It’s hard to share your story. It’s scary to put yourself out there. Most people don’t want to do it. They don’t want to deal with the backlash. They don’t want to take the time. They don’t think it’ll make an impact.
This week I was asked to be a speaker at an agriculture technology conference to talk about social media and how to share your farming story. But guess what, only a couple of people were interested in sharing their story. The vast majority would rather ignore it. Social media is the “devil”.
It can be exhausting some days. I’d be lying if I told you I’ve never thought of quitting because it’s not worth the time and effort it takes. I don’t do it for the attention or the very small amount of income coming from it.
The number of people getting their news online and from social media is staggering. What are they seeing on here? If you type in the hashtag “dairy” in your search bar on Instagram, “dairyfree” is the first one that comes up with over 10 MILLION posts. #dairy only has 1.2 million.
I’m doing it because there’s a need. There’s a disconnect between the consumer and the farmer. I want to bridge that gap. I want to encourage others to step up and do it, too. I want to make it interesting and fun so people outside of the farming industry will care.
We definitely aren’t going to get anywhere by ignoring the impact social media has on our society and the number of buying decisions “influencers” impact. I realize sharing isn’t for everyone, but I know it can make an impact. If we don’t do it, who will?
Congrats Mary Pat!! Keep telling your story, more people than you think are listening. The values that you’re instilling in your young son are amazing. Not many people nowadays stand by what they believe in. Looking forward to hear how the conference went. Good luck!
Thank you so much Kat! The conference went well, but definitely helped me realize how many people don’t understand the impact social media has! Thank you for the well wishes! 🙂