Although agricultural companies sometimes prefer to stay away from the media spotlight and focus on the ins and outs of business, the truth is this: to adapt in today’s world, agricultural companies need to connect to the media. Part of this involves getting in touch with the social media strategies that every major company utilizes, but to really stay relevant, a connection to live media can be a huge boost to business. And, of course, knowing how to communicate well with the media can play a big role in the unfortunate event of a crisis.
Here are just a few key reasons why agricultural companies need media training just as much as – if not more than – the rest of us.
Media Training Can Help Agricultural Companies To Promote a Brand Name
Whether you deliver to the local market or distribute across the country, brand name is important to continuing business. People associate brands with a certain quality standard, whether that brand is a corporation’s logo or simply a local family’s last name. And what good business doesn’t want to increase their clientele?
Getting an interview in the paper or on television is a fine way to tell the public about the work you do and the goods and services you provide for the community, especially if that community may not understand your products or services. The bottom line is that most companies will be doing their best to secure public air time and media presence, so an inability to keep up with competition could leave businesses who avoid the media behind in an increasingly connected market.
More than ever, people are becoming skeptical of the products they consume and where they come from. For many, hearing a company’s message and understanding the story behind it can make the end product seem less intimidating, and more trustworthy. On the whole, people tend to trust a genuine message – but you have to get your name out there first.
Media Training Can Help Agricultural Businesses to Connect to People
It’s no secret that most people are addicted to technology. Fewer and fewer people these days know what agricultural life and business is really like, and as a result, they tend to go with brands that seem to be on the same page as them technologically. What better way to connect with those people than to join their circles, so to speak? A social media presence is absolutely necessary in today’s business world, and a live media presence is even better.
Some people might think that agricultural companies are outdated or inefficient nowadays. You need to be able to convince the average person (or the potential investor) that this isn’t the case. The solution ties back to the first point made above: live media interviews or feature segments are a great chance to show people who aren’t in touch with the reality of the agricultural business that agricultural companies have adapted to technology, too. With proper media training, you can use the power of the public eye to show that not only are agricultural companies up to date with technology, but that agricultural equipment is some of the most sturdy and efficient technology there is.
Media Training for Agricultural Companies Helps Prepare for Crises
Maybe you’re perfectly content to run your agricultural company the way it’s being run now, and that’s fine; your business is your business. Until it’s someone else’s business, too, that is. What do we mean by that?
Not every interaction with the media is one that you seek out on purpose. We’re talking of course about accidents and emergencies regarding your company. Maybe a delivery truck overturned and reporters want to know how you feel about the situation. Maybe you delivered meat or produce to a chain company that was linked to people getting sick, and the media wants to know if you think there’s a connection. Is your company reliable? Is your product safe? How can we trust you, when we’ve never seen your name or face before?
Not only does establishing a relationship with the media give you a foundation of reliability before situations like these, but it greatly helps to be prepared to handle negative attention should it ever come your way, for one reason or another. Without proper media training, not only could you be starting off your interview with the press on the wrong foot, but you could make a simple and costly mistake in just a few words that could tarnish your reputation in ways you don’t know how to fix.
Learn the 5 stages of crisis communications in our free ebook.
The simple solution: media training. Media training is important for all companies, and agricultural companies aren’t exempt from that. Even if you don’t want to establish a network of connections with clients and other businesses through the media – and why wouldn’t you – you never know if you’ll end up needing media training to save face in a situation you never expected to be in.
Media Training for Agricultural Companies: Next Steps
Ready to learn how media training can help your agricultural company prepare to communicate well? Get in touch with us online, or at 281-240-2026. At The Ammerman Experience, we have over 40 years of experience teaching people how to communicate well through the spoken word.