Table of Contents

Should I Use Social Media for my Farm?

Benefits of Social Media for Farms? 

Instagram Marketing for Farms? 

Instagram Posts 

Facebook Marketing for Farms 

TikTok Marketing for Farms 

How to Create Great TikToks Videos

Creating a Social Media Strategy for your Farm

Why Consistency on Social Media is Key 

Ready to Boost your Farms Social Media Reach with Local Line? 

Should I Use Social Media for my Farm?

Social media has become an integral part of digital marketing for many businesses. For farmers, social media can be a dynamic platform to engage with customers, highlight their produce, and market meat online It is no longer optional, but an essential way to reach your customers, gain valuable insights, and increase sales to your online farm store. 

Benefits of Social Media for Farms

1. Increases brand awareness

Everyone is on social media. What better way than to connect with your existing customers and find new ones than social media? Having a great social media presence increases your visibility and unifies your brand.

2. Connects with your audience

Farmers are often scared that moving online will decrease their connections with their customers. This is not the case! Social media allows your customers to have a sneak peek into your business, connect with you via messenger or comments, and stay on top of what you’re up to.

3. Generates sales

The biggest benefit of using social media marketing is that it can increase your sales. With more exposure and more touch points between you and your customers via different channels, you will generate sales. 

We know social media marketing can be daunting. It’s like a black box that seems untouchable. 

But don’t worry, we created this guide to break it down for you. We want to introduce you to the different social media platforms and inspire you to take control of your social media marketing today. We’ve even thrown in a bunch of copy-and-post ideas that you can copy directly into your social media channels. It’s as easy as copy and paste! 

You can also gain valuable insights, tips and tricks on all things farmer selling and marketing with our book - Ready Farmer One! 

Instagram Marketing for Farms

The goal of your Instagram business account should be to connect and engage with people who want to buy your products. With 2 billion active monthly users spending an average of 28 minutes daily on the platform (according to Hootsuite), there is a serious opportunity to grow your following and get customers from Instagram.

The Instagram 5 Method

The key to an effective Instagram page is consistency in what type of content you post. You’ll draw more people to your page if there is a clear quality and theme in your pictures and videos. Instagram is all about aesthetics - so learn how to take great farm photos for Instagram!

To ensure you’re following a similar trend in your content - use the Instagram 5 method:  

Step 1: Choose 5 categories for your Instagram page

The first step is to choose what you want to share on your Instagram page. Segment that into five different categories. For example:

1. Family
2. The Farm
3. The Animals
4. Funny Pictures 
5. Product Promotion

Step 2: Decide what type of content falls into each category

After you’ve selected your categories, you need to choose what type of content falls into each category. By this, we mean, that for the family category, you’ll only post photos. For the product promotion, you use a variety of graphics, photos, and videos. 

Step 3: Create a pattern

The trick to the Instagram 5 is to alternate each category per post. For example, your pattern could be Animals, Product Promotion, The Farm, Family, and Funny Pictures. Having a set pattern makes brainstorming content super straightforward and ensures that your grid looks balanced.

Instagram Elements

We know that it can get overwhelming thinking of ideas on what to post to your Instagram page. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of content ideas for the different elements of the platform: posts, stories, reels, and Instagram Live.

Check out how to create an engaging Instagram profile for a farm business.

Instagram Posts

An Instagram post is a photo or video that an Instagram user shares on the platform. It is the main way to add content to your Instagram page. All your posts will be accumulated into one page displayed as a grid. Your grid gives a quick overview of your business. 

Engaging Instagram post ideas for farmers

Here are some of our favourite Instagram content ideas for your grid:

Product of the Week/Month

Feature one product as the product of the week/month. Be sure to add an awesome product description and why it’s featured this month, i.e. staff pick or in season! Even consider adding a special promo deal to increase sales. You can repeat this post on a weekly or monthly basis.

Morning Routine

Many people are very interested in what a morning looks like at a farm. Post multiple photos or videos of waking up, feeding the animals, walking through the fields - whatever mornings look like for you! Use the description to make a quick list of everything you do to prepare for your day. Your followers will love it!

Meet the Farmer

Don’t forget to introduce yourself and your team to your followers. If you’ve recently seen a huge increase in followers, it can be a great time to do an introduction post! Add a nice photo of yourself and a little background about you and why you do what you do! End the description with a question for your followers to get them engaged; for example, what’s your favourite product we sell?

User-Generated Content (UGC)

Social proof is the best form of marketing! Look into who’s tagging your business or location to their IG photos, and share those directly to your feed (if they’re nice photos, of course!). 

Your Why

Your “why” is your reason for doing what you’re doing.
Why did you start farming? What values does your business have? What image would best answer that question? Tell your story and pick an image to go along with it.

Planting Season! 

Get the season started by sharing some photos and videos from planting season. Let your followers know what’s growing this year by giving an overview of the planting process and a timeline of when their favourite products will be back in action. 

Life Around the Farm

This idea is pretty broad - but it is what your customers want to see. They want to know about you, what you guys do, and how their food is grown. Post high-quality photos of your different animals, crops, team or family members - whatever makes the most sense for your business. And then add a short and sweet story that goes along with the photo. Letting your customers into your life and farm will increase the bond they feel with your business. As you always hear, it’s essential to know your farmer - this way your customers can feel like they are. 

You could even make it a series and call it Fridays on the Farm! 

30 Best Farm Captions for Instagram

Need some inspiration for your own Instagram? Below find 30 days of Instagram captions to copy-and-post!

1. All the greens 🥬 They’re sprouting in the field, and it won’t be long until we offer these gorgeous greens again 💚 Stay tuned - coming soon to our online store! #farmfresh #[businessname]

2. It’s strawberry season 🍓 Be sure to put in your online orders to get them before they’re sold out. Link in bio #farmfreshstrawberries 

3. Our early batch of broccoli will be transplanted out to our fields in the next week or so! 🥦That means we should have fresh, beautiful heads of broccoli available around the last week of [insert month]! Be sure to keep an eye out on our online store #buylocal #farmfresh

4. Great day for transplanting in the field! Lettuce and kale 🌱🌱🌱 Getting excited for lush salads in spring! #farmfresh #[businessname]

5. New, this week at [insert business name], we have [insert product]! [insert product] is delicious grilled, sauteed, or on the BBQ. Be sure to order some [insert product] this week on our online store! #supportlocal #farmfresh

6. Looking for a way to use up veggie scraps? The answer is homemade veggie broth! It goes in everything and is also an excellent warm beverage. Store your veggie scraps in the freezer until needed, and then simmer in a large pot with water for an hour. You can store in an airtight jar for up to a week or freeze in small portions for use later. Save your veggie scraps today! #upcycle #farmhacks

7. Patiently waiting until these seeds sprout! #farmlife #freshproduce

8. Meet the farmer! Hi, I’m [insert name] and I started [insert business name] [insert number] years ago. 

9. Meet the team! This is [insert name]! They have been working with us for over [insert number] years. They’re responsible for [insert tasks]. [insert name]’s favourite product is [insert product name]. “[insert quote about why your team member likes working for you].” We are so lucky to have them on board. 

10. Meet the vendors! At [insert market name], we are fortunate to work with a variety of local producers and makers. This week we’re featuring [insert vendor name]. They sell a variety of [insert products]. Be sure to check out their products on our online store or at the market on Saturday mornings! #supportlocal #[insert farmers’ market name] #farmfreshfood

11. Meet [insert animal name]! He is our trusty chicken guardian. He still has a lot to learn from Poppy, but we’re hopeful he’ll learn the ropes soon. When he’s not out on the field, you can find him relaxing in the shade under the apple trees. We love you [insert animal name] #farmdog #farmlife

12. Meet [insert calf names], our new calves! Meeting these little guys is the reason we love to farm. Enjoy these pictures of their first few days #calvingseason #farmlife

13. Happy National Farmer’s Day to farmers everywhere. We love what we do and are proud to call ourselves farmers. Farming [insert relevant term: organically, biodynamically, livestock, etc.] isn’t an easy task, and we couldn’t do what we do every day without your support. #HappyNationalFarmersDay

14. Our commitment to growing food organically is present in everything that we do. We are so proud to produce flavourful and nutrient-rich food for our community. [insert description of why you farm and how your farming process works]. Thanks to our community for their loyal support, and we hope to continue to serve you for many more years to come. #localfood #[businessname] #appreciationpost

15. What’s your favourite summer BBQ recipe? We love BBQ ribs! Be sure to pick up all of your summer bbq needs from our online store before Saturday! #farmfresh #localfood #supportyourfarmer

16. Packing up grass-fed beef orders for Saturday pick-up! 🥩 We offer farm pick-up and delivery to the [insert location] region on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Be sure to put in your orders by next Monday for Wednesday and Thursday for Saturday pick-up through our online store - link in bio! #supportlocal #farmfresh

17. Here’s how we harvest and pack orders for Saturday pick-up! #behindthescenes #farmlife

18. WE’RE OPEN! ❄️ Winter Hours: [insert days] from [insert time range]. Find our range of fresh products AND MORE in our online store! Link in bio!

19. Today’s farm stand at [insert farmers’ market location]! This weekend we have [insert products]. Be sure to come by today from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM to get your groceries for the week! 

20. Did you know we do pre-ordering for the farmers’ market? Make sure you get everything you want this week by ordering through our online store Monday through Friday to pick up on Saturday mornings! #grabandgo #contactfreepickup #[insert farmers’ market name]

21. We now sell at [insert retailer name]! Find your favourite [insert business name] products in the [fresh food, pantry staples, meat, etc.] aisle. #buylocal

22. SPECIAL DISCOUNT on our online store this week! 🥕All week long, until [insert date], our [insert product] are BUY 2, GET 1 FREE!!! Get yours before they sell out! #farmfresh #[insert business name]

23. Have you heard? We’re pre-selling our CSA shares this year through our online store! To stay in the loop when they go on sale - sign up for our newsletter (link in our bio)! Once you’re subscribed, we will send you an email with all the details! 🥬🥕🍅 Thank you to those who have already subscribed - email coming soon!

24. 2024 Veggie Subscription is open for sign-up! Our CSA runs for [insert number of weeks] starting in [insert month]. Find all the info on our online store - link in bio! 

25. First CSA pick-up of the season!! Set up at [insert pick up location] with fresh veggies. Come get it, folks!! 🥬🍅🥕

26. Spring/Summer CSA Week 1! This week we’ve added: [insert products included in CSA box ie. lettuce mix, rainbow carrots, fennel...] #localproduce #farmfresh #CSAbox

27. What the heck is [insert vegetable]? We often get asked what to do with [insert vegetable]. [insert vegetable] is an awesome (and healthy) spring vegetable. It is best served roasted in salads or used in soups and stews. Be sure to pick some up at our Saturday market or order online today! #[insert vegetable] #farmfresh

28. We’re hiring! 👩‍🌾We are looking to fill both full-time and part-time farm crew and market staff positions. Farming experience is a plus but not required. Go to the link in bio for more information about the position and to apply. #farming #farm

29. A full delivery van going to [insert city] restaurants. So grateful for all our restaurant partners and their commitment to sourcing local! #[insert city]grown #localfood

30. What would you like our online store to carry? Let us know in the comments - we’re brainstorming new ideas for this year!  #farmstore #localfood

Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories lets Instagram accounts post photos and videos that vanish after 24 hours. This slideshow reel of photos and videos will disappear after 24 hours. They are a quick, easy way to share moments and experiences and talk directly to your followers. The program allows you to use text, music, stickers and GIFs to bring your story to life.

Here are some ideas to inspire your Instagram stories:

New Product Teaser
New product coming soon to your online store? Use stories to tease a new product launching soon! This drives interest and anticipation for your products and allows you to interact with your customers directly. 

Post a picture of a few ingredients, packaging, or the product in the field close up. Let your customers guess what’s coming soon to your store.

Feature Interview 
Use stories to break down an interview with your team! Your customers want to know more about what goes into producing your products. Do a quick interview with your team members, asking them questions like:

• What is your favourite product? 
• How do you use [insert product]?
• Why did you start farming?

Break down your favourite moments from the interview by featuring quotes, photos, or even little clips of the interviewer. Even consider doing this as a weekly series with different staff or even customers! Interview quotes are a great way to promote social proof.

This or That?
Get your customers involved and ask for their opinions! Take a photo or use a graphic asking your audience the question “this or that”? 

Run an Instagram Contest
Everybody loves free stuff! Put an ask out on your stories by asking customers to share their seasonal or product photos. Everyone who submits a photo using your set hashtag (#) will get entered into a drawing for a voucher or free product with their next order. 

Are you running this around a big holiday? You could even give away a free holiday basket featuring seasonal products! The bigger the reward, the greater the participation AND the more exposure for your business! #winning!

Freshness Tips
Veggies can be hard to keep fresh in the fridge (unless you’re an expert 😉). Use your stories to provide your tips to customers on the best ways to extend the shelf life of their favourite products. For example, where to store them (in the fridge or out), how to store them, and when they are at their prime!

Instagram Reels

Similar to the TikTok format, Reels are Instagram’s new way of sharing video content. The feature allows you to create multi-clip videos for up to 30 seconds, and get creative with easy-to-use text, AR filters and audio. You can film directly on the platform or upload pre-recorded videos from your gallery too! 

Instagram reel ideas for farms

Here are some ideas for Reels you can use on your Instagram account: 

Five Must Buy Products This Week

Inspire sales by showing off five must-buys you’re selling this week! Film five quick, high-quality clips of each product. Use text overlay to add product names and facts about the products. 

Tutorials

Reels can be a great tool to do quick and easy tutorials for your audience. Your followers want short content that can inspire them. Film and edit a quick and easy tutorial for a recipe, or gardening or household tip.

Instagram Live

Connect directly with your audience by going live with Instagram Live! Instagram Live lets you broadcast video to your followers in real-time as part of Instagram Stories. Followers can like and comment directly onto  After your Live is done, you can save it to your highlights on Instagram stories.

Examples of how food businesses can use Instagram Live

Here are some ways you could use the Instagram Live feature for your business:

Live Q and A 

Answer all those questions your customers are wondering! Use the Instagram Live feature to go “live” with your customers and connect with them directly. With this feature, your followers can join in and ask questions through the chat feature. 

Be sure to promote your Q and A beforehand using stories to make sure followers know when to tune in to see you go live! Consider asking followers to submit questions through the questions sticker in stories.

Cook with Us! 

Get your customers in the kitchen with you! Host a cooking class online through Instagram Live. Share the date and time, and ingredients needed and invite your followers to join you to make your favourite dishes featuring your products.

Facebook Marketing for Farms

Your Facebook page is designed to promote your business. Think of your Facebook page as a digital home for your business. Facebook is a popular place for customers to search your business, learn more about what you do, and find contact information. Often, they’ll search you on Facebook even more searching for you on Google! 

Be sure to spend time on updating your Facebook page to include:

• Your logo
• A branded header
• Contact address, phone number, and email address
• Website/online store URL
• Business description

This will ensure your customers have all the information they’re looking for immediately. 

After you’ve optimized your Facebook page, it’s time to start filling it with content! To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of content ideas for the different elements of the platform: posts, stories, and Facebook Live.

Facebook Post Ideas for Agricultural Businesses

Behind the scenes
People love to see how their food is produced. Show your customers a little behind-the-scenes on the production of their favourite products. The beauty of Facebook posts is that you’re able to post a few pictures in one post.

Storytime 
Facebook is a great place to tell stories. If you have a funny anecdote from their farm, write it down and share it as a Facebook post. Tell your own stories of how your business came to be, share hard parts of being a business owner, or even a short story about how you collect eggs in the mornings! Telling stories is a great way to connect with your audience. 

Take it a step further, and ask your customers to share their stories below in the comments!

Product photos
Facebook posts are a great place to share your harvest of the week. Share high-quality photos of products that are for sale this week, along with instructions on how to order! Also, be sure to include a link to your online store or website. 

Infographics
Infographics can be a great way to inform your customers. There’s a lot to learn about different farming styles or production methods. If you’re looking for a quick way to let your customers know why your production is different, put it in a quick infographic. Don’t have time to create one yourself, there’s always plenty to find online that you can reshare. 

Share your blog posts or favourite recipes
Many businesses write blog posts to offer value to their customers. Blog posts could include everything from an opinion piece on a certain trend or topic, or your family recipe for a special holiday dish. If you are an avid blog writer, use your Facebook page to promote your content! 

Ask for opinions 
Facebook is a great place to ask for feedback. The poll feature allows you to ask for preferences amongst your audience. Run a poll to ask if customers would want a different pick up time or delivery location. You could even ask them what their favorite product is. Whatever feedback you’re looking for, ask it here. 

Contests and giveaways
If you’re running certain promotions, giveaways, or contests, be sure to promote them on your Facebook page. A possible contest could be to share product photos, recipes, or even just to tag three of their closest friends to the post.  Customers are able to like and comment directly on your post, so be sure to encourage engagement.

Repost from Instagram
We recommend trying to differentiate your Facebook content from your Instagram posts. Due to the nature of Facebook, you have a lot more flexibility in the type of content you post (i.e. resharing YouTube videos, polls, links) and the length of the posts themselves. Instagram is all about the visuals! 

BUT, if you don’t have time to create different content for each platform, you can reshare your Instagram posts directly onto your Facebook page! The two social media platforms are linked, so this is definitely an option! 

30 Best Farm Captions & Quotes for Facebook

Need some inspiration for your Facebook? Below find 30 days of Facebook posts to copy-and-post!

1. All the greens! 🥬 It’s that time of year again. Our seedlings sprouting in the field, and it won’t be long until we offer these gorgeous greens again 💚 We love using our greens in big hearty salads! What is your favourite salad? Let us know in the comments below 👇👇

2. t’s strawberry season 🍓From pies to fruit salads to strawberry cream pie, strawberries are the best thing about summer! Be sure to put in your online orders to get them before they’re sold out. Order directly online from our online store here: [insert online store link].

3. Our early batch of broccoli will be transplanted out to our fields in the next week or so! 🥦That means we should have fresh, beautiful heads of broccoli available around the last week of [insert month]! Be sure to keep an eye out on our online store here: [insert online store link]

4. Great day for transplanting in the field! Lettuce and kale 🌱🌱🌱🌱 Getting excited for lush salads in spring! Stay tuned on our online store: [insert online store link]

5. New, this week at [insert business name], we have [insert product]! [insert product] is delicious grilled, sauteed, or on the BBQ. Be sure to order some [insert product] this week on our online store here: [insert online store link]

6. Looking for a way to use up veggie scraps? The answer is homemade veggie broth! It goes in everything and is also an excellent warm beverage. Store your veggie scraps in the freezer until needed, and then simmer in a large pot with water for an hour. You can store in an airtight jar for up to a week or freeze in small portions for use later. Save your veggie scraps today! 

7. Patiently waiting until these seeds sprout! What produce are you most excited for this spring? Let us know in the comments below 👇👇👇

8. Meet the farmer! Hi, I’m [insert name] and I started [insert business name] [insert number] years ago. [Insert your story on why you started farming] You can read more about [insert business name] on our website here: [insert website link]

9. Meet the team! This is [insert name]! They have been working with us for over [insert number] years. They’re responsible for [insert tasks]. [insert name]’s favourite product is [insert product name]. “[insert quote about why your team member likes working for you].” We are so lucky to have them on board. 

10. Meet the vendors! At [insert market name], we are fortunate to work with a variety of local producers and makers. This week we’re featuring [insert vendor name]. They sell a variety of [insert products]. Be sure to check out their products on our online store or at the market on Saturday mornings! [insert online store link]

11. Meet [insert animal name]! He is our trusty chicken guardian. He still has a lot to learn from Poppy, but we’re hopeful he’ll learn the ropes soon. When he’s not out on the field, you can find him relaxing in the shade under the apple trees. We love you [insert animal name]

12. Meet [insert calf names], our new calves! Meeting these little guys is the reason we love to farm. Enjoy these pictures of their first few days!
13. Happy National Farmer’s Day to farmers everywhere. We love what we do and are proud to call ourselves farmers. Farming [insert relevant term: organically, biodynamically, livestock, etc.] isn’t an easy task, and we couldn’t do what we do every day without your support. #HappyNationalFarmersDay

14. Our commitment to growing food organically is present in everything that we do. We are so proud to produce flavourful and nutrient-rich food for our community. [insert description of why you farm and how your farming process works]. Thanks to our community for their loyal support, and we hope to continue to serve you for many more years to come. 

15. What’s your favourite summer BBQ recipe? We love BBQ ribs! Check out our favourite BBQ ribs recipe on our blog: [insert link to blog post] Don’t forget to pick up all of your summer bbq needs from our online store before Saturday! [insert online store link]

16. Packing up grass-fed beef orders for Saturday pick-up! 🥩 We offer farm pick-up and delivery to the [insert location] region on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Be sure to put in your orders by next Monday for Wednesday and Thursday for Saturday pick-up through our online store: [insert online store link]

17. Behind the scenes at [insert business name]! Here’s how we harvest and pack orders for Saturday pick-up! [Insert description of how you harvest and pack orders]. We’re accepting orders until 5:00 PM on Thursday for Saturday. Put in your orders here: [insert online store link]

18. WE’RE OPEN! ❄️ Winter Hours: [insert days] from [insert time range]. Find our range of fresh products AND MORE in our online store: [insert link to online store].

19. Today’s farm stand at [insert farmers’ market location]! This weekend we have [insert products]. Be sure to come by today from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM to get your groceries for the week! 

20. Did you know we do pre-ordering for the farmers’ market? Make sure you get everything you want this week by ordering through our online store Monday through Friday to pick up on Saturday mornings! Order here today: [insert online store link]

21. We now sell at [insert retailer name]! Find your favourite [insert business name] products in the [fresh food, pantry staples, meat, etc.] aisle. [insert address to location here]

22. SPECIAL DISCOUNT on our online store this week! 🥕 All week long, until [insert date], our [insert product] are BUY 2, GET 1 FREE!!! Get yours before they sell out: [insert online store link]

23. Have you heard?! We’re pre-selling our CSA shares this year through our online store! To stay in the loop when they go on sale - sign up for our newsletter here: [insert link] Once you’re subscribed, we will send you an email with all the details! 🥬🥕🍅 Thank you to those who have already subscribed - email coming soon!

24. 2024 Veggie Subscription is open for sign-up! Our CSA runs for [insert number of weeks] starting in [insert month]. Find all the info on our online store here: [insert online store link].

25. First CSA pick-up of the season!! Set up at [insert pick up location] with fresh veggies. Come get it, folks!! 🥬🍅🥕

26. Spring/Summer CSA Week 1! This week we’ve added: [insert products included in CSA box ie. lettuce mix, rainbow carrots, fennel...] Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop for the winter CSA sign-up! [insert link]

27. What the heck is [insert vegetable]? We often get asked what to do with [insert vegetable]. [insert vegetable] is an awesome (and healthy) spring vegetable. It is best served roasted in salads or used in soups and stews. Be sure to pick some up at our Saturday market or order online today! [insert online store link]

28. We’re hiring! 👩‍🌾We are looking to fill both full-time and part-time farm crew and market staff positions. Farming experience is a plus but not required. For more information about the position and to apply, click here: [insert link].

29. A full delivery van going to [insert city] restaurants. So grateful for all our restaurant partners and their commitment to sourcing local! 

30. What would you like our online store to carry? Let us know in the comments - we’re brainstorming new ideas for this year! 

Facebook Stories

Similar to Instagram Stories, Facebook also has a Stories feature. This feature allows you to post photos and videos that vanish after 24 hours. They are a quick, easy way to share moments and experiences, and talk directly to your followers. 

Already posted a few stories on Instagram? Send them directly to Facebook by sharing the same stories on both platforms.

Facebook Story Ideas for Businesses

Here are some ideas to post on your Facebook stories:

New Product Teaser

New product coming soon to your online store? Use stories to tease a new product launching soon! This drives interest and anticipation for your products and allows you to interact with your customers directly. 

Post a picture of a few ingredients, packaging, or the product in the field close-up. Let your customers guess what’s coming soon to your store.

Feature Interview 

Use stories to break down an interview with your team! Your customers want to know more about what goes into producing your products. Do a quick interview with your team members, asking them questions like:

• What is your favourite product?
• How do you use [insert product]?
• Why did you start farming?

Break down your favourite moments from the interview by featuring quotes, photos, or even little clips of the interviewer. Even consider doing this as a weekly series with different staff or even customers! Interview quotes are a great way to promote social proof.

This or That?

Get your customers involved and ask for their opinions! Take a photo or use a graphic asking your audience the question “this or that”? 

Run a Social Media Contest

Everybody loves free stuff! Put an ask out on your stories by asking customers to share their seasonal or product photos. Everyone who submits a photo using your set hashtag (#) will get entered into a drawing for a voucher or free product with their next order. 

Are you running this around a big holiday? You could even give away a free holiday basket featuring seasonal products! The bigger the reward, the greater the participation AND the more exposure for your business! #winning!

Freshness Tips

Veggies can be hard to keep fresh in the fridge (unless you’re an expert 😉). Use your stories to provide your tips to customers on the best ways to extend the shelf life of their favourite products. For example, where to store them (in the fridge or out), how to store them, and when they are at their prime!

TikTok Marketing for Farms

Even if you’re not on TikTok, you’ve most definitely seen a video from this incredibly popular social media platform. Its focus is on short, bite-sized videos that are used to entertain, educate, and inspire.
From a marketing perspective, TikTok is a platform where your main metric is brand awareness. The app is expected to surpass 2 billion users by the end of 2024. 

Because TikTok doesn’t directly hyperlink posts to websites, the goal is views and viewer engagement. You can include a website and hyperlink to your Instagram in your profile, so be sure to take advantage of these key opportunities to drive traffic to your website!

With TikTok’s incredibly fast growth and popularity, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. We recommend getting started on this app sooner than later. The good news? It’s fairly new, and now is a great time to experiment with it.

The one thing to keep in mind when it comes to TikTok: be authentic. The app is all about imperfection and being real! Videos that show your process, your personality, and the behind-the-scenes will do exponentially better than videos that are very curated.

We have a variety of TikTok content ideas to share that can be used for your business’ video strategy—try thFaem and learn what works for your audience!

Tips for Getting Started with TikTok

1. Get familiar with TikTok

If you’re not a regular user, familiarize yourself with the app. Go to the “For You” section of the main feed, and see what others are posting. You can use the Discover tab (similar to Instagram) to search for videos similar to yours. How are other farmers or local producers creating content? What videos are they sharing? (Note: it can be challenging to search for videos on TikTok; the main element that returns search results are hashtags. Be sure to use these in each of your posted videos.)

Create some draft videos, use the filters and stickers, and get comfortable using the platform.

2. Choose your topic

This one is easy—your profile will be all about your business! It sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s easier to get creative and make an impact when you have a specific video niche that your content follows.

When you have a niche, your ideal audience will find you, engage with what you’re sharing, and know what to expect from you. As your community grows, you’ll be able to direct them off of the app and onto your website or online store.

3. Create a schedule

How often will you post on TikTok? We share a little more detail about how often to post on social in the “Social Strategy” section of this guide, but a good rule of thumb is to be consistent. Some content creators post 3 to even 10 videos per day on TikTok, but that’s not recommended (or even sustainable).

We suggest aiming to post 2–3 times a week. TikTok will reward your account for being consistent, so if you can maintain a regular post schedule, your videos will get in front of who they need to without sharing more videos.

Repurpose Your Instagram Reels and Stories

The great thing about creating content for TikTok is that it can—and should!—live beyond just this platform. Save time and reuse your content for Instagram Reels and Stories, and Facebook Stories as well.
If your Instagram or Facebook audience isn’t on TikTok, you’ll want them to see what you’re sharing there, too!

Here’s how: 

1. Go to your profile
2. Hold down on the video you’d like to save
3. Hit “Download.” It will download to your device, and you can then upload to other apps!

TikTok Ideas for Farm and Food Businesses

Need some inspiration for your own account. Here are some types of TikToks:

• Videos of daily life
• Animal videos
• Dancing videos
• Social media viral challenges
• Dialogue reenactments
• Song imitations
• Creating (this could be baking, cooking, making art—or farming!)
• Calming videos (a mundane task to soothing music)
• Storytimes (sharing a personal story over 1 or two videos, or “parts”)
• Voiceover videos
• Before-and-after
• Tutorial videos
• Live videos (great for engaging with your audience in real-time)

Follow the latest TikTok trends

Because TikTok trends change so quickly—and pop up without warning—it’s important to take advantage of them as soon as you can. Plan your evergreen content (like tutorials, a day-in-the-life), while keeping your content schedule flexible to accommodate trends and video memes as they occur.

Here are seven days of TikTok content for you to record and share!

1. A day in the life of a farmer/local producer
2. Behind the scenes of your packaging process (include a voiceover!)
3. A “storytime” about when and how you started your business
4. Your customers’ favourite products (show clips of each item set to music)
5. Record a video clip of your field after planting and then cut-to a clip of it just before harvest (this one will take a bit of time!)
6. Cooking or recipe videos: showcase your products and their applications to your followers.
7. An educational video: why should people buy local?

How to Create Great TikTok Videos

Follow these easy steps to post a video on TikTok

1. In the app, open the camera tab (bottom centre).
2. Choose how long your video will be (15 or 60 seconds) using the time setting.
3. Start recording; all at once or in segments. Alternatively, you could upload from your camera roll a pre-recorded video, then trim the timing if need be to fit into your chosen time frame.
4. After recording (or choosing a video), you can add text, musical overlays, and stickers.
5. Press Next to enter a caption, hashtags (encouraged to make your video searchable!), and a cover for your video that will appear in your TikTok profile.
6. Adjust the privacy settings. You can find these settings under the video caption.
7. Publish!

Batch your filming and editing

Batch recording and editing is the best way to maximize your time spent creating videos. It’s a time consuming process! 

Take advantage of TikTok’s ability to upload pre-recorded videos. Have a plan for which videos you’d like to create, and then use your smartphone to record clips throughout the day that you know you’ll use in one, two, or more videos later on. For example: maybe you’re filming a day-in-the-life, a video showing you packaging orders, and a video tour of the market. Take clips throughout the day, and when you have a chance, piece together the clips in TikTok to make three videos!

Creating a Social Media Strategy for Your Farm

Social media is a science (as they like to say), so having a clear social media strategy is very important! A social media strategy is a quick summary of your plan of action for how you want to post on these platforms. It guides your actions and allows you to reflect on how it’s going.

It doesn’t have to be lengthy or extensive, but rather a clear overview on what you want to achieve on social media. 

Here are six steps to quickly (and painlessly) create your social media strategy today:

Step 1: Define your goals

The first step for setting up a social media strategy is to set goals. Like any new project, you want to define your desired end result before starting. What do you want to achieve with your social media? Do you want to get more customers? Do you want to connect with existing customers? Do you want to increase your brand awareness?

Each business will be different. But whatever your goals, be sure to set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each goal. For example:

Goal: Increase Brand awareness
KPI: Grow to 500 Instagram followers.

Hootsuite provides a great overview of on how to set goals and measure them with this table: 

Step 2: Choose your tools

After you’ve set your goals, you now need to define what tools you’ll need to get started. First, choose your platforms. You don’t have to use all of the social media platforms available to you. You need to select the platforms where your customers are and where you think you can succeed. We highly recommend at the least, you create a Facebook business page as it increases business legitimacy. 

After you’ve selected your platforms, take some time to get to know them. Most social media tools (such as Facebook and Instagram) offer a variety of helpful analytics tools that allow you to deep dive into the numbers. Take some time to understand what reports you can see and what they mean. Understanding how your audience interacts with your content can help you ensure you optimize your content to increase views and engagement. There are many resources available online to help you understand the interesting world of social media analytics, so be sure to use Google!

Then, you need to select any other tools that can help you succeed. Here are some tools/resources we recommend:

Social Media Management Platforms: These management tools allow you to schedule out social media posts to go out at desired times. This can save you so much time from having to manually post. Schedule everything for the week or month on a Sunday and let the tool do the rest for you. Here are some examples:

• Later
• Hootsuite
• Buffer

Graphic Design Tools: Many of us are not graphic designers. Luckily there are free platforms available that allow you to drag and drop different graphics, fonts, and more to create engaging and beautiful graphics to use on social media. Our favourite is Canva! They offer a free account.

Free Stock Photos: Stock photos can be used to create different graphics or add to different posts if you can’t take the photos yourself. Here are some websites that offer free stock photos:

• Unsplash
• Pexels
• Freepik

Step 3: Reflect on the past

Before starting with your new social media strategy, it’s important to audit your existing social media channels (if applicable). Ask yourself: 

• What’s working, and what’s not?
• Who is engaging with your content?
• Which networks does your target audience use?
• How does your social media presence compare to the competition?

Understanding what works (or doesn’t work) for your business is the first step to a successful social media strategy. You can even compare the results of your audit to your goals. How do you need to change your current strategy to achieve your goals?

Step 4: Set up your accounts for success

You want consistent branding across your social media channels. Go through your existing social media accounts and make sure all of the logos, colours, and wording match. Be sure to include relevant and updated links and contact information. If you have a website, make sure that the branding and imagery on your website matches your social media. 

Step 5: Create a content calendar

A content calendar is a marketing tool to help you get organized! It can be as complex or as simple as you would like it to be, but it helps you know what you need to post and when. If you take the time early on to plan out your content, it will save you so much time during the week! To set up a content calendar, you can use a variety of tools! Start out with an excel spreadsheet to get organized.

Download our social media content calendar template for farmers

If you want to take it a step further, you can even consider using a project management tool such as Asana or Trello. The social media management platforms mentioned above (Buffer, Later, and Hootsuite) are also perfect for the job! Play around with the different options to see what works best for you! 

Step 6: Stick to it!

You’ve put in all the work to create your social media strategy and content calendar - now it’s time to keep it up! Try to keep to your content calendar for at least a month to see results. After a month, if you’re not able to keep up or you want to post more, re-evaluate your content calendar and try again! 

Be sure to regularly check and analyze your metrics and indicators to determine whether things are working! If you don’t track it, you’ll never know if your hard work is paying off.

Why Consistency on Social is Key to Success

We can say that consistency is key with most things, and the same is certainly true for social media. You want to be seen as reliable enough that you deserve to be followed, and provide enough value to your followers to encourage them to interact with you. 

Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to be posting every hour on the hour (actually, the opposite is true). Posting on a regular basis allows more opportunities for your followers and target audience to interact with your content. The fabled “algorithm” on platforms like Instagram favours interactions over volume of posts, as well as accounts that are posting consistently. This means that you will be ranked as more “relevant” on your followers’ feeds, and in the discovery functions of each platform. A good rule of thumb is to post 3-5 or so times per week on any feeds (the “always there” content on Instagram or Facebook) about something that is core to your story or business. This is where your main, high-level messaging goes. 

Stories can be seen as complementary to your posts, and are best served by the “day-to-day” updates, fun or funny moments in the day, and add an accessible, down-to-earth feel to your channel. These can be as often as you like (we would suggest at least a few stories per week to start).

How often should farmers post on social media?

Rule of thumb: Always quality over quantity! 

These are suggested guidelines for posting frequency, but be sure to know what is realistic for your business. If you only have time to post on social 1-2 times per week, that’s always better than not posting at all! Be sure to set realistic goals for your business and capacity, so that you stick to them. If you’re too ambitious from the start, it might result in you falling behind or posting poor-quality content. 

Ready to Boost Your Farm's Social Media Reach with Local Line?

This guide is a starting point for your social media journey, and we're excited to introduce you to even more opportunities. At Local Line, we don't just stop at social media guidance; we empower you to take your farm business to the next level.

In addition to our valuable insights on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, we offer a comprehensive solution to build your very own e-commerce farm website through Local Line. We understand the importance of a strong online presence for your farm, and with our platform, you can easily create a professional farm website to showcase your products and reach a wider audience.

But that's not all – Local Line goes the extra mile by providing professional social media services for farm businesses as part of our offerings. Our experts can help you navigate the world of social media marketing, making it easier for your farm business to thrive in 2024.

So, don't stop here. Explore the world of social media marketing with the foundation you've gained from this guide, and when you're ready to take your farm's online presence to new heights, trust Local Line to be your partner in success. Start building your e-commerce farm website and enhancing your social media strategies today.

Looking for more farm marketing tips? Download our guide to 365 days of marketing!