting started? Where are you located? Which months out of the year are you in production? Are you open to visits from the public? This is your “About” page on your website and should include details about your company and answer frequently asked questions (either those you have received or anticipate receiving!).
- What are the products/services you sell – This is probably the most important page on your website and it needs to be very clear. What do you offer and how to buy it. This will look differently based on whether you are selling to another business or to the consumer.
- How to contact you – This is your “Contact” page and you either need to have a contact form for people to fill out or direct email(s) for them to contact. I personally prefer direct emails, because, based on my experience, you get more spam email from contact forms and it is less personal for the person trying to get in touch. Either way, it needs to be clear how to contact you and whoever receives the message on your end needs to respond in a timely manner. The contact page is also a great place to include details related to your hours of operation, a phone contact number, and direct email/phone contacts for B2B communications.
- Optin form – This could be a pop-up, a slider or even a little box on your front page. Regardless, you need to have this to start growing your mailing list!
Newsletter
A newsletter is, by far, the most important thing you can do to keep a directory of your ideal customers. Social media is great, but when the platforms change their algorithms or go out for hours, you no longer have access to any of your ideal customers. With a newsletter, you have everyone’s email address and you can send out a newsletter directly to their inbox whenever you want. It might not look great for “follower” count for other people to see and might start out really small, but those are involved and interested people that you want to be able to have direct contact and feedback with.
Disclaimer: You use your newsletter strategically, so you are not emailing out every day or as much as you might on social media, but you are emailing out a clear and important message, such as a sale that is taking place, changes to your business, a new recipe to share, etc.
Some different options for newsletter services includes:
- Flodesk
- Mailchimp
- Convertkit
These listserve providers also allow for you to include pop-ups/optins on your website (and even landing pages – a live page on the internet – if you don’t have a website set up yet!). They keep the directory of subscribers, allow quick email delivery and will email them whatever you are promising in return for their email. For example, if you offer an eGuide, they will mail it to them after they enter their email address. Or, if you’re selling something on your site and are offering a discount code for people who optin, they will either provide that on the spot and/or via email.
After trying both Convertkit and Flodesk (both for over a year), I highly recommend Flodesk for your mailing service. It is cheaper than basically everything else, they have great templates, do not require any coding, and they don’t increase the price based on your subscriber count, which really pays off over time!
YouTube
If you plan on doing any sort of video marketing, I highly recommend having and using a YouTube account. Even if you plan on just making short videos on another platform, also put them on YouTube. YouTube is a shareable platform that allows your content to be searched long into the future (just like content on your site). It is not just something that is in the moment or something that you hope goes viral. For example, if you do a post showing how you plant iceberg lettuce, whenever people search that in the future (assuming you put in the right keywords), they should be able to find your video. That is powerful. And, that is not something that happens often on the other platforms.
I should also note that YouTube has jumped on board to what the other platforms are doing and has started a YouTube Shorts program, where you can upload short videos that are basically identical to TikTok videos and Reels using the YouTube app on your phone and that also provides you further reach. After going into the Shorts section, it also becomes a part of your YouTube library that can be searchable into the future.
Social Media
This applies for all social media platforms: At the very least, just login to the different platforms and take the username for your company so that you can be “theproducenerd” versus “theproducenerd123” or something silly like that!
You decide what is best for you and your ideal customer, but based on my experience and observations, these are the takeaways that I would suggest considering for each platform:
- Instagram – This platform is great for reaching the consumer, as well as connecting with other agricultural companies. I see a lot of agricultural workers sharing their knowledge with each other, as well as companies helping support other companies.
- Facebook – I personally do not like or recommend Facebook, unless you are looking to do advertisements and want help trying to find your target consumer market. Facebook feeds can quickly fill up with shares and irrelevant advertisements that kind of fade out the user experience. On the other hand, if you are looking to make a group and bring people together, that is the only reason I would recommend Facebook. (However, if you find that your local community partakes in this particular form of social media, then you should adapt and do it to find your local ideal customer.)
- TikTok – This platform is known for short videos, that primarily were of different dances, but have transformed into place for everything, including food tutorials and teaching the audience about something. The best part about the TikTok phenomenon is that the other platforms have jumped on board, so if you make a TikTok video, you can also repurpose that and use it as an Instagram Reel and/or YouTube Short. (Or, you can make the videos in the other platforms or another video editor and repurpose them to TikTok!) The whole point being that you are about to essentially hit three groups at once!
- LinkedIn – This is a great platform for business to business marketing, whether you are using a business LinkedIn account or the individual employees are posting on their individual accounts related to your company. Normally, this looks like someone in higher management, and they are showing a behind the scenes look at what they are doing, in addition to sharing about the products and/or services they are selling. In addition to sharing, you are also there to build connections with other people that have similar interests and then they buy into what you are selling over time.
- Pinterest – This one is a bit harder for me to buy into because if you are a produce company selling produce and/or services, Pinterest is a bit of a far stretch. Maybe, if you are trying to spread one of your recipes far and wide? However, I truly believe your time is better spent on other platforms, and maybe you will show up on Pinterest if someone shares a recipe or something related to your products.
The most important thing is that whatever platform you decide to jump on board with and really go all out, you need to have someone designated to answer questions and comments that come in. The greatest part about social media is connecting with your ideal customer, and they enjoy being able to have direct communication as well!
If you are looking for help getting started, need a reboot, or just need someone to take over the marketing for your company, The Produce Nerd has got you covered! Reach out today to megan@theproducenerd.com to get started!