Getting the results you want (and need) from your marketing investment isn't always easy. It takes a lot of time and dedication to improve your online presence and get the results you want.

Five tips for producing real marketing results

There are a lot of strategies out there that will help you improve your presence online, get more people interested in the services and products you're offering, and increase the number of sales you make. 

Our team has put together a detailed list of five things you can do to improve your marketing. Learn exactly how you can produce the results you're looking for and make the most out of your investment.

1.  Invest in SEO

SEO (search engine optimization) is one of the strategies that will get you the results you deserve from your marketing. One of the best things about SEO is it doesn't cost as much as paid advertising and 70% of marketers agree that SEO is way better than PPC (pay-per-click) for generating more sales. 

SEO improvements to your website will get you noticed more online, too, as it's a key contributor to improving your ranking on Google. 

There are a lot of different ways you can enhance your SEO so your audience finds your website online. 

This can include:

• Updating your Google Business Profile 
• Writing keyword-rich meta titles and descriptions 
• Using keywords in your content and your headings
• Adding alt-text to any images 
• Building backlinks 

This isn't everything you can do to enhance your SEO, but it's a good starting point. If you check a few of these off, then your website will hit the top of the search results for your target keywords in no time at all. 

2.  Keep your website updated

Having an updated, fresh-looking, and well-designed website is key to any great marketing strategy. Without one, no amount of paid advertising will help your business. 

During our research, we discovered that 35% of agricultural businesses didn't have a professional-looking website. This was shocking because a good website is the only way you're going to make your visitors stick around. 

About 94% of your users’ first impressions are related to your site’s web design and 75% of your website’s credibility comes down to your design. 

If your website looks old, outdated, and isn't user-friendly, you will run into serious problems with your marketing strategy. Even if your ads or social media send dozens of people to your website, if they land on your site to see it in bad shape, they will turn and run. 

An unprofessional website looks untrustworthy, and people are very cautious about where they put their information online these days. So if you're noticing a high percentage of your leads running short as soon as they load up your site, you're in trouble. 

Luckily, it's an easy fix. 

All you have to do is give your website a bit of a makeover. By hiring a team that knows exactly how to build a website that works for your business, you'll be able to ensure that your audience stays and checks out what you're offering. 

A professional team of website designers and developers will create a website for you that is:

• Easy to read and navigate
• Nice to look at
• Professional and up to date
• Full of all the information your clients need to know

Not only will a professional website look and work perfectly, it'll also be built to help encourage more of your visitors to convert.

3.  Enhancing your social media presence

Another great strategy to help you make the most out of your marketing is to invest your time in your social media presence. 

You don't have to be posting every day on social media, but by building up a following and a presence on social media, you'll reach more of your audience. 

Social media has a lot of advantages to marketing strategies because so many people are on social media and using it on a daily basis. 

In our research, we discovered that 40% of agricultural businesses didn’t have a social media presence. If you don't have a social media presence you're missing out on an excellent opportunity to foster stronger relationships with your audience and improve your marketing results. 

4.  Optimizing your email marketing 

If you want to ensure that your marketing strategy is working correctly, we suggest focusing on email marketing. During our research, we noticed that 80% of agricultural businesses didn’t use email marketing! 

So many companies in the industry are missing out on such a vital marketing strategy. Email marketing has the best return on investment of any digital marketing technique - boasting a 4200% ROI ($42 for every $1 spent). 

By gathering an impressive email list, you'll be able to send regular emails to your audience detailing all the fantastic products and services you offer. 

But how do you start an email marketing campaign?

First, you have to gather a list of interested potential clients. The best way to do this is to offer your visitors something valuable in return for their email. This can be anything from a downloadable guide to an informative video series. As long as it's something your audience will want, it'll work. 

As soon as you've gathered a list of emails, work on putting together an irresistible email marketing campaign. You can send out your readers' regular emails that offer them something of value but also highlight the services you're offering. 

It's important not to spam your readers with too many emails. Try to keep your email newsletter to weekly or monthly - don't send them one every day as it might overload them and cause them to leave. 

5.  Improve your branding

Do you ever look at a brand and wonder why everybody opts to work with them instead of the more affordable yet equally fantastic option?

It's all down to brand equity and how their audience perceives them as the best of the best. 

If you want to start producing actual marketing results, then improving your brand image is a massive step in the right direction. 

But, what exactly is brand equity?

Brand equity is the value a brand adds to its products or services simply for being itself. It's why so many people choose to get a coffee from Starbucks rather than a small, local coffee shop. 

It's all in the name. 

The coffee might be equally as good, or sometimes better, in the smaller shop, but people go to Starbucks simply because it's Starbucks. 

So how do you develop brand equity, so your audience sees you as that go-to option for all things agricultural?

Here are a few things to work on to help you improve your brand equity:

• Build greater brand awareness by ensuring customers recognize your company when looking for agricultural goods and services. 
• Communicate what your brand stands for and how you will help your clients reach their goals. 
• Engage with your audience and foster a positive relationship with them online to show that you're a reliable and authentic brand. 
• Improve customer loyalty, so they see you as the only choice for their agricultural needs. 

If you're a bit confused about developing a marketing strategy that will bring you real results, then some professional help is the right choice. 

Digital marketing experts, like the team at Agtivation, will help you put together the ultimate marketing strategy that checks all the boxes and brings in the results you're looking for. 

Our team has a lot of experience helping agricultural companies improve their presence online. We help businesses across the industry get the attention they deserve and increase their conversions. 

We'll ensure that the money you put into your marketing will foster the results you deserve for your agricultural business. 

If you'd like help from the experts when building a flawless digital marketing strategy, get in touch with our team today.