marketing

Learn How Social Media Is Being Used by HSUS

Truffle Media Networks — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:45:22 +0000

This presentation by Carie Lewis, Director of Emerging Media, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), offers a great view in to how HSUS is strategic in its use of social media. While you may or may not like the HSUS, they do have a plan and know where they need to go. Everyone in agriculture needs to leverage this HSUS information to help advocate (aka agvocate) their agriculture, farm, and ranch story.

Click arrow below to play.

Taking Online Dairy Advocacy to the Next Level

Truffle Media Networks — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:25:08 +0000

How can you utilize social media in agriculture? What steps should you take when general media portrays farming operations in a negative light? This webinar offers some guidance, tools, and resources to help. Webinar from Dairy Management Inc. and myDairyToolkit.com, December 14, 2011.

For full screen, click on player below. Click to share video with others.

Truffle Media's 3 Words for 2012

Truffle Media Networks — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:36:31 +0000

I was recently reminded of Chris Brogan's "My 3 Words for 2011" (plus 2010, 2009, and 2008) and thought how I would apply this to Truffle Media Networks.

One of the recommended approaches is to

"think long and hard about what these words will mean for you, how you can sum up an entire PERSPECTIVE into these words, and how you can use them as guideposts for your actions in the coming year."

So in this spirit I take a jab at creating the three words and share the deeper why.

Delegate. Great companies can't do it all. There are some tasks that just are not a good fit for a company to take on. Yet they have to have the task completed. They find someone to take on the work and get it done. Delegate, outsource, assign, whatever the word, they found the balance of getting tasks done.

Delegate. My grandmother was a great delegator. She was able to accomplish many great things in her community because she was able to discover the talents of her friends, family, colleagues, and associates, and, when the time came, make the ask. Part of delegation is learning to let go of the task and accept the outcome of the completed task. My grandmother was good at that. Yes, she had a set of standards. But she incorporated those standards into her talent identification process.

Delegate. Truffle Media Networks is a small organization with lots of ideas. We have to prune the ideas to a manageable level but still there are tasks we just don't have the internal resources to do. Historically we have killed ideas because we didn't have the people power. But that also meant we killed off possible products, maybe for the wrong reason. We need to look at what we truly want to do and figure out how to get it done. Delegate.

Deliver. That is what you expect from your local pizza place. If they don't deliver you stop ordering from them.

Deliver. You expect delivery from your home town newspaper. However, delivery gets a bit more complicated with a newspaper. The first part of deliver is "Did the paper get delivered this morning?", an easy thing to confirm. But newspapers must also deliver on the stories, and this gets very subjective in the news media business. Is the paper delivering on my expectations as a news channel for me? Is the newspaper delivering in its mission to be the neighborhood information and editorial source?

Deliver. The Truffle Media Networks team has been in the digital agriculture media world since late 2004. The aim originally was to leverage these things called iPods to bring relevant ag information and updates to top tier agri-producers, with the tag line "Podcasting With A Purpose". In late 2009 we changed the tag line to "Ag Media You Can Use" because we believed ag information for information's sake was not helpful, but ag media that you could actually use was definitely needed. However, in 2011 we don't believe we have really lived up to that tag line. So we either de(live)er on that or move on. Deliver.

Visible. I see my US mail delivery people certainly weekly. I know when they (there are two, sharing the route) will arrive. I know what to expect and they know who I am. They are visible.

Visible. I don't see my congressperson very much. I sometime forget who it is, except when they want to get (re)elected. Even then they are not visible in my part of the world. They are selectively visible whenever they want something.

Visible. Truffle Media Networks is visible in a variety of ways but are we visible and remembered? We attend ag focused events. We share an email update with our audience in a regular basis. We participate in ag related social media communities. But are we selectively visible, only showing up when we want something? We believe to be truly helpful we need to be visible when we don't need something. We need to be visible to help agri-professionals do their job better. Visible.

Delegate, Deliver, Visible. These are the three words Truffle Media Networks will use as guideposts for 2012. What are your three words?

Happy New Year,
John Blue

Is There a Consumer / Producer Communications Gap?

Truffle Media Networks — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 03:28:49 +0000

Audio link via SwineCast

Dr. Marty Strauss understands the issues consumers have in understanding food/food information. He also understand agricultures desires to help. Dr. Strauss offered how to better bridge the producer/consumer communications gap.

Consumers to Food Animal Industry: Natural and Free Range mean what?

Truffle Media Networks — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:30:17 +0000

via sl.farmonline.com.au

What does "free range" or "natural" mean in animal agriculture. In Australia there is a call formally put in place definition that will help consumers understand the differences and reduce marketing confusion.

The beef industry could face a crackdown from the consumer watchdog for using the word ''natural'' to describe its products in the wake of legal action against the chicken meat industry for using the term ''free to roam''.

Companies like McDonalds look to food animal industries and trade groups to clarity their product marketing so as to avoid consumer back lash.

Missing in Agricultural Media?

Truffle Media Networks — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:04:07 +0000

via Truffle Media

Amongst agriculture communicators, many are familiar with webinars, online media consumption, and using a smart phone. However 62% feel they are beginners or have no expertise in search engine optimization (SEO). Additionally, 64% believe social media will be more important than email in the next several years, as a way to communicate with those in agriculture. This information is from a survey Truffle Media conducted in August 2011 (PDF).

What are believed to to be most valuable communications tools in the next several years: Social media and smart phones top the list.

Ag communicators level of expertise with the following (1 = No expertise, 5 = High expertise): Many people feel comfortable with Facebook and YouTube but they do not believe they have expertise in search engine optimization (SEO) or location based apps.

What is agri-tourisim and urban ag?

Truffle Media Networks — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:24:44 +0000

What is Agri Tourisim and Urban Ag? Agri business professional continue to look for ways to generate revenue and keep relevant with their customers. For those that have unique businesses or whose core customers are city folks, agri-tourisim and urban agriculture is a way to connect and educate about agriculture.

What Are the Top 3 Consumer Decisions in Food Purchases?

Truffle Media Networks — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:36:56 +0000

via FoodIntegrity.org

The Center for Food Integrity published its 2011 Consumer Trust Research (PDF link). The top three priority goals driving consumer food choices include: Safe food, affordable food for me and my family, and nutritious food. It was noted that consumers distinguish between family farmers versus commercial farmers.

There is an inverse relationship between the perception of shared values and priorities for commercial farms. Consumers fear that commercial farms will put profit ahead of principle and therefore cut corners when it comes to other priority issues. As farms continue to change in size and scale we have to overcome that bias by more effectively demonstrating our commitment to the values and priorities of consumers.

Charlie Arnot offers an introduction (audio link) to the research and its approach to organizing the data.

Survey of Agriculture Company and Organization Social Media Bases

Truffle Media Networks — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:51:52 +0000

In a survey of 526 agribusiness and organizations, 215 had a LinkedIn page, 146 had an organization focused Twitter account, and 252 had a Facebook page.

Public link to Google Spreadsheet

What Do Farmers Think About Consummers?

Truffle Media Networks — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:50:26 +0000

via USFRAonline.org

The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance's Survey of Farmers, Ranchers, and Consumers suggests that 93% of farmers and ranchers believe consumer's perception of US modern farming practices are somewhat or not accurate at all. The survey also notes that consumers are firmly divided on the direction of modern agriculture.

These and other survey observations were discussed in the Food Dialogues Town Hall, segments of which can be watched on-line.