One of the great things about farmers is that what you see is what you get. Most farmers have little interest in trying to project a certain image just to impress others.

This straightforward approach carries over into the type of people farmers want to do business with. Almost without exception, farmers are not taken in by smooth-talking salespeople trying to push a product or service they don’t want or need.

When creating content to connect, educate and inspire farmers, it is important that you don’t try to make your content too slick. Instead, give farmers what they really want-straightforward information that shows them how to solve a problem, learn something new or make their operation more efficient.

Another important aspect of content marketing in the Ag world is to remember that farmers expect you to show up on time, even online. Therefore, no matter what your content marketing strategy, it needs to reach farmers on a regular basis. Farmers will appreciate your efforts and will reward those efforts by paying attention to what you have to say and coming back for more.

While building a content marketing strategy that allows you to connect with farmers may seem overwhelming, it doesn’t need to be. What follows is a general outline of an effective content marketing strategy for your Ag-based business:

1. Find out where the farmers you are trying to attract hangout online. You can publish all the content in the world but if your target audience of farmers can’t find that content it won’t matter.
2. Decide what you are trying to achieve through your content marketing efforts. Do you want to be seen as a thought leader in the Ag industry? Do you want to provide support? Be sure and narrow your goals down to a few key objectives. If you try to do too much it will dilute your efforts.
3. Decide how you will measure success. Shares? Web traffic?
4. Stick to a schedule. Make sure you post your content regularly and on the same channels. Sticking to a schedule means farmers will always know where to find you.
5. Manage your expectations. If you expect immediate and overwhelming results from your content marketing strategy you are likely to be disappointed and give up too soon. Content marketing takes time, but when done consistently and correctly, it is sure to pay off.