Understanding Your Gross Margins
September 25, 2024Understanding Your Gross Margins
September 25, 2024November 1, 2024
Stand Out This Holiday Season: 6 Strategies For Farms & Food Businesses
By Julia Myhre, Marketing Planning & Research Manager
The holiday season is fast approaching, and it’s a time when farmers and small food businesses can truly shine. Customers are eager to support local businesses and elevate their holiday meals with fresh, local ingredients. But to capture this seasonal demand, you’ll need a strong marketing strategy in place.
Whether you’re selling pasture-raised meats or pickled beets, here are six essential tips to help your farm or small food business prepare for the holidays and maximize your sales.
1. Highlight What’s Special About Your Products
No matter if you sell locally or ship nationwide, your unique story as a small business is a key selling point. Customers value knowing where their food comes from, especially during the holidays. Highlight your farm’s sustainable practices, the care you put into your products, or the generations of family tradition behind your business. You have to help your customers understand why your product is better than what they’re currently using.
If you ship nationally, emphasize the personal touch and quality that set you apart from larger producers. Use phrases like “Farm-fresh, delivered to your door” or “Nationwide shipping from a small business you can trust.” Remember that you shouldn’t try to satisfy everyone; instead, focus on connecting with customers who appreciate high-quality, responsibly produced food, no matter where they’re located.
Pro Tip: Use festive branding elements on your website to create a seasonal feel and build excitement for holiday shopping, whether local or across the country.
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2. Offer Specific Holiday Promotions
Holiday shoppers are looking for unique deals, so tailor your promotions to highlight your best offerings. Instead of general discounts, create bundles that cater to holiday needs, like “VIP Holiday Dinner Bundle” with your best pasture-raised meats or “Fresh winter favorites” filled with seasonal veggies.
You could also offer gift cards or CSA memberships for the upcoming year as gifts that keep giving year-round. Pre-orders are a great way to guarantee availability and build excitement.
Pro Tip: Dedicate a “Holiday Specials” section on your website home page or shop page for easy browsing of your seasonal offers.
We helped Riemer Family Farm bring its charcuterie boxes to the forefront during the holiday season by creating a comprehensive marketing plan that combined targeted digital ads, engaging social media content, and community partnerships. With each box featuring Wisconsin-made cheeses, charcuterie, and farm-sourced condiments, we aimed to attract both gift-givers and gourmet food lovers. Through beautiful product photography, optimized landing pages, and tailored messaging, we highlighted the boxes as versatile options for gifting or gatherings, ultimately boosting seasonal visibility and driving sales for this family-owned farm.
3. Personalize Your Campaigns
Email is one of the most effective tools to reach customers during the holiday rush. Personalize your messages based on past purchases and preferences. For example, send loyal customers early access to deals and offer newcomers a welcome discount.
In each email, include:
- A festive design reflecting your brand
- Personalized product recommendations
- Clear calls-to-action directing customers to your holiday selection
- Shipping deadlines and freshness info for perishables
Pro Tip: Clearly communicate “arrive by” dates alongside shipping deadlines to ensure products are fresh for holiday meals. You can even add this information to your abandoned cart email for e-commerce to generate urgency.
4. Boost Social Media Engagement with Festive Content
Social media is a powerful way to connect with customers. Share eye-catching posts that show your products in holiday settings or give behind-the-scenes peeks into farm life. If you share personal tidbits on social media for your brand, the holidays are a great time to get personal because of the family associations with the season. Consider posting seasonal recipes or gift guides to inspire shoppers. Encourage your customers to share their own holiday creations using your products.
Pro Tip: Collaborate with other local businesses to create joint holiday bundles, which expand your reach while supporting your local food system.
We created a promotion calendar for Small Batch Kitchen, filled with ideas focused on holiday gift boxes, recipe inspiration, and their carbon-neutral shipping policies. The team then brought it to life, creating engaging content with eye-catching Reels and an enticing Black Friday deal.
5. Get Ahead on Shipping and Fulfillment
Shipping can be tricky during the holidays, especially with perishable goods. Clearly communicate shipping deadlines and offer pre-orders to manage inventory. Give customers convenient delivery or pickup options to fit their holiday schedules.
If shipping fresh or perishable products, make it easy for customers to select an “arrive by” date to ensure freshness. Check out our blog post on shipping perishable food for more information on things to consider like packaging, cooling methods, shipping speeds, and more.
Pro Tip: Offer free local delivery or in-store pickup days to attract more local buyers.
6. Partner with Local or Like-Minded Businesses
If your business operates locally, partnering with other local businesses is a great way to build community and expand your customer base. You can create joint holiday bundles, cross-promotions, or collaborative events that benefit both businesses and their customers.
For businesses with national distribution, you can still partner with local businesses in key areas or collaborate with companies that share your mission or target audience. This could include brands focused on sustainability, artisanal products, or those that appeal to a similar demographic. Such partnerships help you reach new customers while reinforcing shared values.
Pro Tip:Whether partnering locally or nationally, highlight your collaboration to appeal to customers who appreciate supporting small or value-driven businesses and being a part of their local food system.
And that’s it! You are on the road to an amazing holiday season.
If you need help getting ready for the holidays, or with your marketing planning in general, contact us to set up a time to discuss your business needs.
As a final note for preparing your promotions, make sure that your website can handle the increased traffic! Work with your website developer to ensure that your site will run smoothly, and to prevent frustrations from slow loading times for customers who are ready to buy. Don’t have a developer? We can help! Our team offers a variety of website support services.
