High-performing SEO strategies for AgTech companies
Farming in the UK is undergoing one of the biggest changes in modern times. Brexit, the cost of living, and soaring energy prices are impacting farmers locally, and they are adversely affected by current global issues such as disruptions of supply chains and CO2 shortages.
The farming industry has constantly been at the forefront of implementing new technologies based on research to improve efficiency and raise standards while maximising profit. The industry has always adapted to the ever-changing world it serves, and Agriculture Technology, also known as AgTech and AgriTech, is starting to catch up.
SEO for AgTech companies is often overlooked. Marketing to the farming industry typically relies on the same marketing methods that have always been used, such as through trade magazines, stands at trade shows, and classified adverts.
The need for AgTech companies to modernise and innovate their approach when offering products, services, or solutions has never been so great.
Using SEO in AgTech can make it easier to access the newer generation of farmers who grew up in the digital era, allowing direct access to the market for immediate feedback.
How SEO can work in AgTech
Companies specialising in AgTech find themselves in a unique position in that farmers can be seen as both consumers (B2C) and business owners (B2B).
As a highly-specialised industry, it can be difficult to find potential customers and reach the audience they want to sell to. Agriculture is full of people trying to sell their products or services, whether that’s farmers or AgTech companies, so a marketing strategy must be robust, well-researched, and include SEO.
SEO for B2B companies helps identify the ideal customer and deliver a unique selling point. It allows AgTech companies to speak directly to potential customers without the pushy sales pitch.
Building a strong online presence will give an opportunity for an AgTech company to grow its brand and create lasting relationships with potential partners. It can elevate them to become an authority within the sector and be viewed as a market leader within the agriculture industry.
Developing a solution-focused AgTech SEO strategy
As with all businesses, the AgTech industry must understand the market and identify its ideal customer to build an effective SEO strategy.
When developing a technical SEO strategy, it’s advisable to focus on a solution-based approach and emphasise the benefit the customer is willing to pay for. Highlight how the product or service will help overcome a pain point rather than the technology behind it.
Gathering insight through research will help gain a wider knowledge of the pain points or particular challenges the farming industry faces. Remember that, even though a solution sounds great on paper, research may prove otherwise.
A successful SEO strategy for AgTech companies will help target the correct customers and provide valuable insights to adapt to market changes or feedback.
Identifying the TAM SAM SOM
When researching, it’s important to consider TAM, SAM, and SOM to help understand the market potential for the product or service:
- Total Addressable Market (TAM) – The total market demand for a product or service, representing the maximum potential revenue opportunity should it capture the entire market share.
- Serviceable Available Market (SAM) – The part of the total addressable market that could realistically be targetted and served, considering resources, competition, and consumer habits.
- Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM) – The portion of the serviceable available market that can be realistically captured based on competitors, product quality, and marketing and sales. This represents the expected market share.
By analysing the TAM, SAM, and SOM, AgTech companies can identify market size, opportunity, and potential customers. Contributing to a tailored marketing and SEO strategy will help capture a larger market share.
Keyword research focusing on solving problems
Any marketing strategy worth its salt must include keyword research. This research shouldn’t only focus on high-traffic keywords but identify other keywords or phrases that people within the industry are using to search for solutions.
It will help AgTech companies learn more about customers’ pain points, including why it’s an issue, and add valuable insight into how potential customers are searching for a solution and what type of solution they require.
The language used in keyword research can be very telling and help connect to the customer empathetically. Understanding customers and the problems they face allows AgTech companies to tailor their marketing to communicate the value proposition of their product or service to their audience.
The SEO strategy should centre around this research to capture those customers earlier.
Seasonality
When discussing agriculture, it’s impossible not to consider seasonality. The farming calendar is crucial to the success and profit of the industry. Farmers will plan and work longer at different times of the year to increase crop yields, reduce costs, and maximise profits.
When marketing to farmers, an SEO strategy must reflect seasonality and the farming calendar. During busier times of the year, such as planting or harvesting seasons, farmers will be more difficult to engage with and less likely to make purchasing decisions.
Depending on the product or service on offer, if it’s specific to a particular season, there will only be a small window of opportunity each year. Careful preparation and planning to execute a marketing plan in a timely manner is key.
Content strategies for AgTech companies
“Content is king” may be an overused term within SEO, but the importance of quality content can’t be understated. After thoroughly researching the market and keyword research, it’d be a mistake to cut any corners regarding a content strategy for AgTech companies.
Content strategies can help you reach the right audience and, more importantly, engage with them. Traditionally, the industry has looked from within regarding advice about farming techniques, products, and services, whether communicating with other farmers or speaking to a trusted sales rep.
Producing valuable content can help break down those barriers by building brand awareness and becoming an authoritative figure within the conversation of new farming technologies.
Planning for the months ahead is important, but so is looking at what is happening within the industry right now. One way to do this is to monitor emerging trends. An example of this is regenerative agriculture, which has seen growth in popularity in the past five years.
By identifying trends within the industry, you can quickly create or adapt your offerings and content to target the increase in search volumes for that trend — as long as it’s relevant. It may also give you insight into current challenges being faced so you can keep ahead of the market.
Content hubs
Creating content knowledge hubs is another area of strategic SEO that can provide invaluable insight and feedback on the market and your product or services.
A content hub is a place on a website where an AgTech company can build a wealth of informational content about specific topics. It can be an effective way to educate the target audience on the latest technologies, best practices, seasonality, climate changes, and recent trends.
Building a valuable content hub will help brand growth and show search engines the website is an authoritative and trusted source of information that will improve your rank across all keywords.
Product hubs
If content hubs are a place for information on a specific topic, then product hubs focus on information and guidance on a specific product or service. AgTech companies can use these to showcase their products or services and provide a place for potential customers to learn more about what is on offer, including all the features and benefits.
While content hubs may drive more traffic, product hubs will help towards conversions and sales. Both hubs can have huge benefits when done correctly, but there are a few key considerations when setting these up:
- Clear Content Strategy
Both hubs should supplement the wider content strategy and remember why it has been created in the first place. It should be a one-stop place for potential customers and the wider industry and continually be updated. - Provide detailed and relevant information
There should be detailed information relating to the products, and this should be informative, engaging, and high-quality. It is an opportunity to display an AgTech’s knowledge and expertise within the industry, so the content must be original and factually correct. - Optimise for SEO
Include relevant keywords and topics that have been identified through keyword research. Keeping the content updated will help towards the relevancy of the content. - Display customer support resources
For products, ensure any user manuals, FAQs, specifications, advice, and customer support are accessible. Include clear call-to-action prompts, such as a contact button for a quote or ask a question they can submit easily and quickly. - Promote hubs
While growing the hubs, the early stages may require increased promotion. This can be done through various channels, such as social media, email marketing, and advertising. It may be beneficial to consider using social media influencers who are well-known and respected in the farming community. - Analyse and optimise performance
Finally, AgTech companies should analyse the hubs’ performance by reviewing metrics such as page views and conversions. This will help identify areas that are doing well and require improvement so the area or page can be updated to increase performance.
Developing a Go-To-Market strategy for emerging AgTech
Once an SEO strategy is in place, it’s time to create a Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy for launching the product or service on offer. This will involve all aspects of marketing, from online to offline techniques.
The key to success with a GTM strategy for AgTech is understanding the end user’s needs and their buying decisions. If the target customer is identified, marketing can be tailored to reach and engage with them.
The GTM strategy will dictate the success of any new launch and will centre around four key areas:
Identifying the target customer
As with any strategy, the first step is research. Get to know the ideal customer, their needs, and their decision-making process. This can be done via market research, surveys, focus groups, interviews, and industry research.
While online research will help answer questions about the target customer, it is advisable to undertake offline activity too. This can be via networking events where AgTech companies can hear first-hand experience and feedback directly from their customers.
Identifying the target customer will present a clearer picture of who the ideal customer is and how best to engage with them, in turn increasing conversions.
Clear value proposition
Once the target audience’s needs have been identified and the needs understood, a solution can be recommended. It’s important to angle the offering as a solution to a problem, which can be achieved through content and tone of voice.
It’s recommended for content to speak directly to the customer’s challenges and how the product or service can help these problems.
Reviewing competitors in terms of their positioning and offerings can be extremely useful. Analysing and reviewing all competitors, look at what they are doing well and where they aren’t doing so well. Learn from their strengths and incorporate methods into the GTM strategy while avoiding similar mistakes.
Understanding buyer trends
Similar to farming, technology can make a huge difference in marketing. With so much market data available, there is an opportunity to better understand the audience and which campaigns work better than others.
How and where you plan to offer the product will dictate the marketing strategy and the sales. A key consideration is whether the product or service will be offered via a channel or direct sales model.
Channel sales for AgTech companies will require a different approach than direct sales. It is recommended that only one approach is used in the first instance, and once evaluated, it may be decided to spread into the other approach.
Holistic marketing
Marketing works best when the strategy is strictly followed and runs with an SEO and content strategy. This will allow brand awareness to grow while driving demand for the product or service. With various marketing channels, it’s best to spread the budget across numerous tactics rather than invest heavily in one.
Regardless of the channel, taking advantage of tools available to view analytics, trends, and page performance can allow AgTech companies to understand what, where, and how farmers gather information to make informed decisions. Knowing how farmers consume information will help formulate a precision marketing approach to ensure valuable resources are spent in the right areas for maximum return.
Achieving success
The success of an AgTech SEO strategy will depend on the research conducted at the beginning of the campaign and the rollout of the support strategies. For AgTech companies, understanding their position in the market and the unique selling point will help them reach their ideal customer at the right time in the sales funnel.
Although the agriculture industry has always been at the forefront of innovation, the current market will create an additional challenge when convincing people to invest. However, generating leads for new technology, product, or service will be easier with a clear and concise strategy based on thorough research.
Should there be more than one product or service, bear in mind that the strategies may require a different approach, and research should be carried out separately for each product or service.
SALT.agency has experience helping international and national tech companies build on their marketing strategy and SEO solutions. Contact us to find out how we can help.
