1. MidAtlantic Women in Agriculture: How to Stay “Connected” Shannon Dill Jennifer Rhodes Victoria Corcoran Extension Educator, AGNR University of Maryland Extension sdill@umd.edu Shannon Dill Jennifer Rhodes Victoria Corcoran Extension Educator, AGNR University of Maryland Extension sdill@umd.edu

2. Background  Annual Women in Agriculture Conference (MD, DE, NJ, VA) – 175 annually  Annie’s Project since 2008 (MD, DE 2010, VA 2015) – 514 graduated  Women in Ag website www.extension.umd.edu/womeninagwww.extension.umd.edu/womeninag  Annie’s Project website www.extension.umd.edu/annies-projectwww.extension.umd.edu/annies-project  How do we stay connected to the participants? Provide opportunities to engage, educate and empower women in agriculture to make informed decisions for their business and profession.  Annual Women in Agriculture Conference (MD, DE, NJ, VA) – 175 annually  Annie’s Project since 2008 (MD, DE 2010, VA 2015) – 514 graduated  Women in Ag website www.extension.umd.edu/womeninagwww.extension.umd.edu/womeninag  Annie’s Project website www.extension.umd.edu/annies-projectwww.extension.umd.edu/annies-project  How do we stay connected to the participants? Provide opportunities to engage, educate and empower women in agriculture to make informed decisions for their business and profession.

3. 2011 Joined Facebook 2013 Joined Twitter, Pinterest and electronic newsletters 2014 Instituted Wednesday Webinars twice a month

5. Social Media  www.facebook.com/midatlanticwomeninagriculture www.facebook.com/midatlanticwomeninagriculture  Most popular and active  @midatlanticWIA post under #womeninag  Use this mostly during events and activities  www.pinterest.com/womeninagma www.pinterest.com/womeninagma  Built some boards around agriculture and family projects  www.facebook.com/midatlanticwomeninagriculture www.facebook.com/midatlanticwomeninagriculture  Most popular and active  @midatlanticWIA post under #womeninag  Use this mostly during events and activities  www.pinterest.com/womeninagma www.pinterest.com/womeninagma  Built some boards around agriculture and family projects

7. Best Practices: Social Media o Being social means, being social! o Answer questions and comment on posts o Post regularly o Photos, especially photos taken at events and allow tagging o Boost important posts o Ask team members to invite, like and share o Find balance and manage time o Try multiple forms of social media, and varying times of the day o Short and sweet posts may hit the spot o During an event, create a tag! o Being social means, being social! o Answer questions and comment on posts o Post regularly o Photos, especially photos taken at events and allow tagging o Boost important posts o Ask team members to invite, like and share o Find balance and manage time o Try multiple forms of social media, and varying times of the day o Short and sweet posts may hit the spot o During an event, create a tag!

8. Boosted Post  Facebook is getting more difficult to reach out  Users and admins should like posts or those pages will get buried  Only boosted 2 posts so far for major events coming up  Facebook is getting more difficult to reach out  Users and admins should like posts or those pages will get buried  Only boosted 2 posts so far for major events coming up

9. Wednesday Webinars  Second and fourth Wednesday of the month at noon  Utilize adobe connect  Record presentations and post online for viewing  Market through list serv, extension site, extension.org, social media  Second and fourth Wednesday of the month at noon  Utilize adobe connect  Record presentations and post online for viewing  Market through list serv, extension site, extension.org, social media What day is it?

10. Best Practices: Webinars o Do a dry run o Test equipment and ensure good audio o Arrive early and start on time o Use connected technology and don’t depend on wireless signals o Record the webinar for later viewing o Use poll questions to engage your audience o Include a group chat and ability to download documents o Have a webinar assistant for introductions and to manage chat pod o Ask and answer questions. Be engaging o Expect less than half to show up o Do a dry run o Test equipment and ensure good audio o Arrive early and start on time o Use connected technology and don’t depend on wireless signals o Record the webinar for later viewing o Use poll questions to engage your audience o Include a group chat and ability to download documents o Have a webinar assistant for introductions and to manage chat pod o Ask and answer questions. Be engaging o Expect less than half to show up

11.  Utilize mail chimp instead of PDF  Quarterly newsletter to all participants  Include articles of interest, activities and event posting  Utilize mail chimp instead of PDF  Quarterly newsletter to all participants  Include articles of interest, activities and event posting

12. Best Practices: Electronic Newsletters & Blasts  Send less content more often  Allow online sign up and add to distribution lists  Check out the statistics-open rate, click rates and bounce backs  Mobile optimized  Use color and graphics  Use weblinks to send users to page content  Use section headings and story titles  Send less content more often  Allow online sign up and add to distribution lists  Check out the statistics-open rate, click rates and bounce backs  Mobile optimized  Use color and graphics  Use weblinks to send users to page content  Use section headings and story titles

13. Results  Activity results in 2014 include 18 webinars with 241 registrants on a variety of topics in farm and risk management.  Social media efforts are growing.  To date there are 606 Facebook likes, 669 total reach, 47 people engaged.  Twitter includes 88 followers and posts to #womeninag.  There are 27 Pinterest boards, 241 pins, 86 followers.  Activity results in 2014 include 18 webinars with 241 registrants on a variety of topics in farm and risk management.  Social media efforts are growing.  To date there are 606 Facebook likes, 669 total reach, 47 people engaged.  Twitter includes 88 followers and posts to #womeninag.  There are 27 Pinterest boards, 241 pins, 86 followers.