Tag Archives: Twitter

Farmers and Social Media — a natural match

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photo by Michelle Damico

The RFD Radio Network, a production of the Illinois Farm Bureau, has invited me to monthly appearances on their morning news program called Farm Week Today. I’ve been interviewed by hosts Julie Root and Alan Duran about the growth in the number of farmers hitching their tractors to social media. Each week we delve into a new topic related to social media.

In this excerpt, I discuss how social media lets  farmers begin conversations with their customers long before their crops sprout out of the ground.

Michelle on RFD Radio

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Turning Heads: Farmers on Social Media

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This week I was interviewed on Illinois Farm Bureau Radio, which to my surprise is carried on nearly two dozen radio stations in Illinois and Iowa. Host Julie Root of the program Farm Week Now, interviewed me along with Emily Webel, mother of four and co-operator (along with her husband) of a livestock and grain farm in central Illinois. Emily tells her story  through her blog Confessions of a Farm Wife.

We talked about why social media is gaining popularity among farmers and agri-businesses ranging from honey farmers, corn and grain producers, organic farmers and livestock producers.

 

You can listen to the radio interview AND read Julie Root’s blog post on our interview. The audio can be found in a radio box on the left side of Julie’s blog. You can also hear Julie’s entire radio interview at http://www.farmweeknow.com/radio.aspx by looking for the “Morning Programs” and click on the date March 23, 2011. Our segment ran started about 25 minutes into the program. It was a lot of fun!

Follow Julie Root on Twitter @Julie_RFDRadio

 

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Media interview — Thrill or terror?

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DFID Youth Reporter interviews Minouche Shafik

Image by DFID - UK Department for International Development via Flickr

It’s the payoff for all your hard work—a news reporter has discovered your company’s fantastic new product or service. She wants to learn more about you. You’re torn between feelings of thrill and terror. Done right, mass media coverage can boost your credibility, increase awareness and lead to a spike in leads or sales. Done wrong, you may miss the chance to communicate the benefits of your product or service and fritter away your 15 minutes of fame.

Being questioned by a reporter is challenging for the inexperienced and unprepared. When I was a news reporter for WXRT and WBEZ in Chicago, I conducted hundreds of interviews every year for 15 years. I could easily discern the skilled interviewee from the newbie. For the skilled, the interview is a tango – a dance full of bold yet graceful moves, with accents on the appropriate twists and turns.  For the unskilled, an interview is like sitting through dental work without painkillers.

The key to mastering any interview is being in control and doing the advance work that inspires confidence. So park your jitters and skepticism at the door. This is the first in a series of tips on preparing for and controlling a media interview.

“Control” doesn’t mean manipulate. It means crafting a compelling message for your target audience and using the tactics and discipline needed to make sure the reporter understands and repeats that message in the story.

Just as the first step in the sales process is to understand the customer’s needs, the first step in the interview process is to know what the reporter needs and to whom he/she is communicating. Even before scheduling your interview, find out details so you understand what the reporter is looking for. Learn about their beat, media outlet and its audience.  As you coordinate scheduling, don’t hesitate to ask the following:

  • What’s your story about?
  • Do you have a specific angle in mind?
  • Will you conduct the interview in person or by phone? (Many now will send questions via email, which is great because you have more time to think about your answers, and you have a written record if you’re misquoted.)
  • Who else have you talked to?
  • How did you hear about me/my company/product?
  • What is your deadline?
  • When will you run this story?

I advise clients not to ask to review or approve the story before it runs. Allowing a source to edit his/her own story is viewed as an attempt to control coverage. Reporters may follow up with you to check their facts. But no respectable media outlet would allow you to edit (or in their view, censor) a reporter’s work.

After getting answers to those questions, do some simple research to learn a little bit about the reporter. A Google search will reveal the latest stories written by that person, as well as their interests, beats, and tone of their writing. Often news organizations will provide a reporter’s bio in the “Contact” or “Staff” directory of the outlet’s web site.

If none is available, keep digging. With so many media people on Facebook, Twitter and other popular social networks, you’re likely to find helpful information about a reporter’s background, personality and approach to his interview subjects.

Next tip: Preparing for the interview.

 

 

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Social Web helps farmers plant seeds for growth

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Photo by Michelle Damico

Madison Farmer's Market

 

Most people don’t put farming and social media in the same sentence, but farmers are jumping on the Facebook bandwagon, whether they’re agri-tourism destinations such as Stade’s Farm in Johnsburg, specialty farmers, organic farmers such as Sweet Home Organics in LaFox and artisan producers of cheese, jams or natural soaps, fibers and wool. You meet them at your local farmer’s markets, providing advice and guidance on how to prepare their locally grown produce. They establish customer relationships that unfortunately go on hiatus during the winter months. Using Facebook or Twitter is a natural way to keep the conversation going year-round, and to keep learning and building trust between the farmer and his\her customers. It’s also a great and timely way to spread word of mouth about their offerings and availability throughout the growing season

I’m presenting at a social media workshop — Planting Seeds for Business Growth – Tuesday, March 29th and it’s sponsored by the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation and will be held at the McHenry County Farm Bureau (1102 McConnell Road, Woodstock, IL 60098).  If you patronize farms or farmers markets, please spread the word to any farmers you may know.  I have more details below. Thanks much. Michelle

Farmers and farm-based businesses will learn how they can deploy free social media tools to market their businesses, generate valuable word-of-mouth, attract new customers, strengthen current relationships, drive website traffic and support agri-tourism and the local economy. They’ll also learn about farms that already use Facebook, YouTube and other networks to connect with customers.

Social media evangelists Marla Pendergrast and Michelle Damico will make an informative and engaging presentation to demonstrate how using free social media tools can lead to real business results. Marla and Michelle have developed the highly successful digital properties for Twin Garden Farms and other local businesses. They will share their experiences and discuss which social media tools are right for you.
We will also discuss how interactive online communication, including Web sites, social media marketing, and video can help County farmers and farm businesses develop trade opportunities and open new markets.

Reserve tickets through the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation.

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Red Cross Voluntweeters turning heads, again!

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As a follow up, it’s worth sharing that the Chicago Red Cross‘ “Voluntweeters to the Rescue” story that I blogged about previously got picked up today by Newsradio 780 reporter Bernie Tafoya. Here’s one of his reports that aired during this morning’s newscasts. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/02/21/stranded-motorists-used-twitter-during-blizzard/.

I’m hoping the Red Cross experience with Twitter during the Chicago Blizzard will convince the City of Chicago to take a closer look at how Twitter can easily be used to respond to emergencies and disasters. Given that the Red Cross carried out its Twitter Blizzard Rescue with little to no budget, relying solely on a band of volunteers, it is a great lesson on the power of crowdsourcing and the right social media tools when disaster strikes.

This story is getting a lot of interest — just do a search of @ChicagoRedCross on Twitter to see the number of people tweeting about it. It’s definitely worth talking about. Hope you spread the word.

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Twitter, Red Cross ‘Voluntweeters’ to the Rescue in Chicago Blizzard

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chicago blizzard

Image by chadmagiera via Flickr

Flag of the Red Cross

Image by Wikipedia

Tweeting to save humanity is a pretty lofty goal, but it’s not beyond reach for Jackie Mitchell, Marketing/Communications Director of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. Mitchell (@Your_MsSunshine) had amazingly vivid and attention-grabbing stories about how the volunteer-driven (90% volunteers) Red Cross is using Twitter to literally try to save people when disaster strikes. She recently shared her account with digital PR professionals attending the 4th Annual Ragan Communications Conference for Social Media PR and Corporate Communications.

The Great Groundhog Day Blizzard in Chicago, Feb 1, 2011 pounded the metropolitan area with nearly 2 feet of snow in a matter of hours. Snowfall measuring 20.2 inches (officially at O’hare Airport) and heavy winds stranded hundreds of commuters in their cars on Chicago’s heavily traveled roadway, Lake Shore Drive.

All lanes were jammed with vehicles that were either stopped for or involved in accidents or had simply run out of gas.  As they waited in their lanes, blowing snow turned cars into giant snow drifts and left people stranded for more than 10 hours in some cases without food or water. The city urged drivers to stay in their cars, but offered little information about when and what kind of help would be coming.

Research by the Red Cross shows that 74% of those surveyed believe an emergency responder would hear an SOS tweet. “They believe you would respond within an hour –the public thinks your listening.  People think if they tweet about an emergency, than someone will come with help. The Red Cross is continually looking for ways to do things differently so we can respond.”  Mitchell said Twitter just happened to be the right tool at the right time.

“Chicago Red Cross started preparing for the blizzard because we knew everyone would be talking about it. By following popular hashtags such as #snOMG, #ChicagoBlizzard, @snowmageddon, #snowpocalypse and #snoprah – we immediately saw what people were talking about and then began engaging with them. Mitchell says the Red Cross has learned early on in their own Twitter presence that “to mobilize or move someone to act or donate, you have to understand what their shared value is. Our “voluntweeters” know that too and they began tweeting the dire situation to their followers.  We soon caught media attention. In some cases, reporters found the Red Cross tweets more timely than information coming from official sources.

“We found ourselves functioning like a news source, and later learned how many media outlets were referring to us,” Mitchell said. “When disaster strikes, it’s common for our social media conversation to drive the traditional media conversation.”

Providing information remained secondary to its main mission – helping those in need. Volunteers, many of whom were identified through Twitter crowdsourcing, converged on Lake Shore Drive, distributing water and food to those stranded in cars until warming buses arrives to take them to Red Cross shelters. More than 360 commuters were taken to shelters that night.

Mitchell says search and rescue during a disaster isn’t something the Red Cross typically does (most local aid goes to helping families displaced by house fires). But Mitchell says that matching people who wanted to help with people who could help was the right thing to do to “honor” their community.

“It wasn’t our niche, but it was our community. We honored community and they responded afterwards with gratitude by making donations, giving blood and offering to volunteer,” she said.

There are many lessons from the Chicago Red Cross’ Blizzard response. Donations and volunteers are the lifeblood of the Red Cross — without either the Red Cross would cease to exist. She says the Blizzard of 2011 proved once again, that finding those who need your help, mobilizing followers to act, and genuinely engaging with all audiences leads to real results. The proof? Mitchell says Red Cross tweets, news and updates generated so much good will and credibility among the community, that offers of cash, blood donations and volunteer assistance immediately followed the snow storm.

If you’d like to donate blood, cash, or your own time to the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, go to http://www.chicagoredcross.org and Donate Now!

You can also go to the Chicago Red Cross Flickr stream or YouTube Channel to see volunteers in action on and following the Great Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011!  Here’s a YouTube video interview of a Lake Shore Driver rescued by the Red Cross. He’s a teacher at Clara Barton Elementary School — an amazingly funny coincidence, since Clara Barton is the founder of the American Red Cross!

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The Best Freebie Social Media Tools

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Free Tools
Image by phatcontroller via Flickr

Facebook-for-business Guru Lara Solomon from Australia, otherwise known as the Social Rabbit, has asked me to be a guest blogger today while she’s on vacation and she asked me to write about a topic relevant to social media and business. Since measuring results is made so easy and instantaneous on social media, it’s worth a few hundred words today.

There are a variety of tools to measure your impact on social networks and with so many freebies available, I recommend trying them first. This way, you’ll get an idea of what you need and whether they do the trick.

To help you find the best, I refer to a discussion a few weeks ago at the Crain’s Chicago Business Social Media Breakfast downtown. My colleague Matt Batt was one of the panelists, along with fellow social media gurus Diane Rayfield and Gini Dietrich. I picked up a lot of great information, which I tried to condense here.

See my list of the best freebies at http://www.socialrabbit.net/2010/10/michelles-post/, and let me know what you think. What are your favorite tools (free, for a fee, or subscription based) for measuring and analyzing your results? I’m eager to hear what’s working for you.

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Is Your Biz Missing the Social Media Boat? C’mon, Hop On!

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Description: Social Networking Source: own wor...
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The social media bandwagon is getting pretty crowded with corporate marketers and PR professionals.  Big corporate players such as Old Spice, Kraft, Coke, Skittles,  and others have been one-upping each other with creative social media initiatives over the past few years.

While there’s lots of dazzle in these campaigns, the reality of social media is that you don’t need a big fat marketing budget to experience the direct customer engagement you’ll get from  Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, and others.

If you walk down Main Street USA, you’ll find that many small businesses haven’t caught the social media bug. It’s easy to understand why. Small business people are the most time-stretched of all the entrepreneurs I meet. They’re often operating on a shoe string, and seek help from family and friends to keep the payroll down. It’s hard enough to consider promoting your small business brand when you’re trying keep the lights on and the doors open.

If you can relate to all I’ve just said, perhaps you might want to take a few baby steps before taking the social media plunge. Here are a few ideas that might save you time and budget.

1. Focus on Facebook. Don’t get dizzy wondering whether you should be on Facebook, YouTube or Twitter. With 500 million users and growing, Facebook is where it’s at. It may not stay the most popular social network forever, but with that many eyeballs, and with the constant media chatter about its popularity, keep your focus on its potential to let you talk directly with your customers.

2. No need for high priced experts. Look in your own backyard for help. Better yet, look in the next room. If you’ve got a kid on Facebook, see if you can capture your attention for a few minutes to show you how to set up a page for your business. Hey, maybe you can dangle an incentive such as a boost in the weekly allowance in exchange for help in creating AND completing a business page. Don’t have a teenage techno wiz available? Small business development centers all around the country are offering social media introduction classes, and often they cost next to nothing.

3. Take advantage of customer relationships. The best small business people get to know their customers through casual conversations. You’ll probably find a few marketing professionals among your customers with experience setting up social media pages and profiles for their clients. Suggest to arrange some sort of barter relationship to take advantage of their expertise.

4. Be a Google Meister! There’s a wealth of how-to information on how to use Facebook. Facebook itself has a wealth of help resources, but don’t stop there. Sites such as AllBusiness.com and Mashable.com offer up-to-date news and knowledge about the best uses of Facebook and social media trends.

5. Inspire Your Customers. Once on Facebook, let them know you too have a presence. Encourage them to find you and “Like” your business page. When they leave comments or give you the thumbs-up sign on your page, comment with a thank you or post something on their wall. Make it relevant to their lives. Offer advice.  Explain your products or how to best use them. Post photos of happy customers.  Launch Facebook-only promotions. Give them tips. Establish trust. Entice them to come back for more.

6. Scope out your neighbors. See what other stores and businesses are doing on social networks. Join a club in your community. I found more than 88 million results in a Google search of “finding social media clubs,” so go find one, you’re likely to find new customers as well!

7. Don’t be intimidated. If somebody tells you they’re a social media expert just nod and walk away. We’re all just learning this new and exciting way to market your business. So start with a healthy but realistic search for knowledge.

8. Share your experiences with others. Social media is all about developing relationships and establishing trust. Help out others who face similar challenges, and watch your network of fans and customers grow.

Have any other ideas for small businesses dipping their toes in the social networking waters? I’d love to hear them!

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PR uses of Twitter in Government

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CHICAGO - JULY 17: The Wall Street Journal ne...
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Great story in the Wall Street Journal today about tools for PR folks using Twitter. Since I spoke yesterday at a Social Media for Government Conference, I thought those who could or couldn’t attend might be interested in these Twitter tools.

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