MARKETING MATTERS
BUILDING A GREAT FARM WEB SITE
Market Your Sustainable Farm on the Internet
| How to tell your farm's story -
Building your brand means that you must distinguish your sustainable farm from others. And that means learning to tell your farm's story. Click here to learn how.
Top rank on Google?  How do your get you site to the top of the list on Google and other search engines? Click here to learn more Hiring the right designer - Do you need a pro or is Cousin Bob good enough ? If the difference is between a Web site with Cousin Bob or no Web site at all, go with Cousin Bob. Or sign up for a free blog at Blogger.com or Wordpress.com. But if you want a Web site that performs reliably for all visitors, one that you can expand as your needs grow, then you need a professional site. E-mail us at info AT sustainablefarmer.com for a list of Web designers who specialize in building farm sites nationwide. So what does a Web site cost? - There is no easy answer to that question, not only because Web designers can charge different fees for different skills but prices vary in different locations. Some charge per hour and some by the job. Costs also depend on how much work the designer must do for you. Do you have quality content in electronic form - promotional copy, photos, video? And developing the site is one expense, but maintaining and expanding it is another. You can save money by learning to use your blog to provide fresh information. If you are a techie, you might also want to to updates yourself. Iin addition to the cost of developing the site, you will need to pay an annual fee, usually between $8 to $30, for your domain name (www.mydomain.com). It is critically important that you own your own domain name in your name, so instruct your designer to purchase it in your name, not theirs. You will also pay a monthly or annual fee to host your Web site on a server. Think barter! Is there a designer in your area who would love to build and maintain your Web site in exchange for fresh food? |
Online farm marketing basics
There are many things a Web site does well. Offered as part of an integrated marketing plan, your Web site can:- Reinforce your "brand" - Each farm has a unique story to tell. (Click here to learn "How to your farm's story.") As part of an integrated marketing plan, your Web site can tell that story through a variety of different media and modes - text, images, graphics, audio and video. (If not today, then tomorrow.)
- Provide information 24/7 - Unlike a telephone call, a Web site offers information without requiring your personal interaction. It can save you significant time if people use your site to find out things such as what's in season, driving directions and store hours.
- Build community - Offer opportunities for people to share their e-mail addresses with you so that you can keep them informed about farm news. (Also assure them that you won't sell their information to others without their permission). An update could be as simple as a notice that asparagus will be ready for picking next weekend. Or you may want to develop a regular monthly electronic newsletter, which you can attach as a PDF file with pictures and links back to areas of your Web site.
- Reach new customers - People who might otherwise never hear about your enterprise may find you through an online search, a link from another Web site and especially an e-mail link from a friend (remember to encourage your customers to share a link to your site with their friends). Your Web site also allows them to learn more about you without the commitment required to drive to the farm.
- Capitalize on immediacy - Is strawberry harvest finished? You can post the news online and send an e-mail so customers do not make the trip for nothing. Communication is key to keeping customers happy.
- Integrate with your overall marketing plan - The rule of thumb in advertising is that it takes at least three exposures to a message to break down consumer resistance. So make sure to put your URL/Web site address on all of your offline marketing materials:
- Business cards
- Brochures
- Flyers
- Postcard updates
- Paid print ads
- Outdoor signs
- Indoor signs
Implement your Web strategy in phases
A Web site can keep changing to meet changing needs. Your goal should be to develop a suitable Web presence as soon as possible, with an eye toward expanding the site over time.
- Phase 1 - An Online Business Card - Your name, tagline (what you do or stand for in 10 words or less), products or services for sale, location, hours of operation, and maybe a picture.
- Phase 2 - An Online Brochure - All of the above plus a brief history of the farm, a map, a year-round calendar and a sprinkling of photos.
- Phase 3 - A Fully Interactive/Multimedia Web Site - This phase never ends, because opportunities to offer new Web features are always appearing. The following is only a partial checklist of the additional options to add in addition to all of the above:
- Forms for Community-Supported Agriculture contracts - Offer either a form people can fill out online or a dowloadable PDF file.
- Farm Blog - A quick and easy way to update visitors about news of the farm.
- Picture gallery or narrated slideshow - A tour of the farm? A visual display of food crops around the calendar?
- Updatable Calendar - An at-a-glance way for visitors to see which crops are close to harvest.
- Electronic newsletter - Gather e-mail addresses through a simple form, then send an e-mail or PDF newsletter that can be archived on the site as well.
- Educational outreach - Provide teachers materials on your farm that they can use in classes (and then educate their parents). Combine this with school tours.
- YouTube/Digital Video - A video about the farm or a series of videos can drive traffic to your Web site if posted on a popular site like YouTube. Professional quality can be a plus, but even amateur video with emotion and heart can do wonders.
- Online Store - If you produce value-added products such as jam and jellies or honey, you can set up an online store. PayPal offers an easy-to-install secure shopping cart that allows people to use their credit cards (you pay a fee per transaction).