Farmers with smart phones? Tweeting cows? Agriculture often gets a bad rep for being slow to adapt, but today’s farmers are quickly embracing social media, and ag communicators should as  well.

This topic was addressed at the most recent CV-NAMA program, held March 23 at Bogart’s in downtown Raleigh. Approximately 25 people showed up to listen to a panel of their peers discuss the whys and hows of social media. The panel was moderated by yours truly and consisted of our own Karlie Justus; Jen Nixon, public information officer for the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and the N.C. State Fair; and Dave Smith, N.C. Farm Bureau public relations director (pictured below from left to right).

Some key takeaways from the evening:

• Social media should complement, not necessarily replace, traditional public relations and advertising tactics.
• Social media is an excellent way to build relationships with key stakeholders, such as the media.
• Information can go viral in an instant, and response time is key — if you use social media as a customer service tool, be prepared to respond to requests and questions quickly.
• A great way to get started is to dabble for personal use — set up your own Facebook or Twitter account, and see how it makes sense for you to use it.

Thanks to both panelists and attendees for a great conversation!