3 Steps to Position your Farm for Local Success
Your Farm can thrive by focusing on local efforts. As 90% of retail and wholesale Buyers would rather purchase from local producers versus a commodity product, it’s essential that your Farm is well-positioned to attract and build a loyal base of local customers.
Nowadays, being the go-to Farm to service your community needs to go beyond an appearance at the farmer’s markets. As only 1% of Americans regularly attend markets, you need to reach the other 99% of local buyers to convey how your products are unique, better quality, and cater to their expectations of convenience.
Here are three steps to position your Farm for local success:
Provide Convenient Purchase Options
Now more than ever, buyers prioritize and expect convenience. Providing different formats to purchase items can be enticing and cater to a variety of buyer needs. Subscriptions, Pre-Orders, and Bundle Boxes have proven to help Farmer’s delight buyers, increase revenue, and save time.
Subscriptions
For the typical buyer, their average order looks 90% the same week-over-week. Subscriptions give customers the opportunity to access local food regularly without compelling them to make a one-time purchase every month.
When you roll out Subscriptions, provide added convenience with flexible purchase options (pay upfront or pay-as-you-go), Late Enrollment (allow buyers to join a Subscription even after the period has started), and buyer Skip (if they’re out of town or unable to pick up their orders for the week). These added services make the Subscription more enticing, cater to a large range of needs, and make purchasing from your Farm more convenient!
Pre-Orders
Have products that are high in demand, items that won’t be available until next season, or have limited inventory? Allow buyers to Pre-Order products in advance! Whether it’s months ahead of harvest or you want greater planning and organization headed into the busy season, use Pre-Orders to secure cash flow. You’ll also gain peace of mind knowing how much product you’ll be moving before the busy season begins!
Bundle Boxes
When faced with too many options, buyers can experience paralysis and often choose to abandon their cart. By packaging products into bundled formats, Farms move more inventory and cater to buyers' needs. Align the size of your Bundle Boxes to common household sizes - ⅓ of Americans live alone, ⅓ live in households of 2-3 people, and ⅓ live in groups of 4+ people. Simplifying your packaging and inventory will drive sales and lead to increased customer satisfaction.
Implement Multiple Fulfillment Options
For 76% of American consumers, having multiple fulfillment opinions - a mix of local pick-ups, direct delivery, and shipping influences their purchasing decision. By providing multiple options, you can open your Farm up to a larger group of buyers.
Pick-Up
When deciding on pick-up locations, determine what is most convenient for you and your buyers. Is your Farm 20+ miles from the nearest town or city? It might be best to offer pick-ups at your local market, coffee shop, or school and church parking lots. Diversifying your pick-up locations will open up your Farm to more buyers. If you have several buyers that visit you at the market, allow them to Pre-Order, so when they swing by the booth, they can grab their order and go!
Delivery
Direct home delivery has become a staple for many companies, and consumers have come to expect delivery to their doorstep when they order products online. Delivery can open your Farm to additional customers who do not regularly attend a farmers market or are too busy to meet at a local pick up.
When you start a delivery service, start with 1 or 2 delivery zones/zip codes in areas where you have the most buyers. Starting small to get your processes in place is key to creating a profitable delivery service that you can expand over time and your buyers love.
Watch: How a Delivery Service Drives Brand Loyalty
Engage Buyers Online and Offline
It’s essential to engage buyers across all channels - online and offline - to drive customers (new and loyal) to your Farm store, build brand awareness, and create a loyal network of customers.
In-person, use a delivery program to converse with buyers at the doorstep and put a face to your brand. To spread awareness of your business in the local community, host an on-Farm event, sponsor a giving or charity drive, and partner with local businesses like restaurants to promote your products.
Nowadays, people spend more than 6+ hours a day online. That’s why It’s essential to have an online presence when running a business. Social and mobile channels are powerful tools, driving 65% of all orders, with 35% of online purchases coming from Farm websites and email newsletters. That’s why it’s important to focus your time on these three channels:
Email
We find that Farms who send weekly newsletters to their contact lists enjoy +28% more in average monthly orders! Email is the only active channel where your Farm can engage customers consistently in a place they visit every day (their inbox!). Send weekly newsletters that include information about what’s happening on the Farm and what products are available for purchase in your store.
Read: A Farmer’s Guide to Grow Revenue with Email
Watch: 5 Tactics to Save Time & Drive Farm Conversions with Email
Social Media
While planning your social media posts, use the three E’s: Entertainment, Education, and E-Commerce. Entertain your followers by posting a story about what’s happening around the Farm. Educate your buyers on process or practice (e.g., how to milk a cow or prep your fields for planting). For E-Commerce, promote your products and offer promo codes for people who follow you on social media!
Read: A Farmer’s Guide to Social Media
Website
Your website is a powerful tool to convey everything about your Farm in a single area. By including an About page, Products page, and a link to your Farm store, buyers can learn about you and your products, what makes your Farm unique, and order products directly from your store.
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.