Agriculture hails from humble roots. Farmers are often their own biggest critic, over analyzing their every step to try to improve for the next year. Raised on a farm and now being a part of my husband’s family farm, I’ve witnessed this behavior time and time again. It's no secret, agriculture is dominated by humble perfectionists.
So, it comes as no surprise to me when we sit down with our agriculture clients, they feel a bit apprehensive that branding/advertising could be perceived as bragging.
From years of experience managing brands, both on the agency side and the client-side, I can confidently tell you branding is not bragging. To put it simply, branding is the combination of storytelling and relationship building. It tells a story to your audience, explaining why the two of you belong together. And when branding is done correctly, that unique mark (your logo) can describe your company and brand reputation without a single sentence attached.
By investing in your brand awareness, you have an opportunity to shape your brand's perception in the marketplace. And, if you tell your brand story with enough frequency and repetition – your brand becomes a symbol that when seen or heard, it reminds your audience what it is that your company stands for.
From there, it is all about delivering on your brand promise. If you can deliver on your promise, over and over again – that’s when the real magic happens. That’s when you build brand advocates who are dedicated to helping you share your story (and everyone in business knows there is nothing better than a solid customer testimonial). With so many tools available to communicate (aka social media) your customer’s voice is a critical piece of building your brand reputation.
In summary, if you hail from humble roots and you feel that branding is bragging – think again. Don’t let all the hard work of building a company go to waste. Take your brand story and start sharing it!
Erin Dickson, is the SVP of Strategy for Ten Acre Marketing. Erin’s perspective comes from over 20 years in the marketing field where she has sat on both sides of the desk – as a client and as an ad agency account manager. Her passion for agriculture stems from her childhood, growing up on a family farm. Throughout her marketing career, she has gained valuable experience in the areas of finance, crop production, livestock production, lifestyle farming, commodity marketing, and farmer-led commodity advocacy groups.
You can contact Erin by emailing her at erin@tencacremarketing.com.