{"id":668,"date":"2018-03-01T17:58:57","date_gmt":"2018-03-01T17:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/agromavens.com\/?p=668"},"modified":"2019-05-09T13:51:44","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T13:51:44","slug":"agtech-marketing-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agromavens.com\/index.php\/2018\/03\/01\/agtech-marketing-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Solving the agtech marketing challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

Agtech start-ups must resolve their marketing challenges as well as their market offering.<\/em><\/p>\n

Agtech has attracted the biggest influx of bright ideas, new thinking, fresh talent and vital funding the agricultural industry\u2019s seen for years.<\/h2>\n
\"Agtech

While agtech brings much-needed innovation and funding to agriculture, startups face challenges in bringing their product to market.<\/p><\/div>\n

Indeed, the nineteenth-century agricultural revolution was probably the last occasion when so many came flocking to agriculture to share their expertise and apply their ingenuity. Then, engineers and entrepreneurs \u2013 people who\u2019d honed their skills in other industries \u2013 competed to provide solutions that improved efficiency and productivity, transforming the industry as they went.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been determined to make my career out of agriculture and I\u2019m proud to have done so. I\u2019ve long argued that agriculture is the most exciting, and the most relevant industry on the planet. And now others see it in the same way! It\u2019s a thrill to see the resurgence of our industry, as it becomes the darling of investors and innovators the world over. Welcome, agritech pioneers \u2013 we salute you.<\/p>\n

Look at how many of these enthusiasts come to agriculture from different backgrounds \u2013 finance or technology, for example. This is a rich vein of new talent. These people bring a different perspective to our world. They\u2019re not hamstrung by the \u2018legacy\u2019 approach that often holds back innovation, the idea that you can\u2019t do something \u2018like that\u2019, because it\u2019s always been done \u2018like this\u2019. They are to farming what Apple is to tech \u2013 they\u2019re not afraid to ditch the floppy disk, the CD-ROM drive or the 3.5mm headphone jack.<\/p>\n

But as a marketer and PR strategist in this sector, I\u2019m acutely aware of one crucial area in which these pioneers\u2019 non-agricultural backgrounds can be disadvantageous. No matter how good your product or service, to be successful it needs an effective marketing strategy – if for no other reason than to be aware of, and avoid, the agricultural industry’s particular pitfalls – set to trip the unsuspecting, or over-eager agricultural marketer. These are the agtech marketing challenges:<\/p>\n

Make the right approach<\/u><\/h3>\n

While farmers operate in a B2B marketplace, they\u2019re also consumers. Agtech marketing strategies should be similarly aligned, to appeal to the target customer as both a consumer and a business owner. Investors will also be reassured by agtechs who not only have a minimum viable product, but who can demonstrate confidence in dealing with the agricultural marketplace.<\/p>\n

Define the target <\/u><\/h3>\n

Universal appeal? Forget it, unless you have the 21st century equivalent of Harry Ferguson’s three-point hitch<\/a>. So examine your target audience carefully, and define it precisely. Farm size? Crops grown? Early adopters, or reluctant advancers?<\/p>\n

Refine the value proposition<\/u><\/h3>\n

While at GFIA in Abu Dhabi, Agro Mavens heard a talk from Nick Brozovic, Director of Policy at the Daugherty Water for Food Institute<\/a>. In addressing the tremendous opportunities agtech presents for improving water use efficiency, he drew upon his experience of the US agtech scene and highlighted an issue that we too have recognised: the value proposition.<\/p>\n

It’s one of the biggest obstacles faced by agtech start-ups: how well can they define a value proposition that’s clear and unambiguous?<\/p>\n

Cut to the chase: we\u2019re taking pain points. What pain point does an agtech product address? Benefits? Why are they benefits? Don\u2019t get hung up by simply talking about features, nor the technology involved. If the technology\u2019s good enough (think the original iPhone) then it becomes invisible to the user. They\u2019re only concerned with how well it does its job.<\/p>\n

Understand the marketing channels<\/u><\/h3>\n

What’s the most effective route to market? This is the other great challenge facing an agtech start-up, according to Brozovic.<\/p>\n