Hello all,
I’ve created a business Facebook page for
the company I work for, Van der Stoel Pollinating Ltd. Often times, these types
of technology are not embraced in the agriculture industry, but two years ago
Van der Stoel Pollinating launched a website which has
been successful in generating leads for pollinating inquiries and seed
sales. It has been at the back of
my mind to create a Facebook page to hopefully accomplish the same goals for
quite some time now. As this is a
draft, and the content will need to be approved by my supervisor, at the moment
I have not published the page, so hopefully you can glean enough information
from these screen shots!
The "about" section is not visible, but the short description is:
Based out of Southern Alberta, Van der Stoel Pollinating provides custom leaf cutter bee pollination services to hybrid canola, alfalfa seed, and milk vetch growers throughout Canada.
Many people are familiar with honey bee pollination, but
leaf cutters are also used to pollinate alfalfa seed and hybrid canola seed
throughout Southern Alberta.
Because this is a relatively uncommon service to offer, the challenge I
had when creating this page was finding relative materials (videos, postings,
etc) to share. It is difficult to
simply Google “leaf cutter bee pollination” and find relevant information.
In the agriculture industry, the idea of
creating a “network”, is very relevant, but mainly takes place offline. Much of
our company’s business comes from contracts with major seed companies, and
word-of-mouth referrals. The Findlay
(2010) reading describes that in a network “components are not acting
independently – they are affected by the components around them” – and
components are both physical and conceptual (Slide 5). In our business
strategy, these conceptual and physical components are key. Several components
work together to successful generate business. The “call to action” on the Van
der Stoel Pollinating Facebook page is simply to “contact us” – as the first
step in gaining a buyer of custom pollination would be to discuss options,
which are varying depending on crop acres, variety, etc. The service offered is
customizable to the user, that the idea of listing prices online is largely out
of the question. However, the goal
of a Facebook page, in this case, is not simply to gain customers – but also to
build an awareness around the importance and effectiveness of the leaf cutter
bee. The question then becomes,
how do we conceptualise “experience” if education and awareness is the goal
(Smith, 2013, p. 259)? Further, Smith describes, “People who report having
positive experiences with a brand’s content on Facebook have a greater
likelihood of claiming to be more likely to do a purchase funnel action” (p.
371). In order to see people
through the sales funnel, what types of engagement should be used? My initial
thoughts are that in the agriculture industry, appearing professional and
approachable is key. The use of images and informational videos, etc. would
likely have an impact on a user who might have little knowledge of the service
offered, and hopefully encourage the user to then link to our website. A relationship of trust needs to be
fostered in order for a consumer to engage in such a service. Any suggestions
in achieving this are welcomed!
Kathlyn
References:
Findlay, K. (2010). An introduction to network theory.
Smith, S. (2013, April 05). Conceptualising and
evaluating experiences with brands on Facebook. International Journal of
Market Research, 55(3), 357–374.
Beautiful page! What a great way to educate people on what your company is about.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! Although it's only a draft, I love the look and feel already!
ReplyDeleteAn idea to help build trust might be to show success stories from past customers for 2 reasons: 1) it would help educate people about what this is and how it can be used and of benefit to the end user, especially since it's an uncommon service 2) because networking happens largely offline, people may make connections with your customers and may ultimately know them!
That's a good suggestion Sareda! Having some sort of "customer testimony" would be helpful. It's an interesting service because those who grow alfalfa and canola seed in Southern Alberta are very familiar with leaf cutter bees, as you see their trademark orange tents all over the country side... But many throughout Canada would not be. The main reason for that is because Southern Alberta is irrigation land, whereas Central and Northern Alberta typically are not, so it is uncommon to grow for seed. Success stories might be a great way to bridge that gap, as we look to expand into other markets (ex. blueberries in BC)
DeleteThanks Shari! Good thoughts - I should look at the specialized nature of the business as an advantage. Appreciate your feedback!
ReplyDeleteThe page is very bright and flows nicely! Well done, it looks beautiful! One thing I have noticed with facebook is that these pages are meant not only to promote business, but to establish community. Possibly try to post things related to this, I know North America is currently doing a bee tracking program for sustainability which may be of interest to your community, or a video on the inside of a honeycomb? I love it!
ReplyDelete