Agricultural marketing brings with it unique challenges that you might not encounter when marketing to other industries. These challenges arise from the fact that farming is neither exclusively a lifestyle nor a business. Instead, it’s an ever-evolving combination of both. A true ag marketer understands these challenges and rises to meet them.
The agriculture industry deals with significantly more “unknowns” than other industries. These include a volatile marketplace that can change rapidly and without notice, burgeoning state and federal regulations, and the weather. Therefore, unlike other business owners the only certainty when it comes to marketing specifically to farmers is that what works this month or this year might not work next month or next year.
When it comes to making a sale, approval by committee takes on a whole new meaning when you are selling to farmers. Since most farms today are family-owned and multi-generational, there is seldom one decision maker. Instead there are several people that must approve a purchase or any other decision.
Farmers today are exceptionally savvy when it comes to technology. Overlook this fact and your marketing strategy is already dead in the water. Ag industry research repeatedly shows that high-acre farmers – and most other farmers as well – adopt mobile technology at a greater rate than the general population. This can be directly related to the fact that for years farmers have had to adapt to things like precision planting, fertilizer application, and grain yield monitoring. This has made them extremely comfortable with hardware and software, contrary to some stereotypes of farmers as “out-of-date.”
Farmers know full well how technology can aid in split-second decisions and that it is essential to managing long-term risks. Technology, including mobile apps, also provide farmers with an important edge when it comes to assessing profit margins and successfully managing risks. And since farms are often multi-generational, tech support is built in thanks to a younger generation that has been raised on technology.
If your ag marketing strategy does not include email campaigns, mobile apps, and social media, chances are farmers will write you off as “behind the times.” Remember, globalization and market volatility have forever changed the ag industry, and today’s farmers are skilled at using technology to deal with things like market fluctuations, futures, hedging, and trading.