As the first generation to grow up off the working family ranch, I have dedicated my life to capturing agriculture’s story. I believe agriculture production is not just a job but a livelihood of individuals whose passion happens to be their profession. Despite our loss of a production operation, we were committed to furthering the rural industry. The quandary that consistently drives my work, how to embody that lifestyle. So far, the answer is to use collaboration and strategy to bridge the gap between audiences giving a voice to the rural story.
When I arrived at Merck Animal Health, I found that collaboration between sales teams was lacking. I developed a strategy to improve current tools to tackle that hurdle, including training, improving user experience, and adjusting materials’ deployment. Implementing a weekly email marketing campaign and text alerts to over 300 team members delivered above-average engagement with an 80% open rate and a 15% click-through. Through this, we directly tracked interaction with campaign materials to tailor their effectiveness.
But the most significant improvements came from the brand re-launch of our OneMerck loyalty program, serving 3 million head of cattle. Refreshing the brand came in three stages using an advisory board of sales, distribution, and retail members to understand customer needs. I used market research to redesign the customer experience across all collateral and added a digital engagement platform. The last step was utilizing a targeted deployment strategy to train teams and introduce the program into the market. This layered and methodical approach achieved an increase in sales with both new and existing customers.
If this has caught your eye, or you still need some convincing, perhaps sharing the story in my own words will help. I look forward to the opportunity to partner with New Generation Supplements to help shape the future of the agricultural story.