T h e B u s in e s s O f D a ir y Social Media Basics
Learn to Market Your Brand, Build Relationships with Your Audience BY KELLY GAGGIN, PH.D.
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ocial media is here to stay when it comes to marketing brands and even more so as a tool for building relationships with audiences. It’s important for organizations to have a presence in the digital space and to have that presence on the platforms that reach their audiences. There are so many options to communicate digitally it can be overwhelming — even for the experts! There are videos and photos and text and what the heck are these “stories,” and so many questions to be answered: Should I share other people’s content or does it have to be my own? How often do I post? What tone do I use when posting? The following breaks down the basics of social media to help take away some of the apprehension and ensure that your organization has a solid presence to create awareness, engagement and, of course, sales.
WHY SOCIAL? Social media has become a necessity because it is low cost and offers few barriers to entry while providing high returns for your brand through the ability to communicate in an authentic fashion that is engaging and a natural extension of your brand voice. In short, it builds relationships, and those relationships can lead to increased interest in your brand and sales or direct involvement.
WHICH PLATFORM IS RIGHT FOR ME? This question is often posed by brands as new social platforms arrive on the scene. The answer really depends on the audience or customer base a brand is trying to reach. For example, if your audience is 65-plus, it’s unlikely they are spending time on TikTok and highly probable they are scrolling through Facebook, keeping up with the children and grandchildren. 48 • Northeast Dairy Foods Association, Inc.
