When it comes to communicating with consumers, farmers need to reach them where they are. In our mobile device society, that would be on social media. Whether it is Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat, applying specific principles to your posts can get them read and shared more often, said Amber Pankonin, a food and farm blogger at stirlist.com.

“I connect with consumers about food and farmers through recipes on a variety of social media platforms,” said Pankonin, who is also a registered dietitian nutritionist and podcaster, to farmers at the Nebraska Dairy Convention, held recently in Columbus. “I communicate about food and nutrition, and agriculture.”

Pankonin told farmers that everyone is an “influencer” of some kind. “If you recommend something to someone, you are influencing them.”

She suggested that farmers can influence the way consumers feel about farms and food by telling their own unique farm story through social media. “You need to have a bio with Twitter or Facebook,” she advised. “If you are taking photos for your social media story or feed, show some consistency in your point of view to make it recognizable as your own.”

She noted that there are several questions you should ask yourself as you come up with a social media posting strategy for your farm story. These include:

• Who are “your people?” What kind of a following on social media am I looking for? Do I want to educate consumers about what our farm looks like and what we do on a daily basis?

• Where do they hang out? Understand where your followers are in life and what they like to do. This helps you understand your message and how best to reach the folks who are following you.

• What do my people like to see? If you are using photos and imagery to tell your farm story, keep imagery consistent. If you are posting almost exclusively about the farming operation and then you throw in personal items without warning, you may annoy your people who follow you for a specific line of information or messaging.

• When my people interact with me on social media, how do I want them to feel? Do you want them to feel captivated or energized? Do you want them to have a deeper understanding of farm life?

“You don’t need to be a celebrity to be successful on social media,” Pankonin said. “You just need to be authentic and keep your messaging consistent. You want to create posts that are meaningful and have shareable content.”