3 Tactics Farmers Can Learn From Restaurant Openings
Restaurants and Farms both provide their customers with an essential: Food. Everyone needs to eat, and they want quality food that delights their families. Notwithstanding neverending demand, Restaurateurs and Farmers alike need to market their business to attract new buyers, increase brand awareness, and build customer loyalty to compel ongoing purchases.
Restaurant openings provide a great example for Farmers of the 3 key tactics when seeking to spread the word about your business and generate interest in your Farm products. Unlike a restaurant that (typically) only opens once, Farms are constantly showcasing new products. However, just like restaurants, Farms need to engage their network consistently to remind them that their business exists. Here are 3 tactics restaurants leverage when opening their doors that Farmers can apply to their own business models:
1. Generate Interest Ahead of Season
Before a restaurant opens, there are numerous ways restaurateurs try to create awareness in the local community. Between social media, email marketing, local community engagement, interacting with other businesses, and posting flyers around town, their goal is to have a packed house on opening night.
The same method can be applied to Farms ahead of Harvest. How? By selling Pre-Orders. Pre-Orders allow customers to purchase before products are available to lock in their spot to gain access to your products. When Farmers use messaging like “limited supply,” “get yours before they’re gone,” or by offering a discount as an incentive to reserve products early, Farm Pre-Orders have become a proven tactic to generate interest among customers and drive revenue for Farm businesses in advance.
Just like a restaurant opening that requires guests to reserve a table before opening night to ensure a packed house, Farms that leverage Pre-Orders have been known to generate $1000’s in orders even up to one year in advance!
2. Promote Your Business on ALL Channels
As the modern version of “word of mouth,” having an online presence is important to generate local awareness for businesses today. In fact, over 90% of consumers have used the internet to search for local businesses.
Most restaurants have “Google My Business,” which allows customers searching for restaurants in their area to be found on a map and appear in the search results. Without it, the majority of people won’t know they exist (unless they pass the restaurant on the street!).
Farms are no different. Without an online presence, customers searching for local Farms online won’t find your business. The combination of being discoverable across all channels – website, social media, and email allows your Farm to interact with customers “where they are.” This makes it more likely to keep your Farm top of mind and attract more prospective customers.
The “hook” for restaurants is when customers try their food. The same is true for Farms. So, by being discoverable through search results, posting consistently on social media, and engaging contacts with email marketing, Farms generate more frequent purchases from loyal customers.
3. Partner With Local Businesses
Did you know 94% of Americans want to support small businesses? For restaurants, it’s in their best interest to partner with local Farmers and Producers to use the best ingredients. It’s a win-win for the restaurant and the producer.
The same is true for Farmers. Partnering with other Farms and Producers, small businesses (like restaurants!), or local artisans help expand your business and reach a wider audience of potential customers. When Farms expand their product offering to include other value-added products (e.g., jams, jellies, sauces, rubs, bakery items, etc.) you create a more convenient shopping experience for buyers and eliminate further barriers for customers to purchase from your Farm.
With a diversified product lineup, there’s no reason why customers wouldn’t purchase from your Farm. This also allows you to get creative to offer a diverse variety of Bundle Boxes and Subscriptions catered to any family or individual's needs.
Read: How Value-Added Products Can Increase Average Order Value
Listen: Impacting Packaging and Choice Subscriptions with Little River Farms
Restaurant openings and Farms are not so different: providing quality food for customers to enjoy. By understanding how restaurants market their products, pre-sell tables in advance, and collaborate with other local producers to increase their local visibility are tactics, Farms can use to generate their own loyal network of customers. Understanding their tips and tricks, Farms can increase sales, access more customers, and build an even more profitable business.
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