Master Livestock Promotion on Social Media
Shaye Koester
0:02
Hey, hey, it’s Shaye Koester and I’m your host for the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast where we connect you to ranchers and beef industry enthusiasts who can help you build a more profitable operation and improve your lifestyle. Are you looking for a community of ranchers who support and challenge you to be more profitable and proactive? Then sign-up for our monthly RancherMind events. RancherMinds are mastermind events for ranchers to come together once a month and find solutions for their own and the industry's challenges. Stay connected by following @cattleconvos on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and never miss an episode or event update by signing up for our newsletter on casualcattleconversations.com/newsletter. If you get value out of this episode or any episode drop a comment or tip me by using the link in the show notes. With that let’s see who our guest is today and connect you to a new resource to improve your own operation and lifestyle.
Shaye Koester
1:10
Alrighty folks! Today we are visiting with Tracey Koester about more effective methods for livestock promotion. We specifically talk about social media tips for all you seedstock producers out there who are marketing your bulls during this sale season. So if you want to be a step above your competitors in the marketing game this year, be sure to tune into this episode for some actionable advice that you can implement immediately. So, let’s hear what advice, strategies and tools Tracey has to share with us today!
TK
Tracey Koester
1:48
Thanks, Shaye for having me on Casual Cattle Conversations.
Shaye Koester
1:52
So to start off, like I always do, since this is for ranchers, would you talk about your background and role in the ranching industry?
TK
Tracey Koester
2:02
Well, I grew up ranching with my family in western North Dakota, where we raise registered Red Angus and when Steve and I got married, we ran just commercial cows, and eventually moved into that seedstock aspect again. So literally, I have been in the livestock business and seedstock most of my life.
Shaye Koester
2:26
Okay, but that's not all you do and in fact, we're not necessarily going to talk about your ranching background, but we're going to more talk about livestock promotion today. So what is your experience when it comes to promoting livestock?
Shaye Koester
2:41
Well, growing up with seedstock, I watched my dad get ads ready for publications and helped with our bull sale. So it was just part of what we did every spring and winter getting ready for that. So I don't really ever remember a year when that wasn't part of what we did, even when they were selling private treaty before they had a sale, we would have people come in to look at bulls and stuff is just what we did. And so really grew up on the promotion side of it as well and learn to like that aspect and help Dad with it. And when I went to college, um, the first semester, I switched my degree to communications, and just really wanted to help producers promote their cattle in a creative way and do better than what I had seen. So you know, so many ads back then were really boring, because there wasn't desktop publishing at the time. So with the advent of that, it made things a lot easier to be creative. But over those years, I had some really cool mentors and learned that there's so many better ways to promote than what the mainstream has had been doing and still does actually.
Shaye Koester
2:57
So we'll dive into that a little later about what that mainstream is that's not as effective. But so you said you kind of started in college so I mean years of experience wise about how long have you been doing this? I know you talked about growing up being on the nitty-gritty dirty side of things for promoting but how long have you been on the other side, the computer side of things, the photography side, the design side?
Shaye Koester
4:35
Well in college during the summer I wouldn't really call them internships but I would work for some mentors and they were in livestock promotion and looking back some of the Guru's and cutting edge guys of the time and took me under their wing and helped me and actually in college out of my college apartment. I was the editor of us small breed publication, I don't think it was probably very well done, but it got my got me into it. And, you know, I guess increased my passion for that aspect of it, the whole communication side and the whole promotional side. So 30 plus years.
Shaye Koester
5:20
So, when we talk about promotion, you know, especially as bull sale season is quickly approaching, I mean, this is the very beginning of January when this is coming out. I mean, bull sales are on the top of seedstock producers mind, but especially the commercial producers mind. So looking at promotional methods, what promotional methods are available today for producers to utilize?
Shaye Koester
5:45
Well, first, I'd like to back up a little bit because you mentioned the commercial producer. And that's really who we need to target our message to, yes, we sell to other seedstock breeders. And that's a certain aspect of who we promote to, but I think we forget that as a whole, most of our customers are commercial cow-calf producers who are making a living raising beef. It's important to understand how they consume information. Um, so promotion we might think of as, as a beautiful four color ad in a glossy publication. Um, but promotion is really more encompassing that aspect of your marketing for sure. But it's not just a print ad or a Facebook ad or something like that it has a whole feel to it kind of like branding would be for your business. Promotion is more all encompassing than just an ad.
Shaye Koester
6:48
Okay, so we've talked about ads for one form. What else is out there for producers to use?
Shaye Koester
6:56
Well, I believe that, to do an effective job of promoting and getting your story out there, you need to use a hybrid media strategy and that's what I've developed in my Cattlyst program. But it's so interesting now, with social media. Things are so rapid, and instantaneous and fun. I mean, I think promotion has taken on a whole new life because we are able to use social media that way. And digital media is a little bit different too but through Cow Camp Promotions, my business where I help other seedstock producers promote their bulls and some horses, but we've seen a big change in how how people consume that information and how we can reach them, and reach them the most effectively.
Shaye Koester
7:50
Alright, so I feel like you've kind of touched on it a little bit, but I'm gonna ask anyway, what is the biggest change you see coming for livestock promotion, because we don't use the same genetics we used 20 years ago, so we can't promote the same way we did 20 years ago,
Shaye Koester
8:05
Exactly. Um, sadly, most people are still promoting the same way we did 20 and 30 years ago, we build an ad we show them what we have, and we expect them to come to us. And if you look at how other businesses outside of agriculture are marketing, that is not what they do. They go to the consumer in one way, shape, or form. And I think that part of that problem is that ranchers and seedstock producers are concentrating on promoting or not concentrating on promoting but concentrating on building those best genetics, so that their study area or their area of growth maybe isn't in how to do that promotion, or how to learn to do new ways. So they continue to do it the way that they've been taught. Usually, it's a multi generational family business. And they might say "Oh, yeah, we use Facebook." But sadly, what I see on Facebook is they're promoting their sale the same way they would in a publication. They're putting an ad up and expecting people to come to them. Social media doesn't work that way. And so it's important to adjust with the times. But sometimes we don't know how to do that.
Shaye Koester
8:15
Well, and I think that last statement is a fair point because even social media on my front trying to understand the algorithm and whatnot. It can seem overwhelming until you have someone help you and help you understand, like what effective social media promotion looks like. So on the ranching side, what does that effective promotion look like on social media?
Shaye Koester
9:54
Well, I think you know, everybody, you know, gets upset or frustrated with Facebook and says, "Oh, the algorithm doesn't like me" or whatever. But the truth is, if you learn to use that algorithm in your favor, you get great engagement. Engagement is really the key to effective organic marketing on social media. That means you aren't paying for an ad, you might spend a little bit of time, but you learn what works on Facebook. And that's kind of my area of expertise. I don't do as much on Instagram or LinkedIn or any of the other social media platforms. But on Facebook, if you learn how to increase that engagement, and start interacting with people, Facebook rewards you for that quite well.
Shaye Koester
10:42
Now is engagement just to like it's the reaction, is it a comment, tag or sharing? Or is it all-encompassing? What does engagement mean?
TK
Tracey Koester
10:50
Good question.
Shaye Koester
10:51
Engagement is any interaction so likes, that little blue thumbs up doesn't really do much to boost your post in the algorithm. But if you get a reaction, which is a heart or a wow, or even a laugh, those help a little bit. If you can get people commenting and engaging in a conversation on your posts, that's going to really boost it because Facebook sees that engagement and says, Oh, this is a social aspect. People are having fun, and they're engaging with each other, conversing, getting to know each other, and then it will show it to more people. I think we think since we put it on Facebook that any of our friends see it. And I don't really think the Facebook algorithm works that way. It wants to show you the things that you're interested in. And if you can get that engagement, it tells Facebook's algorithm that it's worth showing more people, though, yeah. And if you can get other people to share your posts, that's even better. But getting that conversation going is huge.
Shaye Koester
12:01
Awesome. And you touched on it a little bit. But just to clarify, when we say or when you say, boost your post in the algorithm, that means that boosting so that Facebook shows it to more people? So like, Yes, I put a post out there, and someone else comments on it. So their friends see it who have similar interests. Correct?
TK
Tracey Koester
12:21
Correct. And by boost, I don't mean click the boost button. I'm talking about it gets a little bit more merit in the the algorithm and shows it to more people and and there's just a lot of things that I've learned to make your profile better to make people understand what you do. I've gone to people's profiles, and I don't I know they raise cattle. I know they sell bulls, you can't tell from their profile. But with free media, we need to be using that more.
Shaye Koester
12:53
So when you look at producers marketing on social media, what is the biggest mistake they make?
TK
Tracey Koester
13:01
I have a Facebook group called Bull Stalkers and when I when I started that a couple years ago, my hope was that people would come in, they'd post pictures of their cattle and we'd be able to connect with each other and we have a great avenue to market. Well, when you are an administrator of a group, you get to see all these insights. And what I found is that that's not what people are engaging in, they aren't even giving it a thumbs up. And you might get a couple of those, but you aren't getting much engagement or interaction. So what I've learned is that if you can get those conversations going, you start to build that know, like and trust factor with with your customers and potential customers. And, and that's what really does get more engagement on Facebook. So the social media aspects are great, but just posting your pictures isn't probably gonna show it to enough people, or even get people to engage with you, which is what you want.
Shaye Koester
14:05
Alright, so I think oftentimes social media gets a bad rap. I mean, there's even times where I get frustrated with it. But in your experience, does it have to be overwhelming and negative?
TK
Tracey Koester
14:21
Oh, absolutely not. Facebook, and the other platforms are social media. And I think it's important to remember that social media is for fun, people go to those platforms, multiple times a day. And why? because it's entertaining, they might learn something. But most of the time we enjoy it and we have fun with it. Yes, there's some frustrating things in there and I'm not gonna go into those details. But when we can go somewhere that people naturally want to go because they enjoy it. That's just a wide open opportunity for us to also engage socially, but be able to share a message without being, you know, we don't we don't want to come across as sleazy sales people on there. But it's a good way to start building those connections.
Shaye Koester
15:11
So what is one actionable piece of advice you can share with someone who's wanting to promote their bulls on social media, or any of their cattle, even if they're commercial producers got bred heifers for sale or steers or just wants to promote, but what's one actionable piece of advice you have?
TK
Tracey Koester
15:32
Well, I can actually give you a couple things that tie into each other and you've probably heard it before. But it's important to post consistently. That doesn't mean you have to post every day. But if you post consistently, and start building those engagements, that's going to make you more recognizable to not only the Facebook algorithm, but also to the followers on your page, or even your personal profile. So post consistently, but also post so you're getting that engagement. So by engagement, again, we talked about reactions, not just the thumbs up, but you want to get people that gives a little bit bigger boost with the heart or something like that. And you aren't going to get engagement, Shaye, unless you ask for engagement. So whether that means that you ask a question or interact some other way with them, you want to encourage them to have a conversation with you and one when it can be fun. I really think people, when they promote livestock are so serious and want to, you know, come across as professional, which is great. But think of it if you're at a convention or even just at a local meeting, or, say a tour at your place. You are going to be laughing and joking and having fun and that's what makes those memories. It's really no different on social media. It's just a little scarier, because it's out there.
Shaye Koester
17:02
Yeah, and I think I mean, I remember looking back, like when I first started getting more active on social media, it was scary right away. Because you know, there's even today, I still have posts that some don't get much engagement, and some do. And sometimes that's a little tricky. But it does go back to those conversational ones are the ones that get the most engagement that are the most fun, though. I mean, they get engagement, because they're fun, because people like to be a part of that conversation. So from a mindset standpoint, what is the mindset ranchers need to develop around their social media promotion?
TK
Tracey Koester
17:41
Well, I think that they, they need to look at it as a serious part of promotion that they can have fun with. They, I think they look at it as kind of set aside. And I think it needs to become more of our everyday type of promotion. So it's 365 days a year, that doesn't mean you have to post that often. But maybe you post on someone else's, or comment on someone else's and interact in groups. And just to be active on there, I think is a mindset that so many people need to look at, if you post to just the month or whatever, before your bull sale, that really isn't going to help you that much. And that's part of what I've developed in the cattlyst hybrid media strategy is it's a whole year of helping my clients figure out how to post I'm not not so they're selling something every time they post that they're getting people to enjoy that engagement and to become friends with them on Facebook, not just you know, the friends list, but to truly feel like you know, those people that are following you.
Shaye Koester
18:52
And that's a fair point along with it's free. Which it's free and effective. And that's hard to beat when it comes to anything in life.
TK
Tracey Koester
19:04
It takes a little bit of time and seriously knowing the best way to put posts up and the best times there's a lot of strategy that does go into it but it's not hard once you kind of get that magic formula and and the secret sauce to figure that out. And sure you can do paid ads, and I'm nothing against Facebook paid ads they can be very effective too. The verbage and and some of that has to be really, really spot on because otherwise Facebook will not give you the space you need.
Shaye Koester
19:40
So do you have anything else you'd like to add today before we wrap up?
TK
Tracey Koester
19:45
Well I would love to invite your listeners to join my Facebook group called Bull Stalkers. And that's S T A L K ers the like you're out there stalking new bulls like your border collie Shaye. I'd love to have more people join that group or almost 3000, strong and serious cattle producers and a great community. I do go in there during busy seasons, probably not as consistently, but I try to go live once a week and offer some free promotional tips in there and help you out with that algorithm and figuring out how to post better in Facebook. And if you really want to dive into it, I have my cattlyst program.
Shaye Koester
20:27
Awesome. Thank you for being on the show. Today, I'll make sure that information gets in the show notes and transcript and social media posts so that anyone listening can go to Bull Stalkers on Facebook and that's a group remember and get some more advice from you in there and be able to contact you.
TK
Tracey Koester
20:45
Thanks so much, Shaye. It was great visiting with you today.
Shaye Koester
20:48
And that’s a wrap on that one! Be sure to go join Bull Stalkers on Facebook to get more free tips and advice from Tracey to make your promotional strategies more efficient and effective. Remember to rate the show, comment about the episode or drop me tip using the link in the show notes. Have a great day. Thanks for joining me and I’ll catch you on the next one!
