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JUNE HEARTBEAT

We’re often asked about social media and we do recommend a presence for our customers to tell their stories. It is one tool among many to be present with customers and prospects. An article from business.com published April 15 this year contains some great guidance. We have summarized it here.

With over 5 billion active social media users globally in 2024, projected to exceed 6 billion by 2028, a social media presence is crucial for credibility and offers numerous strategic advantages.

Key benefits include: 

• Enhanced Brand Awareness and Lead Generation: Social media platforms are primary discovery channels for products and services. 
• Fostering Authentic Customer Relationships: Social media humanizes businesses, allowing for direct, meaningful interactions. 
• Breaking Through Advertising Noise: In an era of increasing ad fatigue, organic social media content provides a genuine way to connect with consumers. 
• Competitive Advantage for Small Businesses: Social media empowers small businesses to compete with larger corporations through personalized engagement and responsiveness. 
• Optimized Customer Communication and Data Insights: Social media platforms offer direct communication channels, enabling prompt customer service and real-time engagement. 
• Cost-Effective Marketing: Compared to traditional advertising, social media marketing can be remarkably inexpensive, often requiring only time and creativity. 
• Website Traffic and SEO Improvement: Social media profiles and consistent content sharing drive traffic to business websites and contribute to improved search engine rankings through backlinks and increased online visibility.

Choosing the right platform is key. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are excellent for community building and visual content, LinkedIn excels for B2B connections, and newer platforms offer opportunities through engaging, short-form video. Talk to HMG about how to make social media work for you!

On May 22, 2025, the National Agri Marketing Association hosted a webinar to reveal results of the Exclusive Ag Producer Sentiment Survey conducted in January-February this year. Results show producers’ attitudes toward expansion, acquisition, and investment to reflect 2024 – cautious.

Survey shows the agriculture community anticipates a challenging year. Most producers are expecting stagnant or declining revenues. Few are planning targeted investments and see opportunities for expansion and efficiency. Most have concerns about commodity prices, costs, and political uncertainty including tariffs. Risk management and improving processes on the farm or ranch are priorities.

Respondents to the survey were primarily crop farmers (55%). The balance were engaged in the following sectors: beef – 17%, poultry – 11%, dairy – 10%, pork – 1%, and other – 6%. Over 80% were male and the majority over 55 years of age. Those with annual revenue of $250,000 to $499,999 made up 19% of responses; 47% had higher annual revenue.

At HMG, we continually seek information and data to provide sound advice and recommendations to customers as we craft plans to tell your stories.

Two members of the team at HMG celebrate birthdays in June! We extend our best wishes to Toby whose birthday is June 5 and Katie whose special day is June 26. We appreciate you!