Influencer marketing in agriculture - is it worth investing in it?.

Modern agriculture is growing faster than ever before. Purchasing decisions on machinery, fertilizers or crop protection products require a lot of money, so trust is of great importance here. With dynamic digitization, a new element of agricultural marketing has emerged - influencer marketing in agriculture.

Although it still arouses some skepticism, especially among more traditional audiences, agricultural influencers are becoming a viable communications force. Increasingly, they are the ones helping producers reach a new generation of farmers.

What is influencer marketing in agriculture?

In the agro industry, an influencer is not only a content creator, but first and foremost a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) - a practitioner who runs a farm himself, tests solutions and shares his experiences. Such an agricultural influencer builds trust not through advertising, but through authenticity.

Agricultural vloggers, especially the younger generation (18-30 years old), combine traditional knowledge gained from family farms with the ability to create engaging content. It is their naturalness and real-world testing of equipment that makes farmers see their opinions not as advertising, but as proven recommendations from their peers.

Where do farmers get their knowledge from?

Martin&Jacob research (CAWI, 2024, n=378) shows that Instagram, TikTok or influencers themselves are only gaining 1% indications as a direct source of information On plant protection products.

However, this does not mean a lack of influence of influencer marketing in agriculture. On the contrary, farmers are actively seeking content created by opinion leaders, just do not associate them with typical advertising.

Research from 2023 (Martin&Jacob, CAWI, n=447) confirms that:

• over 90% farmers uses agricultural forums and portals,
• 37,68% on forums and 29,20% on portals seeks reviews of machines and products,
• 90% Farmers use YouTube - mainly to see:
  • How others farm (37.40%),
  • Opinions on machinery, fertilizers and protection products (34.35%).

It is YouTube that today provides the key environment for agricultural influencers and their real impact on agricultural marketing.

How do you choose an influencer for your campaign? 

In order for a campaign to be successful, you need not the biggest, but the most fit creator. The selection strategy should be guided by the following criteria:

• Authenticity and fit: Farmers immediately sense a fake. Therefore, the influencer should operate in the same niche as your products (e.g., dairy cattle, field crops, orcharding).
• Engagement Rate (Engagement Rate): Micro- and nano-influencers (1-10k followers), who have a more active community than mass creators, work well in agricultural marketing.
• Matching Platform and Format: 
  • YouTube - The best channel for testing machines, technologies and demonstrations „from the field”.
  • Agriculture forums and portals - Ideal for building long-term visibility.
  • Social Media - A good complement to communications (Reels, Shorts, advice posts).

How to implement an influencer marketing campaign in agriculture?

After choosing the right KOL, it is necessary to define the goals of the campaign using the SMART method. In agriculture, the buying cycle takes a long time, so the most important goal is not a quick sale, but a Build trust and a long-term relationship with the brand.

Key campaign goals:

• Increase brand awareness in a selected segment of farmers,
• Build credibility (especially with seeds, fertilizers, chemicals),
• Driving traffic to the manufacturer's or dealer's website,
• Measuring the impact on purchase decisions through leads and traffic from referrals.

Influencer marketing in agriculture - an investment in farmers' long-term trust

Is it worth investing in influencer marketing in agriculture?

Yes - but only with a thoughtful strategy and the right choice of opinion leaders.

The low indications in the survey do not show the lack of influence of influencers, but that farmers simply treat them as... opinions of other farmers - the most trusted category of information in the agro industry.

Influencer marketing here does not work in a „click and buy” formula. It is a tool for building relationships, recognition and long-term credibility, which translates into purchasing decisions in subsequent seasons.

Read also: Social SEO in agriculture - how to increase brand visibility where farmers are looking?

We have been connecting agro brands with farmers for over 20 years.

Talk to us about your campaign and start reaching the right audience.