GFP033: Successful Farm Marketing Tools

The most successful farm marketing tool in my arsenal is my e-mail list. Each week when I need to sell chickens I send out a letter to my list and within 24 hours I sell out. Now if you substitute "chickens" for vegetables, honey, beef, or whatever product you sell you will find similar results. Today's farm podcast episode features a friend of mine who is part owner of the Winery where I hold my CSA pick-ups. Eric Gorman is the son of the original owner Ralph Gorman who I featured in last week's farm podcast. Eric has brought some great marketing efforts to the Winery to increase traffic and get people in the door. One of those marketing tactics was developing an e-mail list. In the interview he tells us how large his list has gotten over the last few years, how many people open his e-mails on average, and who is on his e-mail list. Eric realized early on that the best business is repeat business. In order to get customers coming back you have to be in fairly regular communication with them. In our digital age there is no better way to do this than via e-mail. This is an absolute "must hear" farm podcast episode. I am so happy to share it with you, and I know you will get a lot of useful information out of it. Right click here to download the MP3 In this farm podcast you will learn: Developing an e-mail list is the most powerful marketing tool you can use on your farm You do not need a large e-mail list to increase profits Diversifying your marketing helps you to reach more people (social media, e-mail, website, print, etc...) Making decisions is better than doing nothing at all (not as simple as it sounds) How Eric sold over 1000 vouchers for a farm picnic in one day Interview with Eric Gorman of White Silo Winery, Sherman, CT Eric is one of the hardest working people I know, and I know a lot of hard working people. Balancing two full time jobs he is always running somewhere. With all of that he still finds time to enjoy the sports that he loves. After all life is about balance and you need to take at least a little time away from work. Also, this gives Eric and I something else to talk about besides farming, namely bicycling. The business expertise that Eric brings to the table at the winery is evident in the wonderful events held at the winery and the creative marketing strategies implemented to make sure the guest lists are full. I have found at the Winery that both Eric and Ralph (and definitely Ralph's partner Marianne) match a strong work ethic with a strong sense of kindness and generosity. Eric offers up his e-mail on the show to anyone who has a question about his winery or about agricultural business in general. It was a real pleasure interviewing both Eric and Ralph and I want to thank them again for letting me hold my CSA pick-ups at their winery this season. Items mentioned in this farm podcast include: White Silo Winery Connecticut Wine Trail Travelzoo.com GroupOn.com Aweber E-mail List Service FoodCyclist Farm Stress Free Chicken Tractor Plans eBook Ashton Kutcher's speech on teh Teen Choice Awards How to create a farm website (free guide) How to start a farm e-mail list (free guide) Get Started Today For Only $1! - AWeber Communications Take aways: It is never too late to start an e-mail list. Do you already have one? What are you doing to collect e-mail addresses? -- My skills are ever-evolving as an interviewer. Thanks for taking the time to listen in, and let me know what you think. You can leave a comment below, send me an e-mail, reach me on Facebook or Twitter, or leave a 5 star rating in iTunes if you liked the show. Click to subscrible to iTunes Support the podcast with $1 a month