Navigating the social media waters is a hot topic for the Cornhusker NAMA Chapter. Twenty-two people recently met at the Nebraska Farm Bureau to discuss “Dealing with Social Media, Blogging and SEO.”

Four experts including Corrie Oberdin from IriDiAN Group (social media), Karissa Tomsen from Intertwine Interactive (SEO), Adrian Blake (blogging), and Kelly Cox from Valmont Industries (ag social media and marketing) delivered powerful messages on these topics.  Each panelist talked about how they have observed many companies simply jumping into social media and blogging without a plan.

Oberdin shared a checklist to use before launching social media efforts:

• Set social media goals
• Develop a social media team
• Define your plan for social media
• Develop a policy for employees to adhere to
• Craft a response plan
• Outline a communication plan for social media
• Create a content calendar
• Track results

It’s important to keep your blog content fresh.  Why?  Ninety-nine percent of all sales efforts start with the internet.  Many buyers are combing the internet for products and services, so it’s surprising that only one in twenty blogs supplies updated content more than quarterly.  Blake emphasized that bloggers can avoid this lag by planning ahead.  Start with a strategy for your blog, offer distinctive content, build an audience and ask readers to take action.

SEO continues to be a top priority for marketing teams.  Specific do’s and don’ts of SEO change daily.  The best thing to do is get involved in understanding algorithm changes and then adapt to them quickly, said Tomsen.

Cox shared that Valmont has undergone a two-year initiative to improve its social media marketing.  The company followed many of the planning steps emphasized by the other panelists.  As a result, they experienced a relatively smooth transition into the world of social media.