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Ag Marketing– On the Internet!

Ag Marketing– On the Internet!. Using Current Technology and Social Media to Market Your Products. Dr. Brian Whitacre Department of Agricultural Economics Oklahoma State University brian.whitacre@okstate.edu. Why is the Internet Important?.

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Ag Marketing– On the Internet!

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  1. Ag Marketing– On the Internet! Using Current Technology and Social Media to Market Your Products Dr. Brian Whitacre Department of Agricultural Economics Oklahoma State University brian.whitacre@okstate.edu

  2. Why is the Internet Important? • More and more, people are turning to the Internet as their FIRST SOURCE of information • Even more as mobile Internet usage increases • Survey respondents asked where they would turn if they only had 1 source of information: Source: Zogby Interactive Survey, June 2009

  3. And Even More In the Future! • Respondents also asked what they saw as the main source of information in 5 years: Source: Zogby Interactive Survey, June 2009

  4. 5 Real-World Options for Marketing Ag Products Online • Local Harvest • Craigslist • Email Newsletters • Blogs • Facebook

  5. Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org) • Customers search for organic food grown close to them • Can search by product or by state • Join FOR FREE! • 148 farms currently listed in Oklahoma • Info specific to their farm / link to website (if they have one)

  6. www.localharvest.org How to Get Started Sign up for an account Find a farm in OK Shop by Category

  7. Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) • FREE Online Classifieds • Extremely simple website design (circa 1996) • Organized by Community • Can search nearby communities or larger metropolitan areas • “Farm + Garden” category • Sell corn, wheat, goats… • Post your phone # • Use anonymous email address • Constantly updated

  8. www.craigslist.org How to Get Started Post to Classifieds Search ‘Farm+Garden’

  9. Email Newsletters • Most Popular: Constant Contact • Pay monthly fee (~$15), send out emails to your contact list (must develop yourself) • Good choice for many agribusinesses with repeat customers (agritourism, wineries, bed & breakfast) • NOT a website – you will simply design nice-looking emails (templates provided) • Stats provided on who opened, went to links, etc.

  10. www.constantcontact.com How to Get Started Check out pricing plans Look into promoting an event View Email Newsletters

  11. Blogs • Online journal for your farm • Updated daily / weekly / monthly • Can require significant time investment! • Used to create awareness of what you are doing, and generate returning customer base • Pictures of farm life, products, events • FREE programs available: wordpress, blogspot • Check out some OK farm blogs: • http://turtlerockfarm.wordpress.com/ • http://bootstrapfarm.blogspot.com/ • http://lifeatfortyacrefarm.blogspot.com/

  12. How to Get Started • www.blogspot.com • www.wordpress.com Sign up! Sign up!

  13. Facebook • Facebook: Has overtaken Google as THE most popular Internet site • Build “Fan Pages” • Post pictures / videos • Hold discussions • Page primarily developed through dynamic relationship with fans

  14. How to Get Started • Get a Personal Facebook Page (if you haven’t already) • Create a “Fan Page” for your farm • Search “Create” under your personal page Create a Page!

  15. How Much Time Do I Spend on This?? • No surprise…the farms that spend the most time on their blogs / Facebook / Craiglist are the ones that get the most out of it • 3 different farms on Facebook:

  16. About Websites… • All of the above techniques can be used WITHOUT a dedicated farm website • But, all work BETTER if you can link to a farm-specific site • Can be simple (single page) or more involved (multiple pages, e-commerce) • Websites are NOT overly expensive to get! • ~$100 / year for all necessary ingredients

  17. Some Do-It-Yourself Website Builders: • Yahoo! SiteBuilder • http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/index.php • GoDaddy’s Website Tonight • http://www.godaddy.com/hosting/website-builder.aspx • Wix.com • http://www.wix.com/

  18. The OSU E-commerce Program • We offer workshops on: • Website Building • PayPal 101 • Search Engine Optimization (including marketing on Facebook) • Contact: Workshops are hands-on (in a computer lab), limited to 10 – 15 people, and last approximately 3 hours each Dr. Brian Whitacre Oklahoma State University brian.whitacre@okstate.edu (405) 744-9825

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