Four reasons why your family farm needs to be on social media

You probably check your social media more than you think, or rely on it for more than just seeing someone’s cute baby pictures. The fact is, social media has infiltrated much of our daily lives and so if you run a family farm, you definitely should have a presence there.

You might be asking yourself why. Isn’t it a lot of work for not a lot of benefit? Or maybe you don’t know much about social media, so it is intimidating.

Family farms, like many small businesses, should have a presence on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram because that’s where your customers are. And if you aren’t spending time where your customers spend time, you could be losing business.

The fact is, the average person spends about two hours a day on social media. And they use it to crowdsource everything – from what kind of dog is the best to where to have dinner to what to do on the weekends. And if your family farm isn’t in the mix, you are missing out.

Here are four reasons your family farm should be on social media. Read on:

Communication

When people are looking for something — food, entertainment options, pretty pictures – they increasingly are turning to social media. They want to communicate with businesses where they are, so they want to send messages on social media. If you aren’t on social media, you are asking people to do something with their phones that they don’t often use them for – make a phone call. So, start some social media pages and monitor them daily. People will find you.

Information

Do you have an event coming up? Is your farm stand full of delicious produce? Tell people about it! Word-of-mouth now comes via social media, so that’s where you should be spreading your information. Frequent posts about events, your offerings and other happenings will reach the right people – drawing more business.

Outreach

Networking with other farmers is something you might not do often, but it can be important for your business. Finding and following other family farms can give you fresh ideas on your business – and your life. And having a network of other family farms to bounce ideas off of can help, too.

Stories

Sometimes, one of the best things about social media is just connecting with other humans who are interested in the stories you tell. Farming is fascinating to many people who didn’t grow up with roots in agriculture. Talking about your day, your life and your livelihood is interesting. You have wonderful stories to share. And social media gives you a platform to do so.

Fresh Forward

At Fresh Forward, feeding families is our passion. We work with local farmers to get the best, and freshest, produce on your family’s table. Ask your favorite grocery store, farm stand or produce market to carry Fresh Forward products.

Learn more about the Fresh Forward mission here.