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

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

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

5 Real-World Options for Marketing Ag Products Online 1)Local Harvest 2)Craigslist 3) Newsletters 4)Blogs 5)Facebook

Local Harvest ( 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)

How to Get Started Shop by Category Sign up for an account

Craigslist ( 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 address Constantly updated

How to Get Started Search ‘Farm+Garden’ Post to Classifieds

Newsletters Most Popular: Constant Contact Pay monthly fee (~$15), send out s 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 s (templates provided) Stats provided on who opened, went to links, etc.

How to Get Started View Newsletters Check out pricing plans Look into promoting an event

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: – – –

How to Get Started Sign up!

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

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!

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:

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

Some Do-It-Yourself Website Builders: Yahoo! SiteBuilder – GoDaddy’s Website Tonight – Wix.com –

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