Why story and standards are key in marketing farm produce

It’s clear that social media and digital communications are increasingly important in marketing farm produce and services in diversified businesses.

However, it is the story, standards and ethos of a business that go a long way to making its goods and services a success.

See also: What’s hot and what’s not in the farm diversification market

Sustainability is a growing consumer expectation and marketing a farm’s sustainable practices helps build trust, showcase transparency, and set a brand apart from supermarket alternatives, says Hayley Parker, managing director of Devon-based Flame Marketing, which advises rural businesses.

“Sustainable farming practices aren’t just good for the planet – they’re a powerful way to build your farm brand and set yourself apart from mass-market alternatives and can become one of your most powerful farm marketing tools, so make it part of your story,” says Hayley.

Authenticity, transparency and explaining why you make the choices you make all help build deeper connections with your customers and audience, so that a purchase or a booking is more than just a transaction for the customer.

Social media opportunity  

Social media is increasingly important in marketing but it can work so much better for many businesses than is currently the case, says Hayley.

She says that while many post on social media platforms, they fall down by failing to engage sufficiently with their customers and wider audience.

“For instance, if your customers are on Instagram, follow them. Collaborate with other businesses that are aligned with yours but not in competition with you.

“And there are so many opportunities to post polls, that’s a very easy type of engagement. Invite your customers to engage, offer a photo spot at your business, they will post their pictures and do some of your marketing for you.

“Or offer something for posting a review. Competitions are also good for marketing and the more creative you are with rewards, the better. There is research to show that it’s more effective to offer 100% off to one customer than 10% off to 10 customers.”

You can also engage customers by involving them in the business, says Hayley, for example, a competition to name a product.

Building relationships and engagement takes time but is essential and farmers have many daily opportunities to do so, for example by taking a short video of a daily routine such as getting the cows in and then posting it.

“Try and work social media into your daily routine.”

It’s also important to examine all the touchpoints a customer has with the business from their first experience of it through to transactions and follow ups, says Hayley.

“Look at where you can make that better – for example, by collecting customer information. If you know a customer is vegetarian, then you can tailor your communications with them so that these don’t include meat promotions. And don’t bombard people with communications.”

There is a huge range of good software to make customer contact efficient and effective, says Hayley.

Similarly, software to help schedule social media posts can save a lot of time.

Farmers Weekly spoke to four farms about their marketing and how they communicate and develop relationships with their customers.

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Eve’s Hill Farm, Norfolk 

Jeremy Buxton and his wife Kathryn run several alternative enterprises on the family’s 100ha holding in north Norfolk.

High quality standards, education, community and telling their story are key ingredients in their marketing efforts.

The business at Eve’s Hill Farm is centred on its 60-head Hereford suckler beef herd and a regenerative approach on the arable side.

There are 30-40 Saddleback pigs on the farm at any time, along with free-range hens.

Jeremy returned to the family farm after a career in sports television.

Nine years ago he and Kathryn started a small adults only campsite and then began selling their beef in boxes. This was followed by opening a small farm shop which Jeremy built.

Farmers’ market launch

Three years ago they launched a crafts and farmers’ market, chiefly in a bid to increase awareness of and custom for the farm shop.

These events are held several times a year and have become very successful in a relatively short time, with 60 stallholders and about 1,500 visitors to each market.

“It’s really turned things on their head and we’re very grateful for the success, there’s a fabulous atmosphere at the markets and the fact that they are held on a working farm is important,” says Jeremy.

The success of the markets has led to many inquiries about how to set up such a venture, often from town councils seeking to revitalise town centre trade.

There is strong demand for stalls at the markets and potential stallholders are carefully checked out to ensure that they offer local produce and craft goods.

“This is so that there’s nothing we wouldn’t be happy selling in the farm shop,” says Jeremy.

The growth of the business has been organic, with a dog-walking field added to great success, complementing the campsite as well as catering for local dog owners.

“Don’t cut corners, set the bar high. We live and die by the cleanliness of the toilets and showers on the campsite, it’s so important.”

Marketing

Marketing can take many forms and, along with those high standards in the case of the Eve’s Hill Farm business, includes total transparency about the farm, its stock and other produce.

“If a customer asks a question, we answer it forthrightly,” says Jeremy.

Anticipate customer questions

He advises using frequently asked questions on a website, anticipating what customers might want to know, and addressing any problems straight away.

“Tell them your story, education is critical – for example, why we are producing grass-fed beef.”

With a media background, Jeremy is comfortable presenting the business, but says that people should not be afraid to invest in expertise.

“For example, we’ve just engaged a social media consultant to help us with that side of the business so that we can learn what we can do better.”

Good signage is critical, both for finding the farm and on site. Community engagement is also very important, says Jeremy.

“We want to create a community around the farm, we haven’t tried to grow too quickly and we’ve worked with the community. We’ve hosted umpteen school visits – they are our customers of the future.”

There are also guided tractor tours and a stamp trail for children to follow.

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Strawberry Fields, Devon

Customer expectations are increasing and if you set high standards in the first place, then however you develop the business further, that’s what’s expected, says Laura Mounce, who with her husband Adam runs Strawberry Fields at Lifton in Devon.

The farm’s diversification journey began in 1992 when Adam’s parents, Jo and Roger, opened a pick-your-own strawberry field, followed the next year by a produce barrow and, in 2002, the first farm shop.

Today, there is a coffee shop, a restaurant, and catering for weddings and other events, including conferences.

The pumpkin fest is in its 12th year, there is an annual maize maze, a “big machine week” in the February half-term, a 1.2ha tulip festival and a huge seasonal attraction in the run-up to Christmas, one of the main events for the business.

Strong branding

Laura is fiercely protective of the Strawberry Fields brand, with strong branding an important part of the marketing toolkit, extending to packaging, labelling and bags.

Recent developments include the opening of two further but much smaller shop sites.

Care has to be taken to see the branding and ethos through into all that the two satellite shops offer, she says. 

Successful businesses of this type engender huge loyalty and it’s now possible to capture a lot of data about customers, says Laura.

“There’s so much potential there but it’s no good if you don’t do something with it. It can help you target different customers differently.”

Loyalty card scheme

Those who sign up for Strawberry Fields’ free loyalty card scheme receive points for their purchases, vouchers, priority offers, exclusive and personalised discounts.

Email marketing is used for loyalty card customers and special days such as a recent “triple points” weekend help to reward them, while receipts are used for messages about offers and rewards.

Creative marketing thinking has led to the development of new offerings such as afternoon seasonal fare picnics, a wide range of hampers, taster weekends and gift vouchers.

Social media

Social media can be “massive” if you’re working it in the right way, says Laura, so that customers do a lot of marketing for you.

Family-friendly events are photo opportunities, and opportunities also for sharing those photos, so that in turn, customers are also important promoters of the business.

“Events are important but not everyone can do it,” says Laura. “They take a lot of imagination, and whatever you’re going to do, do it well and stick to what you’re good at.”

Standards and quality

High standards are important at Strawberry Fields and that goes right through the business, from the quality of the produce and meals offered, to the service and the staff, many of whom “live and breathe” the business, says Laura.

Even the toilets have won awards. Adam and Laura are very hands-on and visible in the business to both staff and customers.

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Wheatrig Business Hub, East Lothian

Anna Thomson runs Wheatrig Business Hub, about 15 miles from Edinburgh, which has commercial office lets and offers co-working and hot-desking space.

Social media, and in particular Facebook, is her main marketing tool.

The idea for the hub came in 2018 when her arable farmer husband Willie Thomson heard someone from the local council speak about the lack of office space in their area.

Work was just about to begin on the conversion of traditional farm buildings for the hub when the Covid-19 pandemic changed the plans.

“We were all set to start building the day that lockdown hit. After that delay we got going and opened in March 2021,” says Anna, who runs a rural public relations and marketing business.

There are five units, three of which are rented out on long-term lets, one is a co-working, or hot-desking, space for seven people and the fifth is a private space used for treatments or for one-to-one sessions or small meetings.

The build, furniture, fittings and facilities are high quality. Desks in the co-working space cost £20 plus VAT for one day, discounted for more frequent or regular use.

Access is by keypad but it’s preferable to have someone on site in case of emergencies, says Anna.

“We are priced quite high – higher than another nearby offering and roughly on a par with another – because we are high end but also because we operate on an ‘all inclusive’ basis. That way customers have no nasty surprises.”

Meeting customer expectations

A high standard of facilities is really important, says Anna.

“We are definitely high end and that always gives the wow factor when people come to look around and makes a very good impression. If you are going to work somewhere every day, you want it to be lovely!”

The cost includes parking, a shared very well-equipped kitchen with tea and a coffee machine, wi-fi and cleaning.

It was a condition of the planning consent that a shower be provided to cater for cyclists. Customers can also go for a walk or a run on the farm.

“Originally we never planned a co-working space, we planned for all units to go on long-term rental,” says Anna.

“However, with working from home becoming a thing after Covid I got so many emails from people wanting hot desking that we pivoted and made a space for this.”

Soon after opening, privacy booths were added to the co-working area so that people can take calls or do Teams meetings in peace.

“That seems to be a real selling point,” says Anna.

The fifth space – The Retreat – is a purpose-built wooden cabin which opened in 2023. Bookings for this are growing but it has been slower to take off, despite being built in response to repeated requests from people wanting something like this. 

“One thing which I really like and which has worked well is that we have created a little community,” says Anna.

“Sometimes people do business with each other but other times they just have a chat over coffee before they start work.”

Co-working bookings are done online and the operation is relatively low input, says Anna, who project managed the build. Her husband Willie takes care of the maintenance, alongside the farming operation

Marketing tips

Anna’s advice for anyone thinking of a similar venture is to find the biggest local Facebook group they can and get permission to post on it.

“Nine out of every 10 of our hot desk users say they found us on Facebook,” she says. 

Testimonials are helpful, and many of the tenants share her social media posts which gives a broader reach. Proximity to a decent population is essential, says Anna.

“We are only 15 miles from Edinburgh and under a mile from a decent sized village. That’s important – you need the numbers.

“Make sure you also shout about it. I am working in rural marketing but am still always surprised by people who develop a business and then just expect people to miraculously find it.

“At the start I used local media (all our tenants and co-workers live within 10 miles of us) and now promotion relies almost entirely on social media and word of mouth.

“Make sure you don’t scrimp on the things that matter and that make people want to come to your place over somewhere else.

“It’s also very important to have professional, high-quality imagery that really shows the space off when you promote it.”

The business hub conversion was part funded by Leader, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe Investing in Rural Areas.

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Ripple Farm Organics, Kent

There are several online platforms through which producers can sell direct, potentially reaching a wider audience than through the website of an individual business.

These have different structures, with some charging a percentage of turnover, offering administrative functions and offering the ability to create a “shop front” online.

Sarah and Martin Mackey run Ripple Farm Organics near Canterbury in Kent, where they have a 5.6ha base and rent a further 40ha.

They have been using Ooooby.com for almost three years to market their veg boxes and other produce.

“It enables us to run our local box scheme efficiently,” says Sarah.

“It definitely saves us time. Customers can sign up online, and then order a veggie box, add extras, cancel for holidays, check their payments and so on.

“We get a reliable system for generating packing lists/labels and delivery sheets, taking payments and sending out customer emails every week with support provided. 

“We did run our box scheme without any sort of software back in 2000, when I first joined Ripple Farm Organics, but I can’t imagine doing so now.”

Repeat business

About 95% of business through the website is with repeat customers who order every week or fortnight.

“We still have personal contact with some customers, especially those that prefer not to use websites,” says Sarah.

Ripple Farm Organics also sells direct through three farmers’ markets – Wye and Whitstable in Kent, also Stoke Newington in London.

These often serve as an introduction to the business, raising awareness and leading to regular veg box orders.

The business also offers door-to-door deliveries in certain local areas and collection points in several locations for pre-ordered veg boxes.

It aims for 70% home-grown produce, 85% Kentish and 100% organic through the year. Further sales are made to local shops and restaurants.

What’s in a name?

The name Ooooby stands for “out of our own back yards” and the business began in New Zealand in 2010.

It launched in the UK in 2021. By the end of October this year there were 144 food producers using the platform, making 55,000 deliveries a month to 15,600 households, adding up to a combined £12m in sales.

Ooooby is designed to facilitate sales and logistics of food from independent and small-scale producers to end consumers.

Producers pay a percentage of the sales revenue generated through the system.

Seb Mayfield, head of operations at Ooooby, says: “We charge 1.9% of their sales revenue and there are additional card payment fees from Stripe – 1.3%+20p. There are no upfront fees for sellers and the rates reduce with volume.”

Other platforms include Open Food Network, Local Producer, Great British Farmers Market and WeFarmShop, which offer a marketplace for customers to shop from a variety of producers.