Marketing
At the core of any successful business is a solid marketing plan. This holds true for any agriculture business, from a traditional cash grain operation to a small-scale produce operation, and everything in between. While the specific strategies of farms may be significantly different - some direct marketing to consumers and others selling a commodity product - all producers need to understand how sound marketing decisions are made. Below is a basic four-step plan that is applicable to any farm business:
Having concluded another market season - I start to wonder about how it might have been different this past year and what might we do to steer our direction for 2011. Let’s spend a few moments wrapping our minds around how well we met our marketing objects this past year. By doing this we begin the steps needed to make changes for the coming marketing season.
Do you know what drives customer choices? The American Restaurant Association has identified the top 10 food trends driving customer choices in 2011. Uncover these motivating trends as well as the 6 types of perceived risk that may be holding your customers back in this article from Ag Marketing expert and Penn State Extension Educator, John Berry.
Dave Hodge shared his wisdom on pricing for profits with farmers who market directly to consumers at Penn State Extension's Grow Your Market conference in Lancaster last Monday.
Do you market directly to consumers through farmers markets or a market on your own farm? Lela Reichart and Kathy Glahn presented SIMPLE – Sales, Interest, Motivation, Purchases, Location, and Evaluation - ways to capture consumers’ interest and dollars in these common direct marketing settings.
Penn State’s Small Farm Project launched a new web site entitled “A Guide to Farming in Pennsylvania.” The site contains links to farm management and business information useful to a wide range of people, from those just starting an agribusiness to retiring farmers concerned about passing the farm on to the next generation.
Simon Huntley, from Small Farm Central, shared a few tips for successful websites at the “Websites for Farmers” workshop sponsored by the PA Women in Ag Network last week.
Cooperatives (often referred to as “coops”) are an ancient concept where a group works together to meet common needs. This informal arrangement evolved over time into a formal business organization. Cooperatives have special status under tax laws in the United States and most other countries.
Understanding our cost structure and desired margin helps us identify appropriate pricing methods and their relationship to profitability.
The choices most consumers face for their food and fiber purchasing are many. Why do they shop with us? I expect they are comfortable with our brand of customer service delivery. However, we have some time yet before spring work to consider how we might best enhance the buying experience for our current and future customers.
In my great-grandfather’s diary of his farming activities, you will find entries for most Saturdays that say “In market”. One can imagine what it took in the late 1800’s to get ready to be “in market”. It might be a bit easier to get to market today but anyone who sells at a four-hour-once-a-week farmer’s market can tell you, the preparation takes much longer. Winter is usually the time for planning the growing season. But, as we all know, growing it means we also need to sell it so winter is also a good time for planning for our market season.
