Exploring Agriculturalists' Use of Social Media for Agricultural Marketing

TLDR

The Internet has transformed how agriculturists obtain information and communicate, with user‑generated social media offering free, instant channels to engage consumers. This study investigates how agriculturalists use social media for agricultural marketing. A qualitative approach involved in‑depth interviews with four agriculturists who work in agriculture, use multiple social media platforms, and employ them to market their operations. Interviews revealed seven themes, showing that farmers actively use social media to counter negative narratives, manage their online presence, remain generally positive, exhibit gender differences, and prompted recommendations for practice and research.

Abstract

The Internet has had a significant impact in how agriculturists get their information and how they communicate with consumers. The use of user-generated media, especially social media, now provides agriculturalists free and practically instantaneous channels through which to engage with their audience members. The purpose of this study was to explore agriculturalists' use of social media for agri-marketing. This study used a qualitative research approach consisting of in-depth interviews with four agriculturalists who met certain criteria: an individual (1) working in agriculture, (2) using several social media platforms, and (3) using social media to market his/her own agricultural operation. Analysis of the interview transcripts identif ied seven emergent themes to address the three research objectives. Findings indicated participants became active using social media to combat dominant negative messages about production agriculture. Participants also discussed how they manage their social media presence and balance responsibilities. Overall, they were positive about the use of social media for their own operations and for the broader agricultural community. Additional analysis indicated some gender differences in regard to social media use. Recommendations for both practitioners and researchers are provided to further explore social media use in agriculture.