Unlock Midjourney in Agri-Marketing: Can You Say Goodbye to Stock Images?

Dear Subscribers,

First of all, I want to express my gratitude for the overwhelming support and interest that I’ve received in starting this next venture. Your enthusiasm has been unexpected and humbling.

I must admit, the pressure to make this newsletter perfect was daunting, and it hindered me from getting started. But then I had a realization – perfection shouldn't be the enemy of progress. So, instead of waiting for the perfect moment, I decided to simply begin. Oh, and I recently posted this via LinkedIn, so if you have already seen that, my apologies for the redundancy.

However, now that we're here, I'd love to hear your feedback after reading my first newsletter. Do you prefer this in written format, or would you rather engage through a podcast, YouTube videos, or short-form content? Your feedback will shape the future of this newsletter, ensuring it's tailored to your preferences and interests.

Thank you for embarking on this journey with me. Let's explore, learn, and grow together. With that being said, I would like to start with a cheeky question: Can We Say Goodbye to Stock Images in Agriculture?

How Midjourney compares to Stock Images

In the realm of agricultural marketing, finding the right visual content can be a daunting task. Traditional stock images often fall short, offering generic visuals that barely resonate with the specific needs of agriculture-focused campaigns. My own search for high-quality agricultural images has frequently ended in frustration due to the limited selection and the high costs of niche stock photo websites. Midjourney offers a promising solution by enabling the creation of tailored visuals. These visuals not only align more closely with our specific marketing needs but also come without the hefty price tag and limitations of traditional stock options. This article will give you real-life examples of how to use Midjourney for Agri-Marketing.

Practical Applications in Agriculture Marketing

- Custom Visuals for Campaigns: Midjourney's flexibility allows marketing professionals to create visuals that are directly tied to their campaign's themes, products, and goals. Unlike generic stock photos, these images can highlight the unique aspects of agricultural products, practices, and services, making marketing messages more compelling.

- Enhanced Social Media Content: In the competitive space of social media, standout visuals are key to capturing attention. Midjourney enables the creation of images that are not just unique but also tailored to fit the brand's voice and audience's preferences on various platforms.

- Personalized Imagery for Email Marketing: Email campaigns benefit significantly from personalization, and Midjourney's capacity to generate bespoke images can lead to higher engagement rates. These personalized visuals help in crafting messages that resonate more deeply with the audience.

Easing the Learning Curve with Midjourney

Adopting Midjourney for agricultural marketing represents a significant shift towards leveraging cutting-edge AI tools. While the selection of generative AI image creation tools is broad, with some available for free, Midjourney stands out among professionals for its robust capabilities - frankly it has worked the best for me so far. However, starting from scratch with Midjourney can seem daunting due to its steep learning curve. Here's a step-by-step guide to simplify the process:

Getting Started with Midjourney:

1. Subscription: The first step is to visit the Midjourney website, where you'll need to purchase a subscription and create an account. During sign-up, opt to join the beta to gain access to the latest features.

2. Navigating to Discord: Midjourney utilizes Discord, a platform similar to Microsoft Teams or Slack, for interaction and command input. If you’re new to Discord, you'll need to create an account. Once your Midjourney subscription is active, you'll be directed to join their Discord server.

3. Using Discord: Discord can be accessed through a web browser or by downloading the application, which many find more convenient. Upon joining, look for the Midjourney logo (boat with a colourful sail), on the left sidebar of Discord.

4. Creating Your Server: While you can start generating images by typing commands like /imagine in the Midjourney newbies channel, a more streamlined approach is to create your own server. This can be done by clicking the "+" on the left sidebar, naming your server, and then adding Midjourney from the app directory. This private server simplifies the process, allowing for easier experimentation and learning.

Key Commands for Midjourney:

/imagine

Generates new images from scratch or based on a URL you provide.

/blend

Combines two images together.

/settings

Personally, I find it’s important to adjust settings for creation, such as switching to low detail, raw mode, low stylization, and low variation. I think that is where many people stumble.

Practical examples:

In my previous position, I worked with many equipment dealers and there were very few stock images. Below you see a marketing asset that my marketing team created at my previous employment. Without knowing and spending time to look for details, would you have guessed it’s AI-generated?

Here’s what I prompted Midjourney (don't worry, in a future episode I will share what hacks I used to get to that prompt):

/imagine An agriculture equipment parts specialist talking to a customer in a hyper realistic style. The agriculture equipment parts specialist is holding an iPad, the equipment in the background is CaseIH red. The customer is describing a problem and the specialist is attentively listening. --s 50 --style raw

Running this prompt today, I get the below images, which I think are pretty impressive.

Conclusion

Midjourney introduces a new way to think about visuals in agriculture marketing, offering an alternative to stock images. It allows for the creation of unique visuals but comes with challenges, such as making product placements look natural. The use of Midjourney in our field is just beginning, with current examples often more artistic than realistic. This opens a door for us to learn and adapt how we use this tool for our specific needs.

I invite our community to try Midjourney, share experiences, and discuss how to make it work best for agricultural marketing. Sharing strategies and successes will help us all overcome initial hurdles and make the most of Midjourney. Can we move beyond stock images? With Midjourney, we have a chance to create more personalized and relevant marketing visuals.

Let’s share our discoveries and work together to find the best ways to use this tool in our industry. If you like, what you read, consider sharing this newsletter with your friends.

Until the next time…