Social Media in Agriculture: 5 Steps to a Successful Strategy.

Many companies in the agriculture industry are actively using social media, but often these activities are ad hoc and do not translate into business goals. A strategic approach is required to make the contribution to social media in agriculture an effective investment and not just a cost. This includes both the precise definition of the target audience and goals, as well as the selection of appropriate platforms and lines of communication. In this article, we discuss the five key steps needed to build an effective strategy.

5 steps to build an effective social media communication strategy in agriculture

Step 1: Define your „why?” and „for whom?” 

Before you start creating content, you need to know who you are talking to and why. The first step is to baseline audit, which will allow you to assess what is working and what needs improvement. It's worthwhile to see how past actions are perceived by observers and what the competition is doing.

Then focus on the most important thing: target group. Contrary to stereotypes, the agricultural industry is actively entering the world of modern technology and digital marketing. The Polish farmer is not a homogeneous group, but a mosaic of different generations with different needs.

When preparing the profile of our target audience, you need to define it on three levels:

• Demographic: gender, age, location, farm size.
• Psychographic: aspirations and interests. Farmers are pragmatic and look to the Internet for solutions to their problems, not empty promises.
• Behavioral: online behavior, what channels they use and their buying patterns. As many as 80.2% farmers (survey „Channels to reach farmers. Sources of information and their reliability,” Martin & Jacob, October 2023) use the Internet to search for information. Of great interest in the target group are all kinds of demonstration and demonstration materials: machine tests or field vetting, as well as opinions of other farmers. 

Step 2: Identify your goals

Now that you know who you're talking to, it's time to ask the most important question: what do you want to achieve? Activity in social media should always serve a specific business purpose. The goal is not to „be on Facebook,” but to increase brand awareness, lead generation or build a loyal community.

It is also worth linking the goals to the different stages marketing funnel. 

• At the stage awareness (Awareness) goal may be to increase coverage, 
• at reflections (Consideration) - an increase in commitment, 
• in turn, at the conversion (Conversion) key is to increase sales or acquire leads. 

Step 3: Brand personality and tone of communication

This is a step often overlooked, and its absence can lead to inauthentic and inconsistent communication. Shaping tone of voice - unique style and tone of communication - is key to standing out in the digital crowd. Remember that agro audiences value authenticity and credibility. That's why, instead of artificial, retouched content, go for real first-hand photos and videos.

For agribusiness, the best approach in social media communication strategies is a mix of professionalism with a dash of authenticity. Communication should be factual to build a position as an expert, but at the same time it must be “life-like” and transparent to build trust.

Step 4: „What and where?” i.e. subject lines per channel

Now we get to the heart of the matter, which is content. Not every platform is right for every brand, and what works on Facebook won't necessarily work on TikTok. Instead of scattering resources, focus on those platforms where your target audience is most often on.

Types of content

An effective social media communication strategy requires a structured plan. To this end, we create pillars of content (content pillars) that allow diversification of messages. In agribusiness, these can be:

• Educational content: such as thematic series on crop protection throughout the season.
• Image content: e.g., behind-the-scenes work, engaging in local initiatives.
• Product content: e.g. communication problem → solution.

Characteristics of the platforms

• Facebook: A foundation for community building and online presence. It is ideal for communicating with middle-aged people, who make up a significant portion of the industry. 
• YouTube and TikTok: YouTube is ideal for long tutorial videos, testimonials and equipment tests. TikTok, on the other hand, with a 300% increase in agricultural content in 2024, is ideal for short, practical tips that can be viewed „on the go.” These are great examples of social media in agriculture.
• Instagram: A platform for visual storytelling, combined with short-form video and ongoing action reporting. 
• LinkedIn: A key channel in B2B, ideal for building an expert image and establishing business relationships. It should be noted here that there are not many farmers on LinkedIn, the channel is mainly used to communicate with the distribution and manufacturer market. 

Step 5: Monitor, analyze and optimize

The last but equally important step is to constantly monitor and optimize your social media communication strategy. Without data, you are unable to assess what is working and what is not.

Indicators of success

Key performance indicators (KPIs) must be directly linked to business goals, not just „empty” metrics such as the number of likes.

• Building brand awareness: Measure reach, number of mentions and growth in number of followers.
• Increase in commitment: Monitor the number of likes, comments, shares and engagement rate (Engagement Rate).
• Generating traffic and leads: Check the click-through rate (CTR) and the number of leads acquired.
• Increase sales/conversions: Analyze the number of conversions, cost per conversion (CPC). 

Take the first step and get active on social media!

In the dynamic world of social media, the key to success in agribusiness lies in a strategic approach that goes beyond daily publications. Invest in authentic storytelling, bet on video and integrate different channels to reach your audience holistically. 

The question is: are you ready to take on this challenge? Contact us and let's create a strategy for social media in agriculture, which will effectively achieve the goals set.

See also:

Brand building in agribusiness: How storytelling and authenticity build trust and engagement on social media. 

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