The “Ead”ffective approach; at the very least I can say I made up my own word. I think permitting me this creative license is more appropriate and accurate than simply using “effective” as an adjective to describe my method. Everyone has a different idea and value of what works and I, over time in Agriculture Marketing have developed my own strategy to yield an effective return. As a motivated and very passionate AG marketer, I wanted to share my list of strategies that can benefit you in developing your own fluid and effective marketing plan. The tenants I rely upon are Story Telling, Brand Building, Repetition & Consistency, Customer Service & Agility, and Strategy. Below you will find my explanation of each tenant.
Story Telling:
Humans are natural story-tellers and story listeners. Storytelling is the most engaging and easy to follow method of communicating with customers. Your story evolves every day and deserves to be told and heard! You need to tell that story and find the channels to make your story can resonate with customers. As your story evolves so should you and so should your message. This evolution allows you to hone in on what makes your company unique and better than your competitors. If you are always talking, promoting, and engaging it also gives the perception that you’re growing and you are building a great brand.
For a more in-depth description of Story Telling check out: https://agricultureadvertising.com/story-telling-present-your-brand-narrative-in-story-form-for-your-marketing-approach/
Brand Building:
Brand building is a never-ending process that continues from conception throughout the entire life expectancy of your business. Usually, Brand Building is seen as the fun part of marketing. Its goal is build something that your customers can cherish, want to be part of, and allows them many engagement opportunities. Shotgun marketing rarely works. You must start with defining a strategy and then building your brand through constant awareness. This will pay dividends by giving your brand a focus and goals. Brand awareness is a combination of customer and potential customer education, positive articles, and advantageous Media Placements. It is orchestrating all of the facets of marketing that tie things together. For a more in-depth description of Brand Building check out: https://agricultureadvertising.com/heres-how-your-business-can-be-present-and-available-24-7-by-jim-eadie/
Repetition & Consistency:
Repetition, repetition, repetition! Continue, repeat and do not take failure as an option. Consistent and persistent exposure will ensure over the long term people are aware of and understand your business. Over-communication of your messages is impossible! You need to be present, available, and memorable.
Consistency is the steady influencer, doing the right things consistently pays off. A customer will notice you at the time that is right for them, not necessarily the first, second, or even third time you attempt to reach out. Having a constant and continuous approach allows you to open the aperture of when you will reach them. Just like we are always there to teach and inform our children, we need we need to always to inform our customers.
Customer Service & Agility:
Customers expect things to be easy and efficient. If you are quickly responsive, agile, and always put your customers’ needs ahead of anything else they will notice. Usually, it is the little things that make you special and create the bigger results. In our organization we strive to ensure when a customer needs something, we put that need ahead of anything else being worked on internally. This is a core strategy we use to build trust. You always must put your customers’ needs ahead of your own; they will know if you do not. Agility is also essential to be flexible and work within any parameters your customer needs with no questions asked. To be agile and quickly responsive, you will need to ensure that your staff are empowered to make decisions and know your intent.
Strategy:
Focus on strategy over perceived results. There is a difference between measures of performance, ie, are we doing things right, and measures of effectiveness, ie, are we doing the right things. For instance, if your company wants to focus on digital marketing, you should determine what channels you will use to build your brand, and then determine in advance what success will look like. More visits to your webpage would be an indicator that your digital marketing is working whereas more sales would indicate that your overall strategy is effective. The right strategy will always drive your business forward; an example is the challenge of interpreting data correctly. In a fury to provide results based on numbers could be an ad impression or click. Sometimes high clicks are due to bots (and not a success), low clicks are a perceived failure (which in my opinion is inaccurate). For a strategy to be seen if your ad was seen and not clicked on is their science to show it is not effective? When talking to a Dairy Farmer he stated all the ads on Dairyproducer.com were reassuring as it was all suppliers his operation worked with. He did not click on the ads, but the constant awareness resonated positivity in the strategy these companies were using through online marketing. They were hitting the target audience of a Dairy only website, but the click statistics may not tell that story. A result can be interpreted in many ways, but your strategy and gut feelings are vital for success by focusing on your strategy.
Through the “Ead”ffective approach to Agriculture marketing, embracing the tenants of Story Telling, Brand Building, Repetition & Consistency, Customer Service & Agility, and Strategy you can develop your own fluid and effective marketing plan. Do not forget though, constant learning, staying ahead of the curb, and innovation are all also key areas to focus on. Continue to drive your business onward and upward, dealing with challenges is part of the process to success. I want to wish you luck as we all remain steady, consistent and persistent.
(Jim Eadie oversees Swineweb.com, Poultryproducer.com, Cropproducer.com, Dairyproducer.com, and Beefproducer.ca and has been involved in digital media in Agriculture for over 15 years. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking in all areas of Canada and the USA as well as spending time with family.)
