Operating a 530 strong spring calving dairy herd and the Founder of Pastures Green Communications, Amy Eggleston is a formidable women and has a passion for helping businesses in the Rural space to market their brands. From start-ups to established businesses Pastures Green Communications can put you on the right track for brand recognition and telling your story to the masses. Pastures Green Communications offers a vast array of services. Everything from Marketing Audits, Social media coaching & work shops, branding and logo design, Social media content creation to Influencer marketing.
I asked Amy or @thedairydaughter her top tips for Social media marketing, working with influencers and how Pastures Green Communications came about.
I used to work in London & Leeds in marketing businesses after finishing my degree in International Business. I worked in some relatively corporate businesses but loved it! It was something really different and gave me a great introduction to PR & marketing. When I came home to farm, I wanted to bring a piece of that back with me and decided to start my own business. It felt like lots of people & businesses within agriculture wanted to show up online, particularly on social media, but weren’t quite sure how.
Pastures Green Communications Ltd was established in order to help rural and agricultural businesses promote themselves. We help businesses communicate with their audience – whether that’s on or offline. We also teach businesses (and individuals) how to maximise the impact of social media. We bring hands-on agricultural experience into the world of marketing!
What is the main profile of your clients?
This totally varies – of course – but my clients are all involved in agriculture or rural life in some way. Some of the businesses I work with have started the business as a diversification project which has now turned into something bigger, or they are a larger corporate business needing external input on their marketing. I find that my on-farm experience helps a lot as I know the industry pressures & insights.
Do you have any time management apps or practices for businesses on how to juggle their day to day tasks and social media activities?
Definitely an app called ‘Trello.’ It’s essentially a big to-do list which you can have on your phone/laptop and with you wherever you need it. I am often trying to juggle home life as well as farming and business, so this saves me a LOT! I try and make as many lists as possible – just to cover all bases!
How and why is brand story so important?
Having a story is often the one unique thing which brands have, and it isn’t something we utilise enough. Knowing why you’re different, and telling people this, is vital in gaining trust from new potential clients or customers.
What do you look for when you are partnering a brand with an Influencer?Things in common! I love helping influencers work with brands (and vice versa) and it is definitely one thing I enjoy about the business – but they definitely have to have something in common. I like to think of it as ‘matching’ them together – so as a pair they can work well together. I think brands that are willing to let the influencer have some creative input are the best – especially because it makes the content genuine and unique. For influencers, I’d say we look to work with people who are trustworthy – and have a genuine engaged audience!
What are the biggest mistakes small businesses make on social media?Not remembering who they are! As a business, you represent something – it is not just your individual page. For this reason, you need to be sensitive about what you post online and think about branding. What colours and fonts do you want to use? Consistency is key with things like this. Too often I see businesses posting photos with lots of different filters, colours and to be honest it’s confusing!
Do have any plans for growing Pastures Green Communications, new courses, new services?
Yes! So as well as our new influencer matching service, we are also launching a monthly subscription for people who want to do more with PR/Marketing/Social Media but still want to do it themselves. It will be monthly, tailored advice and tips on things coming up next month, potential collaborations available and other things which might be good opportunities.
Top tips for increasing engagement and following on Social?
Get to know your audience!! You want them to trust you so definitely pay attention to what they do and don’t like. What do they interact with? Look at your insights and find out more about their demographic. Answer their questions and messages!
Click the links below to get in contact with Amy to find out more about her services or some great tips she shares on Instagram
Pastures Green Communications https://www.pasturesgreen.uk/
Instagram - @pasturesgreencommunications
Instagram - @thedairydaughter
Email - amy@pasturesgreen.uk