5 Holiday Marketing Tactics to Drive Farm Sales

With the holidays around the corner, it’s time to start implementing a marketing plan to drive Farm sales and stay top of mind. When it comes to generating revenue through the winter, the holidays are the perfect time to stay connected to your buyers. Engage them on all channels (web, mobile, social, and email) regardless if you have products to sell this winter. 

With holiday promotional sales, like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, your Farm can stand out among the noise. How? 90% of buyers prefer to buy local food, especially during the holidays. By using one (or some) of the tactics outlined below, you will delight Buyers and drive Farm sales. 

1. Give Product Recommendations.

Did you know that the majority of your Buyers will opt into Farmer-recommended products? Offering products that pair well with previous purchases is a great way to urge buyers to add to their cart. Sound like a lot of work? With the Barn2Door + Mailchimp integration, Farmers can automate product recommendations based on your Store’s most popular items or the individual customers’ previous orders. Sending such recommendations has proven to increase average order sizes by 30%! 

Listen: Save Time and Boost Sales with Practical Email Marketing Tactics

2. Incentives Drive Orders. 

The holidays are a time for gifts! Reward loyal Customers to show how much you value them. Offer a small discount, first access to new or specialty products, or early access to sign up for an on-Farm event. Segment Customers by groups (loyal, new, or absent) to send targeted information to each Buyer-type: 

• Loyal Customer Email Campaign: offer 10% off as a means to say “thank you” for being such a great customer.

• New Customer Email Campaign: provide a welcome promo, inviting them to shop from your Farm store when they sign up for your newsletter.

• Absent Customer Email Campaign: customers often get busy and forget to order from your Farm. Re-engage them with an enticing discount on their next order before December 25th!

Read: Give Your Farm Revenue a Boost Up to 35% with Barn2Door + Mailchimp

3. Create Limited-Time Offers.

64% of online shoppers wait to purchase products until they go on sale. Using the holidays to offer a limited-time deal (subscribe and save, or make a pre-order commitment) is the perfect time to generate more traffic to your Farm store. Buyers don’t like to feel like they’re missing out. Put a deadline on your promotion and use phrases like “limited-time offer” to create urgency. Send an email to inform subscribers about your special offers, or use a banner in your Store! 

Read: 5 Promos to Drive FOMO- Fear of Missing Out

4. Curate On-Farm Events. 

Your Buyers want to build a relationship with you and your Farm. If you have the space, try hosting an on-Farm event. If you’ve never done this before, start with something popular like a farm-to-table dinner, Farm tour, or petting zoo to meet the animals. Share the event with your loyal buyers and subscription customers first as a way to say thank you for their loyalty. You can even partner with a local chef or events coordinator to make planning easier and less time-consuming.

If you’re going to invest in hosting an event, make sure to charge for these activities. Organizing an experience of this caliber requires planning! Your Buyers will pay for unique experiences to have on your Farm. 

5. Leverage the Power of a Private Store.

With Barn2Door, reserve specialty products for customers that commit to your Farm - either through a subscription or pre-order. Once they subscribe, give them access to your private Farm Store. Buyers like to feel special. When you reward loyal customers with access to specialty items or products in high demand (e.g., bacon or truffles), you will drive additional sales this holiday season.

Read: Barn2Door Unlock Feature - Farmers Gain Control over Selling Specialty Items

It’s essential to try new things - whether it’s a Farm event, limited time offer, or the ability to Pre-Order from your Farm. Buyers get bored easily. Mixing it up and trying something new will capture your customers’ attention and drive Farm sales! When you discover what your buyers gravitate towards, you can build on the momentum through the holidays and into the Spring.

Barn2Door provides an all-in-one solution to grow and manage your Farm business. If you’re curious to learn why successful Farms run on Barn2Door, watch this 5-minute video.