Frequently I get asked, “Where should I advertise my farm products?”
The q’ comes in many versions:
How do I convince people that my products are worth the price?
How do I get people to respond to my ad?
How do I get my name out there?
Do you see a trend here – everyone asking these questions is looking outside themselves and their farm.
They are hoping there’s some outside place that I know about – my secret sauce – that I can send them to and that will finally be the key to their sales success!
And if you look back over every blog post I’ve written, I always focus you back to your email list, your customers, your tribe – encouraging you to communicate with them, talk to them, email them, be generous with them. There and only there is where the gold is!
You’ll be forever frustrated if you keep focusing outside your business – stop looking for that magical secret sales somewhere out there in the world – and instead concentrate your attention to your existing customers, no matter how few. That’s where your sales – current and future – will come from.
In this post, I am going to show you exactly how I build trust with my customers by being super generous with them – without spending a dime!
The magic is in your email list.
That’s where the connections are going to be made with people who will be so loyal that you’ll be giddy with love for them!! That’s where your sustainability, success and profit will come from!
There is no place outside of you and your customers that you can focus on advertising and become sustainable. Advertising is expensive and does not build the loyalty you need to keep customers coming back to you for years to come.
But getting customers on your email list is free and you can constantly grow it on autopilot (don’t worry – keep reading and I’ll show you how to do that!).
It costs more money to go out and find new customers than to keep the ones you have.
There are studies showing it costs 12 times more to go out and find new customers than to keep the ones you have, so logically it makes good financial sense to focus here, too.
Many people help a customer purchase something once and then never reach out to them again, just assuming they’ll continue doing business with you.
But times have changed – with the advent of the internet and everyone you know able to set up some sort of online or home based business, it’s too easy to take customer loyalty for granted and go broke doing it!
What I mean is this: You have customers already, whether a lot or a few. Put all your focus on them and your customer base will grow in multiples and you will be profitable.
What do you do after a customer buys from you?
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes – do you fall off the face of the earth after a customer makes a purchase? Does your customer never hear from you for several months until they randomly get an email from you – out of the blue – where you ask them to purchase again? (because all of a sudden you went into panic mode wondering when your next sale was going to happen.)
Why would that customer want to buy from you again? They’ve probably already found someone else to purchase from at that point.
I talk in an earlier post all about this idea – that your customer must feel like they matter to you or they have no reason to buy from you. And lack of communication makes them feel like they don’t matter to you.
What I encourage and model here is to focus on building a deep connection with your customers so they’ll be loyal and even tell your friends how amazing you are. When their friends come to you then you’ve already got guaranteed loyalty and your customer list keeps growing.
Advertising is a waste of money.
I’m here to tell you – don’t advertise! It’s a waste of your dollars.
You may make a sale but it will be isolated if it’s not followed up with your relationship building efforts. Then your costs to acquire that customer are just wasted and you have to spend more money to get one more sale.
I’ll say it again – no outside magical place to advertise is going to appear – instead, I’m going to keep sending you back to your email list and your current customers.
How do you get a list? Enter all your customers’ names into some email marketing software platform such as the free Mailchimp – even if you only have 2 customers, your mom and your sister!!!
Put them in there. Trust me – it will grow! And it will grow QUALITY, PAYING customers – unlike the crapshoot that advertising is.
Then follow what I teach in the free email series that walks you through setting up your very first email list. BTW if you haven’t signed up for it yet you’re missing out!! I’ve been getting emails all week since I launched it saying things like this:
Loren says:
“I am learning new and wonderful things, thank you for your generosity. I’m certain this basic knowledge will be a key to my success.”
Sally:
Wow, I so appreciate this series! Hopefully it will get me out of the rut I’m in with trying to get my email marketing campaign going
And more praise:
Although this was a mini- course it didn’t lack in content, I learned that being personal and building a relationship with your customers is the most important thing you can do for your business. I’ve already started building my future e-mail list with Mailchimp. Your course really helped me with how I should address my customers.
Those who are putting this advice into practice are building sustainable farms – and I LOVE hearing from you as this is happening!!
I want the best for you and that includes finally getting your farm profitable so you can enjoy life and let go of some of the stress!!
When you get on board with relationship centered, email marketing that I talk about here, you’ll be well on your way to finally feeling like you know where your next sale is coming from.
3 emails to build relationships with your customers after they purchase from you.
Shockingly simple. So simple you may think it’s not a big deal but you will stand out in today’s crowded marketplace!
These little emails are hugely important. Your customers will feel like you care about them – instead of just wanting to sell them something.
1. “Thank you” email:
Personally send an email thanking your customers and telling you how much you appreciate them. Don’t sell anything to them. Simply show your gratitude and appreciation for them, make them feel like they matter to you. Make them feel so good inside by telling them how their purchase is supporting your small farm so you can continue to serve your community of customers. You can do this at any time, whether someone has just bought your product today or anybody who has bought from you in the past.
2. “How can I help/be of service to you” email:
People love to give their opinion, and this email opens up a dialogue so you can start building relationship. Ask your customers what could have made the purchasing process easier, why would they recommend it to their friends, and ask them if they have any follow up questions. Ask them what they hope to get from being a part of your farm community. You’ll learn SO MUCH from the responses to this email!
3. “The free gift” email:
Give your customers something of value – no, don’t give away product that you’ve worked so hard to produce, but something free that your customer will appreciate and is free for you to provide. It could be a recipe to go along with that broiler chicken they bought, or send them a study showing how healthy raw milk is. Trust me, you will STAND OUT from all the other farmers by showing you care for your customers!
Sending these emails consistently over time will build such strong relationships with you and your customers. You’ll build so much confidence and start to see results immediately.
Now how do you write these above emails efficiently, effectively and also legally? We dive in deeper in our free email course – click here to join me there!
I’m overjoyed that you read all the way to the bottom with me!! Now, forward this post to your farmer-friends who would LOVE to have some extra, free help with their marketing.
Lastly, pop down below this post into the comment section and let me know what is your biggest insight you’re taking away from this post?
Does any of this sound foreign, unfamiliar, awkward? Well that’s a good thing!! It means you’re learning something no other farmer in your area is doing. You’ll stand out in a crowd and your farm will start to flourish!
As always, thank you for shining your light in this world through your amazing work you do!!
Love and hugs,
Charlotte
