Insight
How Influencer Marketing for Agricultural Brands can be a useful resource for elevating your marketing strategy
Across all industries, influencers can hold power when it comes to marketing and selling products, agriculture is no exception. Followers idolize them for reasons such as relatability, admirable lifestyles, entertainment, or specific knowledge. Incorporating influencers into your marketing strategy can be a highly effective tool for promoting your brand. However, it might look a little different when applied to an agricultural setting. Agricultural products are more often than not large investments, unlike impulse buys that most influencers promote. Therefore, something like a discount code might not have the same effect on an agricultural-based audience.
Don’t fret, with your ag audience in mind, there are other goals you can set instead of the number of sales. Knowing your audience is one piece of the vast influencer puzzle. If you’re not even sure where to start or how to look, keep reading!
Key Opinion Leader (KOL)
A Key Opinion Leader is an expert in a specific field or industry. In the agricultural industry, influencers become KOLs since they have a background in ag to provide insight to the consumer. Since someone might not purchase farm equipment off Facebook, setting your marketing goals like increasing brand awareness rather than sales will be more impactful in the long run. For example, a rancher can share what hay trailer they use and talk about the qualities of why they prefer their own. Whether it outperformed competitor brands, has a good price point, or has unique selling points, opening that conversation with their followers increases your brand awareness. Not only can they be influential on products, but they are great promoters of the agricultural lifestyle. They can be a great resource to answer questions about modern practices in farming and ranching in a personal manner. Influencers as KOLs are a great resource for educational content, building community, promoting an event, and sharing stories.
Finding the Right Influencers
When deciding on what influencer best fits your brand, consider someone who already uses your product, as they already invested in your company and can speak from personal experiences. It is important to find the right influencer who aligns with your company’s values and ideals while sharing the same target audience. They will be representing your brand and you need to make sure you are comfortable with them representing you. Something else to look for is their engagement numbers. The number of followers an influencer has doesn’t always mean higher engagement. The agriculture industry is relationship-based, so influencers need to be able to convey a message. Overall, your influencer should be authentic, believable, and trustworthy.
The platform you choose also can play a role in the success of your marketing goals. For example, if your target audience mainly uses Facebook, then you would not want to do the majority of your marketing on Instagram or a podcast.
Realistic and Measurable Goals With an Influencer
Utilizing SMART goals is a great way to help you set and achieve your goals when working with an influencer. They are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.
It allows clear communication of what is expected and develops a plan of action on how they can achieve it. To pick a goal, evaluate your business and see what areas can be improved.
With a little background in influencers and SMART goals in hand, it’s time to evaluate your marketing strategy and see where an influencer comes in.
S
Specific
What is the goal? Be specific and detailed! A tip for being detailed is to add numbers when possible.
M
Measurable
What is the goal? Be specific and detailed! A tip for being detailed is to add numbers when possible.
A
Achievable
Is this a realistic goal? Make sure you have the time and resources to be successful.
R
Relevant
Does this goal align with my objectives? Having a relevant goal will help you achieve an overall goal.
T
Timely
What is my deadline? Develop short and long-term goals to help you stay focused on your goal.
