Agriculture isn't the tedious industry it once was - advancements in new technologies and transport have brought about an age where consumers can enjoy endless varieties of food produced in every corner of the world. The modern agricultural revolution has cleared the field for unprecedented possibilities, but it has also created an increasingly complex environment where economic stability, sustainability and environmental responsibility must all be accounted for in order to achieve success. So if you find yourself interested in the dos and hows of what really makes farming tick, then a future in agricultural marketing could be just what you're looking for.
Today's modern consumers choose their food from a diverse collection of both local and international produce available at nearly every supermarket. This can make it challenging for farmers to differentiate their agricultural products from other competitors in the market. This is where agricultural marketers come in - these professionals must entice consumers to buy their company products through effective communication with relevant parties and market their brand better than the competition.
What does an agricultural marketer do?
Agricultural marketing jobs involve creating and implementing both promotional and marketing strategies to sell farm products. These professionals may sometimes be self-employed and work on their own farms or choose to pursue careers in agricultural corporations. But wherever they work, it is crucial that they have the ability to develop solid, positive relationships with both customers and distributors. They also need to know how to create promotional materials, use social media to their advantage and organise events that can draw in new consumers.
There can be two types of agricultural marketers. Direct farm marketers are farmers who handle the production and sale of their goods by themselves. They may operate locally or be large enough to supply fresh produce for corporations across the country. These marketers control every aspect of the process from delivering goods and negotiating prices to controlling product quality and fostering customer relationships. Other farm marketers act mainly as sales representatives tasked with selling business products to other companies or individual buyers. They also handle jobs such as negotiating contracts with customers, arranging delivery, managing inventory and checking product quality.
What jobs can you pursue with agricultural marketing strategies?
Farm marketing techniques are in high demand across every sector of agribusiness from local farms and corporate plantations to agricultural equipment manufacturers and distributors. These agribusiness strategies are monitored and directed by multiple government agencies seeking to encourage sustainable farming practices.
Agro marketing is a complicated field that needs to be closely regulated and managed. And as the world's agricultural corporations are not independent units, there needs to be a smooth and continuous flow of data and resources between them and the dynamic marketing environment that surrounds their business operations. These companies, while adapting to changes in the market, also strive to influence it by engaging the skills of agricultural marketers to design successful marketing campaigns.
Agricultural marketers are constantly recruited by farmers looking to secure higher profits for their products while being protected against market price fluctuations. They work together with farm owners to minimise the quantity of post-harvest waste and win contracts in order to sell future produce at favourable rates. They also assist farmers to gauge the possible success of new consumer markets or distribution channels.
The ultimate target market that farmers need to capture are those who actually purchase and consume farm produce. This means that everyone shopping for produce belongs to the consumer base, making it difficult for farmers to create campaigns that can work on such a large target population. This prompts them to hire agricultural marketers who can maximise profits by devising campaigns that often target a single segment of the population at a time.
Being trained in farm marketing techniques can open up many lucrative career opportunities in organisations dealing with market infrastructure and wholesale or retail trade. Agricultural marketers can also find work with suppliers of raw materials and labour resources, technical and material supplies and pretty much all agricultural commodity manufacturers. They are often employed within these companies as sales and marketing representatives, public relations specialists, lobbyists and communications managers.
If you choose to be a sales and marketing representative, you will be expected to converse about agronomy products and make the right recommendations to the right buyers. You will also be creating campaigns to grow the market value of company shares and investigate the profit potential of new markets. Agricultural marketers working in this position are further responsible for discussing sales presentations with manufacturers and monitoring any price changes in products sold by competitors in order to devise strategic responses.
However, if you choose to take up a job title such as PR specialist, lobbyist or communications manager, then you will be expected to work continually with the company's target audience and keep them informed about new products and company policies while building a positive brand name for the business. This means that you'll be handling the corporation's media relations, issuing press releases as and when needed and responding quickly to negative press releases that could harm the company image. These roles also include tasks such as creating official business statements, background materials for buyers, question-and-answer files and other communications material. Other responsibilities can include making arrangements for media coverage of new developments and handling any legislative issues faced by the company.
Agrochemical companies are also great workplaces for those wanting a career in farm marketing. Many farms use the help of these organisations to determine solutions for long-term farming difficulties so they can enjoy better yields and protection against pests. Agricultural marketers in these corporations play a key role in convincing farm owners to invest in company solutions by engaging in effective public relations campaigns.
Could agricultural marketing jobs be right for you?
If you're serious about a career in farm marketing, you need to be able to analyse complicated market data, utilise it to track changes in product demand and then create solid arguments that can persuade your target audience to buy your products. You'll need to have a good grasp of marketing and have the ability to mingle easily with people from different agricultural sectors such as farmers, legislators and consumers. Following the marketing and communications courses provided in marketing degree programmes can help you gain a better understanding of how this can be done.
You will also need to be knowledgeable on topics such as economics and finance to know how you can correctly analyse market data. Having a minor in agricultural science is important and you might even need agronomy classes to broaden your understanding of both the people and marketing components that affect the agriculture industry.
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists are worldwide recruitment experts in agricultural, food, farming and rural recruitment and have a variety of executive and management positions available within agriculture, horticulture and the food and rural sectors throughout the UK and the rest of the world. To find out more about our agricultural job vacancies and discuss your future career, contact our team of agricultural recruitment professionals. You can visit our website here: www.agriRS.co.uk or call our team on: 01905 345 155 or email us at: info@agriRS.co.uk
Alternatively, if you are a client looking to expand your team, whilst using a professional recruitment / headhunting solution, then please call us today on 01905 345155 or email us at: info@agriRS.co.uk
