Managing communications in a cluttered space 

The agricultural marketplace is a very noisy place. Farmers and channel partners are constantly bombarded with messages – buy this, try that, change how you think. And with so many channels competing for attention, cutting through the clutter and reaching your audiences to make an impact is harder than ever.

Promotion is expensive, which makes getting the most out of every dollar in your promotional campaign critical. When budgets are tight, this matters even more.  So how do agri-marketers make their promotional efforts count? It starts with being thoughtful, intentional and methodical. Here are a few considerations that can help make promotional activities more effective.

1. Start with Clear Objectives
   
   Promotional planning should start with an understanding of what needs to be accomplished.  The goal might not always be to create awareness.  It might be to change attitudes, influence action, or remind customers to buy again.  Understanding the goal is fundamental in identifying the type of tactics that should be used and in the right order in effort to get maximum impact of each and every activity.

2. Timing is Everything
   
   Agriculture runs on cycles, and your marketing should too. Align promotions with the production cycle and the farmer’s field activities to ensure your message resonates.  Also consider what the customer is doing and what mindset they might be in at the time they are being exposed to a message. When someone is scrolling Facebook, are they researching farm products, or are they catching up with family and friends? Compare that to when they’re out spraying fields. In that moment, they might be thinking about how to make the job more efficient or effective.
   
   While there is a lot of subjectivity to this, put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Timing of your message to their mindset can make a big difference.

3. Follow the Customer Journey
   
   There’s often a gap between when a farmer thinks about a purchase and when they make it. Understanding the process a buyer goes through when making a purchase decision provides the opportunity to design promotional activities that follow customers along their purchasing journey. Mapping out this customer journey – motivation, consideration, purchase, and post-purchase – helps you meet them where they are. A well-planned campaign moves customers from one stage to the next, rather than relying on random, one-off tactics. That consistency builds momentum and leads to better outcomes. 

4. Make it Measurable
   
   You can’t manage what you can’t measure. Sales numbers tell you if a campaign worked, but they’re lagging metrics to determine the overall success of a promotional campaign. These metrics are often backwards looking. By the time you see them, it’s too late to make adjustments.
   
   Instead, try to identify a series of leading metrics to help determine whether each individual activity is contributing to the overall success along the way. Did customers click the link? Download the guide? Sign up for the demo? Small checkpoints like these will help you gauge progress and help determine if one activity is positively leading to the next step in the customer journey.

5. Stand Out with Differentiated Messaging
   
   In a cluttered market, distinction matters. It’s not always easy to find what makes you unique, however if a brand is able to occupy a specific space, they stand a better chance of breaking out from the clutter. Let’s be honest, owning “yield” isn’t realistic when every product claims better yields. Instead, focus on the customer’s real problem or highlight a unique benefit your product might deliver. When yield is an expectation, maybe your edge is improving efficiency, reducing risk, or simplifying a process (in addition to yield). Find the space you can own and lean into it.