Webinars are a great way to engage farmers. It’s no wonder. When done correctly, webinars allow farmers to learn about new research in the agricultural world as well as products that can benefit their operation.
There are other reasons this type of marketing is so popular with farmers. Webinars are a convenient and affordable way to connect with industry experts, ask questions and remain up-to-date on important trends in the agricultural industry.
Unfortunately, many webinars are hastily thrown together and have no purpose other than brand promotion. If you are serious about holding the type of webinars that will help you to become seen as a thought leader in ag-industry and entice farmers to return for subsequent webinars, it is important that you adhere to certain guidelines. By doing so, you will be sure to enjoy continued webinar success.
- Choose topics wisely. When it comes to webinar topics, most farmers list similar subjects that they would be interested in. These include ways to improve operations, risk management and production issues.
- Time is right. Topics need to be timely. Talk about weed management before planting and tax issues at the end of the year, for example.
- Ditch the sales pitch. Webinars are all about relationship building, not selling. Remember, farmers do business with people they trust and that’s what your webinar needs to be building.
- Promote engagement. Survey farmers before your webinar to see what they want to learn during the webinar and make sure you cover these topics.
- Enlist an expert. If there is an expert in the field you are covering in your webinar, be sure to include that expert. Farmers will appreciate the opportunity to hear from someone they know is familiar with the subject matter.
- Save time for questions. Always allow farmers the time to ask questions at the end of your webinar. Keep your answers as concise as possible, however, to give everyone who has a question time to ask it.
- Gather feedback. Always send out a post-webinar survey to participants so you know what they enjoyed and what you can do to make future webinars more productive. Of course, don’t forget to take comments and criticisms seriously so your webinars are always improving.
- Say thank you. Whether or not a participant completed a post-webinar survey, you still need to thank that farmer for participating.
Webinars are a great way to reach out to farmers and build relationships with them. However, remember that the more you put into your webinar, the more the farmer-and your brand-will reap from it.