WESTERN PRODUCER — Fighting trolls might look cool in fantasy movies or when you’re playing Dungeons and Dragons, but it doesn’t achieve much in the real world.
If you’re trying to reach non-farmers through social media with constructive messages about farming, arguing with people who attack you is counterproductive, says a seasoned agricultural communications professional.
“Fighting isn’t going to help that case,” said Amanda Richardson, director of program and communications with the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute.
“Work on the relationships that you are able to build in a positive way.”
Social media can be a great way to establish enduring relationships with people that might not be possible to otherwise meet. But Richardson, who also worked with Canada’s leading agricultural media organization, Glacier FarmMedia, thinks farmers can probably achieve even more by working in farm and commodity organizations.
Getting involved in agricultural organizations is vital, especially when it comes to influencing politicians, bureaucrats, companies and non-agricultural interest groups,.
“We live in an era of information overload and misinformation and disinformation,” said Richardson.
“Sometimes a more efficient way to be able to do that is for these farmers to get involved with associations that have a mandate to reach the public or have a mandate to improve farming and agricultural policy.”
That could be provincial farmer organizations, commodity-specific industry associations that involve farmers or other bodies that represent farmer interests. Often, these groups can get meetings with senior bureaucrats, politicians and other leaders who are vital to reach if farmers want their interests well represented before decisions are made.
Richardson said some of these bodies already run effective ag advocacy programs, such as:
- • Canadian Centre for Food Integrity
- • Canadian Cattle Association
- • Dairy Farmers of Canada
For farmers who feel brave enough to communicate directly with the public through social media, Richardson said it’s important to avoid fighting with trolls. However, farmers also need to know who they are, why they are communicating and what they want to achieve.
Like a company, a farmer should establish their “brand,” or the essential reality they’re trying to portray.
“It’s about finding those things on your farm that make you unique and talking to the public from that angle,” said Richardson.
Most people in cities and towns today don’t know much — or anything — about farming, so don’t assume anything.
“You’re really starting from a place of helping them to understand the fundamentals that probably come very naturally for you because you’ve been doing this, this is your livelihood, this is your career, but it’s really about talking about it from the perspective of people who have no idea what you’re talking about.”
People who are honestly interested in learning about you and interacting with you are who farmers should concentrate upon. There’s no point fighting with or getting upset by people who just want to insult, attack or mock you.
“You don’t need to engage with these people,” said Richardson.
“They aren’t there to talk. They aren’t there to collaborate. They aren’t there to build a relationship. They’re there to argue and fight, and there’s no obligation to argue with them.”
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