Your Farm's Marketing Plan

Not Your Father’s Marketing Plan

IntroductionLike, rate, review, shareAnswer questions[email protected]@farm4profitllcWhat’s working for Ag – listener or farmer feedback (What’s working for the Boxler’s)Dairy awareness month - flippy cupIntroduce Guest-------Nikki Boxler @NikkiBoxler Intro details……We shared a lot of examples from fellow listeners during our episode about how famers had successfully grown their operations.  We then focused next on the leadership necessary to make your farm successful and now YOU have asked us to focus on marketing your farm.  We aren’t going to talk about marketing your crops, produce, products, or livestock.  This episode will talk about gaining exposure, creating a clear message, and setting yourself up for future benefits.We see this going two directions.  Marketing your farm for growth.  Meaning creating brand exposure and a clear message of the desire to grow your herds, flocks, land base, or customers.Marketing your farm for endorsements.  Think about professional athletes with shoe deals or other farmers who have been paving the way such as Sharkfarmer, Millennial Farmer, Harmless Farmer, and our guest today Nikki Boxler….putting yourself in a position to receive something of value in exchange for advertising, endorsing, or reviewing.1st - Marketing your farm for growthSome of these may cross over between the two.  How does marketing work in the corporate world?Businesses focus on how to get, keep, and grow with customersMarketing = building relationships, adding value, leveraging existing connectionsAdvertising = conveying a clear messagePeople buy from people the know, like, and trustFirst, you must know who your target market is.  Selling meat directly to consumerProviding technologically advanced servicesCustom farming tasksSeed, Chem, Fert, PrescriptionsSecond, what is your message going to be?  How will you separate yourself from others?ExperienceGreat peopleQuality vs Quantity of ProductCadillac vs WalmartThirdly, how will you get this message to your target market?Hand to Hand CombatClothingVolunteeringSocial MediaPaidOrganic Real-RAWWhere?Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, SnapChat, YouTube – maybe use hootsuite and others?
 PrintBusiness Cards, Mailers, Publications, Flyers, Billboard, WebsiteOther MediaRadio, TV, YouTube Channel and Pre-Roll, Podcast, Scroll Ads, Websites, Text ads, Emails, Newsletters(INSERT) Quick Summary of the Marketing for growth section2nd - Marketing your farm for endorsementsIf you think about the people with the most endorsements, what do they all have in common?   -   They were top of their field.  Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, David Beckham, Michael Phelps as athletes…. Beyoncé, Jennifer Garner, Taylor Swift, Nelly, Robert Downey Jr. Ashton Kutcher etc…etc….What about you?  Do you necessarily have to be a celebrity or the best in your field to get an endorsement?According to Bandzoogle.com   (Totally legit) Here are a couple suggestions1. Build a Strong Social Media PresenceIt’s hard to get an endorsement of the company you love if they don’t know who you are. Don’t forget to share occasional facets of your personality that truly make you who you are.2. Be Open to a Variety of PossibilitiesMaybe you’re a lifelong fan of a company or product. There is an amazing amount of boutique companies today that are easy to connect with via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and more.3. Always Carry a Business Card & Make Yourself AvailableHave them with you when you go to shows around the area and make connections with other professionals in the industry. There is something to be said for arriving early, talking to folks, being courteous, and sticking around to talk about their own experiences.4. Attend events/shows/social gatherings with the Intention to Make New Friends/ConnectionsThe most important point I can recommend to you in your career, it’s also an opportunity to connect with the companies you adore and find out what they are planning on releasing for the upcoming year.Importantly, you need to make sure you approach companies with the intention to make friends & connections, as you can probably imagine that they are inundated with requests for free gear. 5. Remember An Endorsement Doesn’t Mean Free GearThe idea that an endorsement automatically meant free gear is common. However, with most companies these days operating on budgets and looking for the very best talent available, most actual endorsements just mean that they can offer you special pricing.While free gear isn’t uncommon, it’s better to approach a company without the idea of “getting free gear” in mind. Because ultimately, the goal is to support a company you love and have them support you in your journey!What are examples of those gone before us?Zach Johnson, Millennial Farmer, is used to talking into a camera held in one hand as the other helps direct his nearly 400,000 YouTube subscribers around the farm.  Millennial Farmer from Minnesota documents his everyday on the farm.  Johnson signed up his YouTube channel for a Google AdSense account, which matches ads to a user’s site based on their content and visitors. “I think people were excited to see the combines and see what we were doing as we got close to harvest,” Johnson says. “Big machines always bring views.”The MN Millennial Farmer brand now includesYouTube videos, public speaking engagements, farm tours, merchandise and the recent debut of the “Off The Husk” podcast, backed by Farmers Business Network, his biggest sponsor to date.The majority of brand money comes from two main sources on YouTube: ads and sponsors. Advertisements are a part of Google AdSense and can appear before, after or in the middle of a video. Sponsorships or brand deals include paid product endorsements that appear within a video’s content.Joe Gagliese is the co-founder of Viral Nation, a global influencer marketing and talent agency. He tells CNBC Make It that YouTubers are typically the highest earners of all social media channel influencers, followed closely by Instagram influencers.Rob Sharkey – SharkFarmer Podcast, Radio, and TV of RFDTV, Co-Founder of FRANRob took the approach of telling the stories of other farmers on his podcast and has used the skills he’s learned to become a good at telling stories, connecting audiences, and conducting effective interviews.   He then transferred the same messages to multiple platforms to include:Podcasting, Radio, TV, YouTube, Merchandise and Public Speaking.Rocky Ormiston @rockorminston2 planted his fields with different hybrids in the design of his farm name, a company logos, etc….Nikki Boxler – what has Nikki done?!What about from the companies themselves?  What are they looking for?  We connected with a few marketing representatives in our network and asked them these questionsWhat characteristics would your company prefer a farmer to possess before considering them in an advertising campaign, endorsement plan, or for product display/use & review?Authentic customer who is well respected in their local area and region, is seen as an innovator, influencer and is well connected with his/her peers and community regardless of the size of operation Trustworthy, brand loyal, have a legacy and tradition of connection to agricultural production, lawn and turf, landscaping, construction/forestry, local farmers markets/produce, livestock production Use our products, goods, services and promote the use of it within his/her local area as part of their brand and operation. What size audience does your company look for when considering a marketing decision that would involve a farmer on social media?The size of the audience is not as critical as the targeted audience, regional/geographical target and segment that the product, goods or service is specifically designed for or intended to reach. Within your company’s marketing plan, what is the most common form of influencer?  Celebrity, working AG professional, hired actor?The authentic real deal ag professionalsReal boots on the ground and in the soil operations have the most impact.If a farmer has interest in becoming a spokesperson, social media influence, or product reviewer for your company; what is the best approach for them to begin the process of securing a deal?We use customer testimonials in a many of our current or new product launches and promotions and we don’t hire them, it’s a partnership, it is genuine testimonials from usage of the products, goods or services within their own operations and their own claims and experiences that other colleagues can relate to. You don’t have to swing for the fences.Georges Niang Former Iowa State Basketball player and now in the NBA.   He isn’t getting large sneaker deals, but made enough of an impact in central Iowa to be able to do local car dealer commercials, clothing commercials, etc….You just being youAlign with a cause?What is your passion?Find what makes you uniqueOver all summary…..ChallengeStep out of your comfort zone.  Sometimes just asking is the biggest hurdle and can bring the biggest value.  Just because you get told no doesn’t mean you failed.  Look at the reasons why, ask them to explain why it wasn’t a yes, then learn and do better the next time.  Focus on yourself, learn what makes you awesome and run with that.  Much easier to be you for the rest of your life than to live a charade.ClosingIf you have episode suggestions, questions, or want help with marketing your farm reach out to us.@farm4profitllc     [email protected]We can get you in contact with Nikki if you’d like to learn more!