November 2016 Resident Programming: Smart Start
Posted on November 10, 2016 16:32 PM by WGCIT
For the November Smart Start, on November 9, 2016, Sam Spadoni, MBA, presented “Marketing: How to Thrive as an AgTech Startup” to almost half of the resident startups in The Center. Sam works at a nearby agency called TMD Creative, with CEO, and agricultural marketer, Nick Pasculli. TMD Creative has an extensive list of Ag industry clients, including D’Arrigo Brothers, GreenGate Fresh, Ocean Mist Farms, and Taylor Farms.
First, Sam detailed the creative portfolio many of his clients model their marketing around: branding, design, and identity need to be communicated through video, print, and digital marketing. People use heuristics when viewing your marketing materials to make judgements about your company, your team, and your product/service.
Second, Sam had some suggestions for startups to market on a budget (even if the budget is nil). A critical recommendation he had was that you can do a lot of the collateral and website development on your own, but invest in professional photography. Especially if you are going to present yourself as an Ag-centric technology company, photography should accurately depict your target market and their network. Stock photography does not work in these channels, because they will come off as “inauthentic.”
Third, Sam fielded 30 minutes of questions specific to each startup. A social media question on building an audience organically included great tips, like posting pictures of people (and animals) and tagging as many people and businesses that touch those photos as possible. Please contact Emily Lyons, elyons@wga.com, if you would like a copy of the presentation, would like Sam’s contact information, or have any additional questions that you would like relayed to TMD Creative.