Margaret Oldham, Director of Innovation and Opportunity, Beck Ag, Inc.

SuperNova Award Category

Future of Work

The Company

Since Beck Ag was founded in 1996, we have engaged over one million ag professionals in customized peer-to-peer and expert-to-peer dialogue-driven strategies. Historically, those who are sharing experiences include farmers, ag retailers, ranchers, veterinarians, golf course superintendents, processors, PCOs and other business professionals. Our team works with clients on an individual basis to develop unique, customized experience-sharing marketing solutions so that each strategy we develop is tailor-made to fit our clients’ need within the marketplace. We've been fortunate enough to work with some of the best people in the ag industry. And we know our programs work -- based on collective feedback for more than ten years, more than 95% of participants say the Beck Ag experience was informative and worth attending and our clients experienced positive change in their marketplace.  Our Mission is to improve business results for our clients and their customers by engaging them in experience sharing.

 

The Problem

Traditionally in the agricultural industry, ag professionals shared information and best practices via phone conversations and in person and were often limited to just their local area. However, we found that more ag professionals were starting to go online to communicate - 86% of the ag community has high speed internet access and 76% of growers visit manufacturers’ websites. We wanted to create a secure platform for everyone in production agriculture – producers, retailers, consultants and veterinarians – to effectively connect with peers from all over the U.S. and relevant ag companies to share best practices, ideas and solutions that help their business.  There are many platforms for farmer to consumer conversations (think Facebook) but there was a need for a private community for B2B conversations. 

The Solution

There’s endless ag information online and no easy way to sift through it all, so we created a one-stop shop for all things ag (a private online community) where professionals can find helpful information, talk to their peers about critical issues (farm policy, grain and livestock marketing, challenges and progress with crops, and the future of farming), discuss industry news and share business strategies (marketing advice, tactics for employee management) all in one secure place. Companies relevant to the ag industry can also interact to share their expertise, answer product questions and engage the broader ag community about their needs in a private group setting only available to members of their choosing.

The Results

Ag professionals now have a central place to share their questions, challenges and solutions broadly with a targeted group of professionals, resulting in increased membership in the Beck Ag community and enhanced opportunities for education and experience sharing for the community members.  In a six month period, about 10,000 ag professionals chose to join the BeckAgConnecs community when given the opportunity.  The number of clients that offer private groups has increased dramatically and BeckAgConnects is funded by these clients who use the private discussion groups as an extension of a market influence or instruction tactic.

The Technology

Telligent Express, Telligent Systems, Inc.

Metrics

When BeckAgConnects launched in March 2011, it was 100% funded by client commitments and started with only 2 public group offerings and 1 private group. Since launch, the content offering has expanded to 7 public (available to all members) and 11 private client groups. Currently, 100% of our active clients with retainer agreements (and represent 75% of company revenue) have hosted private discussion groups within the community. The BeckAgConnects team of online moderators (content experts) are continually providing timely and distinct information to the members following their discussion boards.  Membership grew to 2,000 by May 2012 and then sky rocketed to almost 12,000 members between November 2012 and May 2013. 

Disruptive Factor

In an industry known for long hours, unpredictable working conditions, and few opportunities for professional development, BeckAgConnects offers ag professionals the opportunity to discuss their experiences and seek out potential new solutions. Members of BeckAgConnects can connect with other ag professionals, including producers, consultants, retailers, industry experts and veterinarians.  Social tech and agriculture aren’t two concepts you typically see linked together – we’ve created a social networking community to address the needs of the agriculture community through a successful business model that connects ag companies with their clients and end users. . This creates mutual value by connecting ag professionals with their peers while also giving ag companies a vehicle for gathering feedback and to share expertise and knowledge (rather than traditional push marketing). 

Shining Moment

What our members say about BeckAgConnects:

“I personally think it’s a very good source, and I know that it's growing rapidly because every day it updates. It's a very good tool. You can reach out and get a lot of information.”  Rick Niese, Ohio corn and soybean farmer.

“Thanks for keeping me informed. It really helps me at all my trade shows. It gives me info to talk to all my prospective customers. My current customers think I am really smart. So thanks again!”  Grower & Farm Policy Exchange Member

“It’s nice to bounce ideas off of guys that are doing the same thing I’m doing. Beck Ag puts me in contact with those agricultural peers, and I always learn something from participating in what they offer.” Brian Fowler, Kansas farmer

“It is like you are reading my mind when you put these short articles out there about what is happening in my operation.”   Grower & Would You Work for You? Member
 

About Beck AG

In an industry known for long hours, unpredictable working conditions, and few opportunities for professional development, BeckAgConnects.com offers ag professionals the opportunity to discuss their experiences and seek out potential new solutions. The BeckAgConnects community and concept was created by the team at Beck Ag, Inc.

Founded in 1996, Beck Ag has engaged more than one million ag professionals in conversations about agricultural solutions. Beck Ag specializes in facilitating conversations that allow those in the ag industry to connect with each other, as well as, top industry experts. Historically, those who are sharing experiences include farmers, ag retailers, ranchers, veterinarians, nutritionists and other ag professionals. Our team works with clients on an individual basis to develop unique, customized experience-sharing marketing solutions so that each strategy we develop is tailor-made to fit our clients’ need within the marketplace. Our mission is to improve business results for our clients and their customers by engaging them in experience sharing. Based on collective feedback from 10+ years, more than 95% of those who have participated in a Beck Ag strategy say their experience was informative and worth their time.

Learn more about us: http://www.brainshark.com/BeckAG/WhoIsBeckAg?dm=1