FFA + Pence Media Group

This fall, National FFA approached our team of experts to help execute the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo. National FFA is focused on growing the next generation of leaders in agriculture. For a whole week in October, members of the National FFA Organization gathered in downtown Indianapolis to explore the various pathways for their future, learn, and engage with like-minded individuals from across the nation. Convention attendees totaled nearly 70,000 members and advisors from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

With the schedule of events already in place for the 95th Annual National FFA Convention & Expo, PMG was tasked to create and execute a strategic plan that involved:

• National FFA Social Media Management
• National Social Influencer Management 
• Crisis Communications Planning + Support

With PMG’s roles and responsibilities in place for FFA, our team provided the necessary tools and professional support to promote the convention in a positive light and share National FFA’s impact on a broader scale.

This project was led by PMG’s Nicole Pence Becker and Lisa Wallace who guided our experts towards and through a successful week at the convention. PMG team members Andrea Kleymeyer, Jeni Bostrom, Emily Sullivan and Melissa Mattingly were also on-site during National FFA Convention week. PMG also engaged our friends at Holsapple Communications for support during this project.

PMG is incredibly proud to have helped National FFA execute the 95th National FFA Convention + Expo. We were honored to receive this testimonial about our work from National FFA Director Larry Downes.

“From the outside, the National FFA Convention & Expo seems like one event. In reality, more than 350  smaller events happen during those four days. The seven-person FFA marketing team has the overwhelming task of choosing and telling the stories that give our audience an accurate feel for everything happening during the week.

 

In 2022, the challenge was made easier with the help of Pence Media Group. PMG brought a different perspective, a comprehensive range of skills, passion, and energy to our convention coverage.    

 

Whether it was planning for potential crisis communications scenarios, identifying and managing social media influencers or producing reels and other content for our social media channels, Pence Media Group helped us get the work done. Beyond that, PMG made us look good.” – Larry Downes 

National FFA Social Media Management

With its vast number of online users, social media presents an incredible opportunity to market businesses and organizations in the local, national and global marketplaces. If done correctly, businesses have the potential to reach target audiences when and where it matters, leading to brand awareness, organic growth and conversions. 

Throughout the duration of the convention, PMG captured photo and video content to be utilized on the National FFA Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts. This allowed for comprehensive event coverage and storytelling to reach far beyond those in attendance. Our team of social media experts, including Strategic Account Manager, Emily Sullivan, captured, edited, and posted multiple reels and static posts each day. The engagement strategy was carefully created to optimize follower engagement that would lead to greater reach by FFA’s target audience. 

From the time PMG took over the National FFA social media channels to the conclusion of the convention, Instagram impressions increased 93.6%, profile engagement increased 53.6%, and profile views increased over 420%. National FFA’s Facebook account received 2,761,569 impressions throughout the week, and profile engagement increased by 202.6% in comparison to the week prior. Engagement growth was seen on LinkedIn and Twitter as well.

PMG was proud to leverage social media during the National FFA Convention & Expo to drive real returns and gain exposure for the event and organization. PMG will continue to help with National FFA social media as they prepare for FFA Week, gear up for next year’s convention, and more.

#SpeakAg Social Media Training

One of National FFA’s asks was for PMG to execute a Social Media Training Workshop, where PMG team members shared our expertise with the young leaders selected to be a #SpeakAg Pioneer. #SpeakAg Pioneers lead the way in promoting agricultural advocacy and literacy to FFA members and to public by hosting workshops, creating content for social media, and attending important National FFA events. 

PMG had the honor to present our social media knowledge to FFA’s #SpeakAg Pioneers twice before the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo, gearing these young change-makers up to be social media experts in time for convention week. 

For this Social Media Training Workshop, our team created multiple presentations, which included how to be an influencer and brand ambassador for FFA, how to stay on brand, content ideas, story starters, platform tips and tools, best practices, how to engage your followers, and so much more. Along with making custom presentations, PMG also created handouts for the #SpeakAg Pioneers, including a Hashtag Document that listed National FFA’s top trending hashtags. Lastly, our team created Canva Content Templates for #SpeakAg Pioneers to utilize throughout convention week and beyond.

Influencer Marketing + Management

At PMG, we work with influencers to create compelling campaigns and manage those campaigns to ensure maximum audience reach while adhering to your brand. For the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo, our team created and managed an influencer campaign that involved recruiting talent from across the nation to promote the convention. 

Upon engaging in FFA’s Influencer Marketing initiative, our team first strategically analyzed our community of local and national influencers. This involved evaluating which influencers best showcased brand affinity with the National FFA organization. Once a thorough and targeted list was developed, PMG reached out to the influencers individually. 

After influencers agreed to collaborate on the convention, PMG provided general content and timeline guidelines for their partnership with the brand. Influencer campaign management looks drastically different based upon the client’s objectives. In the case of this campaign, PMG was on-site working with each influencer throughout the week to aid in content strategy and creation to ensure the National FFA convention would receive the best possible coverage on the influencer’s social media platforms.

At Pence Media Group, we love hearing feedback. We were honored to receive these kind words from one of the influencers we worked with during the convention, 4th Generation Farmer, Army Veteran + Ag Educator, Tyler Froberg, about our team and the experience he had working with us.

One of Tyler’s content pieces that PMG helped produce during convention had over 1M views on TikTok. 

“The professionalism exhibited by the PMG team exceeded all my expectations and made the process of attending the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo that much easier. Melissa was INCREDIBLE and INVALUABLE. All of the content that came from my channel was made possible because of her. She was able and willing to do anything needed and went above and beyond in assisting! Overall my experience cannot be put into words… It was that GREAT!” – Tyler Froberg 

When PMG manages any influencer campaign, our team members craft detailed documents that track each influencer and the content they share about our client. This process allows us to showcase an influencer’s outreach and value for our clients and their brand. For this influencer campaign, our visual report reflected an overall follower reach of 15,426,527, meaning that many individuals saw at least one piece of National FFA content on their social media feed during convention week.

Crisis Communications Planning + Support

Whenever there is a large group of individuals in one place, there is the potential for the unpredictable to arise. Given that the convention draws nearly 70,000 high school aged members to see featured speakers, attend special events like concerts, and rodeos and engage in other expo and career development opportunities throughout the week, FFA’s leadership team knew that it was crucial to have a crisis communications plan and team in place. With the support of Holsapple Communications, we were prepared to respond to crisis situations that could have occurred during convention week. After several meetings with the organization’s leaders in the months leading up to the event, our team of experts were prepared to anticipate and respond to crisis situations relating to the convention and reputation of FFA and its members.

With media appearances comes preparation, especially when someone does not have on-air or media interview experience. Therefore, our team conducted media training for the key players at this year’s National FFA convention to make sure they were ready to go if a journalist were to ask for an interview.

Prior to, and after the convention, an op-ed was written, pitched, and placed to supplement National FFA’s local PR efforts. Holsapple Communications led the op-ed project. Given the rich history of the convention and impact of the FFA organization, the op-eds  were picked up by multiple media outlets media outlets, including Inside Indiana Business and Indianapolis Business Journal. At the conclusion of the event, our team compiled a formal Media Report that was presented to the client.

The event strategy and preparation paid off when it came time for the week-long convention. Several of PMG’s team members worked the convention to advocate for the National FFA brand and make sure the convention was successful. PMG was honored to be involved and enjoyed working alongside the incredibly dynamic FFA team. After increasing brand awareness through social media, effectively managing a national influencer campaign, and preparing the organization in the event of a crisis, PMG was happy to call the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo a success, and we are excited to support the National FFA organization in 2023. 

#Consideritdone with PMG in 2023 

It’s no secret that event execution and marketing takes a lot of work. PMG’s unique background and network positions us to handle the details while you focus on your organization. Consider it done.