Marketing To Farmers 22/23 Report by Hillsgreen

MARKETING TO FARMERS MAKING AGRICULTURE CLICK

22/23 REPORT

CONTENTS WELCOME TO OUR 22/23 REPORT

CHALLENGES THE AGRI INDUSTRY IS FACING

FARMERS ONLINE

HOW OFTEN DO FARMERS USE THE INTERNET?

THE PERFECT AGRICULTURAL INFLUENCER

BUYING AND SELLING ONLINE

FARMERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

ONLINE VS. OFFLINE

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS WHO SUPPORTED US BY SENDING OUT THE SURVERY TO THEIR FARMERS

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

22/23 REPORT

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

WELCOME TO OUR 22/23 REPORT Following on from our 2021 Marketing to Farmers Report, 649 British farmers took part in our survey to understand even more about their online behaviour and highlight any changes over the past year. We have also partnered with our friends at Herdwatch who conducted a survey of over 1,500 of their members on what can be done to better support farmers with their products and services. The survey was conducted with the aim of providing you with valuable data to help inform your marketing strategy on how best to attract, engage and secure farming customers. The report summarises the key findings from the survey, looking into who makes the buying decisions, when and where farmers spend the most time online and how much they are willing to spend. In the last year we have seen further changes to the way in which consumers, notably farmers, behave online. Those willing to buy / sell farm supplies and equipment online has risen by 71% to 89%. Of those who don’t currently buy / sell online, 88% are aged 45+, showing huge potential with the generations coming through. We also identified how much farmers are willing to spend online in a single transaction, with farms who have joint decision makers being the most confident group to make larger purchases.

649

WE SURVEYED

Survey completions were incentivised with the chance to win a £50 Amazon Gift Card and as a thank you to all participants, Hillsgreen donated £5 to The Farming Community Network for every survey completed.

FARMERS

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

CHALLENGES THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY IS FACING In addition to our main survey, we also surveyed farmers online about why they chose to work in agriculture and what they believe to be the biggest challenges facing the industry right now. Perhaps not surprising, 57% of respondents are in farming as a result of family, with many growing up and taking on their own family farms; 18% bought into the lifestyle that agriculture gives getting away from city lives and enjoying the great outdoors.

The top two issues being faced by the industry right now are profitability, followed by new entrants to the industry. The financial side of agriculture is seen as being the biggest challenge by far, with very few respondents saying that they got into agriculture for the money. It is also seen as the biggest issue for those entering the sector, with 58% of respondents saying that money is what prevents new entrants. Whether it be purchasing a farm, setting up, or actually making money once working. Other challenges include technology advances and climate change.

SAY ‘PROFITABILITY’ IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE THE INDUSTRY IS CURRENTLY FACING.

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

ARE IN FARMING AS A RESULT OF FAMILY

OF FARMERS/ PRODUCERS DON’T FEEL VALUED BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC

ARE MAKING CHANGES TO THE WAY THEY RUN THEIR BUSINESS DUE TO BPS PAYMENT UPDATE

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

of respondents still spend most of their time online after 6pm.

FARMERS ONLINE

Over the past decade we have seen a significant rise in the use of technology on farms and are seeing farmers spending more time online. This rise signals the importance of digital marketing channels within your overall marketing strategy as we look to target an audience that now uses the internet every single day. But, when is the best time to get their attention?

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

After 6pm is the time to be getting your messaging in front of your farmer audience, despite a drop in respondents choosing this time compared with our 2021 report. 48% of respondents still spend most of their time online after 6pm.

WHEN DO FARMERS SPEND THE MOST TIME ONLINE? 2022

2021

6AM - 9AM

10%

28%

9AM - 12PM

18%

9AM - 12PM

12PM - 2PM

2PM - 6PM

AFTER 6PM

The most represented farm enterprises (Arable, Beef, Dairy and Mixed farms) all showed a strong majority spending the most time online after 6pm, followed by 9am - 12pm. It is important to take into consideration your target audience and the different work that they need to do throughout the day.

REMEMBER TO TEST, TEST AND TEST SOME MORE!

6AM - 9AM

Whilst other times remained relatively static, there was a notable increase in respondents saying they spent most time online between 9am - 12pm. This was the second most popular time across respondents, irrespective of job roles, buying influence and farm enterprise.

Email us at:

M2F@HILLSGREEN.CO.UK

for a deeper dive into the online behaviours of your audience.

11%

48%

54%

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR AUDIENCE SPENDS MOST OF THE DAY? When people think of farming, tractors are often one of the first things that come to mind, but with the exception of contractors, farmers spend the least amount of time actually on tractors!

WE ASKED RESPONDENTS WHERE THEY SPEND MOST OF THEIR DAY:

51 % 29 %

SPEND MOST OF THEIR DAY OUT ON THE FARM

This aligns with where you’re more likely to find those who make the decisions on the farm. The notable differences here are those with influence, who are more often than not, found in the farm office. Job roles in this instance include administration and accounts, who may not make the final decision but do have an influence on the decision being made - at the end of the day accounts manage the budget!

SPEND MOST OF THEIR DAY IN THE FARM OFFICE

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

HOW OFTEN DO FARMERS USE THE INTERNET? We asked farmers how often they use the internet for various activities, including the use of farm software, checking emails, browsing social media, and buying products etc.

For each they could specify whether they completed the activity daily, several times a week, several times a month, occasionally or never. Below highlights the highest percentages for each activity.

% DAILY BROWSING SOCIAL MEDIA

CHECKING EMAILS 2022

2022

84%

2021

2022

45% 2021

down 2%

34% 73

down 28%

% SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK READING FARMING NEWS

CHECKING MARKET PRICES

2022

2021

34%

up 2%

29%

2021

down 2%

USING FARM SOFTWARE / APPS

31%

2021

33%

up 1%

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

HOW OFTEN DO FARMERS USE THE INTERNET? CONTINUED... Checking emails remains one of the most completed daily activities across all age groups, followed by social media. However, there is a significant drop overall in the daily use of social media year on year from 73% in 2021 to 45% in 2022. This decline YOY will be skewed by the effects of the pandemic. However, the majority in each age group up to age 65 still browse social media daily.

OF FARMERS SPEND THEIR TIME CHECKING EMAILS

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

Of those asked

% SEVERAL TIMES A MONTH

Do you use any websites or apps to access farming news & information?

CHECKING GOVERNMENT SITES 2022

60% said Facebook Groups 28% said Farmers Weekly 26% said The Farming Forum 25% said Snapchat 22% said Farmers Guardian

2021

38%

41%

down 3%

When asked if their online webinar participation had increased or decreased over the last year, 79% of respondents said they had increased their use of online webinars. This highlights that online learning / training is still a viable method with farmers following the pandemic.

% OCCASIONALLY ONLINE LEARNING / TRAINING 2022

2021

up 1%

BUYING AND/OR SELLING FARM SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT 2022

2022

40% 2021

INTERACTING WITH FORUMS / DISCUSSIONS

up 10%

39% 2021

38%

up 1%

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

THE PERFECT AGRICULTURAL INFLUENCER When it comes to choosing a brand or person to follow on social media, respondents ranked the following in order of what they consider to be the most important factors they look for:

91% OF FARMERS WANT HONESTY

EDUCATION

ENTERTAINMENT

INSPIRATION

SHARED VALUES

We also asked what values matter the most to farmers and a strong 91% want honesty. Followed by respect (67%), a friendly approach (63%), dependability (57%), an open mind (57%), and loyalty (52%). This was consistent across age groups and is something to bear in mind when working on your tone of voice and overall communications strategy. RESPECT

FRIENDLY APPROACH

OPEN MIND

LOYALTY

67% 57%

63% 52%

DEPENDABILITY

57%

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

BUT, WHAT WOULD MAKE THEM UNFOLLOW YOU? BEING TOO CONTROVERSIAL - e.g. having strong political

views, sharing offensive or unpopular views, generally being too one-sided and not allowing for healthy debates.

POOR BEHAVIOUR - e.g. bad language, coming across too

arrogant, being rude, and even being caught up in illegal activity in personal lives.

INCORRECT INFORMATION – make sure your information is up to date and correct. Double check facts and figures.

TOO SALESY - too much pushing of sales, endorsements and product placements. 37% of respondents have bought merchandise from an endorsement which shows that it is possible when done correctly. IRRELEVANT CONTENT - e.g. they don’t want to know why you were awake at 2am if it’s not farming related!

Creating interesting content is easier said than done. You really need to understand your own audience in order to tailor your content as needed. We asked what other topics farmers want to see more about online, so get your content planner out: MORE EDUCATION - farmers like to know they’re buying

LOST YOUR CORE VALUES - people want to see what your values are and that you stand by them

BEING BORING! - not providing interesting content.

from someone who is knowledgeable, so showcase what you know and prove that you know your audience. Others want to see more education for the general public and new entrants around ‘farming for beginners’.

GUIDES TO NEW TECHNOLOGY - farmers want more

information about the technology on offer and how to get the most out of equipment. When doing this it’s important to avoid a sales approach and use the content to educate.

SHOWCASE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FARMING - it’s not all

cows and crops!

ENVIRONMENT - with so many outdated views of

farming out there, farmers want to see more to showcase what they’re doing for the environment. What are you doing for the environment?

SHOW REAL-LIFE STUFF - it’s that simple! Farmers

don’t want to see perfection all the time because that’s so often far from what is actually experienced on farms day in day out.

HIGHLIGHT FARMING OPPORTUNITIES - share more opportunities in the industry for career progression and new entrants into agriculture, inviting and offering education to those interested in working on farms.

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

BUYING AND SELLING ONLINE When asked if they buy and/or sell farm supplies and equipment online, 89% of respondents said that they do - whether it be daily, weekly, or monthly. Only 11% of respondents never buy or sell online - 88% of those who said never are aged 45+.

BUYING OR SELLING ONLINE

2011

2015

790

INCREASE IN FARMERS BUYING AND SELLING ONLINE

Over the last decade we’ve seen a 790% increase in farmers buying / selling online, and a 71% increase in the last year alone! With no signs of slowing, this emphasises the importance of great websites to stand out from the crowd! Your website is your shop window.

89% 52

2020

2022

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

HOW MUCH ARE FARMERS WILLING TO SPEND? With buying online becoming more popular amongst farmers, we wanted to know how much farmers are willing to spend in a single transaction online.

BUYING OR SELLING ONLINE

£0

Although the statistics below relate to direct sales through your website, it is important to remember that almost all of the high value purchases that don’t take place online start with the customer viewing your website.

£1 - £1,000

23%

£1,001 £5,000

14%

£5,001 £10,000 £10,001 £20,000 £20,001 £50,000

£50,001 +

10% 9

11%

WILLING TO SPEND £10K+ ONLINE

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

OF FARMERS ARE WILLING TO SPEND OVER £50,000 ONLINE

The 11% willing to spend over £50,000 online is made up of the following decision makers:

27 21%

JOINT DECISION MAKERS MAKE ALL DECISIONS

21 21% %

KEY DECISION MAKERS INFLUENCER

The most confident group in making larger purchases are those who make joint decisions.

SHEEP

BIG SPENDERS

Those willing to spend over £10,000 in one transaction online:

ARABLE

7.6% MIXED

13%

DAIRY

13%

BEEF

8.7%

54.3%

CONTRACTOR

3.3%

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

HOW MUCH ARE FARMERS WILLING TO SPEND? CONTINUED...

WHO ARE THE BIG SPENDERS?

54.3 ARABLE FARMERS

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

OF FARMERS ARE REGULARLY USING SOCIAL MEDIA

FARMERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

MARKETING TO FARMERS 22/23 REPORT

82% of farmers are regularly using social media, this is a slight drop on 2021 (85%), but is still 148% up in the last 6 years (33% in 2015). As we have seen previously, this varies across the different social media channels, as well as age groups.

MOST UNPOPULAR