The power of opinion has great impact on each step of the purchase process for rural lifestylers. What once was a very straightforward purchasing process with well-defined marketing tactics has been overrun with the dynamics of social media. This paper invites you to watch video interviews of rural lifestylers revealing their purchasing habits while reading about findings from our study.

1. Rural Lifestylers are Changing
the Way They Research
and Buy Products
By: Alicia DeGeest and Sara Steever

2. Rural Lifestylers are Changing the Way They
Research and Buy Products
How online communities, brand advocates and customer reviews influence purchase decisions.
Executive Summary
Paulsen Marketing conducted a three-month study in 2011 to better understand how online
communities, brand advocates and customer reviews influence the purchase decisions of
rural lifestylers.
The study involved 13 personal interviews with rural lifestylers in the Midwest, as well as 341
completed e-mail surveys of rural lifestylers in a random representative sample of the United
States in C and D counties. For the purpose of this paper, we are defining a rural lifestyler as
someone who is living the country life, but not necessarily trying to make a living at it.
1

3. From this data, Paulsen Marketing was able to report three key findings:
1. The rural lifestyle consumers are adopting social media practices at the same rate as
general consumers.
2. Like general consumers, rural lifestyle consumers rely on two different types of
influencers to help them form brand perceptions and make purchase decisions:
micro influencers and macro influencers.
3. The sales process has been altered to reflect a continuous feedback loop between
current customers and prospective customers.
A negative online review from an unknown current customer (micro influencer) or a positive
engagement with a trusted thought leader (macro influencer) is available to rural lifestylers at
the click of a mouse or a tap on their mobile device. In other words, the sales process does
not necessarily end with a sale — it is just the beginning of the next sale. Additionally, the
timeframe from consideration to purchase can be significantly compressed.
As marketers, our challenge is to find the right marketing mix and messaging to reach rural
lifestylers in an era where the purchase process includes powerful new influences.
Paulsen Marketing in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, specializes in rural lifestyle and agricultural
marketing. For further details regarding this study, please contact Alicia DeGeest.
605-336-1745 • www.paulsenmarketing.com
2

4. How do rural lifestylers make purchase decisions today?
Does social media have an important role in their decision-making process?
How critical are customer reviews?
Who do rural lifestylers trust in their online community?
To find the answers to these and other questions, Paulsen Marketing surveyed rural lifestylers
all across the country. Their responses provided great insight to how this unique audience
segment continues to embrace new technology, engage in social media and change the
traditional sales process.
Locations of January 2011
e-mail survey of 341 rural
lifestylers in C and D counties
across the United States.
3

5. How do rural lifestylers make purchase decisions today?
Without a doubt, rural lifestyle consumers are adopting two-way communication practices,
particularly social media, at the same rate as general consumers. As a result, they feel more
empowered to reach decisions outside of brand propaganda. This consumer control revolves
around gaining information and communication from influencers while moving through the
purchase process.
Today, influence has a great impact on each step of the purchase process. Rural lifestylers
turn to third-party verification of information, often online, before making a purchase decision.
This has created a new sales process that does not necessarily conclude with a purchase.
Purchase leads to experience. The experience is shared online, which exerts influence upon
the next prospective sale.
4

6. As marketers, our challenge is to find the right marketing mix and messaging to reach rural
lifestylers in an era where the purchase process includes powerful new influences.
The Modern Purchase Process
Step 1: Awareness
Step 2: Consideration
Step 3: Evaluation
Step 4: Purchase
Step 5: Experience
Step 6: Influence
5

7. Rural Lifestylers are as Tech Savvy as General Consumers
Although technology may be assumed as a barrier to the rural lifestyle audience,
according to studies by Successful Farming and NAFB, their levels of Internet access and
use of Internet-enabled mobile phones are virtually that of the population as a whole.
Nielsen predicts 49 percent consumer penetration for smartphones by the end of 2011.
A recent study conducted by Successful Farming shows producer adoption rate might be
as high as 43 percent already.
As agrimarketers, we often forget that producers and rural lifestylers are almost identical in
behavior to general consumers. Here are examples from those interviewed for this paper.
Leslie, Colorado
11 Quarter horses, 1 award-winning reining horse, 2 dogs
Technology: Admits to being an early adopter. Has to have
the latest and greatest.
Kevin and Sonja, South Dakota
30 Paint horses, 4 dogs
Technology: Use Google search to find horse and
machinery information.
6

8. Annette, Minnesota
4 horses, 2 dogs, 75-acre family farm
Technology: Going to get the new BlackBerry.
Ken and Pam, South Dakota
3 horses, 1 dog, 5 acres
Technology: Use Facebook and Google to research products.
Leon and Kim, Iowa
50 Arabian horses, 14 clients, 50 acres
Breed, raise, sell, board, lessons, train
Leon is an international Level-1 Judge with judging cards
in various disciplines. His daughter-in-law, Kim, co-chairs
international horse shows.
Technology: Two iTouches, use iPad to show horses they
raise while at shows.
Kevin and Jan, South Dakota
5 acres, enjoys mowing, snow removal, digging, gardening
Technology: Droid with Internet access, wi-fi laptops,
Bluetooth phone to car speakers, microwave Internet,
“I am amazed at the Internet…didn’t think I would use it
as much as I do; it’s wonderful.
”
7

9. Kevin, Iowa
Partner in a 3,200 gallon-per-year winery, 75 acres
Technology: Waits to purchase new technology until the
bugs are worked out.
Tim, Iowa
12 acres, small herd of cattle and sheep, family actively
involved in 4-H
Technology: “This little phone I’ve got in my pocket is as
powerful as the computer that I used when I first started
working, and maybe even more powerful.”
Tai, Iowa
Owns 10 acres, rents 20 acres, farms exotic poultry, birds
and large market garden
Technology: Droid, Kindle, desktop, laptop, Netbook,
wants an iPad, has a blog and Facebook account for
poultry business.
Doug, Iowa
3 horses, 3 donkeys, chickens, sheep, trained border
collies, cats, avid gardener
7 acres and rents 160 acres to a cattle rancher
Technology: Receives e-mail on smartphone, iPad,
“I am online all the time.”
8

10. Debbie, Kansas
3,000 acres and 500 head of cattle
Technology: “I always take my iPad; I take notes on it
pretty frequently.” “The best way to reach me with a
marketing message is online, somehow digital whether
it’s e-mail or through Facebook.”
MaryAnn, Kansas
Large cattle ranch
Technology: “I shop online a lot because I live in the
middle of nowhere.” Has Facebook on her phone.
Lisa, Minnesota
15 acres, recently sold horses, 2 dogs, 5 cats
Technology: “A text on my phone is the best way to
reach me.”
9

11. Social Media and the Power of Opinion
The accessibility of technology allows online activity to be as prominent for making purchase
decisions as it is for general consumers. Rural lifestylers seek information, reviews, ratings
and recommendations online. This increased online activity is an addition in the
decision-making process.
Rural lifestylers turn to others with whom they have varying degrees of trust. They are
more likely to seize control of the process and actively pull information helpful to them.
Consumer-driven marketing activities, such as Internet reviews and
word-of-mouth, in-store interactions and recollections of past experiences
make up two-thirds of the touch-points during the purchasing process.1
Those resources will be tapped to help provide focus to any number of brands during the
steps leading up to a purchase. The impact of these interactions is so great that rural
lifestylers may confirm or destroy their purchase decision.
In the end, they remain engaged with the brand through social media after the purchase,
which in turn influences others in the purchase decision-making process.
1
David Court, Dave Elzinga, Susan Mulder and Ole Jorgen Vetvik. “The Consumer Decision Journey.” McKinsey Quarterly.
Marketing and Sales Practices (June 2009)
10

12. “ If it is a major purchase, something that
takes a little more thought, I jump on the
Internet and I do my research first.
”
Marketing Take Away
Consumer reviews impact each step of the purchase decision-making process.
Rural lifestylers are very active in social media spaces, often seeking advice
from influencers.
“ Usually I’ll look online for information
about a product or people’s testimonials.”
11

13. The statistics below are from our surveys conducted in January 2011 of the rural lifestyle
audience. This reinforces the various stages where online activity is prominent.
Results from our January 2011 survey of 341 rural lifestylers across the U.S.
5 out of 6 Rural lifestylers read
animal blogs or
information websites
75%
6 out of 10
Participate in animal online forums Shop for products and
or other social media purchase online
Of those that shop online
99%
More than 1/2 read product reviews and
Ask for product 98%
advice online
write product reviews
12

14. Macro and Micro Influencers
We believe there are two types of influencers that have decision-making impact on potential
customers; macro and micro influencers. These influencers are sought out while making
purchasing decisions.
Macro influencers have the most individual impact and the greatest influence among peers.
They have always been a part of the decision process.
• Industry thought leaders
• Veterinarians and nutritionists
• Dealers
• Educators and research leaders
• Member organizations and peer groups
• Trusted and knowledgeable friends and family
“ Ithe people I know and trust.
look for the experience of
”
13

15. “ Your of connection with you, you trust
kind
friends, people that have some
their opinions more.
”
Micro influencers have developed through digital media. They have some credibility, mainly
through acquaintance or common interests. They could be a complete stranger who is similar
to the buyer in some way.
• Social media friends
• Online communities
• Other shopping sites that contain ratings and reviews
“ So often products be recommendations on
different
there will
from people that I know
and trust on Twitter.”
14

16. “ It gives me a little bit of feeling like, ‘Well, I
haven’t made a bad decision.’ I mean, five
other people who I don’t know agree that it’s
a good product. I’m gonna feel a little more
confident even if it’s ten dollars. I really do
like reviews. I think it’s important. ”
Marketing Take Away
There is a strong pattern of influence happening online among complete
strangers with a common interest. While not as powerful as macro
influencers, micro influencers are becoming more and more important
to the decision-making process.
15

17. What is the level of trust in influencers found online?
And what is the impact of positive versus negative reviews?
MarketingProfs released findings on March 29, 2011 that provide insight on trusting online
sources when making purchase decisions.
Fifty-nine percent of consumers say online consumer reviews and ratings
influence their buying decisions more than any type of online advertising.
Fifty-four percent have decided to make a purchase based on an online review, while 58
percent of consumers did not buy a product based on an online review.
“ It is pretty important to read those, not you. I
that
take everything verbatim, but it sways
”
16

18. “ You always haveusing judgment.bad ones.100
comes down to
to filter out the
If there’s
It
great ones and two bad apples, well, I disregard
those. If it’s half-and-half, then you start thinking,
well there’s something wrong with this product.
”
The feedback we heard from our interviews confirms that rural lifestylers are savvy enough
consumers to know if someone is spouting off, or if reviews are legitimate. They look closely
at the source of the comment, whether macro or micro, as well as the context of the site the
comment is posted on.
“ IIt’s a big decision maker if I and negative.
consider both the positive the negative.
see
”
17

19. “ Negative reviews can really influence me. If it is
a problem that keeps coming up over and over
on the same thing, then I know it would really
be true. Otherwise, a lot of negative things
may be because somebody is disgruntled and
I won’t pay as much attention to that as I do
to a positive review from a trusted source. ”
Marketing Take Away
Build an advocate community of macro and micro influencers to support your
brand in consumer reviews. Aspire for a handful of influencers who frequently
share brand updates with friends versus merely having many with little value.
18

20. Rural Lifestylers Rely Heavily on Online Search
How do rural lifestylers find online reviews? Search.
Search is an important way to bring influencers into the purchase decision-making process
by bringing up not only product results, but product reviews, too.
“ Just Googlingisthe item. Then lookingit.
to see how it rated; who has rated ”
Search engine marketing, search engine optimization and social media optimization efforts
are critical to influence purchasing decisions.
“ I’ll actuallyevenin as much information as
I have. I’ll
put
enter the model number.
Then I can see what everybody says about
that model and kind of engine.
”
19

21. Social Media
Not only are rural lifestylers seeking feedback from search engines, but they are also finding
micro and macro influencers by asking questions on Facebook, industry forums and
asking experts.
Rural lifestylers are very active in social media spaces. Here are comments on
the use of Facebook, in particular.
“ It’s surprising to me how manythink. Older people...
neighbors are online than you
more of my rural
people up and down my road are all online and are
all talking all of the time on Facebook.
”
20

22. “ I’m not Mr. Social Media, but it is a place
where you talk to a lot more people on a
regular basis even just reading their posts. ”
Marketing Take Away
Search is an important way to bring influencers into the purchase decision-
making process by bringing up not only product results, but product reviews,
too. Use offline media to direct audiences online where there is social activity
and relevant reviews.
“ People in rural communitiesmail that comes Internet,
and depend on their direct
depend on the
through
the Internet. Everybody I know is on Facebook.
”
21

23. Point-of-Purchase Decision Activity is Changing
Many rural lifestylers hold off their final purchase decisions until they’re in the store or on an
e-commerce site. Up to 40 percent change their minds because of something they see,
learn or do at this point.1 When another brand enters as an option, the time needed for the
consideration and evaluation steps of the purchase process is greatly condensed due to the
ability to research on mobile devices in store.
Point-of-purchase interactions through mobile devices have become a more
powerful touch point.
Facebook becomes a quick resource for opinions of influencers before a purchase decision
is made.
“ I don’t trust the salespeople. I don’t trust the
reviews on the website. So you tend to text
your friends or Facebook your friends.
”
1
David Court, Dave Elzinga, Susan Mulder and Ole Jorgen Vetvik. “The Consumer Decision Journey.” McKinsey Quarterly.
Marketing and Sales Practices (June 2009)
22

24. “ You canapost, ‘Has anybody
bought lawn tractor lately?’ ”
As we already addressed, when it comes to technology adoption, rural lifestylers are general
consumers with the same purchasing behaviors. And along with the rest of the population,
they too have a growing addiction to smartphones. With 33 percent of American households
now owning a smartphone, there is more opportunity to deliver unique content, without being
in front of a computer. 2
While the exact numbers provided by research firms in agrimarketing vary, we are seeing
that the adoption rate at the producer and rural lifestyle level is meeting, or currently
exceeding, the national averages. This is partly because the farmer sector of rural lifestylers
is using the smartphone as a business tool.
“ The mobile phone has come in handy because I
can get the web on there so if I have a question I
can go ahead and ask it.”
2
Deloitte’s fifth edition State of the Media Democracy survey was conducted from September 10 to October 8, 2010. The
online survey polled nearly 2,000 U.S. consumers age 14-75.
23

25. Rural lifestylers are becoming more familiar with bar code readers that pull up detailed
information at the point of sale. Not only price comparisons, but also environmental and
political actions about that brand’s parent company.
During our interviews we also heard feedback on the intrigue regarding QR codes.
According to a February 2011 survey of U.S. smartphone users by MGH, a Baltimore
social media marketing company, 32 percent of respondents said they have scanned a
QR code. Of those, 53 percent said they used the code to get a coupon or discount.
And 72 percent said they were more likely to remember an advertisement with a QR code.
We see the adoption rate for QR codes rising amongst rural lifestylers. Rewards received
through scanning QR codes should be valuable and relevant to them. Deliver
something that is not available elsewhere and is something worthwhile or surprising.
“ I use my smartphone frequently to check prices on
different things while I am actually at the store. While
I don’t want to buy it at another place, if it’s the exact
same product somewhere else that’s a little cheaper,
I can negotiate a price where I’m standing.
”
24

26. “ Definitely, yeah, I would do that.” [when asked
about QR Codes] “I’ve done the bar code
scanner, so that would be interesting.
”
Marketing Take Away
Point-of-purchase interactions have become a more powerful touch point. Rural
lifestylers are armed with mobile devices to scan QR codes and bar codes, as
well as poll Facebook friends. Be responsive in social spaces when and where
customers are asking questions.
25

27. Writing Reviews
After a purchase, rural lifestylers remain aggressively engaged, publicly promoting or
assailing the products they have bought. As we revealed earlier, 98 percent of those in
our e-mail survey who purchase products online also write reviews about a
purchased product or service.
During our interviews we asked the same questions. It was interesting to hear that most
reviews written by these folks were negative reviews. Surprisingly, a customer who did not
develop a bond with the product during the initial purchase may turn into a positive
influencer after trying a competing product. Keep in contact with “bad-vocates,” and ask for
their testimony as they have substantial impact.
“ I do frequently write reviews on small purchase
items as well as large purchases.
”
26

28. “ Yes, absolutely, if something is really
awful I’ll write a review. I try to be fair. ”
It is important to intercept post-purchase behavior and encourage online sharing to reinforce and
enhance relationships and cultivate influencers into brand advocates.
Consumer reviews impact each step as rural lifestylers navigate through the purchase decision-mak-
ing process. By recognizing rural lifestylers’ purchasing behaviors, create a user ex-
perience that matches their expectations, converts sales and builds relationships.
“ I hope that the company looks at the review as
well. And makes their next version based on
what the reviews are.”
27

29. These customer insights may extend past the marketing and bring an overall commitment to
customer satisfaction throughout all areas like product development, sales and distribution.
“ No matter whether my question was
positive or negative. I think that shows
a lot of transparency and ability to
connect with a consumer and listen to
them. I would love to have a company
respond back to what I post. ”
28

30. Marketing Take Aways
Consumer reviews impact each step of the purchase decision-making
process. Rural lifestylers are very active in social media spaces, asking
advice from influencers.
There is a strong pattern of influence happening online among complete
strangers with a common interest. While not as powerful as macro influencers,
micro influencers are becoming more and more important to the decision-
making process.
Build an advocate community of macro and micro influencers to support your
brand in consumer reviews. Aspire for a handful of influencers who frequently
share brand updates with friends versus merely having many with little value.
Search is an important way to bring influencers into the purchase decision-
making process by bringing up not only product results, but product reviews,
too. Use offline media to direct audiences online where there is social activity
and reviews.
Point-of-purchase interactions have become a more powerful touch point. Rural
lifestylers are armed with mobile devices to scan QR codes and bar codes, as
well as poll Facebook friends. Be responsive in social spaces when and where
customers are asking questions.
29

31. What’s Next?
This study identifies the important role of macro and micro influencers and their impact upon
the Modern Purchase Process—especially as it relates to a rural lifestyle audience.
The question now is, how do marketers compete in this new environment?
The data and opinions collected for this study will be used to support additional thought
papers in the near future. Paulsen Marketing will address specific marketing tactics to
effectively reach the rural lifestyle market, create a positive online community, convert
sales and sustain relationships. Paulsen Marketing will also provide additional insight and
recommendations related to brand monitoring and social media measurement.
Paulsen Marketing in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, specializes in rural lifestyle and agricultural
marketing. For further details regarding this study, please contact Alicia DeGeest.
605-336-1745 • www.paulsenmarketing.com
30

32. A special thanks from Paulsen to all who participated in this study.
We welcome you to continue referencing this study at
www.paulsenmarketing.com/agri-thoughts.
the ag and rural lifestyle specialists
www.paulsenmarketing.com • 605.336.1745
3510 S. First Ave. Circle • Sioux Falls, SD 57105
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