When you think of target audiences in the agriculture industry, it’s difficult to land on just one. Because this industry is so vast, you can have both business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) marketing opportunities. So how do you successfully capture the audience that’s right for you? First, you need to be able to understand, define and communicate your product or service in addition to identifying your overall goal. Knowing the ins and outs of your business or organization will help you have a better understanding of who your primary audience is.
Understand Who You Are & What You Offer.
How do you define your business or organization? What are your differentiators and how are you solving someone’s problems? Are you selling agriculture products to farmers to help them secure a higher crop yield? Or do you produce food for consumers? Are you an agriculture organization dedicated to teaching youth entrepreneurship? Or a community event complex that hosts public and private ag-based events throughout the year? The audiences for these examples will vary and are targeted differently.
Create an Agriculture Persona.
Who is your ideal customer? Give them a personality and a name. It may sound and feel odd, but it will help you feel connected to your audience by creating a personality that seems real. Once that matches your real audience. Fred the Farmer – who is he? What is his age, location, specialty, income? What problem are you trying to solve for Fred? He is the face to your audience. Learn about him and steer your marketing tactics towards him. It is also worth noting that you may find that you have multiple personas – that is often the case. Just build each one of them out to they match who your primary target audience is. We’ve outlined more in-depth steps in our blog It All Hinges On Your Audience on how to identify and reach your audience.
Determine How Your Target Audience Communicates & Consumes Information.
Once you’ve created personas and identified your audience, learn where they get their information and communicate. This may include print media like newspapers, periodicals, or industry magazines and publications; trade shows and conferences; social media; broadcast and radio; direct mail; membership organizations; or community groups.
Scale Accordingly.
In analyzing your business or organization’s potential target audience(s), you may feel overwhelmed. If your audience feels vast, and too much to take on at once, think of segmenting the population and tackle it a section at a time. Below are how you can segment your audience.
- Narrow your audience down by geographical area – perhaps starting with a city, state or region and working up should your product or service be scalable.
- Determine the size of audience you can support. You don’t want to over-promise and under deliver. Start smaller and build upwards.
- Remember your persona you outlined above? Did more than one rise to surface? Start with one and add on from there.
- Determine the type of operation and size you’d like to start with. Perhaps your initial audience consists of farmers who primarily focus on organic products. Or maybe your product is intended for small, boutique style grocers initially instead of large chain grocers.
Create, Implement & Adapt Your Marketing Plan.
Having an actual marketing plan once you know your offerings, goals and audience is a MUST. It will help create the foundation and roadmap for reaching your target audiences, building a sales funnel, and building revenue (whatever your end goals are). Once created and implemented, don’t be afraid to analyze and adjust your plan. Fine tuning it will ensure that you are always reaching your target audience as quickly and efficiently as possible. For more information on building your marketing plan, check out: Marketing Planning
Above anything else, don’t skip on taking time to get to know your audience. If you want to effectively capture and target potential customers, you must spend time getting to know who they are and what you’re providing them. Ignoring this step will result in a lot of headaches and wasted money.
For more resources on goal setting, marketing planning and reaching your audience, visit the following:
Demographics and Your Marketing Strategy
A Marketing Plan?! What Exactly is That?
Effective Marketing Starts with a Solid Marketing Plan
Get the Job Done! Key Players in Your Marketing Plan
How to Identify and Engage Your Social Media Audience
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