Beef Magazine

Tips and Tricks For Sharing the Agriculture Story Online

Amanda Nolz March 11th, 2010

This past weekend, I spoke at the 2010 Leading the BEST Conference in Columbus, OH, where I had the opportunity to work with beef industry youth. The first part of the conference, I took part in a career panel with agricultural professionals Chris Henney, Heather Hetterick, Lindsey Regula, Dan Wells and David White. Following the panel, I worked with the students on the topics of agriculture advocacy through social media as well as tips for successful job interviews and scholarship applications. Last week, a reader suggested I share some of the guidelines I provide in my speeches for successfully sharing the agriculture story using online social networks. Today, I thought I would do just that with a top 10 list of lessons I have learned from my work on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogs. Hopefully, one or all of the tips will be useful to you as you converse with consumers online. Let’s get started!



1. When blogging, be transparent. In 2009, BEEF Daily reached more than 328,000 readers, which is a daunting number when thinking about how much of my life I share through this forum. You’ve read about my graduation from college, my job hunt, my transition home to the family’s cattle operation and my discoveries as I learn more about beef production and our consumers. Whether you love me or hate me, it’s not important; what I’ve learned is that by being transparent and open to new ideas, I have been able to develop a friendship-based forum through the BEEF Daily Blog.

2. I have also learned to follow up on my blog. Although I receive a huge number of emails and comments throughout the week, I do attempt to reply to as many reader messages as time allows. I try to be accountable in getting the blog out early each day, and I also aim to be accessible to readers, so they can easily reach me with feedback. The same goes to anyone starting a blog. Have consistent materials that readers can count on, and be willing to interact with the folks who stop by your blog spot.

3. On Twitter, learn to write like a telegrapher. 140 characters doesn’t give a blogger like me a lot of space to express myself, but Twitter is great for sharing quick tid bits with followers, such the BEEF Daily Quick Facts found regularly at the bottom of my blog.

4. To make tweets more concise, use www.tinyurl.com to shorten your hyperlinks (web addresses). This helps clear up some space to explain the link you are sharing.

5. On my BlackBerry, I like to use the free, downloadable program, OpenBeak, so I can easily tweet messages when I’m outside doing chores or when I’m on the road traveling. I also like to use TweetDeck on my computer, so I can easily reference direct messages, replies and special interest columns like #iheartbeef. Don’t let all of Twitter’s words (tweet, tweetup, twibbon, etc.) overwhelm you. Stick to the basics until you get comfortable with the program.

6. So what is # and what does it mean? It’s called a “hashtag,” and they are used to create groups for people to specifically follow. Use hashtags sparingly and respectfully; focus more on your message than what group your message might fit in. I run with Team ZIP, a group that wears beef jerseys to races across the country, so I like to combine my beef messages with my running messages. A good example of that would be: “Just finished #running 6 miles. I feel strong because I fuel my run with #beef.” Then, maybe I would add a link to a website with healthy beef recipes. Make sense?

7. Every day on Facebook, I post my blog on the BEEF Magazine Fan Page and my personal profile. By sharing through these outlets, I’m able reach folks outside of agriculture who should be reading my educational blog spots.

8. To help spread the word, when you see an article you like on Facebook, be sure to share it on your profile, as well. Click “like” or leave a comment; these tactics will help to build the popularity of the article and will help spread the positive word about agriculture.

9. On YouTube, create short clips that illustrate your message. I always tell people that they need to choose the outlet that they are most comfortable with, and for me, it isn’t YouTube. My experience with this network consists of one video from my Carrie “HSUS” Underwood walkout, which has received more than 14,000 views. I much prefer the written word to seeing and hearing myself on a video. However, I also tell producers they need to push themselves to reach new heights, and perhaps my next goal should be to post a new video once a month.

10. Finally, always stay positive. Never let the naysayers catch you in a negative light. Stick to what you know best, your personal story. Agriculture has a rich and powerful history of great people working hard each and every day to put food on the dinner table. We are great at what we do, and we need to share that message with consumers. Show them that we care for the animals and are stewards of the land. Show them we care. Try a social media network today and do just that. Are you on board?

BEEF Daily Quick Fact: Don’t believe in the power of social media? Check out this video that describes just how many people are interacting online. It’s pretty incredible!

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14 Comments to “Tips and Tricks For Sharing the Agriculture Story Online”

1. Ryan Goodman Says:
   

   March 11th, 2010 at 10:32 am

   Hey Amanda, Thanks for the tips! They really hit home right now. Working Ranch magazine has invited me to join their blogging team. I will be writing about my experiences as a young cattleman graduating from Oklahoma State and getting my own start in the industry. So be sure to tune in to it and all the tips really help. Thanks for your hard work with this blog!

1. artis f Says:
   

   March 11th, 2010 at 10:41 am

   Noticed you haven’t admitted you passed on false info on the Mary Kay situation. Makes me suspicious of other things you write. It was a Colorado rancher who said to me, “that beef blog girl needs to get her facts right.” It’s your credibility that’s on the line.

1. Ruth Farnsworth Says:
   

   March 11th, 2010 at 10:44 am

   Amanda
   Very useful information. Thank you! Now we just need to keep out there and using it. We producers are the best people to tell our story.
   Ruth SD

1. Blaine Says:
   

   March 11th, 2010 at 1:01 pm

   artis f,

   To be fair to Amanda, she placed her original Mary Kay story one day and followed the very next day with a dedicated Blog containing Mary Kay’s position in regards to not being a true sponsor of the HSUS event and reported the independent financial donation by the companies owner. I would say that she was as timely as possible in getting the facts regarding this issue to the public.

   Like the Yellow Tail Wine example, many companies think they are doing the right thing while actually contributing to groups like the HSUS that have a hidden agenda. Celebrities, corporations, and individuals will continue to make these mistakes while thinking they are making a positive public relations statement (by saving puppies) without full knowledge of the underlying agenda of the group. Yes, they and WE must do our due diligence before castigating any group, but we must also be ever vigilant. Groups like the HSUS will learn valuable lessons from things like the Yellow Tail incident, and will be ever clever in disguising their motives, support opportunites, and celebrity endorsements. To this day, I still believe Carrie Underwood just thinks she was helping to feed and care for sick dogs and cats. Sad, because she has had phenomenal financial gain from the Ag community.

   So, I would argue to you that Amanda’s credibility is hardly on the line. She presented a story based on the information she had, and right or wrong as far as the sponsorship, Mary Kay DID give funds to HSUS. And it was HSUS that improperly defined or misrepresented Mary Kay as a sponsor of the event, so it was presented as “fact” (wrongly) by HSUS in which undoubtly lead to Amanda’s story. Once Mary Kay clarified their stance, Amanda told that story, too. Of course, you certainly aren’t holding the HSUS to “getting their facts right,” are you? That’s the crux of the issue: HSUS gets away with it until they are called on it, and still is unapologetic.

   So for me, I still am grateful that the story was brought to light. If it hadn’t, would Mary Kay have even reached out to HSUS to remove their image as a sponsor? I think so because it is an honorable company. But alas, without watch dog mentality we are going to suffer many a setback. Yes, mistakes will be made in stories, rumors, and with facts. This wasn’t one of them.

   Blaine

1. Amanda Nolz Says:
   

   March 11th, 2010 at 3:31 pm

   Ryan, congratulations on your new endeavor and your upcoming graduation. It’s a very exciting time, and I wish you all the best! I look forward to reading your work!

1. Amanda Nolz Says:
   

   March 11th, 2010 at 3:32 pm

   Ruth,
   Thanks for your continued support. I hope you can pass along these tips to other beef producers in the area. I look forward to speaking at the regional meeting in May on this topic!
   Amanda

1. Amanda Nolz Says:
   

   March 11th, 2010 at 3:39 pm

   Artis,

   Thanks for sharing your concerns with me on the blog. As Blaine reiterated, my job on the blog is to ask the questions and get people to take action and share our story with others. In only a few short hours, Mary Kay sent out a statement saying that they were absolutely not a sponsor of HSUS, which I believe is a true win for us, as they now fully understand how detrimental teaming up with HSUS would be to their business. I learned a valuable lesson in that HSUS is willing to use anyone and anything to push forward their agenda, even listing the trusted MK brand as a sponsor without permission. It just goes to show how far they are willing to go to manipulate folks into supporting their cause to push farmers and ranchers out of business.

   As Blaine stated, HSUS is not at all apologetic for using the MK brand, and I will continue to be a watch dog of their activities. I sincerely hope I haven’t lost your trust in this blog. I aim to share the facts, and I try to make this forum a valuable tool for producers. I don’t see my blog post on MK as a mistake; even though they didn’t necessarily sponsor HSUS, they still received a donation from the owner’s wife. To me, I see this as an opportunity for agriculture to educate the MK consultants, customers and corporate owners on the misdeeds of the HSUS.

   Please continue to tune into the blog. I hope you can see things from my point of view and not disregard all future posts because we may not see eye to eye on this scenario and how it played out. By the way, did you see my follow up post on MK? You may want to check it out…

   http://blog.beefmagazine.com/beef_daily/2010/03/10/caught-in-the-act-hsus-takes-advantage-of-mary-kay-label/

   Thanks and have a great day!

   Amanda

1. Amanda Nolz Says:
   

   March 11th, 2010 at 3:43 pm

   Blaine,
   I must thank you for your very supportive message today. It has been a very tough week on me with calving going on during this flood we are now getting. Throw that on top of extra criticism and emails coming in with this MK deal, and it has been an incredibly trying week. Your message was just the pick up I needed when I was outside feeding hay this morning, and I truly appreciate your support and continued readership. It really means a lot to me.

   I’m glad we are on the same page that it’s important to continue to monitor HSUS activities. After all, if we remain idle, they will easily push their agendas forward and us out of business.

   Thanks again!

   Amanda

1. Blaine Says:
   

   March 11th, 2010 at 6:33 pm

   Amanda,

   No worries and thanks…we’ve got your back:)

   Blaine

1. Lindsey Regula Says:
   

   March 11th, 2010 at 9:29 pm

   Hi Amanda!
   So I finally found this blog you were speaking about while we were at the Leading the BEST Conference this weekend! It was quite the coincidence, I have a twin brother who is wokring in Kansas, his former boss from an internship is from Nebraska saw your work so he e-mailed him. My brother was very surprised to hear his twin sister got noticed by someone whe had never met! ha! Small world I guess!
   I have really enjoyed what I have seen so far, and look forward to following your work! It was a pleasure meeting you, and hope you will stay in touch! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please just let me know! Best of Luck as you continue your wonderful writing! Take Care!

   Lindsey Regula

1. Mark Sip Says:
   

   March 12th, 2010 at 11:20 am

   Hey there Amanda,

   One of the most challenging things about being a cowhand is that there are times when it almost seems like all the forces in the universe have aligned themselves against you and are in the process of engaging of doing some Old Testamest class “smiting”. I think King David understood this given the fact that his first job was that of shepherd. I think that’s why in Psalm 23 he talked about the Valley of the Shadow of Death. The thing about valleys is that you’re only in trouble if you don’t keep going and if you keep walking, you’ll eventually come out of it.

   I can remember in 2002 I had some cows that were dropping calves, we had weather conditions like we’ve got now and the market was limit down because they had discovered an animal (a steer, I think) that was manifesting what appeared to be the symptoms of hoof and mouth disease. A year later in 2003, it seemed like every day that went by, the market added another dollar, or sometimes two. I think probably the most effective motivational speech ever given was the one given by Sir Winston Churchill when he admonished the audience to, “Never give up. Never, never give up. Never, Never, Never give up”.

   With this job, it is so easy to get bogged down (sorry about the pun for those of you that have gotten stuck while checking cows/heifers recently) in the day-to-day details, but the wins that you and Troy and Stacy Hadrick have had in affecting the opinion of the non-agricultural population has inspired me to step up and start doing more in this arena. Did you at one time provide a web link that allowed schools in urban areas to adopt a cattleman where they could visit back and forth about what was going on and learn what it took to get beef from the pasture to the plate?

   Thanks again for all that you do and you take it easy…

   Mark

1. Amanda Nolz Says:
   

   March 12th, 2010 at 2:19 pm

   It is a small world, Lindsey! Thanks for checking out the blog; glad you like what you see so far! It was great meeting you at the BEST conference, and I learned so much from that panel! Take care and keep in touch!

   Amanda

1. Amanda Nolz Says:
   

   March 12th, 2010 at 2:25 pm

   Mark,
   I think you described exactly how I’ve been feeling this week, and your pep talk was seriously needed this morning while I was out cleaning calving barns! I will keep chanting, “never, never give up,” and remember that saying when times get tough.

   I’m glad you have been inspired to do more to share our story, and I tried to look for that adopt a rancher program from previous newsletters, but no luck. Does anyone out there know of that program and how folks can get involved?

   In the meantime, next week is National Ag Week, so celebrate by sharing the ag story with someone new. If you’re in the Mitchell area, I will be helping out in the beef booth during the Ag In the Classroom event held at the 4-H County Fair Grounds; feel free to stop by!

   Thanks again!

   Amanda

1. Steve Duke Says:
   

   March 12th, 2010 at 10:50 pm

   Amanda - thank you very much for the time you put into the tips - very helpful.

   I also encourage you to hold your spirit high……your are doing a good job and very much needed in the work you do. After all if it was easy everybody else would be doing it.

   I wish every one the best in calving…..I know it can be a major struggle at times but I always enjoy those new little fresh faces and very protective mothers. Means I got it right and will survive another year!

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