The North Carolina Association for Dairy Stabilization and Growth Inc., better known as Dairy Advantage, is leading the way for enhancements to the dairy industry in North Carolina. Facebook is one of the tools Dairy Advantage uses to connect with dairy enthusiasts and build “dairy excitement” throughout the state. Matt Lange, dairy development coordinator for Dairy Advantage, shared what the organization has learned since joining Facebook in November.
Why did you choose Facebook over other social networking sites?
Facebook has been an incredible tool for us in getting information out to dairy consumers, producers and farmers. It’s a great way to reach younger folks interested in dairy farming, and can span distance and time. For instance, we have fans from Virginia, Wisconsin and even Brazil. It’s also an incredible tool to get people to be innovative and discuss issues in a positive format.
What’s your favorite feature of Facebook?
My favorite feature is being able to create events. It’s really good for short-term promotions. If something is scheduled for the middle of April, but we don’t find out in time to promote it in our newsletter, we can still spread the word by creating an event. If people find out about the events and attend, it’s worth it.
Speaking of events, we noticed the 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl on your page. Can you tell us a little more about it?
Sure. It’s an exciting event. 4-H teams from around the state will compete in a quiz bowl full of questions related to the dairy industry. Click here for more information.
We’ve really enjoyed some of the outside links you’ve shared on your page. Why is it important for you to share outside material with your fans? I’ve always been a proponent of taking into consideration what others are doing. My objective is to get people to think outside the box and create discussions. If I get a phone call from someone in California in response to something we posted on our fan page, then the 100 hours I spent on Facebook was worth it.
We want to create “dairy excitement” in North Carolina like poultry and tobacco have in the past. We also would like to be the dairy information hub for the region, and have surrounding states look to us for leadership in dairy.
How can people connect with Dairy Advantage online?
Right now, you can find us on Facebook. We are in the process of getting our own Web site, and plan to start using YouTube in the future.