Connecting With Consumers

CONNECTING WITH CONSUMERS By Jennifer Kyle, BFO Senior Communications Specialist

After more than two years of research, work and content creation to rebrand the former Make it Ontario Beef brand into what we now know as Ontario Beef, we are finally seeing the new brand in action. Updates in previous editions of the magazine announced the launch of the new website, www.ontbeef.ca. If you haven’t had a chance to visit the new site, be sure to check it out. We currently have approximately 100 locations included in the new store locator feature, not including the 600 Loblaws family of stores that carry Ontario Corn Fed Beef. If you, or someone you know, would like to have your beef retail business included in the store locator feature of the website, contact Jennifer at the BFO office. Farmers who market direct to customers through farmgate sales can also apply to be listed in the locator.

Over the holiday season, we launched our first Ontario Beef paid social media campaign on Pinterest and Instagram. We partnered with three social media influencers to focus the content they created around the theme “Gather Round” –a theme that tied nicely with the holidays. Each influencer put their own spin on the theme, which was very well received. While the influencer campaign was running on Instagram, we ran an ad campaign on Pinterest with three of our own recipe ads. These ads were seen by people who fit our target demographic and searched for a number of different keywords. Again, this short campaign was very successful, and a great test launch for our future campaigns. • Our Pinterest ads garnered more than 12,500 clicks through to our website • Our “click through rate” was 0.55 per cent, which is 0.12 per cent higher than the average in dairy, produce, meat and bakery goods (this is good!)

Before we launched our paid social campaign, invested money behind influencer Instagram content and ads on Pintrest, BFO’s content generated 106,936 engagements organically. Our social reach and engagement have grown significantly by investing in our new paid social campaign. This tells us that there is a great appetite for Ontario Beef content out there and that putting our money behind great content works. We look forward to building on this initial success over the course of 2020 and beyond. Stay tuned for future updates and be sure to follow us on Instagram (@ontbeef) and Pintrest (Ontario Beef). OB This page features ongoing updates about BFO’s consumer engagement strategy and how we are connnecting with Ontario consumers and food influencers about the benefits of choosing Ontario beef – for health, for the environment and for Ontario’s agriculture industry.

Great selection of home tested YEARLING and TWO YEAR OLD BULLS available at the farm.

George, Dianne, Dwayne & Ashley Miller 406 Conc. 6, RR 1, Jarvis, ON N0A 1J0 519-587-2755 • Cell: 519-429-5902 www.millerlandandlivestock.ca Charolais Cattle • Hay • Straw • Feedlot Miller Land & Livestock

17th Annual Bull Sale Saturday, April 18th, 2020 1:00pm at the Farm, Nestleton, Ontario

SELECTED FROM: Our Cowherd of over 150 breeding females – with cow families developed for more than 25 years AND From these proven sires: Cedardale Zeal Circle Cee Legend HRJ Crowd Favourite Keys All State

Come visit our display at the East Central Farm Show, Lindsay, March 4th and 5th.

Featuring 30 Polled and Homozygous Polled Bulls

Bull Videos and Online Bidding available at Liveauctions.tv

Pictured is Cedardale Gunner 99G, the Intermediate Bull Calf Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Bull at the Royal National Charolais Show