Meta Ads in the service of agriculture: effective formats and targeting strategies on Facebook and Instagram.

Agriculture is a highly seasonal industry. Purchasing decisions are made depending on the size of the farm - larger farms tend to plan purchases before the season, while smaller farms tend to make purchases moments before the planned operation. Choices of specific products are based on trust or experience or „by recommendation.” Farmers also seek knowledge and answers to their questions or problems. And in this aspect, Meta Ads in agriculture can prove extremely effective, provided the right formats and targeting are used.

Social media advertising - is it worth investing in Meta Ads in agriculture?

• Facebook and Instagram are still the most popular social media platforms*, including among farmers - they provide quick access to visual and educational content.
• Meta offers advanced targeting options to precisely reach people interested in agriculture, machinery or fertilizer, etc.
• Campaigns can be used both to build brand awareness and to support seasonal promotions (e.g., fertilizer sales in the spring or machinery parts) so social media advertising can have huge advertising potential.

^{* According to Martin & Jacob's 2023 CAWI survey of 447 farmers, as many as 81% said they look for information on the Internet, and nearly 60% found information obtained from the Internet to be reliable.
62% of respondents declared that they use Facebook of which 40% daily to search for information, news and entertainment. In the case of the Instagram platform, the declaration as to use is much lower - 22%, but it should be remembered that this is a platform dedicated to a much younger user.}

Ad sets: why combine formats?

One of the key findings from agro campaigns is that ad sets containing a minimum of two formats (e.g., carousel + display video) perform significantly better than single social media ads.

• Better CTR - videos and carousels achieve a CTR of 0.9-1.4%, while single graphics often finish below 0.6-0.9%.
• Longer interaction time - users spend more time browsing carousels and watching videos than on static ads.
• Meta algorithms optimize more effectively - a set with different formats gives the system more data and testing options, and the ads themselves are displayed in such a way that the ad material is not subject to rapid fatigue, as is the case with single ads.

How to create an effective ad - social media ad formats

1. Carousels

• Ideal for presenting several products or variants (e.g., different fertilizers or machine models).
• They can tell a story: for example, „preparing the field → fertilizing → harvesting.”.
• The CTR of carousels is higher than that of single graphics, and the cost of customer acquisition (CPC) is lower.

2. Video Ads - Vertical (Stories / Reels)

• Short and dynamic materials (10-30 sec.), showing real work in the field, equipment in action or quick agronomic tips.
• Ideal for building brand awareness and recognition.
• Perfect for mobile devices, which are the main source of access to Facebook and Instagram.

3. Graphic ads and display format

• They work well as a support - for example, in remarketing to remind the offer to people who have watched a video or clicked on a carousel.
• As a sole format, they do not provide such good results, but as part of a set they are valuable.

Targeting farmers on Meta - Meta Ads in agriculture.

Meta gives you a lot of options for selecting target groups - in the case of agriculture, however, these groups are getting broader and are formed by combining „small” into larger ones. Therefore, it is worthwhile to use a multidimensional approach when configuring Meta Ads in agriculture:

1. Interests

• Tractors, agrotechnology, crops, fertilizers, agricultural machinery.
• Categories such as „Agriculture” (570-670 million potential customers globally) and „Agricultural combine” (82-97 million globally).

2. Custom groups

• Users from a pixel from a site - a store, a manufacturer, a distributor - who visited the website.
• List of customers (e.g., from a loyalty program).
• People who like/watch the Facebook profile.

3. Like-minded recipients

• Based on top customer data - allows you to reach people similar to your existing audience.

4. Geolocation + seasonality

• Precise targeting of seasonally active regions (e.g., provinces with large acres of crops or regions with orchards, for example).
• Ability to adapt creation and message to local context.

Seasonality - the key to the effectiveness of agricultural social media advertising

Agriculture is an industry where everything depends on the crop and harvest calendar. Therefore, campaigns need to be tailored to the season:

• Spring - fertilizers, crop protection products used at specific stages of development, corn seeds
• Summer - spare parts and machinery service before harvest, rapeseed and early sown cereals or polons.
• Autumn - phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, equipment for autumn work, herbicides or seed dressings.
• Winter - awareness campaigns, remarketing, education (e.g., webinars), corn seed promotions.

Of course, the above division is very general, it is necessary to keep in mind the course of a given growing season and react quickly to farmers' inquiries, as well as to the actions of competitors. For example, back about 10-12 years ago there was no way to promote corn seeds in October or November, where the crops were still standing in the field. Meanwhile, nowadays the first advertising campaigns can be seen as early as the beginning of October. Similarly, in the case of rapeseed, the promotional period has moved by more than a month from the end of June to the 1-2nd decade of May.

Building credibility and relationships

Authenticity matters in the agro industry - that's why it's worth it:

• Collaborate with respected local authorities - farmers are more likely to trust content from „their own,” using influencers can be counterproductive, farmers are aware that the influencer's recommendation was followed by money.
• Show customer stories - testimonials from farmers, case studies from the field.
• Bet on educational content - short tutorials on how to use fertilizers or what are the effects of using the proposed solution.

This is also where you need to think about the form of cooperation, as influencers are eagerly watched, although the awareness of the audience is now very high and the form of the message should be properly thought out.

Summary

A successful Facebook and Instagram campaign in the agricultural industry is not a single social media ad, but a well-structured set with a variety of formats.

Key Elements of Success:

1. Mix of creatives: a minimum of two formats (e.g., carousel + display video).
2. Targeting: interests, custom audiences, similar audiences, geolocation.
3. Seasonality: matching the campaign to the crop cycle.
4. Authenticity: stories, influencers, education.
5. KPI monitoring: CTR, cost per conversion, interaction time.

Thanks to this Meta Ads in Agriculture can not only support the sale of agricultural products, but also realistically build brand image and trust among farmers.

See also: How to target farmers well in the search network? What is agricultural ad targeting and which words work?

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