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When you think of the Wisconsin dairy industry, do you picture farmers
milking black and white cows, driving tractors, making cheese, and using
social media?

It should come as no surprise that like many other businesses today, the
next generation of digital natives also is using social media such as
Twitter, LinkedIn, foursquare and Facebook to promote dairy on various
levels, especially the collegiate level.

Across the country, animal science/dairy science undergraduates within major
universities find themselves engaged in dairy clubs on campuses. In a
nutshell, these clubs operate as campus organizations to further develop
young professionals in today’s agriculture industry, create networking and
service opportunities for students and allow students to engage in farm-like
social events (bonfires, dances, hayrides, you name it!).

It’s safe to say that among these dairy clubs there exists underlying, but
friendly, rivalries. The UW Madison Badger Dairy Club is one of many clubs
that host a live cattle auction on its campus where the students perform all
the duties that an auctioning service would provide. The sale average serves
as the final number for measuring the success of the sale, and obviously the
highest sale average gives certain clubs bragging rights. Believe it or not,
much of this success can be attributed to the advertising done using social
media in hopes of keeping potential buyers of the animals updated on the
consignments.

A large portion of advertising and drawing in public interest in these
sales, and other competitions, is done on Facebook. The fact that you can
see what’s going on through real-time picture sharing has created a “buzz”
unmatched by the conventional magazine or newspaper announcement.

These clubs take such pride in their school and achievements that there are
even formal competitions for who can create the best recruitment videos for
their programs on YouTube, best websites and online profiles, the most
retweets and the like. Today, the online presence of a club can directly
correlate with their impact on the community, business and overall relevance
in the dairy industry.

Not only are these students tweeting, posting and sharing content about the
agriculture on their campuses, but are also doing it while doing chores at
their own farms. It’s funny that an industry so highly valued within
Wisconsin’s heritage–one that is assumed to be traditional– is actually
one that continues to embrace new technology and social media.

Here are just a few basic reminders that can truly make a difference in your business/organization’s social media success:
1. When posting anything on the internet through your business or organization, be sure that your message is seen/approved by 2-3 others in your office. Better safe than sorry!
2. Avoid posting content that is meaningless to your friends and followers. Retweet, post and share more than just your typical reminders of “Remember we have a meeting at this time and location tonight”. Try to find a way to add value in what you’re saying and not just stating the facts.
3. Give your audience information that shows the personality of your business/organization, making it easier for your business to be remembered.
4. For organizations where the social media position is consistently turned over from year-to-year, remember that individuals may not all be on the same skill level, so be sure to provide a running list or binder that provides all necessary information for passwords, reminders, successful ideas/tips.
5. Stay relevant. Post content on a regular basis. Otherwise, if you aren’t providing anything new, your audience has nothing to keep up with.