Farmers put social media to work in combating a devastating drought
The reach and flexibility of social media makes it an ideal crisis management tool, even in industries that are thousands of years old. When a crushing drought put the crops of farmers across the U.S. in danger, they turned to social media for support, to gather and share information, and even for fundraising. Check out this quote from a RealTime Report article by Tonia Ries:
Not surprisingly, the drought has also attracted a dedicated hashtag, #drought12, with everyone from farmers to the USDA sharing the latest information and strategies on how to cope.
Thinking why am I harvesting this stuff but moisture is 15%. #drought12 twitter.com/hogneck/status…
— dc denton (@hogneck) August 26, 2012
In addition to using Twitter as a realtime information feed, farmers are using video, blogs and Facebook to keep customers in the loop about conditions on the farm, in the hopes that this will keep customers engaged and supportive. They also rely on Twitter chats such as #AgChat to connect with other farmers and share information with each other.
The prevalence and pervasiveness of social media in our world today presents so many opportunities to not only communicate with those you know, but also to reach out to millions of others who just may have the answer your business needs to overcome the obstacles in its path. The real kicker? It’s FREE.
So tell us, why haven’t you put it to work for your organization?
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/