On the cusp of spring planting in many areas, farmers are preparing to put their precision farming systems to the test. And in many cases, planter clinics have been cancelled or postponed this year, making it all the more important that farmers have alternative opportunities to get answers.
A dealership’s website can be a valuable resource for farmers, but only if properly stocked with the right information. This time of year, that can include product demonstrations, planter tips videos and other tutorials to proactively solve customers’ problems before they get into the field.
Heather Hetterick, ag marketing strategist, took an analytical look at different farm equipment dealership websites and shared several essential strategies that should be part of a dealership’s digital playbook, to include easy-to-find information on precision products, services and specials.
“What products you carry. This is a big one. I honestly think that when you go back to your website and you look at this, you're probably going to find that you added something that you forgot to add to your website. It’s common to get all excited when you sign up one of these new vendors and there’s new products coming out every day. But did you remember to say and to tell people that you carry it?
What you offer should be on there. We talked a lot, I know here, about a lot of people getting into data. But did you tell your customers about what you really have to offer? You have to be a little bit careful with this. I noticed several dealers not only with precision, but also in service, that they do have it on their website but it’s a brochure and a PDF. Google can’t read that. That will become important in a moment. You have to have what you actually offer. Don’t assume that people know what you do.
Lastly, I find that very few dealers put their precision offers on there. In my experience, these precision offers — monitor upgrades or special discounts — can sometimes be complicated. I know I didn’t love putting it on our website but that’s important. You can’t go and promote it and retargeting or put it on Facebook or anywhere else unless it’s housed on your website. It’s so important when you get to linking and things later, to have those offers on your site.”
Hetterick adds that modern websites tend to be fluid in their content, allowing visitors to scroll and interact with videos, chats or even polls. Adding some or all of these tools can increase customer engagement and retention.
