Using Social Media for Outreach
Posted by Cindy – July 18th, 2009
It’s cheap, it’s easy and it’s a way to communicate one to one with people who might not otherwise hear your message. Those are three good reasons for beef cattle producers to use social media like Twitter and Facebook to reach out in ways they have never been able to before, according to David Dick of Sedalia, Missouri who serves on the Federation of State Beef Councils.
David is group chair for the Joint Public Opinion and Issues Management Committee, a meeting that was all a’twitter with talk about how the industry can use social media to combat misinformation and activism. “There are a lot of different issues – food safety issues, animal welfare issues, environmental issues – there are many things that come up every day,” David says. “You always kind of knew who was shooting at you and know you don’t know who’s shooting at you or where they’re shooting from so you have to cover all the bases.”
David says using Twitter and Facebook helps producers extend their reach to the general public. “We’re looking at getting our producers out there and getting them to carry the message forward,” he said. “They need to be telling the story because it comes from them and people trust that.”
Listen to my interview with David here:
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Download David’s interview here: David Dick
2009 Cattle Industry Summer Conference Photos
