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Exclusive Content: 5 Tips for Farms to Sell Out Before Next Season
351 Plays17 days ago
This audiobook shares 5 tips from 1000's of Farms across the country to engage Buyers in the winter to increase revenue stability, drive cash flow and offset costs during the Off-Season. Learn the tactics to sell out before next season!
Find more Farm resources: https://www.barn2door.com/resources
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Transcript
Introduction to Independent Farming Podcast
00:00:10
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Independent Farmer Podcast, the go-to podcast for do-it-yourself farmers who are taking control of their own business, skipping the middleman, and selling direct to local consumer and wholesale buyers. This podcast is hosted by Barn to Door, the number one business tool for independent farmers to manage their business, promote their brand, and sell online and in person. Let's dive in to today's Independent Farmer Podcast.
Preparing for Off-Season Success
00:00:43
Speaker
Five tips for farms to sell out before next season. Introduction. As many farmers prepare for their off-season, the most successful farm businesses are already looking ahead to the spring, securing customer orders and generating cash flow for their business.
00:00:58
Speaker
While specific preparations will vary depending on seasonality, product availability, and your local buyer's market, it's essential to prepare your business strategy now so that your farm can sell out next season. Thousands of farms across the country have adopted tactics to engage their customers in the winter to increase revenue stability, drive cash flow, and offset costs during the off season. Farmers and buyers alike benefit from continued visibility into farms operations, which fuels more customer loyalty and orders when products become available.
00:01:28
Speaker
This eBook is intended to assist farmers with the tactics to drive revenue during the offseason before products are harvested or processed.
Tactics for Selling Out Early
00:01:36
Speaker
When your farm can sell out to anyone, anywhere, and anytime, and provide buyers with the convenience they expect, then your farm can sell out before the next season even begins. Here's a summary of the five key tactics implemented by our most successful farms to sell during the offseason.
00:01:52
Speaker
Chapter 1. Capture orders anytime, anywhere, online, and in person. Before you get products into customers' hands, your farm must be prepared to meet buyers where they're at, online and in person. Providing customers with convenient purchasing experiences they expect is a must if you want to sell out before the next season.
00:02:12
Speaker
For many farmers, it's not possible to sell all their products through a single channel such as farmer's markets only. That's why farms that position themselves to take orders anytime, anywhere, online, and in person can capitalize on every available sales opportunity and win more business. Follow these steps to success. Know your customers. To sell out for the next season, farmers should be aware of your customer's expectations, retail, and wholesale.
00:02:39
Speaker
7 out of 10 American adults pay for the benefits of Amazon Prime. When farmers provide a convenient purchase experience, either click to shop online or easy access to products offline, they create a more profitable business. Only 1% of Americans regularly attend farmers markets, while 48% of buyers who purchase from farms regularly only attend markets a few times a year. As a result, if your farm isn't aware of where your buyers are and active on other channels, you're missing out on potential new buyers.
00:03:09
Speaker
By removing the barriers to access your farm's products, making your farm accessible online and in person, and understanding your customer's shopping preferences, your farm can win and sell out. Capture sales across all channels, online and in person.
00:03:25
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Your farm's number one goal should be to capture every single available sales opportunity on every channel. Customers look for products when they visit markets, browse the internet and on social media. So when farms make their products available on all online channels, such as the web, social media and email, they grow their customer base and drive more frequent sales.
00:03:47
Speaker
One third of buyers shop online from local businesses on Facebook, Instagram, and email every single day. When your farm products are visible through multiple online channels, it creates buyer loyalty and trust in your brand, resulting in more frequent sales. By removing the barriers to access your farm's products, making your farm accessible online and in person, and understanding your customer shopping preferences, your farm can win and sell out.
00:04:13
Speaker
97% of buyers prefer using credit or debit for online purchases. Selling products offline is just as important. Farm stands, farmers markets, and delivery and pickup locations are all important avenues for customers to purchase from your farm. The most important factor to consider when selling to buyers in person is the experience they have with your farm, such as how convenient it is to find your farm products, how easy it is to purchase from your farm, and what payment options do you accept.
00:04:40
Speaker
These factors may seem small, but in reality, the experience customers have with your business can make it or break it for your farm. Americans are busy, and not everyone has the time to attend farmer's markets, but 90% of Americans want to purchase locally produced products. Meeting your customers online provides the convenient shopping experience they expect. When you take the time to meet your customers in person, the more likely they'll become loyal buyers. Everyone loves to shake the hand of a farmer who feeds them.
00:05:09
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One of our farmers from Illinois says, before starting online with Barnadore, we weren't selling a ton. After the transition to selling direct to our customers, we were selling out of the product as fast as we got them in. Barnadore has exceeded all of our expectations. Chapter two, ready your farms go to market strategy.
Engaging Customers Consistently
00:05:28
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To build a thriving direct to market business, your farm should assemble and engage in activities to increase awareness of your brand.
00:05:35
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Even though your business is always top of mind for you, your customers have busy lives and they may forget about your farm, unless you remind them. Consider how often you've seen commercials for billion dollar brands. Their primary goal is to remind you of their brand and their products.
00:05:51
Speaker
For your farm, it's critical to engage your buyers on an ongoing basis to generate consistent orders and brand affinity. If there's one thing to remember from this ebook, it's that consistent reminders about your farm's available products will generate more consistent purchases from your customers. So how do you remind buyers that your farm exists? By showcasing your brand where your customers visit every day. Online in their email inboxes, social media, and in person at schools, local businesses, and places of worship.
00:06:19
Speaker
If there's one thing to remember from this ebook, it's that consistent reminders about your farm's available products will generate more consistent purchases from your customers. Here's how. Emails. Email is a powerful tool to engage your customers all year. It's so powerful that 86% of buyers want to receive email updates from farmers at least once a month. If you don't currently have an email contact list, you need to start collecting emails now so you can send emails all year long to keep your farm top of mind.
00:06:47
Speaker
There are many ways you can collect customers' emails. Anywhere you see your customers is an opportunity to capture their information. Have a physical email signup form for in-person interactions and an email pop-up form on your website. At the markets, you can even provide a QR code that brings customers to your newsletter signup form. Lastly, top performing farms always hand out and post flyers with information about their products, including a QR code linking directly to their online farm store, which generates more orders for their business.
00:07:18
Speaker
Of course, gathering emails isn't the only step to building a strong email strategy. Send these three emails to keep customers engaged and informed about your farm. Welcome. Say hello to new subscribers with welcome emails. This is your first impression to share more about your farm. A newsletter. Customers want to receive email updates. Share what's new. Offer promo codes, add photos, and introduce new products.
00:07:45
Speaker
Some farmers generate up to 80% of their orders through a weekly newsletter. Order reminders. Remember, people will forget to purchase from your farm. That's why you need to remind them. With Barn to Door, order reminders can be turned on and sent out automatically to your contact list on a regular basis. Social media.
00:08:07
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People check their social media accounts every day. In fact, 62% of buyers admitted they prefer to follow local businesses on Facebook and Instagram. To engage with your community online, having a social media presence is important to make your business discoverable to those who don't know you exist.
00:08:24
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Developing a social media strategy can aid in your success and generate frequent farm sales. The best way to create a mix of content to engage your followers is with the three E's, entertain, educate, and e-commerce. Here are some examples. Entertain your customers by showing a day in the life of a farmer and posting pictures of your daily routine and activities. Educate followers by sharing your practices, how you prepare for various seasons, and interesting facts about your farm and your products.
00:08:53
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Promote your e-commerce store through your products. Show what's inside bundle boxes, what you offer in subscription packages, and what's new in your farm store. It's essential to always provide links to individual products on your social media posts, so followers can directly access a given product in your store from your posts.
00:09:11
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While the types of content you share is important, how often you post is equally as important to keeping your customers engaged with your farm brand. To achieve more visibility, posting consistently is key. It's recommended three to five times a week to stay top of mind and at the top of your followers' feeds.
00:09:27
Speaker
Take pictures or capture a short video, around 15 seconds, as you work throughout your day. Then dedicate one day a week to create and schedule your social media posts throughout the week or month. Batching your time to capture and post content will save you time and accelerate your farm's social media presence. 86% of buyers want to receive email updates from farmers at least once a month. 61% of buyers admitted that they prefer to follow local businesses on Instagram and Facebook. The Local Loop People are creatures of habit, so when farms insert their business into their buyer's routines, they drive more frequent sales. The local loop is the weekly routine that buyers engage in out of habit. When farms make accessing their products convenient, buyers won't have an excuse not to buy from you. Locations in your buyer's loop can vary, but typically include places they attend weekly. Post your farm flyer and email QR code on the bulletin board in your local business, schools, and places of worship to drive awareness to your farm.
00:10:27
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Local businesses where your buyers visit. People are constantly at local businesses, which is a perfect opportunity for you. Partner with local restaurants, coffee shops, health and wellness organizations, fitness centers, and so much more. Health conscious consumers are often eager to support local farms. Local schools where buyers pick up, drop off, or volunteer.
00:10:49
Speaker
Elementary, middle, and high schools are great venues to meet busy families amid their routines. You can participate in career days to educate young children about your farm, products, practices, and create a positive impact on the local community. When participating in school events on career days, send every child home with a farm flyer with a QR code to your online farm store. This will prompt parents to shop from your farm or come out to your farm for a weekend event. Local places of worship where buyers attend or volunteer.
00:11:18
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Many churches and synagogues actively support local businesses and regularly host women's and men's groups, homeschoolers, weekly Bible studies, preschools, and weekend services. Places of worship often have abundant parking, which is easy to leverage for a midweek pickup too.
00:11:34
Speaker
Churchgoers are often eager to support farmers who promote good stewardship of their products and the planet. The more consistent you are about inserting your farm brand into customers' lives, both online and in person, the more your business will grow, expanding your farm's brand awareness locally. When you implement a strong go-to-market strategy, you'll see an influx of sales and keeper brand top of mind to loyal and prospective buyers.
00:11:58
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A South Carolina farmer shared, When Barn to Door taught us the three E's of social media, it revolutionized my social media game. Now, it gives me something to shoot for every week. Educate, entertain, e-commerce, on repeat. Chapter 3.
Creating Urgency and Recurring Revenue
00:12:14
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Use FOMO to fuel sales for next season. With the interest generated from your go-to-market strategy and your products readily accessible online and in person, now is the time to actively promote your products ahead of the season.
00:12:27
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The fear of missing out, aka FOMO, has become a key tactic that farmers use to create interest and urgency with their products. Whether the goal is to drive pre-orders, secure buyer commitments, or increase cash flow in the off season, people never want to feel like they're missing out. FOMO with pre-orders.
00:12:45
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FOMO tactics are great to spur upfront purchases, where buyers can secure their place in line for the upcoming season. The best time to sell pre-orders is immediately after the last season ended, or after an emotional event, such as Thanksgiving, when their experience of your products and farm brand is top of mind.
00:13:02
Speaker
Offer buyers an incentive for paying upfront with a $10 or 10% promotional offer for a limited time only, or limited to the first 50 buyers only. There are many avenues for customers to preorder your products, for the holidays, through deposits and credits, or seasonal subscriptions.
00:13:18
Speaker
FOMO with subscriptions. To secure recurring revenue and reduce the time it takes for buyers to re-sign up for the next season, consider offering ongoing subscriptions. Ongoing subscriptions help reduce churn or the number of customers that decide not to re-subscribe to your farm after a seasonal subscription has ended. The more you can feed buyers on an ongoing basis, the more customers will stick around for the long term.
00:13:42
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As subscriptions are farmed secret weapons to locking in repeated purchases, consider offering a promotional incentive for an upfront, paid in advance subscription, or make it clear that there's only a limited number of spots for your ongoing subscriptions. Don't forget to promote your farmed subscriptions on your social channels, too. Remind buyers that you're almost sold out ahead of the next season to generate more interest in your products.
00:14:05
Speaker
FOMO promos. People hate the feeling that they're missing out on something, especially when it comes to a special discount. Leverage limited time offers and limited inventory messaging to prompt purchases. Buyers do not want to lose out on the exclusive deals of your farm, so offering a limited time coupon for your pre-orders will drive buyers to purchase.
00:14:24
Speaker
For example, when you send a newsletter, include a 10% off coupon of buyers pre-order within the next week. Then, send a reminder email one day before the offer expires to capture last minute sales. Here are three different FOMO promos that have proven to spur additional sales.
00:14:42
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First-time buyers. This is the most common form of promotion designed to attract and capture new customer details. To claim the promotion, a first-time buyer gives their email address in exchange for the coupon. Why? Because emails are gold. They allow your farm to engage in consistent communication with a new buyer.
00:15:02
Speaker
Limited time only. This type of promotion is often affiliated with holiday deals or special events. In farming, we see limited time only promotions for holidays and seasonal items. The time constraint can be short-term availability or the recent harvest of a product. In any event, be certain that the limited time nature of your promo is understood to your buyers.
00:15:25
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Minimum purchase. This promotion can help increase sales across all bundle boxes and subscriptions when buyers perceive they are saving money by spending more. A minimum purchase promotion is very effective with food. Why? Because everyone eats and has a family budget to spend on food. Setting a minimum purchase amount to get a discount or to earn free delivery or shipping also ensures you cover your costs before going the extra mile for your buyer.
00:15:50
Speaker
Lastly, you must promote your pre-orders, subscriptions, and promotions so buyers know when to secure their orders. The best place to spread the word is on social media and email newsletters. With catchy subject lines, grab customers' attention and prompt them to order with special discounts and promotions. When farmers leverage FOMO tactics, they drive higher conversion rates to their farm. When paired with preseason promotion activity, they sell out faster before the season begins.
00:16:18
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With these FOMO tactics, people are more likely to bite or buy to ensure they don't miss out. When farmers leverage FOMO tactics, they drive higher conversion rates for their farm. When paired with pre-season promotion activity, they sell out faster before the season begins. One farmer shared, we rolled out the pre-orders after the R-bondador account manager encouraged us to do so and wow, I've been surprised by how much traction we've already gotten. This was a great suggestion that really works.
Optimizing Inventory and Fulfillment
00:16:44
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Chapter four, package products for success.
00:16:48
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Selling out before next season requires more than just promoting your products. One fifth of customers don't finish checking out of their online carts because of an inconvenient experience. So when farmers offer a simple inventory layout and limited purchase options, they drive conversion rates.
00:17:03
Speaker
In fact, farmers on Barn to Door experience four times the average cart conversion rate versus other e-commerce platforms when they implement an easy and simple online shopping experience. Additionally, packaging plays a major role in your farm's conversion rates and can determine if you'll sell out before next season. The packaging of products has the power to differentiate your brands from others, where customers can develop feelings about how they perceive the quality of your offering.
00:17:28
Speaker
Customers prefer products packaged for their convenience, with bundle boxes and subscriptions in formats that fit their needs. When farmers offer a simple inventory layout and limited purchase options, they drive conversion rates. In fact, farmers on Barn to Door experience four times the average cart conversion rate versus other e-commerce platforms when they implement an easy and simple online shopping experience.
00:17:51
Speaker
Packaging your products in such a way helps prompt customers to purchase ahead of the next season. Consider the following suggestions when packaging your products for success. Bundle boxes. Package bundle boxes to move more products and increase your average order size. By assembling bundles, you're driving a better outcome for your farm and making it easier for buyers versus spending time individually assembling items. Incentivize bundle box purchases with your most desirable specialty products. For proteins, offer a T-bone steak with a 10-pound bundle box and a filet mignon and ribeye only in a 20-pound bundle box.
00:18:26
Speaker
You can also build bundles that can be staples in your customer's lives, like a breakfast bundle box, a lunch box, Christmas bundle, or a jams and jellies staple. When fewer products are displayed in your inventory, this increases buyer conversion and provides a more convenient purchase experience for your farm. Amazon data indicates that 60% of purchases will come from one of your first three items pinned at the top of your web store. When farms are reduce scrolling and limit their inventory, sales increase. Subscriptions
00:18:58
Speaker
Subscriptions are your farm's secret weapon to lock in recurring revenue month over month, and paired with pre-orders, they will bankroll your production ahead of the season. Customers want to purchase your products and receive them regularly. In fact, on average, Americans have 9 plus paid subscriptions to products they regularly use.
00:19:17
Speaker
We all need to eat every day, and subscriptions are the perfect way to guarantee food security for your buyers. Here are three subscription formats your farm can use to meet customers' expectations and drive recurring farm revenue.
00:19:29
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One, ongoing subscriptions. For products that are available year-round, ongoing subscriptions are perfect for products that are always in demand and available on a consistent schedule. Common examples include dairy, eggs, poultry, pork, and beef. Two, seasonal subscriptions.
00:19:48
Speaker
These subscriptions should align with specific harvest seasons or growing times. Arrange the term to set for a specific amount of weeks or months. Typically, this is around 6 to 24 weeks, or 3 to 6 months. Common examples include produce CSAs, flowers, fish, and shellfish subscriptions. Number 3. Rolling subscriptions. Recurring regularly, there's no specific term associated with rolling subscriptions.
00:20:15
Speaker
Perfect for a herd share or multiple seasons of a produce CSA, these occur on a set of rolling periods, typically 3, 6, 9, or 12 months. Common examples include a 3-month produce CSA. This can start anytime a buyer signs up in the spring.
00:20:31
Speaker
or a six month herd share for beef, poultry, or dairy. As one third of Americans live alone, one third live in a household of two or three people, and the remaining one third live with four or more people. Packaging products to meet these criteria will be the key to driving more orders for your farm. Your packaging and offerings go hand in hand with creating the experience of shopping from your farm. Leverage a simplified inventory layout and convenient purchase options to drive orders ahead of the season.
00:20:59
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A Nebraska farmer says, I love using subscriptions. I know that every month miss Smith is going to get a 10 pound box of meat and I'll get a hundred bucks. My customers really liked the peace of mind and so do I chapter five.
00:21:13
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Promote convenient fulfillments. To sell out, customers need to have convenient fulfillment options. 76% of American consumers said that having multiple fulfillment options influences their purchasing decision. To satisfy buyers' needs and drive up front sales, it's essential to offer local pickup and direct home delivery options.
00:21:33
Speaker
Before you start your pickup and delivery service, you need to determine where your customers reside. If you don't know where they're located, running a pickup and delivery service will be more complicated. In essence, it helps you streamline your process and plan for your future. Initially, you'll want to focus the location of your pickup and delivery service options on one or two zip codes. You can't please everyone, so focus on where you have the highest volume of consumers.
00:21:58
Speaker
Those who want your products will get your products. Once you build momentum, then you can expand to more zip codes. Pay attention to who is purchasing from you. This includes families, office workers, or stay-at-home parents. Knowing who is buying can help you decide where to offer a pickup location or delivery option.
00:22:15
Speaker
Don't forget about the local Loop 2. Map the routine of your target customers and ask local establishments such as cafes, restaurants, offices, gyms, and so much more to support your farm by making fires available on their bulletin boards and potentially hosting a pickup location.
00:22:31
Speaker
Local pickup. Pickup locations should be within a 10-mile radius of where your customers live. Why? Because the majority of your buyers will drive up to 10 miles to pick up their orders from a local farm. Choose locations like work offices, farmers markets, places of worship, local businesses that you've partnered with, or public parking lots.
00:22:50
Speaker
Remember, your customers won't have the time to meet you if the pickup location is out of the way or if parking is difficult. Next, designate your time and days. Knowing your buyer's schedules will help you decide when and where to provide pickup locations. If your customers are full-time workers, choose a weekend or some time after 5 p.m. Stay-at-home parents can meet you during the day when their kids are at school. Charting the local loop can help you determine the best locations.
00:23:17
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76% of American consumers said that having multiple fulfillment options influences their purchasing decision. To satisfy buyers' needs and drive-up rent sales, it's essential to offer local pickup and direct home delivery options. Direct home delivery.
00:23:33
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Direct delivery is a convenience that customers are accustomed to. However, direct delivery isn't just about getting in a vehicle and driving around town randomly. It takes careful planning to build a consistent schedule and buyer density. When properly implemented, direct delivery will consistently delight your buyers and give you a plan to follow.
00:23:52
Speaker
Remember the one to two zip codes you narrowed your buyers down to? That's where you'll want to start delivering when you begin your service. Then, decide if you'll make weekly, biweekly, or monthly deliveries. Base this around your harvest, how long your bundle boxes last, or how often customers order.
00:24:08
Speaker
Lastly, decide on a delivery fee. 50% of buyers are willing to pay more than $8 for local farm food delivery, and 85% of farm delivery orders average a fee of $10 or less. The fee will vary from farm to farm, but you want to choose a cost that can cover the price of gas and pay for your time, or the cost of drivers. Remember, there is no such thing as free delivery.
00:24:31
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Farms implementing direct delivery services with Parnadore drive two times more average monthly revenue versus farms that do not offer delivery. Convenience is the tipping point to your farm success, increasing buyer loyalty and saving you time on fulfillment days.
00:24:46
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A South Carolina farmer shared, since the farmer's markets only ran six months out of the year, we knew we needed a way to sell our products like Amazon. That's what people expect today, having orders arrive at their doorstep. It was amazing that Barnador helped set up our delivery process, making it frictionless and profitable.
00:25:04
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Conclusion If your farm implements these five tactics, it will help position your farm to sell out before next season.
Meeting Buyer Demands and Resources
00:25:11
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Your buyers demand convenient purchase options from your farm due to their busy schedules. If your farm doesn't meet their needs, fit into one of their routines, or offer convenient access to products, then buyers will turn to other easier options, such as other farms that offer delivery or online order for pickup Farms can sell out ahead of the next season and generate thousands in advance by providing buyers with access to purchase your farm products anywhere and anytime. Make it easy and convenient for buyers and your farm business will thrive. 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, then visit Barn2Door.com for more information.
00:25:52
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This has been five tips for farms to sell out before next season. Narrated by Wilga Thomsen.
00:26:08
Speaker
Thank you for joining us on the Independent Farmer Podcast. At Barn to Door, we are passionate about empowering independent farmers to build a thriving business. To all the farmers out there, thank you for all you do to grow amazing food, care for the soil, and serve your local communities. You are the backbone of our country. For free farm resources or to listen to prior podcasts, go to barntodoor dot.com backslash resources. We hope you join us again and subscribe to the Independent Farmer Podcast wherever you stream your podcasts. Until next time.