Savannah Westbrock, associate director of client strategy, Coegi, takes a closer look at marketing for the agriculture industry, arguing that too many marketers are ignoring digital advertising as an option for reaching farmers and other agriculture workers.
In our rapidly developing digital age, advertising can shift instantly. Just consider the audiences you advertise to currently: digital trends suggest that most of them are online, and even the ones who were slower to go digital are likely adapting.
Tried-and-true advertising strategies for audiences are just that – but there are also myriad digital marketing channels, objectives, and platforms that can help you make a lasting impact. One of the best examples of this kind of audience is one you might not expect: farmers.
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According to a survey by Farm FuturesOpens a new window , nearly half of farmers use Facebook, and as many as one-fifth of young farmers are on Twitter. Eclipsing both of those, Farm Market iD notes that more than half of all farmers watch or post videos to YouTube. Whether they use these social media sites to connect with other farmers or to amuse themselves is irrelevant. The point is that farmers are present in large numbers on these platforms – so why aren’t all agricultural advertisers maximizing this potential?
There isn’t a good answer. Many advertisers in this space rely on channels that appeal to older Americans (such as newspapers), assuming that demographic will overlap seamlessly with farmers. But most older Americans aren’t farmers, and as the data above suggests, most farmers aren’t relying solely on the radio or billboards to find information. They’re fully online, and it’s time for agricultural marketing to truly embrace them there as well.
The State of Online Agricultural Advertising
To a certain extent, agricultural advertisers can be forgiven for being slow to move online. In 2007, only 57% of rural areas had reliable internet accessOpens a new window . But that climbed to 70% by 2012, and there are now far more options for high-speed internet access in remote places.
The agricultural marketing strategies currently meant to reach farmers online rely mostly on search and display. Although these are proven tactics, advertisers should not limit themselves to these strategies in order to reach this demographic online. As all marketers know, you restrict your audience when you limit your message to just one or two channels. More marketers should get involved with search and display, but all marketers should look beyond it, too.
Social media is one obvious opportunity, along with more outside-the-box approaches like streaming audio. 2019 research from Farm Journal shows most farmers carry a smartphone with them everywhere and consume streaming music or podcasts on a daily basis. Advertisers can make a big impression on farmers throughout long hours of fieldwork by recording, rather than displaying their message.
Digital marketing in agriculture creates a lot of potential as well as a lot of unknowns. But as always in marketing, the only thing that matters is results. Figuring out what works begins by experimenting with different messages on different channels and then comparing the outcomes objectively. It’s careful, time-consuming work that’s simultaneously ushering in the future of agricultural advertising.
What’s Different About Online Advertising?
Digital strategies allow marketers to explore and address the issues their audiences face in-depth. Native ads, for instance, represent one tactic that can direct people to blog posts or content pieces related to topics farmers care about. Ongoing and engaging social media campaigns can also connect people throughout the agricultural community.
Online platforms let marketers offer something of value – whether that’s information, education, or engagement – to audience members instead of treating them purely as consumers. For farmers who feel anxious about unpredictable forces outside their control, receiving solid information from trusted partners matters. Online ads can (and should) cultivate connections with farmers before turning them into conversions.
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How to Reach Farmers Online
Adding digital advertising to the marketing mix is a solid first step, but the effort and investment could be wasted if you don’t approach it effectively. Consider these important steps:
1. Adopt a full-funnel strategy. Farmers go on a lengthy customer journey before purchasing an expensive piece of equipment or an important crop planting tool. Online advertising should account for every step in this journey, attracting farmers into the sales funnel with awareness ads, nurturing those leads through informative content pieces and social media engagement, and then focusing on the lead or conversion. Online advertising offers an expansive tool kit; take advantage of everything at your disposal.
2. Market to your audience. It’s a misconception that farmers avoid the internet, so don’t fall into the trap of assuming they use the internet differently than anyone else. For example, when farmers watch YouTube videos, they are just as likely as any other target to stop watching within the first 30 seconds unless they’re instantly hooked. Marketers need to tailor their message for farmers, but they also need to follow general best practices for online advertising. In short, keep things clean, clear, concise, and compelling.
3. Use data to your advantage. There are millions of farmers online, but many agricultural products and services are relevant to only a small subset of them (e.g., milking equipment for dairy farmers). Plus, the internet is so vast and varied that it’s hard to know where or how to reach a small target audience.
Data helps tremendously. It indicates where the audience is known to congregate and extrapolates where else it is likely to be. It helps marketers understand the demographics and needs of a diverse global agriculture market. Data also suggests what kind of campaign to run: awareness, education, engagement, conversion, or a mixture of them all. Successful marketing still takes creativity and a bit of luck, but nowadays, it has to be driven by data.
This is an essential moment for farmers. In both positive and challenging ways, agriculture is transforming quickly – and farmers understand this better than anyone. They’re eager to remain competitive and are doing everything possible to adapt, all with the help of digital marketing solutions. Are you ready to meet those needs?