Facebook is the most popular social media platform with 2.5 billion active monthly users. It might not be your go-to social channel, but your customers will have a Facebook account, so your Farm needs to have one too. Facebook is a great way to reach potential buyers, promote products, advertise your Farm brand, and share your Farms’ story.
Here are 5 tips to help grow your Farm’s Facebook following. And yes, they actually work!
#1 - Choose the Right Category for your Business Page
First things first, your Farm needs a business page and not a personal profile. Facebook has a few different options on how you can categorize your page. Typically, we recommend choosing “Local Business or Place” or “Company, Organization, or Institution”. This matters because both options will allow Farmers to select a physical location, driving your Farm’s brand awareness in your local community.
A Facebook Business Page also allows you to share information about your Farm that a personal page can’t offer. Helping visitors learn about your Farm, what makes your products unique, and how they can purchase your products will be key to increasing brand awareness and driving traffic to your Farm store.
#2 - Go Back to the Basics
It’s important to make sure that your Facebook Farm page includes information visitors will want to know. Your About Page should provide key details about your Farm like a brief description, how to contact you, your location, operating hours, and the direct link to your website.
One of the most important features of a Facebook Business page is your Call-to-Action (or CTA), located at the top of your page. This is a one-click way to direct visitors to your website or shop from your Farm store. A clear CTA like “Shop Now” (linking directly to your Farm store) will give your page viewers an easy pathway to purchasing your products.
#3 - Focus on Visuals
Facebook is a highly visual social site. Use your Farm logo in your profile picture and display a cover photo that speaks to your Farm brand. Simplicity is key - so a landscape photo of your land, a group of your chickens, or a beautiful arrangement of your Farm fresh produce are great options for a cover photo.
When it comes to posting on Facebook, users are more likely to stop scrolling and engage with a post that is easy to decipher in the shortest time frame. Experts say you have less than 6 seconds to grab someone’s attention. An eye-catching photo does the job. A pop of color in a newsfeed will do more for your Farm brand than a paragraph describing what happened today.
Good news for you, it takes less time to snap a photo than to write a paragraph. You can effectively use photos to educate your followers on your products, entertain with a funny story that happened on the Farm that day, or promote a specialty or seasonal product. All you need is a brief caption and boom—stellar marketing content created!
# 4 - Focus Your Content
Posting on Facebook is a way to showcase your Farm brand. Each post should voice what you do and who you are. Of course your ultimate goal is to promote your Farm and drive traffic to your store, but Facebook is a social channel, where your Followers want to engage with you.
It’s important to find a balance and a rhythm to what you post. We’ve seen some Farmers make the mistake of posting only personal photos with no clear call to action that motivate Followers to shop. On the other hand, we’ve also seen Farmers make the mistake of posting ONLY sales-related content. Your Facebook Followers will engage more with a balanced mix of content that is educational, entertaining, and related to e-commerce. We often refer to this as the 3 E’s and is a great way ensure you’re posting a variety of different pieces of content.
Educate: People love to learn! Educate your Followers on why you have Jersey cows and what makes their dairy unique or share snippets of what life is like living on a Farm!
Entertain: Your Customers are on social media for a reason - share some laughable moments on the Farm or invite them to take a poll on their favorite product from your Farm!
E-commerce: Share a new product launch or what your Customers can expect for your Summer harvest. When in doubt, always provide a link where they can shop the product you mention.
Another great “hack” is to share user generated content! Did a Customer post a beautiful photo of your Farm fresh eggs or use your wild huckleberries in the muffins they baked? Including Followers content in your page is a great way to foster their connection with your Farm brand. This not only saves you time and energy, but it also promotes brand loyalty and creates a community based on your Farm’s products.
#5 - Use Facebook Insights to Analyze Activities
Your Facebook presence does not need to be elaborate—we know you have other important work to do. A good strategy is to set a simple goal for the number of times you’ll post each week.We recommend posting a 2-3 times a week to engage Followers regularly.
Another key to success is to track what’s working and what’s not. Monitoring your metrics to find trends in what types of content is “successful” (or actively engaging Followers) is a great way to continue posting quality content. Facebook’s internal analytics tool allows you to view information about your Business page including a post’s reach, including likes, comments, and shares. Having access to this information can give you critical insights into the best time to post, which posts are most engaging, and the location of your audience (which is useful for targeting).
At Barn2Door, we’re proud to serve 1000’s of Farmers across the country by helping them increase sales, access more customers, and save time. If you’re curious about how we can help your Farm implement successful social media strategies, watch this 5-minute video.