The Internet has long been polarizing.
In the pro-Internet camp, marketing experts join procrastinating college students, pornography enthusiasts and compulsive online shoppers in hailing the Internet as the unavoidable and revolutionary next frontier in commerce.
One of the most important groups in the ever-shrinking opposing camp – who suspect the Internet is a giant time-suck with vague real-world benefits – is professionals who like doing things the old fashioned way.
These camps will collide March 8, when Colorado State University’s Katie Abrams and graduate student Caitlin Evans Wagner offer local farmers a free workshop about online marketing.
Abrams said the workshop, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is going to focus on Facebook, Twitter and WordPress and is designed to demystify the amorphous math of social media so farmers can see their Internet presence as simple arithmetic:
Farms plus more social media presence equals more sales.
Abrams said that formula is backed up by research. Studies conducted on 90 farms in Illinois show that there is a strong, direct link between farmers’ revenues and the number of Facebook likes that they have.
That math isn’t yet clear to local farmers, who say that social media falls somewhere between intimidating and pointless.
Only six farmers have so far signed up for Abrams’ online marketing workshop at the La Plata County Fairgrounds – though it’s free, and comes with a complimentary lunch. (The deadline for signing up is Feb. 20.)
“That’s one of the big things that a lot of people are afraid of,” said Abrams. “They think social media is like a puppy: You can get one for free, but it costs a lot of money and energy to feed and care for that puppy.”
Cynthia Stewart of Durango’s James Ranch – a pillar of local agriculture, said she is knee-deep in frantic, often conflicted advice about marketing online, with advertisers telling her it’s imperative she increase the farm’s presence on search engines like Yelp.
Stewart said James Ranch already is serious about marketing and online advertising. As things stand, the farm sends out a monthly newsletter to its contacts and offers tours of the farm to cultivate customers’ sense of connection to the food they are eating. She also said that the rise of agri-tourism means that people need to find out about places like James Ranch online, when they’re researching trips to Durango.
But Stewart said at this point, the value of investing in social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and WordPress remains elusive in a local industry where the majority of business takes place at a weekly farmers market.
In part, Stewart said the farm’s hesitation in embracing social media stems from unfamiliarity.
“It’s a challenge because of the time social media takes, and none of us are savvy,” she said. “None of us – me, my brother or my sister – is on Facebook or Twitter in our personal lives. If your family members are anything like mine, they’re just too busy to keep up with comments and updates on Facebook.”
Given the economic realities of local farming, Stewart also doubted whether social media advertising – which tilts young – could help an outfit like James Ranch, where the average customer is 45 years old.
“Yes, Facebook is out there and it’s really important for places like Serious Texas Bar-B-Q, where there’s a younger customer. But for us, is that energy well spent?”
Abrams said it might not make sense for farmers to expend a ton of energy in every social media platform.
“If Twitter isn’t making a difference to your bottom line, stop doing it,” she said.
But she said her workshop would provide farmers with clear-cut ways to track the social media’s financial impact on farms.
That’s not measured by a farm’s number of Twitter followers, or its Facebook likes. Abrams said social media’s usefulness is measured by keeping careful tabs on how many customers use coupons, attend events or chase promotions that farms publicized online.
“If you don’t have the ability to track direct business outcomes, like return on investments, it’s not useful,” said Abrams.
At James Ranch, Stewart said she thought Abrams’ workshop sounds like a great course.
“I am sure it’s going to offer some insight,” she said. “Social media is valuable, and it’s something we can’t be ignorant about.”
“I just can’t imagine my dad sitting down, trying to update on Facebook.”
cmcallister@durangoherald.com
if you go
Colorado State University will host a free online marketing workshop for farmers and ranchers from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 8 at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.
Participants must complete the online registration form by Feb. 20. The form can be found at www.beyondthefarmgate.org.
For more information, call Caitlin Evans Wagner at (269) 719-6250 or email Caitlin.evans@colostate.edu.
