Marketing New Ag Technology Requires Straightforward Approach

The agriculture industry is experiencing a boom in the area of technology that is unlike any it has ever seen before. If you are an agri-business looking to entice your Ag customers into purchasing the latest technology—from crop sensors to drones to livestock biometrics—there is no doubt you know a lot about what you are selling.

Farmers and ranchers will no doubt benefit from such technology and are interested in learning as much about it as possible. One thing they are not interested in, however, is listening to you go over every technological detail. Instead, you may want to take some advice from Albert Einstein when he said, “Genius is making complex ideas simple, not making simple ideas complex.” In other words, as farmers continue to face a barrage of new and sometimes complicated technologies, it would be well for those marketing such technologies to keep their message straightforward and not throw in a lot of extraneous tech-speak.

This is not to say that the information should be oversimplified. The technology available to farmers today is remarkable and will allow farmers to be more productive. However, as a marketer, it is important to remember that your job is to give farmers what they want—the lowdown on how this new technology will help make their farming operation more efficient and more profitable. It also is important to remember that while farmers are well able to adapt to new technologies, they are not going to rush to buy new technologies without thinking long and hard about whether or not they will benefit from it.

The best way to market new technology to farmers is to illustrate these technological advances in terms that mean something to farmers. Stay away from conversations about complex algorithms and focus more on reducing water usage or increasing milk production, for example. Farmers want to know how new technology can be incorporated into their operations without causing major disruptions. And if there will be some disruptions, and chances are there will, be honest about it. However, frame those things in relation to the value farmers will gain.

If farmers sense that you are less interested in how a particular technology will benefit them and more interested in impressing them with your knowledge of all things tech, they will be anything but impressed. Instead, let them know you want to help them improve their operation. By doing so, everyone will benefit from the newest products in Ag tech.