Why Social Media & Email Are Key to Growing Your Farms’ Customer Base
Recently, we sat down with Alex Russell on the Direct Farm Podcast to hear how he grew a thriving direct-to-market business as a first-generation Farmer. When Alex originally started his business, he didn't engage in any marketing activities – instead, he was focused on raising his animals. However, he realized that in order to build a successful direct-to-consumer Farm business, he has to remind his customers that his Farm exists! (Read more about Chucktown Acres here).
While this blog covers the key learnings Alex shares about his own marketing experience, we recommend listening to the entire episode (60 mins):
Social Media is Key to Generating Interest
For many Farmers, social media isn’t a task anyone wants to include in their daily chore list. While it’s easy to believe you can “fly by” without social media when you have a business, Alex disagrees. “One of the best pieces of business and marketing advice that I ever got was that you have to remind people that you exist, especially when you're a small business. In your mind, you always exist. What you're doing is the most important thing ever – to you. So, you have to constantly be knocking on the door and reminding people, ‘Hey, we’re here, and you can buy this.’”
Before starting Chucktown Acres, Alex was an “anti-social-media-guy.” He didn’t want to be on the internet, so he didn’t exist on the internet. However, when he started Chucktown Acres, he quickly learned that without social media, his business didn’t exist to many potential buyers. “Social media is an absolute must if you're running a business because it's free marketing, and you can do a lot of your education and your sales directly on the platforms at no cost. You need to leverage as much as you can by spreading the word about your business and what you do. Follow other Farms that are popular and see what they're doing. That's what I’ve done and mimicked. It's working out great for my business.”
Social media is a great tool for Farmers to express their values and grow their Brand. Many leverage the Three E’s (Entertain, Educate, and eCommerce) to help plan their social media posts. Farmers entertain their customers by sharing fun stories, posting funny videos, or showing a “day in the life” of a Farmer. They educate their followers on sustainable farming practices, what's growing in the season, or interesting facts about products or farming. Lastly, Farmers promote eCommerce by showing their products (in Alex’s case, he posts pictures of what’s in his Subscription boxes to increase sales!), prompting Pre-Orders, or offering promotional discounts for holidays or special events.
Email Marketing Can Drive Consistent Revenue
While social media is essential to a Farm business, it’s not a catch-all. When Farm businesses also invest in building their email strategy, they drive more consistent orders for the business. Alex sends a weekly Newsletter to keep his Farm top of mind:, “You've got to assemble a short newsletter. I know most Farms are probably sending a newsletter once a month. I've seen a huge benefit from sending once a week.” While each Farm is different, 86% of buyers actually want to receive email updates about available Farm products at least once per month.
“Email is a personal invite to information and sales. You need to make people feel special. You can use Mailchimp, which will put the person's name at the beginning of the email. And when I get an email like that, even though I know it's a newsletter, I still feel warm and fuzzy inside. When I see an email that says, ‘Hey, Alex, …’ it always catches my attention.”
Barn2Door + Mailchimp is a powerful tool that Alex leverages to keep his customers engaged with his Brand. Farmers that leverage the Barn2Door + Mailchimp integration drive an average increase of +30% in sales! Why? Because personalization and consistent updates about the Farm, prompts each buyer with a personalized experience, including recommended products they would like. In this case, a little truly does go a long way for your business.
Read: Give your Farm Revenue a Boost up to 35% with Barn2Door + Mailchimp
Listen: A Chimp, Software, and Farming... Let's Talk Email Marketing
If you do find yourself sending weekly Newsletters or lacking products to sell due to the season (although we recommend selling Pre-Orders!), your Newsletter doesn’t need to be solely focused on selling products. Your Customers subscribed to your email list to receive product updates, learn about your Farm, and connect with you. “You don't even have to be selling anything, but be informative. Tell people what you're doing, 'cause they don't know what you're doing, and they want to know.”
To start sending emails, you need to first collect emails. Here are two ways your Farm can start capturing customers’ emails today:
On your website:
It’s best practice to include an email signup form and a pop-up on your website to capture emails. Those who are interested in your Farm will want to continue to learn about your Farm. If you make your sign-up form easy to find, you’ll quickly grow your email list and expand your customer base.
Flyers and QR codes:
Your website can collect a lot of emails, but so can Flyers with QR codes at the market, on bulletin boards at local businesses and churches, or handed out to individuals. QR codes can take your customer straight to an online email sign-up form. If you use the Barn2Door + Mailchimp integration, we’ll even make the email sign-up form, QR Code, and physical email sheet for you to start collecting emails ASAP – no matter where you come in contact with your buyers!
A strong social media and email strategy lets your farm foster a community that wants to engage with your Farm business. Not all customers can be at the market, drive to a Pickup location, or be present during a Delivery. Instead, connect with them where they are guaranteed to be every day: in their inboxes and on social media. You’ll drive consistent demand for your products and create a loyal customer base.
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.