Our previous blog post “Sustainability Starts with Customers” talked about how customers drive the demand for environmentally-conscious efforts throughout the ag industry and why it’s essential for farmers to adapt. But how do you grow relationships beyond that initial business transaction? In honor of Customer Appreciation Day on May 20, we’re diving into the importance of building relationships with customers, at a time when it’s more critical than ever.

Whether you’re a large grower or a market farmer, it’s time to start thinking about nurturing your retailers as you would nurture your crops. According to the USDA, “Economists at the Economic Research Service (ERS) have found that farmers who market goods directly to consumers are more likely to remain in business than those who market only through traditional channels.” Read article

It’s easy to think of agriculture as a commodity that people will always need to survive. However, customer satisfaction can make or break a business. Retailers are key to long-term viability and profitability. So, where do you start?

First Impressions Are Lasting Impressions

One of the best ways to show you care is to invest in customer support team members who share your values and passion. These individuals will be the face of your organization and you need to be able to trust them to reflect your brand.

That’s why it’s essential to hire motivated and personable staff who know how to show respect, listen critically, and offer solutions, not excuses. Additionally, offering consistency in your customer support strategy will leave them confident in supporting your business, which will always keep them coming back for more. When was the last time you visited your own website, called your customer support line, or joined a sales rep on a call? Try to see what your retailers would see and determine if it’s a good reflection of your brand values or if it could use a little improvement.

See What They See

Knowing your customers’ needs and acting on them is essential for building a positive experience. One of the best ways to collect customer-generated feedback is to simply ask your retailers what they think.

Our team recommends investing in a professional research strategy, like MMAPS®, to help you build and execute a successful survey. The MMAPS team will work with you to help create a comprehensive customer perception survey while also ensuring you retain proven methodologies for statistically sound data output. Along with deploying and analyzing the survey results, the MMAPS team drafts an executive report with professional recommendations for your next move – big or small.

Show Them What You’ve Got

Once you have a solid foundation in customer support, honest feedback, and data insights to fuel your decision-making, it’s time to show your customers what you’ve got. To do so, translate the information you’ve gathered into meaningful branding and marketing, from packaging and social ads to a logo redesign or complete relaunch of your website. 

Need some help? Here at Farm to Shelf, we pride ourselves on supporting grower sales efforts with retailers. Here’s just a sample of the work we’ve done to launch products:

Each retailer interaction paves the way for the next sales transaction. Continual investment in your relationship with retailers is critical to growth. As we celebrate Customer Appreciation Day, it’s a good reminder to say “thanks” for their business.

One of the reasons face-to-face marketing, trade show exhibiting, and networking are still dominant in the ag industry is because of the value of relationships. These relationships don’t happen overnight. They take a careful, strategic plan. Once you establish connections, you’ll notice your business and trade show exhibitions become a driving force in your brand.

While building a network may seem tricky, you can take a few approaches to make the task less daunting. Whether you’re a marketer increasing brand awareness or a farmer trying to boost sales, here are some of Farm to Shelf’s favorite ways to build better relationships post-trade show.

1. Create a trade show-specific follow-up campaign.

Before going to the trade show, have some post-show marketing materials ready. This could be a series of e-blasts or as simple as a handful of social media posts. Fieldin sent an initial message within the first few days after attendees visited their booth at the World Ag Expo. They thanked attendees and included a clear CTA to increase website traffic.

 

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2. Implement a LinkedIn strategy.

Messaging via professional networking platforms is a great way to grow online. Consider asking them to “connect” or “friend” you/ your brand and express how much you enjoyed speaking with them. We’re here for all the social media networking at Farm to Shelf! Don’t be shy and come say hi to us on our LinkedIn page.

3. Publish content that reports on the trade show event.

Provide a recap! Whether it’s a blog, press release, repost, the information you include can provide new perspectives or insight to your new connections. Plus, you’ll establish more personal relationships in the community.

Building relationships in ag will lead to an invaluable improvement in business. By establishing clear business expectations for attendees and keeping up communication, your trade show experience will be a big hit.

Want to learn more about how to make the most of your trade show experience? Check out the six lessons we learned at the 2022 World Ag Expo.

Tractors are an essential tool in agriculture operations—both big and small—that typically last between 20 and 30 years. As a result, the tractor has become an iconic, timeless symbol of farming and agriculture.

Here at Farm to Shelf, we pride ourselves in our clients’ shoes to make sure their business needs translate into successful marketing campaigns. From traveling cross-country to make sure our client’s packaging is up to par to regularly monitoring digital analytics in-house, we go to great lengths to ensure our marketing is an essential tool for our clients for years to come. 

As we constantly take on new and unique clients, we’re also looking for inspiration. Sometimes that inspiration takes us just down the street or from coast to coast. So, this year we’re launching our Traveling Tractor series to take you on the road with us and explore some extraordinary sights and scenes. 

Join us here or on Instagram @farmtoshelf_!