Today we’re going to show you how to build a marketing strategy from scratch.
Are you one of the regenerative agriculture newcomers whose palms get sweaty when they think about promotion? Many of us started that way, and we understand that it seems complex. Making your entry into the world of digital marketing can make you feel like you’re drowning.
In this guide, we’ll sweep away the cobwebs and leave you with a clear view of how to market your new regenerative farming brand.
Topic overview
No beginner’s guide would be complete without defining the topic. What’s marketing? Essentially, it’s using various tools to get people’s attention so you can sell products and services.
For example, if you get a stall at the local farmers’ market, you’re marketing your goods.
If you create a Facebook ad or content that tells people about you, you’re still marketing.
Let’s get into the various aspects of promotion step-by-step.
Step One - Establish a Voice
For regeneration farming, a powerful voice is one of the most potent tools you can establish. Marketing your product is fundamentally easier when you believe in the principles you’re advertising.
What is the brand voice? It’s the personality of your brand and how you express yourself. Most beloved companies have a strong voice, and it makes them stand out.
Without seeing the logo or the company name, the brand is distinguishable. Having a distinctive voice and persona helps define your brand.
How do you choose a voice? It’s much easier than it seems if you know how you want people to see you. An excellent way to determine this is the “We are x but not z” exercise.
Create a list of things you want people to see and a list of counterpoints you don’t like to express.
For example:
We are confident, but not arrogant.
We are knowledgeable, but not unteachable.
We are passionate, but not fanatical.
We are expressive but not forceful.
We are kind but not spineless.
Once you’ve established what you are and aren’t, you have a fair idea of your voice. You may also want to construct a list of catchphrases and basic structures to follow.
Having a detailed voice persona means that anyone doing your brand’s promotions can quickly adopt the existing structure.
Now that you’ve defined your voice, you need to define your target market. Let’s get into step two.
Step Two - Create a Buyer Persona
Whether you’re using social media or print press, you need to know who you’re targeting.
Creating a buyer persona is one of the essential foundations for a good strategy. Whether you’re choosing appropriate channels, creating tactics, or deciding how to connect, buyers matter.
How do you decide who to target? You need to ask the right questions.
- Who are your current customers?
- Of those customers, which of them purchase regularly?
- Do those clients have anything in common?
- What drew your existing client base to your brand?
- Why do they continue to buy from you?
- What sets you apart from your competitors in their sight?
You can glean answers to these questions by surveying your customers.
Once you’ve studied your current clients, ask yourselves some questions about your brand.
- What do you grow/produce?
- Which types of clients may want your products/services?
- What is your mission / what do you hope to achieve?
- Who can afford your product?
With the way regenerative agriculture works, you’ll base much of your target on the sustainable living community. Try to reach out using the passion you share with your market.
Now that you’ve defined your voice and buyers, you need to define your goals in step three.
Step Three - Set Marketing Goals
An ancient idiom says, “The unaimed arrow never misses”. That sentiment adequately expresses the futility of trying to market without a purpose.
Shooting arrows in every direction will hit some targets, but probably not the ones you want to hit. You need a clearly defined concept of what you want to achieve with your marketing.
If you want to create achievable promotion goals, they must be:
- Defined – you need to choose a specific aspect – i.e. exposure, increase in sales, marketing a new product.
- Achievable – few things discourage you as much as pursuing an unattainable goal. Being enthusiastic is excellent, but maintain a sense of realism when you set goals.
- Extraordinary – while you want a realistic goal, you also need a goal beyond the ordinary. If your marketing goal doesn’t push your intended metric over what it usually achieves, it’s not a goal.
- Assessable – if you can’t measure the goal you’ve set, how do you know if you achieved it? Choose a metric that you can track so you know how much progress you’ve made.
- Time-bound – Your goal needs to have a specified deadline. Setting a goal without a time-frame means you have no way to tell if you’re approaching your goal.
Here’s an example of a worthy goal:
We want to bring the number of smoothie stores using our produce up in the next three months. Our company currently supplies three stores, and we’d like to double that number.
You have a fixed time-frame and an achievable goal that lies beyond your current norm. It’s easy to measure how many stores purchase your produce, and you’ve clearly defined your goal.
Now that you’ve set your goals let’s investigate the importance of choosing the right channels.
Step Four - Choose Effective Marketing Channels
As a regeneration farming expert, you probably don’t want to unintentionally target programmers in Russia. Everything from the social medium you use to the affiliate marketing you leverage affects your effectiveness.
For best results, you need to choose the most effective channels.
This is a perfect time to bring out your buyer persona from step two. Use your market research to determine how regenerative farming and your target market can intersect.
Do most of your target market buy agricultural magazines? If so, those magazines are an ideal place to publish your advertisements.
The same thing applies to digital marketing. Find places your target market will see you.
Does your audience follow a certain influencer? Approach that influencer and try to strike a deal.
Do your buyers join a specific social media group? Use targeted ads to get your ads where the regenerative agriculture tribe will see them.
Remember, sometimes the direct approach is best, and direct sales can be an effective channel. Read more about establishing tactics in step five.
Step Five - Establish Marketing Tactics
You’ve already determined who you want to reach, what you want to say, and how you want to say it. Now you need to determine which tactics to use.
Unlike channels, tactics are specific and yet diverse.
Again, your buyer persona comes into play here. Which approach is most likely to reach your intended audience?
If you’re focusing on the vegan market, then blog posts and informational content might be ideal. Larger companies might be drawn to referrals and testimonials instead.
Your tactics are as linked to your buyer persona as any other action you take. Here are some options for you to consider:
- Blog posts – ideal for building followings in cause-driven communities. Primarily text and image-driven, blogs meet the needs of people with a need to know.
- Sponsorships – perfect for affecting your target market indirectly. If you sponsor something they’re passionate about, you’ll get their attention.
- Referrals – referrals by members of a close-knit community are invaluable. Offer a reward to incentivise people to refer you to others with a similar worldview. Your following will increase dramatically.
- Paid ads – whether print media or digital media, targeted ads can be effective.
- Influencer endorsements – influencers are some of the most potent brands on the internet today. If you can get your products endorsed by a person who influences your audience, you’ll see your sales multiply.
- Affiliate marketing – choose affiliate companies with a similar cause, but not competitors, to reach potential clients. Customers who love vegan often also love organic. Using affiliate advertising on vegan sites can draw people to your organic produce.
- Engagements – social media engagements are perhaps one of the most significant driving forces in the world today. Well-written posts that link your cause and that of your audience will bring you to the fore.
Many other tactics exist, and it’s up to you to find out which will be effective. Step six is all about monitoring effectiveness.
Step Six - Monitor Marketing Metrics and Make Adjustments
Once the majority of your plan is in place, you need to start monitoring. Marketing plans are like living organisms; they require constant adaptation.
Monitor the effectiveness of your plan based on the specific goals you set early on.
Some tactics may be very effective, while others don’t work at all. Ask yourself how you can continue to improve the tactics that work well.
Make small changes, one at a time, and continue to monitor. If the changes spark improvement, keep them.
If a tactic doesn’t seem effective, try and tweak it. If nothing changes, move on to a new tactic. The idea of promotion is to reach as many relevant people as possible with as little effort as possible.
Every step of the way, you need to keep track of the metrics and make changes. Once you’ve nailed an effective strategy for your brand, use it as a model.
Step Seven - Connect With Your Market
You may think step seven is outside the scope of the promotion plan, but I assure you it’s not. You’re not a marketer by trade. You do regenerative farming.
Many times, our modern social climate finds heartfelt causes more significant than the best strategy.
Irrespective of which tactics you use for your plan, start some social media accounts. Give your client base a place to get in touch with you.
The sustainable living tribe strives toward a common cause, even if they take many different roads to get there.
Share with your community, and stay in touch with them. Create content that teaches and inspires.
What is regenerative agriculture? How does it help the planet? Is it sustainable? Can you practice it in a home garden?
You brand yourself when you market a product in a cause-driven arena, so use that. Share your passion, your knowledge, and your mission with your followers.
Many people will support you in support of your cause, even if other brands market better.
Don't Wait to Take Your Farm to the Next Level With These Efficient Marketing Strategies
As you’ve seen in this guide, effective promotion doesn’t have to be complicated. With a well-written marketing plan, you can quickly bring your brand to new heights.
Remember to:
- Know your voice
- Have a target market
- Write achievable goals
- Choose efficient marketing channels and tactics
- Monitor your effectiveness
- Connect with your audience
Never forget, you’re more than just a brand. Regenerative agriculture is far more extensive than economic prospects. If you share your passion and your purpose, you’ll attract the right client base.
If you do those things, something that seemed impossible becomes laughably easy. Don’t get left behind; get started with your marketing plan today.
