Swanson Russell - Orange Dot

Supporting Local Agriculture

editor — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 22:29:34 +0000

As participants in the Spring/Summer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program through Tomato Tomáto, employees in the Omaha office have received bountiful bags filled with locally-grown food for the past 15 weeks.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It connects consumers with the best of local food. A CSA is a farming model based on relationships. At the beginning of the season, customers purchase a share in the farm's harvest and throughout the season, the farm provides the shareholders with a portion of the harvest.

Standard bags included weekly seasonal fruit and veggies with additional options to get alternating weeks of one dozen eggs and bread add-ons from local bakeries. Produce included asparagus, radishes, arugula, kohlrabi, salad greens, green onions, broccoli, sweet corn, peaches and more! My family also opted to include the dozen eggs every other week, receiving local cheeses on the opposite weeks.

In addition to our own backyard garden, these weekly deliveries of healthy, local food had my family eating fresh all summer. We had asparagus and sweet corn as a side for several meals during the summer months. We also tried new recipes with fresh ingredients, such as Pasta Primavera, Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps and popcorn on the stove — which is so much better than microwave popcorn.

But more than good food, it felt great to support our local farm economy. And I love that my daughter knows where food comes from and how much hard work is invested into having a steady and abundant crop.

Consumer safety campaign targets the DIY market

editor — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 17:01:27 +0000

Homeowner Do-it-Yourselfers (DIY) attempting to repair or replace propane gas appliances are putting themselves and their families in danger. And when things go wrong, too often, the media points the finger incorrectly at the propane system. The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) came to us with the challenge: help us reduce the number of DIY-related accidents without raising unnecessary concern about propane systems.

Background

Properly maintained propane systems are very safe, but previous PERC research revealed that talking to homeowners about safety made them feel uncomfortable. Additional research revealed that a very high percentage of DIYers do research online before or during a project. So we recommended digital advertising and search marketing to catch DIYers in the act of researching their project so we could then persuade them to hire a pro instead.

Approach

Even after successfully excluding the general public from our message, we knew we would still have to find just the right tone for our video targeting DIYers online. DIYers do not like to be told what to do. And going too far with a fear-oriented message could reduce believability and put PERC in an inappropriate light. We developed multiple story lines that had elements of fear, from mild to severe. Then we tested these concepts by presenting storyboards to focus groups of DIYers. The concept that had the most influence without leaving a negative reaction featured a husband and wife speaking with an insurance agent outside of their severely burned home. Watch the video to see what happened.

Results

The campaign featured digital display ads on DIY websites like HGTVremodels.com and DIYnetwork.com. We also placed carefully crafted text ads on Google and YouTube, tied to very specific keyword searches. All ads linked DIYers to our simple and direct website, www.diysafety.org.

The campaign launched in January 2014. Detailed analysis of all digital activity allowed us to optimize our ad messages and keywords to maximize the impact of PERC’s budget for the campaign. To date, the campaign has driven 141,325 unique visitors to the website, 25,112 video views, and 1,624 requests for more information about hiring a professional. In addition, response from the propane industry was immediate and positive. LP Gas, a top trade magazine serving the propane industry, featured the campaign as its cover story in its June 2014 issue.

As an agency, we are especially proud of this campaign as it gave us an opportunity to use our marketing expertise to influence consumer safety, not just purchase behavior. And we have other consumer safety campaigns in the works. Stay tuned for a new campaign about portable generator emissions safety.

Tips For Using A Microsite For Your Advertising Campaign

editor — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 17:31:41 +0000

You are in the process of developing a new brand campaign, but your health system website is in the midst of a major overhaul that will take at least twelve months to complete. Where do you drive people to for an online experience? In instances like these, a campaign microsite is always a good option.

Campaign microsites are built around a focused message and allow for your advertising message to be front and center in a rich environment and not get lost. They also afford you the opportunity to target specific audiences without worrying that it works for everyone.

Below are five tips to consider when developing your campaign microsite.

1. Use responsive design

Even though your corporate site may not be responsive yet, it’s imperative that your campaign microsite is. This ensures a seamless experience on any type of device.

2. Create focused content

The campaign site should feature only relevant information focused on campaign messaging. This is one of the advantages to utilizing a campaign microsite, it eliminates all of the irrelevant information health care websites inundate consumers with so that they only have to focus on your marketing message and your call to action.

3. Integrate brand elements

More than likely, your campaign will utilize brand elements that are already on your corporate site like colors, fonts or photography treatment. Make sure there is a fluid look and feel between your corporate site and your campaign landing page so that the brand experience spans all mediums.

4. Link to a corporate site

There will always be relative information from your corporate site that you want users to experience on the microsite, but it’s just too complicated to include. This is your opportunity to reduce user steps in accomplishing specific tasks to get to that information. For example, including your “Find-a-Doctor” widget on the campaign site allows users to start the find a doctor process, knowing the search results will ultimately link to your corporate site.

5. Identify conversions and additional metrics

Before you even think about starting those wireframes, a measurable conversion should be established. Is the goal of your campaign to call to make an appointment or register for an event through an online form? How will you measure it? In addition to conversion, identify other metrics that will help you measure success. Is there a video to watch? Do you have several pages to click through? Will it help to measure how far down users scroll on the page, or how long they watch the video?

See how Swanson Russell implemented a microsite strategy to help Children’s National Health System reintroduce themselves as the only comprehensive system in the regions that focuses solely on children.

Making a “Non-Move” Something to Celebrate

editor — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 15:38:14 +0000

There’s been no shortage of business news in Lincoln over the past few years. Longstanding companies have relocated to new offices near and far. Startups have launched. Doors have been closed. Mergers and buyouts have shaken up the scene.

Within this shifting landscape, Swanson Russell has stayed the course, continuing to grow through a stable and sustainable approach to business. It’s a formula that’s worked for us for over 50 years. It may not have the same headline power as the aforementioned “moves,” but we think it should.

When we decided to build a 12,000-square-foot addition onto our longtime home at 12th and P St. to accommodate our ongoing growth, we had the perfect time and platform to send that message. The Swanson Russell Super Big Non-Move was born.

Community Campaign: Telling Our Story

When you spend 53 years in one location, community really matters. On this block and throughout this city, we’re surrounded by old friends, established clients, new acquaintances and future employees. We wanted to make sure they all understand the value we place on staying power.

On Tuesday, June 16, a large banner was installed on the west side of our building (right beside the soon-to-be construction zone) to announce our campaign’s core message. Like most campaign materials, the banner drove community members to TheSuperBigNonMove.com for more in-depth, up-to-date information about what we’re building at Swanson Russell.

The Journal Star also helped us spread the news about our new construction and introduce our campaign in a way that reached beyond local boundaries.

Next, we invited nearby businesses, local media and Mayor Chris Beutler for a special event on Friday, June 19, to celebrate the groundbreaking and unveil our slightly new address. Clappers and confetti cannons were used to bring big energy to this Non-Move celebration.

Employee Campaign: Taking Care of Our Own

While spreading our message about staying power to the community was one key goal for the campaign, the most important audience for The Super Big Non-Move campaign was our own employees—those that would be enduring almost a year of pounding jackhammers, shaking walls and lingering curiosity.

To build an extra level of excitement internally, boxes were distributed to each employee two days before our groundbreaking event. Each box contained a campaign shirt, branded clapper and helium-filled balloon—everything employees would need for the groundbreaking event later in the week.

While the groundbreaking event was hosted in the morning, a separate employees-only celebration was hosted in the afternoon where employees were invited to enjoy food-truck munchies, cold drinks and conversation about the future of Swanson Russell.

For employees, the campaign will evolve to give construction updates and show the specifics about how our new home will help us better serve clients. After all, that’s the foundation that made this Non-Move possible.

Making the Case for Beef

editor — Thu, 14 May 2015 16:46:42 +0000

Perception, misconception and the need to better educate consumers — there are a million scenarios that apply to this, right? As a public relations practitioner who works in agriculture, these are constant challenges. Our industry is always working to better educate consumers to help them make the best dietary choices for themselves and their families. And sometimes, when trends and stereotypes meet “ag”, it feels like even when we’re winning some battles we’re having a tougher time winning the war. I recently read an article that confirmed just that.

In February, the USDA released the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. It’s an advisory report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Agriculture that sets nutritional, dietary guidelines, and recommendations reflective of scientific findings and research. According to the report, “dietary patterns with positive health benefits are described as high in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, seafood, legumes and nuts; moderate in low-and non-fat dairy products; lower in red and processed meat; and low in sugar-sweetened foods and beverages and refined grains.”

This caught the attention of the beef industry. After the report was released, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) responded, saying the recommendation failed to fully recognize the nutritional benefits of lean beef and encouraged Americans to eat less red meat. The USDA statement also failed to mention the positive role of lean meat as a food source high is zinc, iron and protein. Additionally, it also failed to put emphasis on the 30 lean beef cuts available to consumers today.

NCBA continues to make the case that beef is a nutritional food source. They have a significant challenge in maintaining the reputation of the beef industry while working to rid the misconceptions of beef consumption. I’m impressed with NCBA and their response to the Department of Health and Human Services and Agriculture. They have raised their voice and have gained the attention of the media, encouraging further review of scientific research so that consumers can be accurately informed and make the best choices. Ultimately, in the end, it’s a decision that consumers have to make for themselves — it’s what’s best for them. But we, as an industry, have that responsibility to make sure that science, research and our story is being told.

Our Swanson Russell agri-business teams are members of organizations, advocating for conversation and education of where our food comes from. We understand that this can sometimes be a daunting task, but it’s our responsibility. We need to work hard for those who are in the field working hard for us.

We’re #1! Wait, we’re #5! #10! What do hospital rankings mean, and are they useful to consumers?

editor — Wed, 13 May 2015 17:06:55 +0000

Are rankings meaningful to consumers?

During a consumer focus group a few years ago, we asked the participants what they thought about a local hospital promoting their J.D. Powers #1 ranking. Their responses were varied, “Isn’t that a reward car companies get?” “Did they pay for that?” “Every hospital says they’re #1 in something.” “What does that even mean?”

Good questions and point taken. A recent article in the New York Times referenced an analysis by the academic journal Health Affairs which looked at hospital ratings from two publications, U.S.News & World Report and Consumer Reports, as well as Healthgrades and Leapfrog Group. No hospital rose to the top by all four. And some hospitals were actually designated as a high performer by one group but a low performer by another.

The article goes on to say that the rating groups are serving different purposes and are not measuring the same thing. OK, I buy that. It doesn’t make sense for them to overlap and measure the same things. But consumers don’t understand that. They have access to all kinds of information, but it’s difficult to find reliable information that compares apples to apples and is meaningful when it comes to hospitals or health systems. As communicators, we shouldn’t be adding to the confusion. And by advertising and promoting these ratings, isn’t that what we’re doing?

Consumers are in charge

For the most part, consumers are interested in the patient experience. That experience equals quality. They expect great clinical quality and safety. So it’s good that your hospital has lots of processes and initiatives in place to assure high quality and safety. But consumers are interested in whether the phone was answered quickly and the person on the other end was helpful. Can they schedule an appointment for when they want it? Is it easy to park and get to the office? Did the health care providers listen to them? Can they easily pay their bill online? Can they easily find the location and hours online?

So the next time your physicians or CEO ask you to promote your hospital’s latest ranking, ask yourself these questions:

Does the ranking support your brand?
What happens if you don’t get the same ranking next year?
Will it help consumers make an informed choice about their health care?
Are you promoting to satisfy internal audiences?

There IS a better way to spend those marketing dollars!

We promote and champion for wellness, but are you taking care of yourself?

editor — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 18:20:49 +0000

We all go to the Summit to learn something new, network with other healthcare strategists, and hopefully have a little fun. This year the Forum added yoga each morning and two new sessions entitled “Focus on You: Meditation and Mindfulness” and “Meditation for Stress Reduction”. Most of us in the session had similar stories — we carry our smart phone with us 24/7, we multitask at work, and we multitask when we’re with our families. Because of all of this we feel stressed, run down, and burned out. So, I applaud the Forum for offering these meditation sessions.

Ridiculously in charge of your attention

The meditation instructor, Sarah McLean, who is the director of the McLean Meditation Institute in Sedona, AZ, told us a CEO of a company had asked her to teach his senior leaders how to be “ridiculously in charge of their attention.” I think we all could relate to that request. Every day I find myself, my colleagues, and my clients dividing our attentions. We’re on a conference call, and I can hear people on the other end furiously typing away. Emails and texts are answered during meetings. Or I’m thinking about a meeting I have in the afternoon instead of paying attention to the one I’m in now.

“Ah ha”

Sarah also talked to us about being fully present in each moment. Put the phone down. Answer emails after the phone call. When we’re home with our family, be present. Meditation can help. It can lead to better productivity so you make smarter choices. Even though I knew all of those bad habits were not good for me, my work, or my family, hearing it from Sarah was an “ah ha” moment. I’m going to bring meditation into my life and be purposeful about being present. I hope this is an “ah ha” moment for you, too.

5 essentials when you’re starting meditation:

Thoughts are OK — if a thought creeps into your head, you acknowledge it, then tell yourself you’ll get back to it AFTER you meditate.
Be kind to yourself — don’t expect miracles when you first start.
Don’t try too hard.
Let go of expectations — let go of any preconceived notions of what mediation is supposed to be.
Stick with it!

Taking a break from the fast pace of our lives with meditation is like a reset button for your mind and body, and it only takes a few minutes a day.

Unifying the Online Brand Experience of Dealer Networks

editor — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 18:46:37 +0000

Dealer System Key Features

Modern and user-friendly Content Management System

Full access to SEO settings and metadata

Content revisions and approval workflow

Multiple user roles and accounts

Multi-language support

New Equipment data feed from Vermeer.com

Used equipment search engine

Integration with dealers’ existing business systems

Sales rep finder

Events calendar

Web-based contact forms

The Challenge

In the fall of 2011, Vermeer approached Swanson Russell with a unique challenge related to their extensive dealer network: since each dealer was an independently owned franchise and not operated by Vermeer directly, each dealer’s website was managed and funded individually. The end result was an inconsistent brand experience between regions for Vermeer customers and prospects. The challenge was to bring all of these web properties under a single umbrella that could efficiently and pragmatically address the dealers’ business, customer and marketing needs while also improving brand and marketing consistency between Vermeer and its dealers.

Our Solution

Swanson Russell met with Vermeer and a small group of dealers serving as a pilot committee to come up with a plan to address the needs of all dealers within the limitations of the dealers' limited budget. The solution was a centralized website platform that would allow each dealer to have a customized yet uniform web presence which would allow them to manage their content and marketing needs themselves, but still provide Vermeer with some level of control over sensitive content (e.g. new equipment product details) and the overall brand experience.

Dealer System at a Glance

The Vermeer Dealer System was a centralized web platform that supported multiple standalone websites with unique domain names. There was a single, shared design across all sites that enforced a consistent brand experience regardless of the internal capabilities of individual dealerships. While dealers had complete control over the content on their site, the centralized structure allowed Vermeer to provide a feed of New Equipment data without worrying about outdated or inaccurate information spread out across many different dealer sites.

New dealers were guided through an onboarding process where they could choose which features are enabled and how they want to work with the website. Dealers were also trained on using the CMS and had access to additional documentation and support through the other dealers using the system.

Thinking About the Future

The initial set of functionality and designs were established by working closely with the pilot dealers and Vermeer, but we knew from the beginning that this would be a system that would need to grow and adapt over time. Each year, the dealers worked together with Swanson Russell to prioritize which improvements, additions or other changes that had accumulated over the past year should be implemented on the dealer system.

By sharing the initial and ongoing development costs, each dealer was able to launch a professional, comprehensive web presence that many of them would not be able to manage or afford without the dealer website system.

To learn more about Swanson Russell’s expertise in the construction industry, contact us.

Test Your Ag Knowledge

editor — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 21:10:39 +0000

Agriculture is Nebraska’s top industry, contributing $22.6 billion to the state’s economy each year. But how much does the average person know about this vital industry that touches every one of our lives, every day? We’ve created a fun and challenging quiz about the business that puts food on our tables and clothes on our backs. The quiz is online.

At Swanson Russell, we work with agribusiness clients every day. We’ve made a Real Connection^TM with the people who work tirelessly to put food on our tables and clothes on our backs. We are honored to work in an industry that is proud, strong and humble.

So this year, during National Ag Day, we created a quiz that celebrates the ag industry and educates people about agriculture. The quiz features multiple choice questions about agricultural topics such as animal agriculture, row and specialty crops, geographical facts, equipment and general agricultural terms.

Knowledge is power. The average American is now more than three generations removed from the farm. The more we can help to tell the story of agriculture and get facts out to the general public, the more people will understand how food and fiber products are produced and appreciate the role agriculture plays in our daily lives.

Test your ag knowledge today online at www.AgTrivia.com.

3 Ways to Strengthen Ag Retailer Relationships

editor — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 16:17:28 +0000

If you market products and services through a dealer or retailer channel, you know what a difficult proposition this can be. Here are three strategies that will help strengthen relationships and grow your business with your channel partners:

1. Understand what keeps them up at night.

Focus your message around how you can help them achieve their business goals. Just like any relationship, you have to be invested in their success before they’ll reciprocate. Ask them how their business or store sales are, not just the numbers for your products. Be genuine about your interest in their success (both professionally and personally) so they see you as a trusted partner. With most dealers, their focus is not on marketing your products; it’s on the things that keep them up at night — staff retention, keeping up with new technology, maintaining profit margins, etc. If you demonstrate how you can help address these pain points, your success rate in growing your business with them will increase dramatically.

2. Show respect. Demonstrate loyalty. 

The end-user is their customer, not yours. This was reaffirmed in the 2013 Large Commercial Producer Survey from Purdue University. It showed that growers prefer to get information from their dealer’s technical staff or sales staff above all other sources. It might be a minor detail, but understanding this is critical to strengthening the relationship. In addition, be loyal to your dealers during lean times and provide market intelligence to help them grow market share during a market compression. As a result, they’ll respect your input when you make requests that require an investment in staffing, technology and training.

3. Make decisions with your head, not your heart.

It’s easy to fall in love with potential when it comes to dealer development. In the vast majority of cases, you’ll know if a dealer is going to be star for your organization in the first two years. Continuing to put effort towards dealers that aren’t performing is far less productive than working with successful dealers to continue to grow sales and market share. When you’ve identified those dealers, you need to determine the traits that make them successful, so you can recruit new dealers with similar traits or find existing dealers that can emulate their strategies to grow sales. You also want them to know how important they are to you and your organization, since your competitors are likely to try and flip them over to their channel. Sending a handwritten thank you note, remembering their spouse’s or child’s birthdays, or sending a congratulations text or email when their favorite team does well are all ways to show your appreciation in a genuine and memorable way.

In our more than 40 years of working in agriculture, we understand how dealers and retailers make decisions. Furthermore, we know the role marketing plays in their business and how to develop marketing programs that will engage and incentivize them to ramp up sales of your products at a faster rate. Contact us to learn more.

Why Your Website Should be Priority #1

editor — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 20:54:43 +0000

Do you know how consumers first “experience” your hospital or health system or clinic? As with most things today, it’s most likely online. I’m sure you’ve seen the stats. More and more consumers are going online for health information, to schedule appointments, find a doctor, find a location, etc. And more and more often, they’re using their smartphone to go online.

I saw this article on Becker’s Hospital Review and it again struck me how important a hospital’s or health system’s website is. It used to be that consumers had a very low expectation of the health care industry. “Yes, Hospital A’s website is outdated and isn’t easy to navigate, but that’s just how hospitals are.” That’s not the case any more.

Amazon, Zappos, and countless other retailers and service organizations have changed all of that.

At Swanson Russell, our research and experience has shown that, in order to meet the expectations of today’s health care consumers, hospitals need to:

Simplify navigation. Make it easy for users to find what they’re looking for. Utilize search as a primary method to find information.
Be 100% responsive. Users are on smartphones, tablets and desktops.
Provide related content in various formats. Like video and news articles to complement the content on the page.
Focus on creating unique, local content. The kind that highlights your services, treatments and expertise. Unless you have the same level of resources, don’t try to compete with Mayo and WebMD for information about conditions.
Utilize user-specific language. Such as, “I want to…” and “I’m looking for…”
Perform more like an application. Be very task-oriented, leading the user to where they need to go.
Incorporate imagery. Keep it focused on patients and positive outcomes.
Prevent confusion and frustration. Be modern, clean, inviting, and simple.

Most importantly, hospital websites should make it for patients easy to do the following:

Find a doctor or location.
Pay a bill.
Find contact information and access to help and resources.
Access medical records.

Consumers are in the driver’s seat. They do have choices. Is your website a priority for 2015?

What I Do Around Here: Art Director

editor — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 21:22:49 +0000

In an effort to demystify the ad agency and its various positions, our new series, “What I Do Around Here” lets different SR employees explain their job, in their own words. So whether you’re a client wondering what you’re paying for or an aspiring intern wondering what you’re getting yourself into, we hope this series sheds some light on just how we do what we do.

When I tell people that I'm an art director, I sometimes wonder if they’re imagining me in a beret and black turtleneck, waving a paintbrush in front of a big picture window overlooking a beautiful landscape.

Well, at risk of bursting your bubble, it’s not quite that romantic. But it is pretty cool.

My job as an art director is to work with a creative team to take an idea from concept through execution from a visual standpoint. It’s my job to keep it on-strategy and on-brand while still being fresh, authentic, and interesting with each piece.

Seems simple enough, right? Naturally, the doing is a little more complex—so here’s what its like to be the one wearing the beret.

Big Idea

At the core of my job is the big idea. Whether it’s a big branding assignment or a supplementary project, each job starts with defining the problem and how to answer it with the big idea. We call this “concepting,” and it means sitting down with writers, creative directors and designers to get the wheels cranking and ideas flowing. We get ‘em, we test ‘em, we kill ‘em, and do it over and over until the best one rises to the surface.

Defining Visuals

Once we have the idea, we start asking ourselves a long list of questions to better define it from a visual perspective. What should it look like? How should you feel when you see it? Is it bright and sunny? Tough and gritty? Cool and serious? How does it fit within the brand and already-existing materials? Is there a specific photographer or illustrator that needs to be hired to achieve the look? What does the type look like? How does the message come across? Are we still on strategy? My job is to keep an eye on the finish line, and use the answers to these questions to get us there.

Presenting

Since the client hasn’t been in all the concepting meetings and hallway discussions where we’ve hashed out this big idea, our next step is to think about the best way to share the idea with them. Do we build a presentation? Do we need mockups? Once that’s built out, I help to present the idea and execution, and discuss it with the client.

Planning

After we have client’s approval to move forward, the really exciting part arrives: putting our nose to the grindstone and making it happen. As an art director, this starts with planning. This could mean working with our traffic department to schedule designers to work on layouts, or getting in touch with outside talent like a photographer or video crew to starting to planning a shoot. Or both. In either case I’ll meet with the team and get a game plan in place, and then we’re off.

Hovering

If you’ve seen the famous hovering art director blogs, then you know where we’re heading next. Yes, I admit it. We are serious hoverers. But in our defense, we hover because we care! You’ll find me on site of a photo shoot, reviewing the previous shot with photographer and talking about the next. I’m hovering over a testimonial subject, prepping them for their on-camera interview, straightening their collar, and removing that piece of fuzz off their shoulder. I’m hovering as each video take is captured and then hovering over the editor that puts it together. And I’m always working closely with designers and production artists to make sure each print and digital execution is going as planned. Basically, my job is to keep projects on track and true to the concept and brand—from the big picture to the smallest of details—until the project is ready to be released into the wild. Even if it means we need to move that logo just one more click to the left.

And that about covers it! Every art director does things a little bit differently, but at the end of the day, it’s about making beautiful meaningful work that connects with the audience and inspires action.

The beret is optional.

Let the Agricultural Trade Show Season Begin

editor — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 20:39:46 +0000

It’s trade show season in the agricultural industry. National Farm Machinery Show, Commodity Classic, Mid-South Farm and Gin Show, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Convention…and list goes on. What an exciting time of year as communities of people with common interests gather in a single location to learn more about the latest products and services in our industry.

If you’ve ever prepared your company to attend a trade show, you know that it takes an enormous amount of time, energy and resources. No doubt a trade show can be an exhausting experience, but it can also be invigorating. And, it can provide lead-generating and relationship building opportunities. Don’t miss this chance to make a meaningful connection with your customers, industry influencers and the media. Here are a few ideas to help you prepare for your time at a trade show.

Develop a plan of expectations ahead of time. Take a moment to define goals and time-specific and measurable objectives. What do you want to get out of the trade show? Who is attending and what product or service do they need to know about? How can you help your audience do their jobs better? How will you track your event participation after the event?

Listen. In the weeks leading up to the trade show, listen to what potential attendees are saying. Review the trade show website and learn about seminars and events that will be taking place. Engage with attendees on social media. Ask them what they want to learn about at the event. Listening and engaging others early will help you develop event plans and messages that resonate with others attending the show.

Prep your company spokespeople. Well before you pack your bags and jet set to the event, be sure to equip your team with talking points and messages about products and services that will be featured on-site. By providing them a list of products and two or three points about each (ahead of time), they will be more prepared to visit with the attending media, customers and potential customers.

Engage the media. Trade shows are a great way to connect with potential buyers and customers, but don’t forget about the media. The media attend trade shows to learn about the latest products and services from leading companies in agriculture. Reach out to media contacts well in advance and invite them to stop by the booth for an interview. Scheduling interviews in advance, or having an idea of who will stop by, will help you better prepare the right information for each media outlet. Develop a media kit for on-site distribution. Kits can include news releases, fact sheets, sell sheets and key spokespeople contact information. Many agricultural trade shows have media rooms where you can display and distribute your media kits. Also, if you have a lunch or dinner free, invite a few media representatives to join you. Developing and fostering relationships with the media is important – especially when it comes to educating them about new and future products and services. Be sure to follow up with the media after the event and gather any placements as a result of your trade show efforts.

Measure the success of each trade show. One of the most important, yet ignored, elements of event planning is evaluation. During or immediately after the trade show, capture your daily thoughts, observations and notes. Did you meet your goals and objectives for the day (or during the show)? How would you improve your interaction with attendees? Is the trade show valuable for you and your team to attend next year? Did you scope out the competition? And if so, what were they doing on-site? How many new media relationships did you gain at the show? After the show, you should prepare a report that evaluates your company’s overall presence and participation. Reflecting back will help you improve future events.

Facebook Casts Shadow of Doubt with New Rules for Brands’ Pages

editor — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 15:31:40 +0000

Facebook announced last month that it would be “reducing overly promotional Page posts” in users’ News Feeds starting in January 2015. According to Facebook, since News Feeds are already so competitive, they’d rather showcase posts that provide good engagement and quality content instead of “free ads” that push people to buy things or enter promotions. This actually makes some business sense: Facebook polled its users, they said they don’t like super-promotional content in their News Feeds, so to keep those users coming back, Facebook is removing that content.

My guess is that this will be policed by an algorithm. By some stroke of luck, I was offered a survey to “improve the News Feed” last month. I accepted, and was given 15 posts to rate how much they felt like ads. Some of the posts were obviously what Facebook would consider a “free ad,” but some were pretty innocuous. It wasn’t clear which posts were “overly promotional” and which ones weren’t, and having to grade the posts made me question it even more.

This is a major change for brands on Facebook — and one that could have serious implications for social media strategies worldwide. However, for all its possible importance, there’s plenty of mystery concerning the effectiveness of Facebook’s post-killing algorithm and where it draws the line between allowable post and “free ad.” Here are three things you can do to make sure your Facebook posts are seen in 2015.

Watch your Post Reach like a hawk

For the first couple of months of 2015, keep an eye on your Insights page to make sure your posts are still reaching people. Look for a drop-off between how many people saw your posts in 2014 and 2015. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples, though: compare posts on similar topics posted at similar times of the same days of the week.

If you don’t see a drop in Post Reach, congratulations! Your posts as they stand now haven’t been deemed by Facebook to be “overly promotional.” Keep doing what you’re doing, and your posts will probably end up reaching more people than before because of the reduced competition from other brands.

Focus on engaging content

If you do end up seeing a drop in your Post Reach, your content has probably been deemed “overly promotional,” and will not be shown in users’ News Feeds as often. You can turn it around, though.

Part of the reason Facebook implemented this rule is that many pages were posting self-serving, boring content. Avoid being “that page” by doing the following:

1. Link to content on your website. Instead of putting all of your content in posts within Facebook, place the bulk of your content on a blog (or similar area) on your website, then link to it on Facebook. This will give users another chance to interact with a post (which Facebook’s algorithm will love) and give an additional bump to your website traffic (which your whole marketing team will love).

2. Focus the content on your end-user. As a marketer, it’s easy to want all of your content to focus on who you are and all of the features and benefits your products and services offer. However, users prefer content that helps solve a problem or offers a unique point of view. The trick is to create content that fulfills both sides of that equation, in that it provides a point of view or solution to a user’s problem that only your organization can provide.

3. Offer different types of content. Not only does Facebook measure how long its users are viewing its site and what kind of content its users prefer, but Facebook has tools in place to measure how much time a user spends not looking at Facebook -- that is, Facebook knows how long a user views the content that Pages are linking to. Think about your audiences and the types of content (text, video, podcasts, infographics, etc.) that they like to consume, and create more of that content. Facebook will give you better News Feed placement if users are spending more time viewing your content, and users will spend more time on content types that they prefer.

Don’t work too far ahead

It would be a shame if you created content six months in advance, only to have Facebook decide that the content is “overly promotional” and that it isn’t worthy to be shown in your users’ News Feeds. As much as we love our content calendars and planning the right content for our users, it is probably best to pump the brakes and slow down until we know how this new rule is implemented. Wait until you see how your posts are performing in 2015 before you create too much content.

Traveling the Back Roads with "The Minute" Host, Jake Turner

editor — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 21:39:45 +0000

When we launched The Minute (original title: Authority Minute) in 2012, it was to establish FMC as a provider of valuable information to soybean growers to enable them to get more from every acre. In just two years, growers have come to count on the site (www.fmcminute.com) for reliable advice from experts guided by a personable host.

The format is simple. Host Jake Turner invites viewers to “travel” with him across the country’s midsection as he interviews experts about best practices, pest management and other topics of interest to our ag audience. Jake and the featured authority (scientist, agronomist, grower, ag equipment dealer, chemical retailer, etc.) meet in the town café, field, on-farm machine shop or side of the road for a conversation about the subject at hand. The episodes are short and to the point. Knowing that growers want quick hits of information, each episode could be considered a "pit stop."

Host Jake is an integral part of the success of The Minute. From the first episode, Jake established an easy rapport with his guests; his relaxed style is less like an interview and more like a conversation with a friend. In fact, he has developed quite an enthusiastic fan base. Jake is quickly recognized at trade shows where he appears on behalf of The Minute and is always warmly welcomed by locals on his travels for the show.

The first year, the show was called Authority Minute which targeted soybean growers. To launch Authority Minute, we relied on an integrated media mix, including digital ads, direct mail, television, radio, in-store counter cards, public relations and an informational kit for the sales team.

The very first episode featured Chris Mayo, Monsanto Technical Development Representative. Chris and Jake met in Mom’s Café in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, to talk about weed resistance. The relaxed, down-home style of the inaugural show set the stage for subsequent episodes, including these:

In addition to the short video, the site includes “Comments” and “Ask Jake” sections, as well as a poll. These features encourage viewer participation and provide us with welcomed feedback. The following comments are representative of what viewers post to the site:

“Never too old to learn right Jake? Everyone should see episode 28.”
“Thank GOD for chemical control; I remember walking fields and pulling all those weeds.”
“Jake, you just get better.”
“Very informative!”

To encourage viewers to watch each new episode, we conduct major sweepstakes and $100 Visa® gift card drawings. These activities add an element of excitement and give the audience a big reason to visit The Minute site: to see if they’ve won a prize.

We send emails to the account holder database to announce when new episodes launch and remind viewers that they could win a gift card by watching. This is also our opportunity to encourage viewers to enter the sweepstakes.

By year two, we expanded the audience to include corn growers and changed the name to The Minute. In addition to making a minor revision to the title graphics, the new name and emphasis meant an expanded audience, more territory for Jake to cover and a greater variety of experts for Jake to interview.

The second year of the series saw other changes as well. We enriched the viewer experience by adding links to related information.

Jake and his viewers have covered thousands of miles talking to experts, industry professionals and growers. There are many roads left to travel and a lot more information to be gathered along the way. Join Jake for the next trip. All it takes is a minute.