Stephanie Schulte stood at the edge of Futch Farms Saturday, Jan. 23, looking out at the endless rows of strawberry plants in front of her. She held up one of the reddest, juiciest berries she could find and snapped a picture, capturing the picturesque essence of the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.
Around her, dozens of other Tampa, St. Petersburg and Central Florida residents were doing the same thing. Some sifted carefully through the rows of strawberry plants, searching for the perfect berry. Others flew drones, scanning the fields for a wider shot.
The berry-filled day was the main event of Plant City’s first-ever InstaMeet, organized by popular Instagram accounts and the Florida Strawberry Growers Association.
Despite the harsh wind and cold winter weather, over 40 Instagram users — some strangers, some friends — descended into the fields. With the click of a button, users promoted strawberries, farmers and Plant City across an app that has 400 million users across the globe.
BERRY BIG IDEAS
About three years ago, Jimmy Fashner founded a St. Petersburg-based Instagram account, @IgersStPete, which now has nearly 15,000 followers. Fashner, who runs the account with friend Stephanie Davis, features restaurants, cafes, art and hot spots from across St. Petersburg on his popular account, garnering hundreds of likes for each photo and promoting the city to his followers.
“I didn’t know what was going to transpire,” Fashner said. “It’s really grown into something special, and that’s just from staying consistent with it.”
Isabel Reis Laessig works with Sunday Supper LLC, a company that puts together digital campaigns for brands. She follows Fashner on Instagram and was impressed with his account.
“I thought it was amazing,” Laessig said.
Laessig reached out to Fashner and invited him to Futch Farms. On his Instagram account, Fashner promoted the event and the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, putting both the organization and Plant City on the map.
For Laessig, Instagram promotion is the easiest, quickest way to garner interest.
“Is there anything better? I think people love visuals,” she said. “I think it’s the fastest growing network right now. A lot of people don’t come over to Plant City and realize the agriculture and the industry and the business that’s here.”
Fashner was excited for the opportunity to explore and promote Plant City.
“I jumped on it,” Fashner said. “I’ve always wanted to do a shoot in a strawberry field. It’s good exposure for the area and the industry. Any time I get a chance to work with locals, I love jumping on that stuff. It brings great exposure. It’s like a win-win.”
Fashner wasn’t the only one who promoted the meet on his account. Schulte, who runs a Tampa-based Instagram account, @Igers_Tampa, also reached out to her 6,000 followers. She runs the account with two other users.
“I’ve wanted to do it in Plant City,” Schulte, who lives in the area, said. “I just haven’t known how to go about it.”
Once the InstaMeet was scheduled, the rest came easy. Fashner and Schulte featured pictures, hashtagged ABerrySweetMeet, on @IgersStPete and @Igers_Tampa. The Plant City Times & Observer’s Instagram, @TheSweetBeat, also featured photos.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
INSTAGROWTH
Schulte has one major goal at the forefront of her mind: to get Plant City some exposure through Instagram.
She has seen people come through the city and explore it, but not put their money in it.
“I want to get more people to branch out, especially businesses,” Schulte said. “It’s free, beautiful exposure. It’s a free tool. Why not use it and see what you can do?”
With the right exposure on Instagram, Schulte said, local businesses can bring in customers from across Central Florida.
“(Plant City) is a little picture haven that nobody really knows about,” she said. “It’s just a matter of putting the right person on it.”
Schulte encourages businesses to post their merchandise and use appropriate hashtags to promote their products.
“It’s bridging that gap between the consumer and the business,” Schulte said. “I want it to be a trend throughout the community.”
IG Tips for Businesses
1. Use industry-specific hashtags.
2. Post pictures of employees.
3. Reward followers with promotions, giveaways and reposts.
4. Don’t post too many pictures at one time, as it will over saturate your followers’ feeds.
5. Follow your followers back.
6. Gain a following by liking other users’ pictures or following them.
EXPLORE THE DAY
Did you miss Plant City’s first InstaMeet? Check out these hashtags to get a recap of the day in the field:
#ABerrySweetMeet
#TheSweetBeat
#FlStrawberries
#PlantCity
ACROSS THE BAY
From Plant City to Tampa to St. Petersburg, follow these Instagram accounts to see all the bay area has to offer:
@TheSweetBeat
@FlaStrawberries
@IgersStPete
@Igers_Tampa
MEET THE ‘GRAMMERS
Stephanie Schulte, @stephanielschulte
Bio: One of the moderators of @igers_tampa, Schulte is a Plant City resident who enjoys snapping the State Theater, The Corner Store and Historic Downtown.
Favorite Filter: Lark and VSCOCam filters
Jimmy Fashner, @ayce09
Bio: Fashner, who consistently promotes St. Petersburg through @igersstpete, helped organize the InstaMeet in Plant City. On his personal account, he enjoys posting beach scenes, city life and textured photos.
Favorite filter: Toss up between Juno and Ludwig
