Heidi Kovacs Social media: Sugar Maple Jerseys on both Facebook and Instagram Facebook followers: 6,368 Instagram followers: 26.3 K
How did you get started sharing your farming journey on social media?
Kovacs: I got started sharing the farm on social media in 2015. I had purchased my small Jersey herd in 2013 and had been farming on my own for two years at that time. It was then that I decided I wanted to try to increase profitability by offering value-added products, and we began having cheese made from our Jersey cow milk. I felt that if we wanted to sell our products directly to the consumer, it would be a good idea to share our farm’s practices so our customers knew their food came from a good place.
How did you build such a strong following on your Facebook/Instagram page?
Kovacs: I would be the first to admit that our social media platform and our following has been very flattering and mind-blowing at the same time. When I started, I felt the best way to share my message would be to stay interesting, stay positive, remain professional and creative. I seemed to always have a knack for taking good pictures, and it is something I have always enjoyed. I made sure every post was a high-quality photograph with an interesting story to share, whether it be farm facts or something amusing about my day. I stayed away from material I saw on other accounts that didn’t draw much attention, such as too many selfies, too many posts in one day, too many “stories,” pictures of your food or anything that didn’t pertain to the farm. The social media accounts were created to build a brand for Sugar Maple Jerseys, not a personal platform to share my personal life. My content is what seems to build its own following organically.
On which social media platform are you most active?
Kovacs: I try to remain equally active on both Facebook and Instagram as we have followers on both those separate platforms. I have found that Facebook is a better tool for bringing local business to our farm store. Instagram seems to be more worldwide and more social media interactive as opposed to adding to our business on a physical level.
What is the most popular post you’ve ever made?
Kovacs: Some of our more popular posts always include calves being born. Other popular posts are when we share exciting farm happenings, such as when we relocated the dairy.
It’s a very rewarding experience when I get to meet people in our community who follow our page and love our story. They like to share with me the things they liked most about what I post. They love to comment and see the different animals I have shared in the past. It is very rewarding knowing our community of people around the farm love to follow along and love to be a part of what we do. They trust and respect us to provide them food for themselves and their families.
