Find informative and interesting blog posts about Ag Industry from US Farm Data, your best resource for Ag Data!
Trade shows continue to be one of the best way to get in front of a large number of customers and prospects over a short period of time. Ag trade shows are no exception. That’s because farmers love to meet the people they are considering doing business with and getting a firsthand look at what […]
Winter is approaching and that means farmers will be spending more time indoors. Each year in the United States approximately 25,000 people become sick by accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. Of that number, about 500 people die. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas which is produced as a byproduct of burning carbon-containing fuels. These fuels […]
If you are a small agricultural business marketing to farmers, your budget is probably pretty tight. While it can be tempting to cut back on promoting your business, most business owners understand that marketing is necessary to bring in new customers. The key to successfully marketing your ag-based business to farmers is not to spend […]
We all remember a time—years ago—when the experts told us that no one reads anything on the internet. To the contrary, we were told, people just scan a page and move on.
In 2016, this is no longer the case. In fact, as mobile devices have become more and more prevalent, people are reading more content than ever. And that content is getting longer. While short content clearly has its place, long content is the way to go when it comes to content marketing
Long content is a great way to engage your target audience and tell them a story. Further, long content allows you to get your point across to readers without having to worry that their attention span will give out before you are done getting your point across.
Long content works especially well when connecting with farmers and ranchers. Farmers and ranchers are not easily swayed by short, attention-grabbing blurbs about a company’s products or services. Instead, they want to know the facts about anyone they are considering doing business with or a product they are considering purchasing.
There are other important reasons why using long content works so well for content marketing. What follows are what experts cite as the most compelling reasons to invest in long content:
- Greater Number of Leads: More than seven times more sales leads are generated with the use of long content versus short content.
- Higher SEO: Research shows that longer posts almost always appear higher on search engine result pages than shorter posts, provided it is quality content.
- Increased Engagement: Again, if you are posting quality content, people will stick around to read longer content. Studies also show that long content can keep visitors on your website up to three times longer than short content. This allows them to explore other aspects of your brand.
- Increased Reach: Long copy can reach a greater number of people because it can be repurposed in many different ways. Webinars, content series and eBooks are just a few examples.
If your current marketing strategy does not include long content, it needs to—and soon! Without long content your customers are less likely to find you online and even if they do, they are less likely to engage with you. Writing long content may take more time but it is definitely worth the effort!
Marketing your agricultural products and services takes time and effort. Unfortunately, many Ag marketers work so hard at explaining the benefits of what they are selling, they often overlook one of the most important aspects of marketing: an effective call-to-action.
Strong calls-to-action are imperative for farmers and ranchers considering one of your products or services because they let them know what they should do next. When compelling and persuasive, calls-to-action are hard to resist and impel farmers and ranchers to click or respond to what you are selling. Weak calls-to-action, on the other hand, are almost always overlooked or even ignored.
Writing a compelling call-to-action is especially important when marketing to farmers and ranchers who don’t have time to waste searching for the best way to learn more about a product or service or to purchase it on the spot. In light of this fact, always pay attention to these guidelines for clear-cut calls-to-action:
- Don’t mince words. Call today! Download immediately! These are two examples of straightforward calls-to-action.
- Let them know it’s worth their time. Farmers and ranchers, in particular, want to know that if they click on a call-to-action it is a good use of their time. Will it solve a problem? Will it save time and money? Further, if you make a promise in your call-to-action you better make good on it! Farmers and ranchers have no time for businesses that are not completely upfront.
- Give an incentive to act quickly. Purchase today and get free shipping!
- Go big. Small, hard to find buttons at the bottom of a page aren’t going to do the trick. Instead, place calls-to-action in prominent locations. You also would do well to make it obvious where to click. This can be accomplished with things like borders and shadows. And make sure that your call-to-action doesn’t blend in with your page. Use colors and fonts that work well with your design but that also pop off the page. White space around the buttons can help, as well.
Chances are that you will have to experiment with calls-to-action before settling on one or two that your sales leads respond to. If a particular call-to-action doesn’t seem to be working well, try another one. Strong calls-to-action will do wonders for your business so it is important to get them right.