Doomscrolling Stops Here: How Ag Companies Can Flip the Script While Strengthening Their Brand By Stephanie Metzinger, Communications Manager Business tycoon Warren Buffett said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” His teaching rings even more true in today’s “new normal,” where COVID-19 has significantly increased the use of technology, digital platforms and social media.
When coronavirus triggered a nationwide lockdown in March 2020 and consumers were forced to spend more time at home, activity on all major social networks— Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok—soared. According to the Harris
your audience and take proactive steps to provide them with the information they crave. With more eyes surveying what companies are doing, mastering the tools to protect your brand reputation is key. Below are three
Poll, 51% of U.S. adults have been using social media more since the outbreak began. The crisis has reinvigorated
guidelines on how to strengthen your digital presence during this pandemic. Silence Is Not Always Golden
51% OF U.S. ADULTS USE SOCIAL MEDIA MORE SINCE COVID-19 BEGAN.
social media, presenting farming and agriculture companies with an opportunity to speak directly to consumers about their food supply. The public wants to know that they have a stable food supply—and
When a crisis strikes, many companies tend to either say too much or nothing at all. Neither of those tactics works—especially in the food and ag industry where consumers rely on our products daily. Check in regularly with your audience, letting them know that a disaster such as COVID-19 has not impacted your ability and dedication to
there is no better person to tell the story than the farmers who produce it. As consumers are “doomscrolling,” or consuming an endless procession of negative
growing and delivering fresh produce. Earn Trust through High-Quality Content The pandemic has caused a boom in video-sharing as
online news, farms can get in front of the news. Rather than wait for a misleading statement by media to go viral and ultimately damage your brand, be transparent with
WHO DID IT RIGHT: Between Facebook and Instagram, HMC Farms allows consumers to journey to the farm by sharing “show-and-tell” type videos that cover topics such as trialing an autonomous wheel barrow and explaining how plastic is used as an umbrella to protect the grapes.
Del Bosque Farms and John Boelts of Desert Premium Farms leverage their Twitter accounts to post photos that give an “inside look” into their crops/fields as well as short videos about everyday farm happenings. For example, one of Del Bosque Farms’ most powerful posts was a 3-second video demonstrating how “First thing in the morning, our team washes their hands. Every team member washes their hands at least six times every day.”
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