How to advertise your agricultural business online
The online and social space is a tricky environment to market an agricultural business. Because of the nature of the industry, with so much competition and variation out there, in order for your voice to be heard above the rest, you need to try and adapt your marketing strategy to suit these few online tips:
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Develop a social media strategy
The first step to being successful online is knowing who your customers are. When you have this type of information, it usually helps you tailor your marketing message to suit their needs and desires.
Depending on the type of farming business you own, you need to strategise accordingly. Naturally, B2B businesses are harder to market on social media as their content doesn’t always resonate with consumers, which is why it’s important for companies to carefully craft the type of brand image they want to portray. Your posts don’t always have to be specific to what you do because those types of things are not necessarily going to start conversations. Make sure that your brand is appealing to your customers and that it’s speaking to them in the right tone, with information that is relatable to their lives. For example, a B2C company can offer their customers tips and tricks for making their operations more efficient. This way they can subtly mention a product of theirs that could help them achieve that.
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Speak your customer's language
Ever-changing technology and consumer behaviours will affect the way you communicate with your customers. It’s important for you to follow their journey in order to understand more about their interests and what makes them click. An online presence is not always about you but rather about the customer.
What do they want? What farming audiences wanted five years ago is not necessarily what they want to know today. Smart technology has changed the way the agricultural industry operates, with new and improved procedures and tips coming up every year. Keep in touch with these changes to be able to reach out to the modern, millennial farmer. Take a look at current demographics and then determine the types of information that should be depicted on your web presences thereafter. Keep everything relatable.
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Make sure that you’re adding value
Make sure that your website offers the user experience you want your customers to have with your brand. In farming, what matters most is the customer service you give your customers. If customers want to enquire online, they need to quickly get a response without having to wait for days on end to hear back from you about a specific service or product. Take the time to make your business more personalised, and ensure that your new website structure is both fit for desktop and mobile screens.
According to HubSpot, mobile video consumption on YouTube increases 100 percent annually, and after watching a video, 64 percent of viewers are more likely to purchase the product online. Agricultural jargon is not always understood by all, therefore companies need to try and minimise their social and website text volume and replace it with images and short videos of a specific action. (A great example of this is this website: www.radium.co.za.) Customers want to see things to believe them, so take the opportunity to shoot some footage of your products and show them how you can best add value to any customer’s life.
Once you have generated a portfolio of good work, share those things online and via social media. Another great tip is to incorporate testimonials from satisfied customers into your website and social media strategy.
Final words
So, whether you’re looking to launch a brand new agricultural business or you are just looking for a new platform to advertise your already successful one, digital marketing is a good way to start. Your website and your social media platforms, are great ways to influence people and win new customers. If done correctly, these platforms can take your business to new heights. The great thing with social media is that you can target specific demographics that may be interested in your business. And if those marketing efforts don’t work, you can always change things up. The digital world offers many benefits that could potentially bring you great results, so don’t for a minute think that the online space is not for you. Everything can be tailored to suit your business and your customers.
