How to Make Farm Tours and Agritourism Work for Your Farm
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The first part of this presentation "Farm Tours: How to Make a Farm Tour Work for You" asks questions to help you determine if agritourism is a good fit for your farm and important considerations for safely and effectively hosting visitors. The second presentation covers how to make the most out of your farm tour through marketing, storytelling, and connecting with your customers before, during, and after your tours and events. Anna Littman of Ivy Creek Family Farm and Molly Nicholie of ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project)
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How to Make Farm Tours and Agritourism Work for Your Farm
- 1. FarmTours How to makeafarm tour work for you.
- 2. Ishostingafarmtour a good fit for me? For my farm?
- 3. Isit worth the risk? Makeit Clear WheretoGoand WhereNot toGo Get Insured Placestaff strategically PracticetheTour If you prepareahead and minimizehazards, yes.
- 4. What doI need todoto make this a good experience for the visitors?
- 5. What doI need to dotoprepare? For theASAP Farm Tour Consider theaudience. Map out thetour. Make a rough sketch of talking points. Train staff or volunteers For self-guided tours, makethe booklet and thesigns. Make plans for all kindsof weather. Make a plan for parking.
- 6. Howmuchstaff doI needthe day of? For theASAP Farm Tour Registration Table: OneFarm Staff Bees: One farm staff or partner Spring Field: OneFarm Staff ShiitakeMushrooms:One Farm Staff Farm Stand/store:Onefarm staff, one farm volunteer Smoothiemaking: Onefarm volunteer/friend/community partner
- 7. What doI need todoto make this a worth-while experience for the farm?
- 8. Welcoming Visitors to Your Farm: Connecting with Your Customer Base Molly Nicholie
- 9. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS? Benefits of Agritourism and Farms Tours Why other Appalachian Grown Farms participate: ❖ Increase exposure for the farm and business ❖ Raise awareness of what is produced locally and promoting what is "local" ❖ Expose more people to local food and farms ❖ Market products and other farm offerings like special events, festivals, and lodging ❖ Reach new customers and turn occasional customers into farm “fans” ❖ Provide an education and outreach opportunity to the public ❖ Sell product ❖ Drive traffic to the farm and increase customer base ❖ Connect with the local community
- 10. MAKING THE MOST OF A FARM TOUR Marketing: Try to reach the same person 3-5 times with a consistent message. Before the Tour ■ Engaging customers at farmers markets ■ Building name/brand recognition ■ Optimizing cross-promotions ■ Community outreach ■ Earned media
- 11. MAKING THE MOST OF A FARM TOUR During the Tour ■ Sharing your story ■ Connecting through shared experience ■ Offering take home materials ■ Collecting contacts ■ Sampling and selling products
- 12. MAKING THE MOST OF A FARM TOUR After the Tour ■ Building on connections ■ Encourage visitors to share their stories ■ Earned media
- 13. MAKING THE MOST OF A FARM TOUR How can you best use the tour to share your farm story and build connections?
- 15. BASIC MARKETING STRATEGY ⦿Story behind your food – differentiating yourself You have an authentic story to tell. Convey to your customers why your product is amazing – the quality, freshness, how supporting your business supports the local economy, uniqueness, personal connection with farmer and their family. You are able to give customers a real story and this is valuable.
- 16. Crafting Your Farm Story ● Create a clear, straightforward story that can be adapted for audience and time ● What to include: ○ Who you are/your connection to place ○ Why you farm ○ Challenge/barrier - Engages your audience ○ Action/Resolution -Connects your audience emotionally ○ Meaning/upshot/take home -What difference are you making? Why does what you do matter? What makes you different? Stories influence how we decide. Our decisions and actions are often based more on emotional reactions than rational thought.
- 17. Storytelling is a tool for... ...Establishing yourself in people’s memories. Stories help customers remember you and your farm.
- 18. Storytelling is a tool for... ...Connecting to the right people and customers. Stories help the type of customers you want to have feel connected with you.
- 19. WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO REACH? ⦿This narrow focus is called a “market segment”. ⦿You can segment people by all kinds of factors, like: ◼ Gender or age ◼ Price willingness ◼ Interests ◼ Location ◼ Religion or ethnicity ◼ Income ◼ Size of Household ◼ Local vs. tourist ◼ Etc.
- 20. So, think about who you most want as customers… Then come up with examples of real people to help you gear your story towards them.
- 21. Storytelling is a tool for... ...Inspiring customer commitment. When customers feel connected to your story, they are far more likely to remain loyal, buying from you again and again.
- 22. Connect with people using emotion or humor. Build your story starting with the core idea that “hooks” people.
- 23. BUILDING LOYAL CUSTOMERS ⦿It is ten times easier to sell something else to an existing customer who loves your business than it is to find a new customer.
- 25. WHILE YOU WAIT
- 26. HANDS ON: EXPERIENCES & SALES
- 28. Cross Promotions
- 29. Why ASAP Coordinates a Farm Tour ◻ ASAP’s mission to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food ◻ Encouraging the public to engage with and help shape our region’s food system by sharing experiences, asking questions, asking for local and connecting with farms.