Social Media & the Customer Experience

By DeEtta Bohling, Communications Specialist

Social media is a large part of my life. Some of it was on accident, but a lot of it I brought on myself. Even five years ago I wouldn’t have thought social media would be such a large part of my career. I currently manage social media for Kansas Corn and Grain Sorghum through this blog, Twitter, Facebook and occasionally YouTube. Away from my job responsibilies checking Twitter and Facebook are a regular part of my daily routine and I’m currently obsessed with Pinterest and finding the latest fashions, graphic design inspiration and dinner recipes.

My friend Travis (former news producer and currently the Multi-Media Producer-in-Residence at Wartburg College) would be very disappointed to hear that I haven’t watched the morning or evening news in… well, nearly two years. Don’t worry, I don’t have my head buried in the sand. I am up to date on current events thanks to text alerts from my local news station and following various news outlets through social media.

Social media isn’t a trend and it isn’t going away any time soon. It is revolutionizing the way we distribute and obtain information. So, what does this mean for companies, and specifically the agricultural industry?

I can instantly convey a message to my 2,000 followers. Will they all see it? Most certainly not, but it has the potential to spread like wildfire. People share experiences and advice through social media. This is done instantaneous through social media. In the past, a person would probably have to wait to tell his/her friends about an experience. Today, with the use of smartphones and tablets, we can send a message (factual or not, good or bad) about a grocery store product or a conversation with farmer instantly to the internet.

My friend/mentor, Dr. Bill Withers recently posted this photo on Facebook about a visit to Granite City:

The caption read, “It’s THIS SIMPLE! And I asked our waitress if she was trained to do this… “Yes!” Great QCS [Quality Customer Service]. My Granite City leftover container showed Dish, Date, Server, and “GC” brand-logo, all signed by her… http://www.gcfb.net/”

Did I click on the link which lead to their website? Yep, sure did! Did I happen to check out the restaurant locations in my area and browse the menu too? Uh-huh.

Bill also wrote, “And, would I ask for Sam’s server-section next time down there? Of course. When you TRAIN for QCS, everyone wins, trust me. And yes, “leftovers” were delicious tonight!”

Not only did his experience leave a good impression on him, but also his Facebook followers- including myself.

Word-of-mouth is huge and a very valuable part of marketing. 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations; 14% trust advertisements. While it’s great for ag groups to sponsor events and purchase media buys, it’s obvious that the farmer-consumer conversations are a must. This is one of the many reasons I enjoy the CommonGround movement so much. Our farm women volunteers do their best to reach out to the consumer (both in person and through social media) to tell them about their farms and the food they produce. One good conversation with a consumer is valuable. Hopefully, that consumer will share the good experience she had with others.

Ross Schafer, the author of Nobody Moved Your Cheese, Customer Empathy, The Customer Shourts back, Are You Still Relevant, and Grab More Market Share recently spoke at the National Agri-Marketing Conference. One of the many great things he said was, “When you study human behavior, you will always win.” Think about that for a moment. When you’re at a store, what motivates you to buy certain products? Name brand? Cost? Health? Convenience?

Emotions. Emotions influence every purchase decision. When consumers write to complain about a business they often use the words rejected, unimportant, or embarrassed. Farmers need to be able to communicate to consumers in a way that shows them that their concerns are valid and that they care. Let’s not overthink this- people like to feel cared for. 

Women don’t just buy a brand- they join it then talk about it. You better believe that I’ll be talking about good purchasing experiences (such as my recent purchase from Gracie & Me Design on Etsy) and bad ones (my recent DISH fiasco) on social media platforms.

Today, consumers want NOW. The faster we can respond, the better. “Normal business hours” no longer exist. Consumers can shop online at all hours and more and more banks are opening on Sundays or have later hours.

Earlier I mentioned how Bill told all his Facebook followers about his great experience with Granite City.  He went a step further and commended the restaurant, personally. Bill received the following response shortly later, which was also documented on Facebook:

Social customer service at its best? Most definitely.

The agricultural industry will continue to grow in social media. (If you don’t think we’re already active, just search #agchat or #foodchat on Twitter.) My hope is that though face to face conversations, social media and traditional media, farmers will continue to build relationships with consumers. So many folks are disconnected from livestock and fields but want to know more about food. They are listening. Are we talking? More importantly do we care for our consumers? Certainly! Let’s show them by going above and beyond.

 
Additional resources:

9 Ways Top Brands Use Social Media for Better Customer Service

Supermarkets and the social Web

Social Media- Generation II

Cause Matters: Ag & Food Resources

Give Good Customer Service Through Social Media

How Social Media has Changed Customer Service

NASCAR Green Drives Home Environmental Benefits of Ethanol Through Earth Day Promotion

This Sunday, NASCAR, Kansas Speedway and several of NASCAR’s Official Partners will showcase the environmental sustainability programs that take place each week at racetracks across the country in celebration of Earth Day.  These efforts, taking place every day and at NASCAR races year-round, are part of the sport’s NASCAR Green initiative which shows the value NASCAR places upon the environment through real-world, sustained action.

The National Corn Growers Association, along with many state corn associations and the American Ethanol partnership, will help play a key role in promoting an aspect of NASCAR Green supported by agriculture and environmentalists alike, the sport’s move to a 15 percent ethanol fuel blend.

“Our promotion of mid-level ethanol blends through our partnership with NASCAR, including the events in Kansas this Sunday, constitutes one of the largest, most aggressive educational efforts that farmers have ever undertaken,” said NCGA NASCAR Advisory Committee Chair Martin Barbre.  “Farmer investment of checkoff dollars, through NCGA and state organizations, makes carrying out such visible, national activities possible and demonstrates the value modern agriculture places on shining a public spotlight on the environmental and economic benefits of this important biofuel.”

As part of the festivities, American Ethanol will prominently feature an ethanol message painted in green across the backstretch of the track. This placement will shine a spotlight on the sport’s use of E15 for both those sitting in the stands and watching on television. This race directly follows last week’s NASCAR Green milestone, when the sport celebrated running over two million miles on Sunoco Green E15, which has fueled every car in every race since the beginning of the 2011 season.

Additionally, a new 30-second television spot about the NASCAR Green platform will air during Sunday’s NASCAR on FOX national broadcast at 1 p.m.

NASCAR also issued an informative paper today detailing the various programs that have made NASCAR a leader in green initiatives across all sports. The data in “The Sports Leader in Sustainability”* illustrates the steps NASCAR has taken in educating fans, reducing the sport’s environmental impact, and validating green technologies – both on and off the track.

Childress: Ethanol- Good Enough for NASCAR, Good Enough for Your Car

Today Richard Childress showed his support for ethanol in an article he wrote for the Kansas City Star. Childress says in the article, “NASCAR just surpassed 2 million miles of driving — in practice, qualifying and racing laps — on E15 without a hitch in what can only be described as a seamless transition. Plus, we’ve also seen enhanced performance. In fact, many of the teams have reported an increase in horsepower. In my mind, this proves that E15 is a viable alternative to regular gasoline.”

He goes on to state, “I like to think that if E15 is good enough for my racing team, it’s certainly good enough for everyday street cars.”

NASCAR fans will gather in Kansas City this weekend at the Kansas Speedway for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to compete in the SFP 250 on Saturday and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will take place on Sunday which racers will compete in the STP 400.

 

E15 ethanol is a viable alternative to regular gas

Richard Childress is the president and chief executive officer of Richard Childress Racing, a 12-time championship winning NASCAR organization. He lives in Clemmons, N.C.

BY RICHARD CHILDRESS
Special to The Star

Some may question how the owner of a NASCAR racing team can promote air quality with a straight face. After all, for years, my business has been burning rubber and racing fuel in front of massive crowds that leave a lot of litter behind.

 

But times are changing. And the sport of NASCAR, including my team, Richard Childress Racing, has changed with them. Today, we’re deeply involved in efforts to make our sport more environmentally friendly — from recycling motor fluids, to reducing carbon emissions from our racing fuel, to using alternative power sources — all under the NASCAR Green umbrella.

 

I do all this because I’m a conservationist who wants to see his grandkids grow up with clean air, clean water and green spaces. And one of the efforts that I’m most proud of is the introduction of American ethanol to racing as a means of cutting our emissions with a clean, renewable alternative fuel.

 

Read the entire article here.

For more information:
American Ethanol Racing
National Corn Growers Association
Renewable Fuels Association

Sustainably Feeding the World

By: DeEtta Bohling, Communications Specialist

How can we best feed the word? Alex Avery of the Hudson Institute talks about how to best protect the environment with regards to agriculture on a new episode of Green State TV.

New research shows that the best way to save the biodiversity of Mother Earth is to produce as much as you can on a given acre. Avery states that we need to use synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. Avery goes on to say that “if we had to do it organically, you’re talking about the equivalent manure of 6-8 billion additional cows on the Earth, which is five times more cows than exist on the plant today. When we are already pasturing and grazing 26% of the Earth’s total land area, 500% more cows is going to take up all that is left.”

Alex Avery also speaks about pesticides and herbicides which help growers produce more per acre in a sustainable manner. Today, growers are able to produce more with less soil erosion. Farmers have adopted conservation tillage on millions of acres of land – and continue to expand the use of no-till and minimal till practices. The benefits for the environment are significant. No-tilling means remnants from the previous year’s crop are left untouched. Not only does this improve the soil over time, but it significantly reduces soil run-off during snowmelt or heavy rain.  In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture noted that America’s corn farmers have cut soil erosion 44 percent in two decades by using these innovative conservation methods.

Kirk Wiscombe of Overbrook, KS plants corn

Avery gives credit to a popular herbicide, Atrazine which has been used by corn, sorghum, sugarcane and other produce growers since the 1950s.  Atrazine is the cornerstone of sustainable, low erosion, no-till farming which has revolutionized sustainability in agriculture. Conservation tillage is an option for more farmers today because of technological advances. Corn plants that are resistant to safer herbicides means controlling weeds in a no-till field is more efficient and less harmful to the land and people. Seed that resist insect damage mean fewer insecticides are needed to protect the crop, and that means fewer passes across the field. These technologies are made possible through biotechnology.

With advancements in technology, farmers can continue to produce more food with less soil erosion, less fertilizer, less acreage, less water and less fuel. America’s farmers have a moral obligation to care for Mother Earth and produce food for a growing population.

Additional Resources:

Corn Farmers Coalition

Biotechnol0gy

Conservation

Ag Education

By: DeEtta Bohling, Communications Specialist

Good day, mate! I recently returned from an awesome (awesome doesn’t quite do it justice) vacation with my family to Australia. On the flight to LAX, I had the opportunity to sit next to my 13-year old brother, Hank, to catch up on race cars, girlfriends, baseball and school.

One of the things I found most interesting (besides his love/hate relationship with middle school girls) was that he took an Ag class during the second quarter of this year. All 7th and 8th graders are required to take a quarter of Ag along with technology, family and consumer sciences and art. This was news to me and certainly not the same opportunities I had while in middle school. Each of those four subjects pretty well sums up my job here, with Kansas Corn and Grain Sorghum.

When I asked which of the four classes he enjoyed the most, he replied, “Ag”. (So proud.) I asked why and he said that he really enjoys science (is he really my brother?) and he liked that it was very hands-on.

What exactly is taught in 7th grade Ag class? Hank learned about meat processing, “everything about corn”, swine production, and soil. I’m sure there was much more to the curriculum, but a 13-year old boy can only remember so much! “We only had six weeks!” he said. Trying to get him to go into any further detail was no use.

Does your middle school offer ag classes? I’d love to hear from you!

Kudos to Hy-Vee

By: DeEtta Bohling, Communications Specialist

The agricultural industry plays defense time and time again. Food is often a victim of misunderstandings, as most consumers are generations removed from the food source and the process. Food is an entry point to climate change, employment, health, immigration and the economy; making it a pretty easy target.

The most recent misunderstanding: “pink slime” or “lean, finely textured beef”. This controversy over processed food has been all the rage in the media recently.

“The more people are disconnected with their food supply and the sources of their food, the more questions they will have, and we understand that,” said Craig Letch, director of food safety and quality assurance for South Dakota-based Beef Products Inc. But, “We don’t produce ‘pink slime.’ We produce 100 percent quality lean beef. That’s it. That whole thing is a farce. There’s no substance to it.”

Hy-Vee, a Midwestern supermarket chain, ranks among the top 20 supermarket chains and the top 50 private companies in the United States, and for good reason. Hy-Vee’s “helpful smile” is seen in the meat counter aisle this week as they listened to their customers and released this statement yesterday regarding lean, finely textured beef (LFTB).

“Hy-Vee takes great pride in listening to the voices of our customers and offering them outstanding values on the quality products they want to buy. Following our recent decision to stop purchasing ground beef containing Lean Finely Textured Beef, we heard from many customers who asked us to continue carrying this product. They’ve sent us a clear message: They want a choice when it comes to ground beef, and they want to support companies that provide thousands of jobs in our Midwest trade area. In response to this feedback, Hy-Vee has made a decision to offer both kinds of ground beef – both with and without Lean Finely Textured Beef. Both products will be identified so customers can determine for themselves which type of ground beef they want to buy. This transition is underway and will be implemented in our retail stores as quickly as possible. We thank our customers for sharing their views on this issue, and encourage them to continue telling us what we can do to improve their shopping experience at Hy-Vee.”

I believe Hy-Vee deserves to be commended for their service to consumers and not buckling under the media hype. Consumers and “agvocates”, thanks for making your voice heard and asking for what you wanted from the grocery-store chain.

There is no reason for lost jobs and hurt families over something that’s a non-issue. 236 families have temporarily lost at least one income at just the Garden City, KS plant alone. Hy-Vee took a risk and stepped out in support. Let’s show them we have their back. Let them know on Facebook or write Hy-Vee to show your appreciation.

Letters can be sent to:
Hy-Vee, Inc.
Attn: Rose Comer, VP
5820 Westown Parkway
West Des Moines, IA 50266-8223

You can also fill out a comment form here.

Hy-Vee continues to show that consumers come first. Please join me in thanking them.

For more information on LFTB:
Get the Facts on Lean Beef Trimmings

Meat-processing company gets chewed up in ‘pink slime’ uproar

NPR: Why ‘Pink Slime’ Isn’t That Different From Other Meat Products

Pink slime push-back: Someone smarter, or more emotional, than me has to figure this out

“Genetic Engineering Isn’t So Different From Classical Plant Breeding – Just Better” with Bob Thompson

Bob Thompson is currently a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. He is a senior fellow of global agricultural development and food security at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs

In this installment of Green State TV, Bob Thompson dispels many of the misconceptions surrounding genetic engineering, explaining how the resulting agricultural and medical advances directly benefit our lives.

Genetic engineering facilitates faster, targeted breeding of plants. “Classical” plant breeding – “crossing two species in order to bring a trait from one species to another” – is simply too slow – and too hit and miss — to solve our rapidly growing world’s need for food. Genetic engineering enables scientists to quickly and effectively isolate specific traits in plants to combat disease and increase yields. Classical breeding is less controlled, “So, you may get the gene you wanted… but you get a lot of garbage along with it.” Genetic engineering saves time and produces predictable, desirable results.

Further illustrating the benefits of genetic engineering, Thompson cites the development of hepatitis vaccines. “It seems unreasonable to me that people are willing to inject the products of genetic engineering into their blood stream, but yet aren’t willing to take it down their throat as part of their food supply.”  (Actually, much European beer and yogurt are made with GMOs, but most people don’t know that.)

Biotechnology is the safe, effective, and efficient answer to doubling food production in the next 40 years.

Check out the video below for more great information:

http://greenstate.tv/episodes/detail/genetic-engineering-isnt-so-different-from-classical-plant-breeding-just-better