6 Tactics to Grow your Farm’s Email List (and Increase Sales)
When building that email list, you must collect emails as quickly as possible. Once you get to over 100 emails, it'll generate $100’s in sales. When we reached 1000 in our email list, it was like cashing in at the ATM. It’s guaranteed sales for our Farm.
- Farmer Tom, Michigan
At Barn2Door, we serve 1000’s of Farms across all 50 states. We’re constantly analyzing 100’s of data points across millions of page views. Based on that data, we know email works. The most successful Farms use email to drive sales and create long-lasting customer relationships.
As 70% of consumers admitted to being influenced by email to purchase, successful Farms know that growing and maintaining their email lists will propel their business to greater heights.
Farmers who actively grow their email list to regularly engage customers see larger average order volume and more frequent sales. However, as 1 out of 7 people physically move [homes] each year, Farmers must grow their customer list at least 14% annually to maintain their current revenues. No matter what size Farm, whether 100 or 10,000 emails, growing an email list is essential to securing frequent, consistent sales and ensuring customer loyalty:
Use these 6 proven tactics to grow your email list:
#1: Collect Emails from all your Existing Customers
Farms see an immediate increase in sales simply by collecting emails from their existing customers. Buyers are forgetful, and even the most loyal customers can sometimes forget to subscribe to the seasonal CSA Subscription. Collecting emails from existing buyers allows you to send emails and order reminders to prompt regular purchases and re-engage loyal customers. Farmers who use their email to stay top of mind over other platforms enjoy +30% in average order sizes. Remember: your existing customers are loyal and 3x more likely to make a purchase from your Farm (versus a new customer)
#2: Upload your existing Email address book
Dig out all the addresses that are buried in your email correspondence by exporting your existing email address book to a *.CSV file (e.g., Google, Outlook, Yahoo). Then, sort your spreadsheet columns appropriately, rename column headers (if applicable), and upload them to your Barn2Door account. This takes less than 10-minutes and is highly effective. You can readily choose to include or omit individual addressees.
Uploading your contacts in Barn2Door and using the Barn2Door + Mailchimp integration allows you to automate your emails to your email list. You can easily send Welcome Emails to new buyers, automate order reminders, and send your weekly or monthly newsletter to your contact list within a few clicks, saving you time and generating orders with minimal effort!
#3: Set up Email Capture on your Website
When users arrive at your website, invite them to “subscribe” to your Farm newsletter with a simple web pop-up form. This experience is consistent on consumer-facing websites (e.g., Cabela’s, Walmart). And it is easy to configure in just minutes. More importantly, it works.
You should also have a sign-up form on the footer of your website for buyers who may have skipped the pop-up form but now want to subscribe. An email sign-up form is convenient and will draw lots of new business to your Farm!
#4: Collect Emails on Your Social Media
You should be actively engaging your buyers on social media (Facebook and Instagram) with engaging content (use the three E’s!) 2-3 times per week. Your followers on social media can be different from your loyal customers. Collect their emails by directing them to your Farms’ email sign-up form with LinkTree. This is a simple way to drive email sign-ups from social media followers!
#5: Use Promotional Incentives Regularly
When growing your email list, entice buyers to sign up by offering exclusive discounts available to only email subscribers. For example, offer 10% off when they sign up for your newsletter. Then, in their Welcome email, give them the promo and use product photos to link directly to your Farm store.
The best promos to use are ones that drive FOMO (fear of missing out), as buyers will want to grab the opportunity before it’s too late! Check out this blog to learn how to use FOMO Promo Tactics: 5 Promos to Drive FOMO.
#6: Collect Emails from Customers Offline
Collecting emails offline is just as important as collecting emails online. The most successful Farms are always finding ways to grow their email list and expand upon their customer base. When you attend farmer’s markets, have a manual sign-up sheet ready for buyers to write their emails down. You can even print out flyers with QR codes that link buyers to your email sign-up form. Folks love to support small businesses, especially Farms. Post the flyers inside your local coffee shop, gym, dance studio, church, or synagogue.
You’ll be surprised how effective this tactic can be for your Farm! Don’t forget to manually add the emails to your contact list if using a manual sign-up sheet.
Email is one of the best tools to drive frequent sales and build brand awareness among your contact list. However, it’s important to note that the task of building your email contact list is never-ending! You should always be focused on growing your email list because this will help you generate consistent Farm orders. Using the Barn2Door + Mailchimp integration also makes it easy to send automated emails, keeping buyers updated and informed with the latest of what’s happening on the Farm.
Barn2Door provides an all-in-one solution for Farmers to grow and manage their business. If you’re curious to learn why successful Farms run on Barn2Door, watch this 5-minute video.