The agricultural industry has seen lots of shifts in recent years. With the integration of technology, data-driven agriculture, and the emergence of more sustainable practices, you may have gotten lost keeping up with it all.
And while you’ve been trying to get on top of the shifts within your industry, your marketing efforts have likely taken a back seat. The digital age has ushered in a whole host of new marketing methods that could have a huge benefit for your growing agribusiness.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of what we think are the essentials of digital marketing for your agribusiness. Take a look below to learn more now.
Why Agricultural Businesses Need a Digital Strategy
In the digital age, having a digital strategy is key to growing a business. Digital marketing and an online presence can make it easier for your agribusiness to be found, improve customer engagement, and boost your overall profits in one go.
A digital strategy might include any of the following:
- An intuitive and professionally built website
- A content strategy, including blogs, imagery, and videography
- SEO optimised content
- A social media presence
- Email marketing
- PR
- PPC advertising
- Influencer collaborations
- User-generated content
Nowadays, people looking for your business will be looking online, through organic search results and social media, which means you need to be findable online. A digital strategy will ensure that you keep up with evolving consumer behaviour in this way.
The Foundation of a Digital Strategy
So, what do you need in your digital strategy? What components are needed to make sure you’re not only findable but easily so?
An Inutuitive Website
Professional web development services will help you to build a website that responds well to your users. A good user experience means that a customer is more likely to stay on your website and return to it.
An intuitive website will need to have easy navigation, clear CTAs, and a way for people to reach out and either contact you or engage with your services, i.e. book appointments or make purchases.
Additionally, a brand website lends authority to your business. It establishes you as a player in the agricultural industry and ensures that people looking for services like the ones that you offer will be able to find information on your company and what it can offer.
SEO
The next aspect of your digital strategy needs to be implemented not just on your website, but also across any other content output and social media efforts.
Search Engine Optimisation is a process of improving your website to ensure that when people search for your company, it is the first thing that they see. SEO includes keyword optimisation, an XTML site map, and more.
SEO can be utilised for local businesses too, so that when someone searches for agricultural businesses specific to your location, you’ll be at the top of the search results.
Content Marketing
Content can mean anything from blog content to imagery to videography. It can be on your website or your social media profiles. The aim of content marketing is to improve audience engagement and brand awareness. It’s also an easier way to increase backlinks to your site and get more people exploring your services.
Content can be used to educate and inform, can be made highly shareable to expand your audience, and put you ahead in the industry with thought leadership and innovation.
Social Media Strategy
Each individual company has its own audience, and it is this audience and your industry that should inform which social media platforms you utilise. Due to the wide range of companies that fall within the agricultural industry, a combination of social media platforms can be used.
For image and videography-based social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, high-quality content, shareable videos, and intriguing visuals are best. Professional updates, thought leadership and longer-form content can go onto your LinkedIn profile.
Social media marketing is a huge part of digital marketing now, so having a presence is key. And not only is it beneficial for your marketing but it can be a great place to build community and foster loyalty among your clients.
Overcoming the Challenges: Solutions for Agribusinesses
Like any industry, the agricultural industry faces some challenges when trying to build a digital strategy. Below, we’ve looked at some of the most common challenges and provided solutions for each that can ensure your digital strategy is a success.
1. Brand Awareness
One of the key issues that agricultural businesses face is a lack of brand awareness which can be caused by a lack of digital presence, or due to the niche elements of the industry. A digital presence is key to building a brand and ensuring that your customers can find you.
Web development is one of the first steps you should be taking to ensure that your customers know who you are. Not only is your website key for advertising your services and ensuring people can find your product, but it’s also useful for setting your brand up as an authority.
If people are searching for your services on search engines like Google, then a website means they can find you. An SEO-optimised website is even better because it means you have the best chance of being at the top of the search engine results.
2. Seasonal Variability
The agricultural industry is subject to changes depending on the season we’re in. This means that you’re unlikely to have products and services that are available year-round, particularly if you’re a UK or Ireland-based agribusiness.
For us, making seasonality a part of your digital strategy can help you to stand out and will put you ahead of others in the industry who aren’t promoting the sustainability of seasonality. At present, sustainability is a bit of a buzzword. This means that playing into this popularity can have a positive impact on your digital strategy.
3. Online Shopping
As an agribusiness, you’re likely used to doing your business in person. From farm shops to cattle auctions, the business tends to run in person. However, many customers are now looking for more online interactions. Keeping up with this as a formerly ‘in-person’ business can be difficult, but there are ways to make the shift.
Firstly, get your site up and working so you can take orders, sell products, and let customers engage with services online, even if the end product or service takes place in person. You should also keep aspects of your in-person persona, like advertising yourself as a small, local farm shop or family-run farm. While people want to move online, they still want a brand with personality, so doing this gives them the best of both worlds.
Conclusion
Whether you like it or not, we’re in the digital age which means your agribusiness needs a digital strategy. This guide has offered the basics so you can get started building a successful online strategy.
If you want help from the professionals, then get in touch with Rokir today. We’re a UK and Ireland-based digital company offering a full suite of digital services. We can support you with everything from web development and hosting to blogging, PR, and content. All of our services can be tailored to your unique needs too.
Contact us today for more information.
Hi I’m Jade, Project Manager of the ROKIR team