It has never been easier for cooperatives to reach out to members and potential members than it is these days with social media.

One cooperative that has taken the social media plunge and found it very worth their while is Frontier FS, which covers the area around Jefferson, Wisconsin – right between Madison and Milwaukee. I talked with Becky Wiedenhoeft, who is social media administrator for Frontier, about their experience.

“The first platform that we chose to work with was Facebook because of the high level of usage,” said Becky. “It kind of helps build stronger relationships and trust and a feeling of community.”

Becky notes that a good mix of content is important to keep people engaged. “They’re not feeling like they’re being inundated with advertisements, it’s more of a community than a place to post marketing ads,” she said. Frontier started its Facebook page last April and already has nearly 200 “likes” and Becky says they can tell by some of the tracking options for Facebook that there are lots more who check in on the page.

Some of the Frontier FS crop specialists have also branched out into Twitter as a way to keep people informed about conditions in the area such as possible disease outbreaks, and their Twitter feeds are linked to the Facebook page as well. “It’s an awesome way to share information with growers instantly,” Becky said.

You can listen to my interview with Becky about Frontier FS and social media here: Becky Wiedenhoeft Interview