Council Post: 4 Steps For Building Trust In Your Carbon Program Marketing

CTO at Paulsen, a marketing agency that moves rural America.

While some point to agriculture as a major greenhouse gas contributor, others have championed farmers as environmental saviors. Farmers we’ve talked to can’t go one day without reading about carbon programs, new sequestration initiatives and other opportunities to get into the war on climate change.

Our team works exclusively with agricultural and rural-facing clients, including commodity groups and carbon programs. As a marketer in the agriculture industry, how do you position these new and emerging opportunities (and challenges) in a way that resonates and builds trust? 

Four Steps For Creating A Carbon Communications Framework 

1. Identify your potential customers.

There are dozens of ways to segment agricultural decision-makers geographically, ethnographically or behaviorally. You will need to segment the practicing farmer (sometimes a landowner or often a tenant) versus the nonoperational landowner. When talking about carbon program opportunities, consider how their operational role impacts their decision-making.

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Consider whether they’re:

• Financially driven: These decision-makers are focused on return on investment, cash flow, equity stakes and debt load. Consider talking about your carbon opportunity in terms of costs and benefits per acre. Many times, this audience is risk-averse if the data doesn’t showcase the financial opportunity.

• Stewardship-driven: These decision-makers are focused on how the crop and livestock are produced and interested in the carbon program’s process. They may want to learn more about using a carbon program to bring a new generation into the operation or be a millennial themselves. They may want to align their farming practices with their personal values and beliefs and make decisions accordingly.

• Ideology-driven: Often an absentee landowner, these decision-makers’ beliefs take them back to the “good ol’ days” of agriculture. They think of agriculture as their grandparents or parents farmed. They want an emotional tie to the operation and make decisions accordingly.

2. Consider who else is involved in your carbon marketplace. 

When it comes to communicating about carbon programs, every step in the supply chain is a potential audience. Identify and prioritize those beyond the farm gate, too.

• Consumers: Sustainability and traceability have quickly turned into actionable climate change requirements for consumer packaged goods manufacturers. How does your carbon program play a role in meeting consumer expectations? 

• CPG manufacturers: If your program impacts consumers, then you’ll need to collaborate with supply chain partners to ensure your message resonates. Ensure you have messaging available for them that aligns with how they’re serving up content to those consumers. 

• Commodity groups: These farmer-led organizations are trusted partners in the agriculture industry. Not only do these groups possess access to decision-maker contact lists and control trusted channels, but they also hold the purse strings of major research and communication programs. By building long-term relationships, you can leverage these state and national groups.

3. Look at the messages you’re using today.

Climate change, carbon sequestration and sustainability programs are rooted in science. Frequently that science is confusing or hard to follow. If you are marketing a new carbon program or opportunity, avoid jargon and acronyms. Don’t assume your decision-maker (farmer) audience knows the definition of “greenhouse gas life cycle analysis,” can calculate carbon emission modeling or follows detailed policy discussions. 

As the carbon market barrels forward, continue to be cautious of adding new lingo too quickly. The adoption curve of your language choice should match that of the industry itself. Too often, new phrases like “ecosystems services” pop up in content before your farmer audience understands the highest-level concepts of a carbon program. 

It’s best to focus on why your science is important versus just stating what your scientific benefits are.

4. Consider your competitors.

In this step, consider others who are offering similar programs or products, but also consider those decision-makers who are not engaged at all. Understand the potential risks your farmer audience is weighing as they decide when and how to get involved in the carbon marketplace.

• We’ve found that many early conservation and stewardship adopters are frustrated that new programs often don’t allow past farming operations to take advantage of new revenue opportunities.

• Some producers are concerned that carbon programs are trendy and could come and go as quickly as political administrations change.

• Never forget that crop and livestock producers are making hundreds of input and marketing decisions each year and that they only get one crop per year to get it right.

Creating A Key Insight And Messaging From Your Framework 

Next, it is time to start executing on clear, concise messaging that hits three marks: Is it unique? Is it believable? Is it compelling? 

• Unique: Through your framework process, you should have identified what you offer that no other carbon program offers. This is a key positioning insight you’ll have to use with frequency.

• Believable: Lean on primary and secondary market research to ensure you’re talking about your carbon offering in a believable way. If it sounds too good to be true, you’ve missed a step in building trust with potential customers. 

• Compelling: Focus on the “why” behind your program. This may require segmentation targeting to showcase the right “why” for each audience. Be clear and align those motivators with the advantages available with your carbon program. 

Going To Market With Your Carbon Program 

As an agricultural marketer, you know the landscape for communicating with farmers is crowded. In the carbon marketplace, it’s even harder to have your voice heard.

Use plain language on your website and ensure you’ve created a strong SEO background. Keep your barrier to entry low when asking for email signups in your lead generation program. Until you’ve built trust, you won’t be able to demand much information when asking for personal contact information.

Continue to reach your audience using multiple tactics. Agricultural decision-makers today use a mashup of digital, paper and in-person resources, so invest in a multi-touchpoint approach. 

Your work is important for your clients and the environment. Take the time to work through a strategic process to identify your customers, analyze the marketplace, discern your message choices and be realistic about what the competition is doing.


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