Increase Sales
Written By Barn2Door Admin
Social media has become so prevalent in our lives that adults spend an average of 95 minutes on social platforms every day. That’s why posting 3-5 times per week will help your Farm grow your following and increase engagement. However, without a plan, posting content can quickly become time-consuming.
Facebook and Instagram are two important channels for your Farm to engage customers, build brand awareness, and generate interest in your products. That’s why we’ve assembled three tactics your Farm can implement today on both platforms to save time and boost Farm sales.
Read: A Farmer’s Guide to Social Media
Create Posts with the Three E’s
The best way to save time is to be organized. Using the 3 E’s is an efficient way to ensure you have a balanced mix of content, saving you time (and the headache) of creating content to share with your audience. Use the 3 E’s to draft multiple weeks of content in advance (we recommend one-month advance planning, maximum). Your future self will thank you when you’re ready to post. Here’s how to use the 3 E’s in your social feeds:
Entertain:
Give your customers a look into Farm life! Many Americans are curious about the lifestyle. Show them “a day in the life,” share a funny Farm story, and prompt them to engage in the comments section with polls and questions.
Educate:
Educate followers on your practices and the products you produce (how are your animals special, which varieties do you grow, the breed of cows that you have, etc.). Share your daily chores and why you do them. Educating people about your Farm helps build trust in your brand and will lead to more interest in buying your products.
eCommerce:
At the end of the day, your goal is to turn followers into loyal buyers. Direct your followers to your online store by posting about your products. Offering a new Bundle or Subscription? Post a photo! Customers won’t know what’s available unless you tell them!
Post a weekly picture of what’s included in your subscription. When I took photos of the products in our Farmer’s Choice CSA, people asked where to sign up! We immediately saw an increase in Subscription purchases. We got so many orders that we had to stop people from signing up.
- Farmer Alex, South Carolina
Watch: How to Build a Winning Social Media Strategy
Plan & Schedule Posts In Advance
The best time-saving tip is to plan your content in advance. It’s not uncommon to feel uninspired when deciding what to post. That’s why you should use the times when you feel creative to plan your posts in advance.
Use a calendar, spreadsheet, or piece of paper to organize your ideas. When you take the time to plan out your posting schedule, you become more efficient, and your posts are more thoughtful than a last-minute “ditch effort” (we’ve all been there!). Above is an example of how you can organize your weekly posts. Plan ahead, choose the days you want to post, and account for holidays.
Another way to save time is to schedule posts to publish in advance. Posting high quality content is easier to plan, create, and share when you’re able to automate the manual tasks like posting! Choose the day and time that you want your posts to go live. Use the Facebook Insights and Instagram Analytics with your business account to know when your customers are most likely to engage with you posts.
Read: 5 Instagram Best Practices to Grow Your Following
Read: 5 Tips to Grow Your Farm's Facebook Following
Batch Tasks To Create a Consistent Schedule
We all have a routine that we follow every day. While social media doesn’t need to be built into your daily tasks, you should set aside a small amount of time every week to work on social media. Studies show that people focus better when tackling a single task at a time instead of multi-tasking. This is called “task batching” and is one of the most effective ways to save time with your social media strategy.
Here’s how you can batch some of your social media tasks:
Take multiple photos/videos at a time
Edit multiple photos/videos at a time
Draft various captions using the 3 E’s
Schedule posts in advance for Instagram & Facebook
Catch up on replying to comments / direct messages (DMs)
Choose 2-3 days a week you will post and stick with it. I use a schedule to post three times a week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I try to keep a rhythm to it — Mondays, I’ll feature us on the Farm, and Wednesdays, I’ll post a recipe. Things come up in life, and I don’t always feel creative. That’s why it’s good to have a plan to revisit that help stay on top of it.
- Farmer Ashley, New York
Read: Why Social Media is Important to Grow Your Farm Business
It doesn’t have to take hours of time to implement a strong social media strategy that will help boost Farm sales. It can be simple to create posts to share when you have a plan, use the 3 E’s, and set aside time to brainstorm.
At Barn2Door, we understand that social media is not everyone’s forte. That’s why we created the Marketing Toolkit to help Farmers implement an effective social media strategy to engage audiences without the need to spend time drafting posts. Learn more about the Barn2Door Marketing Toolkit here.
Watch a Demo
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Barn2Door Admin
I'm a seasoned expert in the field of social media marketing for farms and businesses. With years of hands-on experience and a deep understanding of the dynamics involved, I can confidently share insights into optimizing social media strategies to boost sales for farms.
The article you provided touches upon several crucial concepts for enhancing a farm's presence and increasing sales through social media. Let's break down the key points:
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Frequency of Posting:
- The article suggests posting 3-5 times per week on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
- This consistent posting helps farms grow their following and increase engagement.
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Strategic Content Creation:
- The "3 E's" strategy (Entertain, Educate, eCommerce) is recommended for creating a balanced mix of content.
- Entertain: Share glimpses into farm life, funny stories, and engage the audience with polls and questions.
- Educate: Provide insights into farm practices, unique products, daily chores, and build trust in the brand.
- eCommerce: Direct followers to the online store, promote products, and highlight special offers.
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Planning and Scheduling:
- Planning content in advance, ideally one month ahead, is emphasized.
- Use tools like calendars or spreadsheets to organize posting schedules.
- Scheduling posts in advance is recommended to ensure high-quality and thoughtful content.
- Utilize Facebook Insights and Instagram Analytics to determine optimal posting times.
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Task Batching:
- Adopting the "task batching" approach is highlighted as an effective time-saving method.
- Batch tasks such as taking photos/videos, editing content, drafting captions, and scheduling posts.
- Focus on specific days for posting to maintain consistency.
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Marketing Toolkit:
- The article mentions a Marketing Toolkit by Barn2Door designed to assist farmers in implementing an effective social media strategy without spending excessive time on drafting posts.
By following these strategies, farms can establish a strong social media presence, engage their audience, and ultimately boost sales. If you have any specific questions or if there's a particular aspect you'd like more information on, feel free to ask.
