As influencer marketing continues to grow in agriculture, the partnerships forged with industry influencers are crucial for brand visibility and credibility. Farm Journal gathered insights from ten leading influencers in the field to identify and share best practices for marketers aiming to build successful, impactful collaborations.

1. Know when (and when not) to use an influencer partnership.

While influencer partnerships offer substantial benefits, they may not be necessary for every campaign. Influencer-driven content can be highly effective for targeted outreach, especially in niches like ag tech or sustainability. However, campaigns that focus on broad awareness or highly technical products might benefit more from direct outreach to target audiences.

Best Practice: Evaluate whether influencer marketing truly aligns with your objectives. For industry-specific visibility, partnerships are ideal; but for highly-niche goals, direct channels may offer bigger impact.

2. Choose influencers based on audience, not just personality.

One of the most valuable lessons influencers shared is the importance of aligning your campaign goals with the influencer’s audience rather than their persona. While some influencers have broad appeal, others connect deeply with specific demographics, such as small family farm operators or environmentally focused consumers.

Best Practice: Focus on influencers whose audiences match your brand’s target demographic, even if that audience looks different from the influencer themselves. This strategy amplifies the resonance of your message, ensuring it reaches decision makers in your target audience.

3. Choosing the right platforms for partnerships.

Influencers’ social media preferences show us that Instagram and TikTok are top choices for engaging audiences in agriculture. Instagram posts and reels allow for visually-driven content that resonates with audiences interested in farm practices, food production and lifestyle stories. Meanwhile, TikTok offers a fast-paced, video-centric environment that is ideal for reaching younger demographics with rapid, impactful messaging.

Best Practice: Focus partnerships on platforms where influencers are already thriving. Instagram is suited for sustained engagement, while TikTok excels with trend-driven, high-impact campaigns that capture attention quickly.

4. Nano, micro, macro, or mega Influencers: what works best?

Clients often ask which type of influencer — nano, micro, macro, or mega — will yield the best results. Each tier offers distinct advantages:

• Nano influencers (less than 1,000 followers): While their reach is modest, nano influencers often have highly-engaged, niche audiences. Their followers tend to view them as peers, creating a strong foundation of trust. This level works well for hyper-local or specialty campaigns that benefit from word-of-mouth engagement.
• Micro influencers (1,000–100,000 followers): Micro influencers foster strong, personal connections with followers, leading to high engagement rates and credibility. They are ideal for targeted campaigns where a focused audience is more valuable than sheer numbers.
• Macro influencers (100,000–1 million followers): Macro influencers bring broader visibility, making them suitable for awareness campaigns that need to reach a wider, yet still targeted, demographic. They balance engagement and reach, offering access to larger audiences while maintaining some follower trust.
• Mega influencers (more than 1 million followers): Mega influencers can provide massive reach, ideal for large-scale awareness or branding campaigns where visibility is the primary goal. However, engagement may be lower, and follower trust can vary due to the scale of their audience.

Best practice: For niche markets and trust-building, nano and micro influencers are powerful allies, while macro and mega influencers maximize reach. Choose based on your campaign’s goals—depth for nano and micro, scale for macro and mega.

5. Agriculture influencing: A distinct approach for a specialized industry

Unlike conventional influencer marketing in sectors like fashion or beauty, agriculture influencing requires a tailored approach that recognizes the industry’s unique buying journey. In agriculture, purchasing decisions — whether for equipment, seed or livestock — often involve complex considerations and in-person interactions with dealers or sellers. For this reason, influencer partnerships in ag are more about creating trust, building awareness and fostering brand familiarity over time rather than driving immediate online sales.

Best practice: Leverage influencers as trusted voices who can build brand credibility and awareness within niche communities. By prioritizing metrics like engagement, brand sentiment and audience reach, you’ll ensure that when potential buyers are ready to make those critical in-person decisions, your brand is already top of mind.

Influencer partnerships in agriculture offer unmatched potential for brands, but thoughtful planning is key. Each campaign’s unique goals should guide influencer selection, from audience alignment to platform choice. By following these best practices, you’ll create partnerships that resonate deeply, build trust and amplify your impact across the industry.

Your best influencers are already on your payroll

In an industry as relationship-driven as food and agriculture, consider your staff and sellers as influential voices in their own right. With established trust and personal rapport, your own team may be the best fit for influence in your marketing campaigns. By encouraging them to share knowledge and connect with their audience on social media or through local events, you can amplify your brand’s reach and credibility right at the community level. Give them the tools, training and autonomy to represent your brand, creating trusted advocates in the field, office or the trade show floor.