Chelan, WA – The expanding world of social media in the produce industry brings new meaning to “likes,” “friends,” “boards,” “pins” and “followers,” all of which are being used with great success not only to reach new audiences but also to measure the results of those efforts.
On the cutting edge of the digital “shout out” is Chelan Fresh Marketing in Chelan, WA. The sales and marketing arm of Gebbers Farms and Chelan Fruit Cooperative, CFM has established itself with a large Facebook presence, several boards on Pinterest and as a trailblazer with greenscans mobile platform.
According to Marketing Coordinator Kathryn Grandy, the company’s marketing material continues to develop in pace with Internet-based technology, and she said, “Our strategy is really digital, and social media is one aspect of that.”
She added, “What we want to do is to ‘be’ social rather than to ‘do’ social.”
In the Facebook phenomenon, CFM counted its new “likes” in the thousands between Thanksgiving 2012 and early February 2013, and Grandy said that outreach “continues to grow in numbers and also in activities, with measurable results.”
Pinterest, populated with anything and everything of interest to virtually anyone and everyone with access to the Internet, has proven to be a valuable outlet for health and nutrition information as well as recipes and unique fruit-related topics such as arts and crafts.
“Our Pinterest boards and pins are doing very well, and currently we’re working on some new, more organic material for that site,” Grandy said. “We also have a person who is working on recipes that are vegan and for other special interest audiences. Pinterest appeals to people who are very health-conscious, such as those who only eat organic or who don’t eat refined sugar. We see them as a very important audience segment, and we see Pinterest as a very refined search engine.”
Greenscans, which was launched in 2012, has shown itself to be a good tool to reach the tech-savvy. Along the lines of QR codes, greenscans is a mobile app that utilizes product GTIN barcodes already printed on products. Chelan Fresh’s greenscans codes can take consumers or produce buyers to Youtube videos, introducing them to the operation’s growers and providing them with tours of the orchards or facilities.
“Our organic label, ‘Cascade Crest,’ involves the Stennes family,” Grandy said. “Kevin Stennes is our sales manager for organics, and his twin brother, Mark, is on the farm. We’re putting Mark and a Rainier cherry orchard into greenscans – and I think this is going to be a huge reference source for organic buyers, giving them a more personal experience. Also, we’re working to get our greenscans videos in-store in the future.”
In addition to the greenscans traffic, Chelan Fresh maintains additional Youtube videos which allow for “more robust presentations,” Grandy said. “We have a lot of traffic on our Youtube videos. People want to see the whole process, and all our videos are linked to our web site, chelanfresh.com.
Each arm of the social media body requires “different messaging and appeals to a different audience,” Grandy said. Posts and pins and videos are tailored with that in mind.
“Our first cherry newsletter generated a big social media jump on Pinterest,” she said. “Our intention is to engage the consumer, and we’re looking at how best to provide information and make that connection. We believe it is understanding analytics and expanding messages to include different aspects.”
An example is the work Chelan Fresh is doing with Washington schools to share ideas about repurposing packaging.
“We’re seeing what can possibly be made out of used clamshells, boxes and other packaging, and we’ll do videos and postings of our work with the kids,” she said.
Grandy said, “That is being social. That is what people want to see and hear. And that’s what we want to do – to find creative ways to engage the community.”
Source: Chelan Fresh Marketing
