2020 Annual Trade Show & Conference

It's here!  Registration is NOW OPEN for the NTPDA 36th Annual Conference and Trade Show January 16 - 18. And if you register before the end of business day on November 1 you'll get one FREE Registration. How cool is that? Oh, you want a LINK to Register...here you go!

We'll be at the wonderful Harrah's AK-Chin Casino & Resort. (You wanna look...right?) Room rates are very reasonable and here is your link to book rooms.

So, what can you expect this year?

Thursday we will kick off our conference and trade show with our Early Arrival Party. If you've never been it is a BLAST!

Then on Friday we will offer presentations sure to enhance your day to day operations:

• How to Achieve the Impossible with Billy Riggs
• Confronting the Chaos of State Taxes with George Isaacson
• Current State of Freight with Steven Haas

The NTPDA Spouse Program is going to be wonderful!  We'll be going to the Queen Creek Olive Mill it will be a true experience. Go ahead, click through to learn more but...come back!  Remember Mobile? (You can click on the images to enlarge!)

We'll take a break on Friday afternoon and do some bowling with your fellow NTPDA members. It is just another way to get to know each other and network. This should be a great time...we've done this years ago and bringing it back.

Register Here!

Also on Friday Evening we'll open up our Trade Show/Marketplace so members can mingle with displayers, make some friends and some deals. And, yes...we're still in "Reception Mode"!

On Saturday our Trade Show/Marketplace opens and we'll have breakfast there. Also on Saturday we'll hold our election, have a displayers meeting and our Board Meeting.

Then, on Saturday night we'll wind down with Cocktails and Dinner along with our Live Auction to benefit St. Judes. Something that YOU our members have been so happy to support!

Every day will be a day for you to enjoy the sunshine and the companionship of your fellow NTPDA Members and Guests. 

Don't delay!  Make your reservations TODAY and BEFORE November 1 and you'll save on an additional registration. 

See you in Arizona!  

 

Twitter Basics

Several weeks ago we shared with you that we've done a "social media audit" of our NTPDA members. Just to see what social media platforms they are using and what we might do to better help our members communicate with their customers. We've already looked at Facebook now a peek at Twitter.

We found a minority of our members on the Twitter Platform. Most likely that's because they may not be aware of how many people in agriculture are already there and think it's not worthwhile. Nothing could be further from the  truth. If you go to Twitter and search for #Farming #Agriculture #Harvest19 you'll find a host of farmers and ranchers there talking about their experiences. You'll also find some of the major equipment retail centers using Twitter to inform folks about their offerings, pricings, etc.

In other words: Twitter is a happening place.

So, let's set out some basics for Twitter use...ready?

• Have a Plan - Just like with Facebook you need to have a plan for Twitter. What you want is to share information that farmers and ranchers find useful. That is a BUNCH better than using the platform simply for selling stuff. So, think about what you know about parts and agriculture that others might find useful and then create a calendar of what to talk about;
• Your Business Blog - We've said for YEARS that every business should have a business blog that is attached to your website. That gives you more power from search engines AND you get to tell YOUR story in your own words. But then...what do you do with your blog?  Share it on Twitter. Again if you are sharing information farmers and ranchers find valuable...you win;
• When to Tweet - We've always thought that the best times to Tweet is when your customers are active on their computers...makes sense right? However with so many farmers and ranchers using their phones to interact that means your customer isn't tied down to a computer screen. He or she might be waiting at the grain elevator or on the combine scrolling through social media and making comments.  Bottom line is that if you are active so too is your customer;
• How to Tweet - You can jump on Twitter and create an account for FREE. However we think it's wise to purchase a subscription to a system that will allow you to manage your Twitter stream more effectively. There are several out there. We've used Hootsuite for years. It gives you the flexibility to follow others, schedule your Tweets and see what is going on at a glance;
• Use Images - People respond to images more than just words. Make sure your Tweets have images most of the time; 
• Tweet Often - Twitter is like a message board that constantly is moving. If you Tweet, say at 6:00AM but not again until Noon you've lost six hours of "eyeballs". We recommend tweeting at least eight to twelve times a day. By using your automated system that's pretty easy to do;
• Don't Link to Facebook - OK...we know some of you do but your Tweet shows up like this: "facebook.com7476982" or something like that. The reader has NO idea what you've posted. Facebook and Twitter are two very different animals. If you are going to link to Facebook make sure you post what it's about;
• Re-Tweeting - One of the best ways to engage is by retweeting posts you think are interesting and/or valuable. And, as a favor, always RT our Tweets...please;
• Using the Hashtag - Once you've been on Twitter for a bit you'll get the hang of Hashtags. It's how to search for something or to keep a topic fresh. You can even set your search for a # Hashtag. For example, like in the opening of this post... #Agriculture put that into Twitter and see what people are talking about when it comes to topics.  This is really handy when you are at a trade show and there is a Hashtag for the event. NTPDA uses #NTPDA20 as the Hashtag for our upcoming annual meeting in Phoenix.

There you have it...some very basic thoughts about Tweeting for Business. As always let us know if you've got questions or comments. You can leave those here on this post!  Thanks for reading and being an NTPDA Member!