Partnerships that work: Agvance hits the right audience every month
Agvance is committed to ensuring its farming audience has the latest scientific information on mineral supplementation for herd health. A regular advertiser in Dairy News, Agvance took this relationship further to become a trusted contributor.
Guided by Energise Marketing, Agvance went from placing monthly ads to securing a monthly column in New Zealand’s leading dairy farming publication, written by Agvance founder and Managing Director, Chris Balemi.
Here’s how.
Client requirements
Knowing your audience is integral to effective marketing, and reaching them is vital. Dairy News has a circulation of more than 25,000 New Zealand dairy farm owners, managers, sharemilkers and workers – Agvance’s exact target market.
Building on its reputation as a respected provider of dairy nutrition advice and high-quality mineral supplements, Agvance wanted to cement its position in the industry and continue to grow its profile in a respected national publication.
Agvance Founder Chris Balemi says Energise has played a key role in targeting Agvance’s marketing budget where it has the most impact.
“Energise has been successful at identifying where our marketing budget can be best targeted in the farming market to achieve the best coverage. As trends have changed over time, Energise has helped us shift our spend more towards digital, rather than just traditional print media,” says Chris.
“One exception has been very targeted print spend, where we take a tough approach of only supporting media that offer free editorial space. This has allowed us to share scientifically-based content specifically for the farming market and the professionals attached to it.”
The Energise team understands the value of these reputational partnerships.
“Agvance has worked hard to establish itself as a thought leader in the industry,” says Rosina Webb, Energise Founder. “They’ve been consistent with providing editorial pieces in Dairy News, submitting up to eight in a year. Securing a column where Chris could write engaging and reliable content was the natural next step.”
Client success
For Rural News Group, publishers of Dairy News, having regular columns from industry experts ensures readers have access to up-to-date sector trends and advice. Sudesh Kissun, editor of Dairy News, says content like Agvance’s is informative and helpful for on-farm decisions.
“Expert-written content that provides first-hand experience doesn’t just aid our farmers but strengthens our credibility with readers,” Sudesh says. “These columns are well-written articles with strong technical information and often generate healthy discussion on our social media platforms.”
Chris agrees that trusted media has been key to the strategy.
“These media sources have been well established over many years, and they’re a trusted source of information for farmers. The bonus is that good quality editorial is often also published on web platforms – so our influence is extended online, where articles remain accessible indefinitely, at no extra cost to us.”
Client engagement
Measuring success is both qualitative and quantitative. Agvance hears directly from clients who read the column, and Dairy News remains a go-to publication for its market.
“Several farmers have relayed to Agvance Consultants that they read Chris’s column every month and it’s ‘good stuff’,” says Rosina. “Readers appreciate the depth of scientific knowledge, and that it’s communicated clearly.”
Chris’s column is also repurposed across Agvance’s marketing: as a blog on its website, in client newsletters, and in LinkedIn posts.
“It’s taken time to build that credibility with readers, but it’s paid off. Our regular presence in Dairy News – both through paid advertising and earned editorial – has helped us lift our visibility and influence with the farming sector,” says Chris.
Energise and Agvance continue to monitor results as the partnership grows.
Want to see results of your own? Get in touch with our expert team today.
