Final growing your brand workbook

GROWING YOUR BRAND
MARKETING TOOLS FOR
MS AGRITOURISM & LOCAL FOODS
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
WORKBOOK

Mississippi State University Graduate Students
The Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development at Mississippi State University employs Graduate Research
Assistants enrolled at Mississippi State University to provide assistance to the Institute to conduct research and to work with Institute
staff to conduct a broad scope of work. Funding received by the Stennis Institute is used to provide graduate students with tuition and
graduate student stipends, thereby enabling them to pursue graduate level course work at Mississippi State University. These students
make a significant and important contribution to all research conducted by the Stennis Institute.
John Harper is from Braxton, Mississippi and graduated from Mendenhall High School in 2007.  He
earned an associate’s degree in Business Administration from Copiah‐Lincoln Community College
before transferring to Mississippi State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Political
Science.  John began his work as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Stennis Institute upon entering
the master’s degree program at Mississippi State University.  He completed his master’s degree in
Public Policy and Administration program in 2013.  John is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in
Higher Education Leadership to prepare for a career in administration at a college or university.

Kayla Lee‐Hopkins is a native of Brandon, Mississippi and graduated from Northwest Rankin High school in 2007.
Previously, she worked as a Program Support Clerk for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Jackson, Mississippi. Kayla
received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Mississippi State University and graduated summa cum laude in
2011.  That year, she subsequently entered graduate level study with the Department of Political
Science and Public Administration at Mississippi State, and it was at this time that she began work as a
Graduate Research Assistant for the Stennis Institute of Government.  In 2013, Kayla earned a master’s
degree in Public Policy and Administration in addition to the receiving the award for Outstanding
Graduate Student.  Currently, she is in the process of pursuing a doctoral degree in Community College
Leadership from Mississippi State’s Department of Leadership and Foundations.  Specifically, her
interests in a higher educational context include research and institutional effectiveness; assessment;
and data analytics, reporting, and governance.

Agritourism Marketing and Branding in Mississippi

i

Contents
The Marketing Communications Mix ............................................................................................. 6
The Elements of the Communications Mix ................................................................................. 7
The Integrated Marketing Campaign ............................................................................................ 15
Social Media .............................................................................................................................. 15
The Website .............................................................................................................................. 19
Website Design .......................................................................................................................... 20
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ............................................................................................ 24
Using Social Media in the Landing Page ................................................................................ 24
Blog ............................................................................................................................................ 25
Direct Mail ................................................................................................................................. 25
Email/Enewsletters ................................................................................................................... 26
Direct Mail versus Email ........................................................................................................ 27
Advertising................................................................................................................................. 27
Public Relations ......................................................................................................................... 28
Important Partnership for Promotion Opportunities ............................................................... 30
Market Segmentation and Positioning ......................................................................................... 31
Research about Direct‐to‐Consumer Markets ...................................................................... 32
Research about Agritourists .................................................................................................. 33
Promotional Planning and the Use of Social Media for Events ................................................ 37
Worksheet ..................................................................................................................................... 40
Additional Resources .................................................................................................................... 43
About Farmers’ Market Permits ................................................................................................ 45
About Animal Health and Safety Guidelines ............................................................................. 47
Horse Show Planning Guidelines ............................................................................................... 49
Horse Show Check List .............................................................................................................. 54
Mississippi Media Contact Database ............................................................................................ 57


ii

This page intentionally left blank for purposes of formatting.


3

Welcome to Growing Your Brand: Marketing Tools
for Mississippi Agritourism & Local Foods! During this
workshop you will be working towards developing a
marketing and branding strategy for your business. The
information contained in this workbook is designed to
provide you with an overview for developing a brand and
using social media to market your products and services
within the broader framework of a comprehensive
marketing and advertising plan. This workbook provides
an introductory overview of the marketing communications
mix and contains multiple links to online resources that
will further guide you through the process of creating
social media content. Customized socio-demographic data
specific to your market area will be provided as a separate
handout, this data will help you to develop a market
segmentation and positioning strategy for the products
and/or services your business offers.
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this
series of workshops and we look forward to working with
you to Grow Your Brand.


4

Defining Agritourism:
Agritourism is generally defined as a range of recreational, educational, and other activities and
services provided by farmers and ranchers that are related to agriculture.  Agritourism connects
consumers with agricultural heritage, natural resources, or culinary experiences that may take
place on or off the farm or ranch.
Agritourism includes:
 On‐farm direct sales (roadside stands, you‐pick, community supported agriculture [CSA])
 Off‐farm direct sales (farmers’ markets, fairs, festivals, CSA)
 Hospitality or Entertainment services (guided tours, farm/ranch vacations, family
reunions/corporate retreats, farm‐to‐table community or private dining/catering,
hayrides, corn mazes)
 Educational experiences (demonstrations or workshops organic/sustainable farming,
natural resource conservation, lessons or training [cooking], and farm‐work and “hands‐
on” experiences)
 Outdoor Recreation (fishing, hunting, horseback riding, wildlife photography, field trials)
How Agritourism Fits into your Business
Agritourism can be a primary, supplementary, or complementary business enterprise.1

The primary enterprise — as the primary enterprise, agritourism would be the dominant
activity on your farm.  For example, you may decide to open a winery on your farm and invite
guests to spend the day or the weekend tasting wine.  As part of the wine tasting package, you
may include overnight lodging in a cottage on your property.  You may produce grapes for the
wine on your farm to supplement your wine tasting activities. Because agritourism is the focus
of your investment in the farm and a large share of total revenues, it becomes your primary
enterprise.
A supplementary enterprise — as a supplementary enterprise, agritourism could be a minor
activity that would support the other products on your farm or ranch.  For instance, if your
primary enterprise is livestock production, you may decide to invite school groups to your farm
several days a month to learn about your animals and your occupation.  Occasionally hosting
guests on your farm would make agritourism a supplementary enterprise to your primary
enterprise if the share of resources invested, management effort needed, and total revenues
were fairly marginal.

1
Excerpted from “Agri‐Tourism” Virginia Cooperative Extension, Publication 310‐003, 2001.


5

A complementary enterprise — as a complementary enterprise, agritourism activities would
more equally share the resource and management investments with other enterprises in your
farm or ranch product mix.  For example, you may have a fruit or vegetable production
enterprise on your farm.  If you were to sell half of your produce to a wholesaler and the
remainder to pick‐your‐own guests on your farm, then the two enterprises (the wholesale
market and the direct market) would be considered complementary enterprises.
Entering the Agritourism Business or Expanding Existing Agritourism Activities
If you are considering entering the agritourism market or trying to expand your existing
agritourism business, begin by evaluating the resources that will be required to achieve your
objective.   This will require evaluating the physical, human, financial, marketing, and legal
resources that are available and those that will be required to create, expand, and sustain a
successful business.  Factors that must be considered include:
 Operational and Management Assets
 Human Resources
 Business Strategic Planning: Financial planning (business plan, cash flow, profit, and loss)
 Risk Assessment, Safety, and Liability
 Legal and Regulatory
 Marketing Plan: Identify target markets, attract target markets to the enterprise, meet
the needs of target market, and create desire in the target market to return with
repeat business
This session focuses on developing a marketing plan.


6

The Marketing Communications Mix
The success of an agritourism business relies heavily upon developing an effective marketing
communications mix.  Marketing efforts may be targeted towards a range of different target
audiences that may include: tourists, local consumers, organizations, school field trips,
attendees, exhibitors, participants, sponsors, and advertisers.  You will need to select the most
effective strategy to market the products and/or services you will offer and convey the
marketing message effectively to each potential target audience to achieve success.
The marketing communications mix is generally defined as all strategies, tactics, and activities
involved in getting the desired marketing message to intended target markets, regardless of the
media that is used.  An effective marketing communication mix will create synergy across all
media to achieve maximum impact. The marketing mix includes advertising, public relations,
direct marketing, sales promotion, personal selling, and digital marketing.  The marketing
communications mix plays a critical role in creating awareness and arousing interest in the
products or services your agritourism business offers; it stimulates, motivates, and persuades
customers to visit your agritourism business and/or to purchase the products or services you
offer.

In today’s world, people are inundated with advertising messages from different media such as
television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and online sources.  As a result, they tend to screen
out a large part of the information they receive from advertisers and marketers.  When a clear,
The Marketing
Communication
Mix
Advertising
Public
Relations
Direct
Marketing
Promotion
Personal
Selling
Digital
Marketing
Figure 1: The Marketing Communication Mix


7

consistent, and compelling message is carefully integrated and coordinated across all of the
elements of the communication mix used to market your products and/or services, this
integrated marketing communication approach is more effective at capturing the attention of
the intended audience, will have greater impact, and is more likely to influence or affect their
behavior.
The Elements of the Communications Mix
 Advertising.  Advertising is a non‐personal form of paid communication that is delivered
through selected media; the media most commonly used for advertising is television,
radio, newspapers, paid placements on the internet, billboards, magazines, direct mail,
and point of purchase materials.  Each media type has strengths, weaknesses, and
different cost structures.  Media costs are usually measured in “cost per thousand of
delivered audience” (CPM).
The effectiveness of advertising campaigns is frequently measured by reach and
frequency.  Net reach is the percentage of the target audience that is exposed to an
advertising message one or more times during a specific time period (e.g., four weeks).
Net reach is a good measure when the target audience only requires one exposure to
the advertising message or when the objective is to reach as many people as possible;
however, it is not a good measure when a target audience needs to be exposed to an
advertising message more than once for it to be effective.  Frequency measures the total
number of times a person or household is exposed to an advertising message.
There are four basic types of advertising: 1) image advertising, 2) advocacy advertising,
3) public service advertising, and 4) product/service oriented advertising.

 Image advertising is designed to create a favorable mental picture in the minds of
consumers.  Image advertising evokes positive attitudes about the advertised firm,
product, or service; it is usually designed to appeal to people with specific lifestyles
or values.  For agritourism, this may mean creating a favorable image of the business
in general and/or creating a favorable image of a specific product, event, or activity.
Although image advertising does not focus on the functional attributes of your
business (i.e. visual appeal, safety, cleanliness, and building amenities), the
functional attributes of the products and services you offer all contribute to the
image of your business and the products and services that you offer.  Image must be
integrated and consistent across all the marketing and advertising, from the name of
your business, your business logo, and particularly in the photographic images that
you use in advertising.


8

 Advocacy advertising is used to support a specific message or cause; it may be
integrated with advertising to promote products or services that you offer and to
promote awareness of a specific issue (e.g. organic, “free range”, sustainable
agriculture, or resource conservation).  There are also many services that may be
provided by your agritourism business that provide societal benefits.  Examples
include: therapeutic horseback riding programs for autistic children or for military
veterans; hunting programs that promote resource conservation, or cooking
workshops that promote the consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables.
Integrating advocacy messaging with your advertising and/or donating a percentage
of the proceeds of sales may increase consumers’ awareness of the societal benefits
your products and services provide.
 Public service advertising focuses on the public welfare.  Public service advertising
frequently receives free advertising space or time from the medium in which it is
featured and can be an effective approach to communicating information about the
public benefits of your agritourism products or services.  Specific activities or events
being offered at your business may be providing a beneficial public service, be
directed towards a humanitarian cause, or a philosophical ideal that creates
opportunities for sponsorships by a nonprofit institution, business organization, civic
group, or other organization.  Public service advertising can be effectively integrated
with advocacy advertising for specific activities; e.g., combining health screenings
with “healthy” cooking demonstrations.
 Product/service oriented advertising is focused on the promotion of a specific
product or service.

 Direct Marketing is generally considered a form of advertising. The primary forms of
direct marketing are mail, print, and electronic media.   In 2011, an estimated $50.1
billion was spent in the U.S. on print direct mail for consumer direct marketing.
The Direct Marketing Association estimates that U.S. marketers spent $83.7 billion for
consumer direct marketing
in 2011 and an additional
$79.3 billion for business‐
to‐business direct
marketing; total spending
on direct marketing was
estimated to be $163.0
billion in 2011.  Direct
marketing spending by media category is shown in the table above.


9

The Direct Marketing Association Statistical Fact Book provides the following
information on direct mail:
 Previous customers of an organization are more likely to respond to direct mail
offers
 The average consumer receives 24.7 pieces of mail per week
 Among all mail formats, postcards are the most likely to be read
 Seventy‐nine percent of households either read or scan advertising mailings sent to
their household
 Consumers respond best to timely, relevant information that caters to their specific
needs

 Personal Selling is a form of communication with a potential consumer or buyer using
face‐to‐face communication for the purpose of selling a service or product.  Personal
selling is an important part of the marketing communications mix; it is one of the most
effective forms of marketing, but it is also time consuming and expensive.  Personal
selling allows the message to be specifically targeted and customized to meet the needs
of a particular consumer or buyer, and it allows for immediate feedback.  For an
agritourism business, personal selling occurs during every face‐to‐face contact with a
customer.   All personnel who are engaged in personal selling must be well trained,
knowledgeable, motivated, and customer oriented.
Depending upon the nature of your business, you may be frequently dealing directly
with customers e.g., a farm stand, you‐pick, or farmers’ market); some agritourism
businesses also market their products or services to commercial customers e.g., local
restaurants, hospitals, or schools.  For operations that market to commercial customers,
personal selling will require significantly greater planning, as outline below:
Personal selling is comprised of seven basic steps:
1) Prospecting and qualifying to locate and identify potential customers, and then to
determine if the potential customer is in a position (able, willing, and authorized) to
buy;
2) The pre‐approach consists of researching prospective customers to understand the
needs of a potential customer and what benefits you can offer to the customer,
making sure that customer needs are addressed in any sales literature or
publications.  The information in presentation materials should be complete and
comprehensive (how long, how much, how many), and the objective of the sales call
should be clearly established;


10

3) The approach is the initial meeting.  It includes making a good first impression,
introducing the products and/or services being offered, and striving to develop a
relationship;
4) The presentation includes a complete discussion of the product, the services being
offered, the benefits of the product or service to the buyer, and answering any
questions or concerns the buyer may have.  Good presentations must attract the
attention of the buyers, stimulate interest, and motivate a desire to purchase;
5) Handling objections;
6) Completing the sale or closing; and
7) Follow‐up.

 Public Relations is a form of communication that is designed to enhance an
organization’s  reputation, to increase knowledge about what the organization does,
and to increase awareness of the products or services that are offered by your business.
Public relations depends upon “free” media coverage.  Although the media coverage
that is generated by public relations is free, significant planning, time, effort, and
resources are required to support an effective and ongoing public relations
communication strategy.  Public relations involve managing the flow of information
between the organization and multiple forms of media; this includes the use of social
media, press releases and announcements to the media, newsletters sent to customers
and other audiences, appearances at public events, and participating in local activities.

 Sales Promotion is intended to create demand for a product or service by offering
incentives that drive sales during a short period of time.  Sales promotions have a
limited duration and are designed to obtain a specified response in a short period of
time.  Sales promotions are designed to generate excitement and a sense of urgency,
i.e. “for a limited time only.”  Many businesses offer “early bird, senior citizen, or family”
discounts; these sales promotions are designed to generate revenues during off‐hours
of operations, generate an increased volume of sales, or increase market penetration.
In some cases, a “season’s pass” or “membership” may be offered over an extended
period of time to increase visitation and related sales.  Sales promotion marketing
approaches may also include: contests and sweepstakes, product sampling, logoed
merchandise, and discount coupons/fees.

 Promotional Items.  A wide range of promotional items can be used to promote your
agritourism operations and may also generate additional revenues.  Items such as t‐
shirts, caps, or other items emblazoned with your logo and the name of your
business promote your business and also increase awareness.


11

 Sponsorships.  Sponsorship is the financial or in‐kind support of an activity used primarily to
reach specified business goals.  Companies look to improve their image and brand by
shaping positive attitudes about their product or service. Sponsorship marketing is done
financially or through the provision of products or services to support an event, activity,
person, or organization where two or more parties benefit from the arrangement. The key
to building successful sponsorship programs is to match the correct products or services
with the organizations that want to be affiliated with these products or services (image).
Promotional activities augment communications with consumers and add value to the
consumption experience.  Sponsorship provides an opportunity to engage the consumer
with a company, its brands, and the community.  Because agritourism activities are “local,”
consumer involvement and associations with the products and services offered by the
“local” business may be higher, thereby creating a place‐based image for potential
sponsorships.   Consumers are apt to be more receptive to marketing messages and images
associated with local business than they are to
those presented via other methods.
The Benefits of Sponsorship
 Enhancing Image or Shaping Consumer Attitudes.
Often companies are looking to improve how they
are perceived by their target audience. Sponsoring
events that appeal to their market are likely to
shape buying attitudes and help generate a positive
reaction.
 Highlighting Corporate Social Responsibility.  Sponsorship enables a company to be seen as
a good corporate citizen and to be seen as supporting the community and contributing to its
economic development.  Sponsorship creates goodwill within the community.
 Driving Sales.  Sponsorship geared towards driving sales can be an extremely potent
promotional tool. This objective allows sponsors to showcase the attributes of their
products or services. Food and beverage companies often use sponsorship to encourage
samplings and sales.
 Creating positive publicity and heightening visibility.  Every sponsor is seeking wide
exposure in all forms of media; this includes radio, television, and print media. Exposure
through social media to include websites, Facebook, and YouTube is an important element
of obtaining sponsorships.  Positive publicity helps create heightened visibility of products
and services. Various media covering the event may include sponsors names and/or photos.
In addition, the kind of media coverage a sponsor may get is often unaffordable if the
company were to think of purchasing it, and if it were available. To maximize this objective,
In 2013, North American based
companies will spend $1.28
billion to sponsor music venues,
festivals and tours
Source: IEG Research


12

it is important to work with the sponsoring
company to develop a comprehensive media
campaign.
 Differentiating from competitors.  The mere act of
sponsoring an event, especially an exclusive
sponsorship, is a significant way to create
competitor differentiation. Sponsorship provides
the sponsor or the company with the opportunity
to stand out head and shoulders above the
competition. Sponsorship allows smaller companies
to compete with industry giants that have larger
advertising budgets.
 Entertaining Clients and Enhancing Interpersonal
Business Relationships.  Sponsorship that offers
hospitality opportunities is always very attractive to companies (e.g. a hayride, farm‐to‐
table dinners, or family outings for the sponsor’s business clients).
 Recruiting, retaining, or motivating employees.  Providing tickets and opportunities for
employees and their families to participate in agritourism activities or teambuilding
activities enable the sponsoring company to reward employees.
How Sponsorship Works
What attracts a sponsor is "eye balls." The more people or targeted impressions you can deliver
to a sponsor, the more funding you will be able to attract.   Success depends on what your
organization does, who your customers are, and how you structure the exposure for the
sponsor.
Events Most Attractive to Sponsors
The top five events that companies tend to sponsor are sporting events, entertainment events,
educational events, arts‐related events, and events that benefit non‐profit organizations.
Getting Started—Eight Steps to Building a Sponsor Program
 Create a Prospect list. The development of a list of prospective sponsors requires
identifying what product or service is well aligned with the image/product/service of the
sponsor.

 Define Your Product and Service.  Be as specific as possible about what you have to
offer.

Research suggests that a
sponsor’s community
involvement is more likely to
positively enhance consumers’
perception of the sponsor’s
brand and this positive opinion
towards the sponsor’s brand is
associated with heightened
intentions to purchase the
firm’s products


13

 Define the Target Market.  A sponsorship marketing strategy will only be successful if it
is aimed at the appropriate group of people. You can quickly identify your target market
by looking at your current customers and considering common factors that they share.
 Demographics such as age, sex, marital status, occupation, ethnic group, religion,
education, etc.
 Psychographics or behavioural groups, such as hunters, fishermen,
conservationists, or families
 Geographic location (local, regional, national)

 Set Your Objectives.  A clear, documented idea of what your organization is trying to
achieve is needed. Do you want to have your advertising/marketing costs covered by a
sponsor, increase your advertising buys, or maybe have the cost of your next special
event covered?

 Develop a Marketing Strategy.  When your objectives are clear, the next step is to
develop a marketing strategy to help achieve those objectives.  If you want to have the
cost of maintaining your website or developing social media content, your strategy may
revolve around selling advertising in it. If, on the other hand, you want to cover the cost
of your next special event, you need to use different strategies, such as emphasizing
how the sponsor will be represented in promotional materials and advertising.
Remember, the more people you can deliver to a sponsor, the more valuable they will
find your program. Use whatever means it takes to do that, including: newsletters, signs,
radio, TV spots, press releases, websites, and social media, etc.

 Develop an Action Plan.  Once you know what you want to do, it's time to actually do it!
The key to a good action plan is to outline the activities to be achieved—assign people
to get the tasks done and make sure to set a realistic deadline. Don't forget to set up a
reporting process so you know what's done and what might need extra attention.

 Build your Sponsor Packet.  The Sponsor Packet is what you will use to communicate
your sponsor program to prospects. In its most basic format, a Sponsor Packet would
include:
 Description of who you are and what you do
 Description of the target market you can deliver to sponsors, i.e. 25 – 35 year old
family heads of households
 Summary of your marketing objectives, i.e. to expand marketing exposure
 Marketing strategies, i.e. online and offline marketing activities
 The Sponsor Packet should contain a one page, attractively designed summary that
includes an overview of the business, demographic and psychographic information
on your customer base, a description of the reach and frequency of your marketing
activities, a description of alternative sponsorship opportunities, the cost to the
sponsor for each opportunity, and a brief statement or two about how the sponsor
will benefit from sponsorship.


14

Describe the opportunity, provide information about the audience, explain the benefits to
the sponsor, and make a call for action.

 Package it.  You'll be asking a lot from your sponsors so make sure your presentation
represents you well. Be accurate and concise with your content. If possible try to have it
professionally printed and include photographs to enhance the presentation. The use of
special paper and covers can also enhance the presentation.
Putting Sponsorship to Work
After you've completed your sponsor packet, it's time to put it to work.
1. Identify your sponsors.  Determine the companies that are best suited as a sponsor
to your event. Create a contact list that includes as much information as possible.
2. People.  Find out who you should address the sponsorship proposal to (usually the
Marketing Manager) and include their proper title and position. Ensure you have the
correct spelling.
3. Contact.  Speak briefly with them on the phone to let them know you will be sending
a proposal.
4. Timing.  Present your sponsor packet proposal well in advance. Businesses budget for
sponsorship annually. They can also take a while to approve sponsorship proposals,
particularly if they have to be cleared by the General Manager or Board of Directors.
5. Follow up.  Allow a week after you have sent a proposal before making a follow up
call. The sponsor may not be able to answer at that stage. However, it provides an
opportunity for them to ask any questions. Offer to come into their office to speak to
them if they so desire. Ask them when you could expect to receive an answer.
6. Reporting. Once a sponsorship has been negotiated and secured, keep in regular
contact with your sponsor.  It is a good practice to send a letter, e‐mail, or to phone the
sponsor at least once a month to keep them updated and informed.  Any materials that
use the sponsor’s name, logo, photographs, or promotional information should be sent
for review and approval by the sponsor.


15

The Integrated Marketing Campaign
Creating an effective integrated marketing campaign requires continuous attention and
frequent updating, attention to detail, and commitment to the process.  Maintaining an
integrated marketing scheme isn’t something that can be done on a whim or at the spur of the
moment; it is an involved and encompassing process—but, with proper planning, it is an activity
that owners and staff can certainly learn to master.  An integrated marketing strategy should
consider the use of the following media:
 Website and Social Media
 Direct Mail
 Email
 Advertising (print and electronic)
 Public Relations/Outreach
 Partners in Promotion
Social Media
With the explosion of technology in recent years, social media has been widely adopted as a
critical component for marketing products, services, and business activities.  Working with
social media can involve an array of components; some prominent social media mediums
include:
 Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/
 Twitter       https://twitter.com/
 YouTube    https://www.youtube.com/
 LinkedIn     https://www.linkedin.com/
 Flickr          http://flickr.tumblr.com/
 Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/
 Pinterest      https://www.pinterest.com
 Snapchat   https://www.snapchat.com/
 Google       http://www.google.com


16

Facebook—Most people today are at least somewhat familiar with Facebook, but the
individuals who aren’t should both know and take heed to this: Facebook is arguably the
most important social media tool that can be used to communicate with an audience of
over six billion users and with approximately 1.59 billion active monthly users, it has
potentially infinite value as a marketing tool.  Specifically, it is a social networking site
where users can create personal profiles, add others as “friends,” send them messages, and
post status updates about themselves.  They can also join pages, groups, or networks
owned by businesses and organizations to access news, event information, photos, and
videos.  One in every seven people in the world have a Facebook profile, and this is why the
site is such an effective method for marketing and advertising.
Remember, the Facebook market is primarily looking to socialize, not to buy.  Facebook is
primarily used to drive traffic to your website and/or to convert your Facebook audience to
subscribe to your e‐mail list.
Facebook for Business https://www.facebook.com/business/goals/increase‐online‐sales/
Twitter—Twitter is a social networking website that functions as a micro‐blogging service.
It is a great communication tool as it allows for the exchange of quick, brief messages. Users
can write and view “tweets” of all the accounts they follow.  “Tweets” can only be up to a
maximum of 140 characters, which makes expression via posts conveniently short. Creating
a Twitter account will enable a business to keep customers, sponsors, suppliers, and others
(i.e., followers) updated on any relevant events and activities that may be ongoing.  Having
a Twitter account also allows you to receive feedback from customers and to answer any
questions they might have.  Ideally, a facility’s Twitter page should have an instantly
recognizable “handle” or display name so that it can be found with ease.  Aside from just
having a standard page, facilities might also consider having their own “hashtag” to use at
the end of every tweet. The “#” symbol followed by a word represents a hashtag, which
becomes group subject matter that can be searched for in the search box on the Twitter
home page, as well as through Google.  Using a hashtag will help interested parties (who
might not be following an organization’s page) access it, and it will also enable  potential
customers to easily keep track of activities.
Also consider keeping a running Twitter feed on the side of your Facebook page or your
website.  Linking multiple social networking profiles and pages more effectively leverages
the presence of your agritourism business in the social media environment: it expands a
company’s voice, the number of people it reaches, and collates it into a format that has all
of the best features of each website.  Sign up to join Twitter at https://twitter.com/.  To get


17

a further introduction to Twitter, watch the following video:
http://www.commoncraft.com/video/twitter
YouTube— YouTube is a video sharing website known for a wide variety of videos that
originate from all over the world.  Users can upload, share, and watch videos, which makes
YouTube a very powerful visual medium.  Registered users are allowed to upload an
unlimited amount of content, which can then be viewed by anyone else on YouTube
(registered or unregistered).  The “comments” section featured under uploaded content
offers viewers a forum for discussion of the various clips they watch.  YouTube can be used
to engage and inform potential customers through narratives about your business, to
include the history of your farm, unique characteristics of your business, videos of activities,
customer interviews, or event previews and re‐caps.  In order to ensure and build a public
presence on YouTube, create a channel on the website.
YouTube viewers seek meaningful content and engagement with real people and their
stories; the site is relationship driven.  The audience is not captive and can quickly stop
viewing, so content must be delivered clearly and quickly; play rates tend to drop
significantly after approximately 45 seconds.  Content should provide a real story that
engages the audience and encourages them to learn more.  Provide the next step that
customers should take upon watching your video.  A quick guide to creating a YouTube
channel can be found via the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4jFd40Wcmg
LinkedIn—LinkedIn is different from Facebook because it is a social networking site with a
more business‐oriented focus.  It is generally used as a tool for professional networking, but
has recently become an important social media content site for business to business
marketing.  Creating a profile on LinkedIn is a great way of promoting any facility or
organization, gaining an online presence, building credibility, networking with countless
industry sponsors and exhibitors, and maintaining an equal presence with existing
competition.  There are numerous free features available that can help to promote your
business, and LinkedIn also offers paid ads that can help to promote your website.  Create a
LinkedIn profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/
Flickr—Flickr is a social media site that is similar to a virtual scrapbook.  With millions of
photos and videos shared from all over the world, it is a website for image and video
hosting and an online community for networking.  Users can upload pictures or videos, view
the content uploaded by other users, comment on that content, and interface with people
they choose to be “contacts” with.  Flickr is a great resource for social media marketing
because, like YouTube, it is visual.  This allows you to tell a story in pictures. Flickr offers


18

proof that “a picture is worth a 1,000 words.” To sign your business up for Flickr visit:
http://www.flickr.com/
Instagram — Instagram is a free photo‐sharing application that allows users to take
photos/videos with their mobile phones and then to share it with others.  As with other
social media, Instagram is used to enhance engagement with followers by providing value.
Photos and videos that evoke emotion – e.g. humor, happiness, nostalgia, fun, or
motivation – are effective for capturing attention.  Instagram allows you to seamlessly share
visual content across other social networks.  To learn how to integrate Instagram with your
Facebook page visit the following link:
http://facebook.about.com/od/PagesGroups/fr/How‐To‐Add‐An‐Instagram‐Tab‐To‐Your‐
Facebook‐Page.htm
Pinterest — Pinterest is a social media website that functions as an image sharing bulletin
board.  An image is a “pin” and a collection of images is a “board;” board names (the title
given to each “board”) serve as tags to create and indexing system.  Pinterest allows users
to follow, “like,” and “repin” other people’s images to their Pinterest board — “likes,”
comments, and “repins” are measures of content popularity.   To explore ideas for group
boards and board names you can use either PinGroupie or BoardDeck.  Pinterest has gained
increased influence as a social shopping media with featured “Buy” buttons located on the
pins of products sold by retailers.  For more information on setting up a Pinterest account:
http://weblogs.about.com/od/choosingabloghost/p/What‐Is‐Pinterest.htm
Google AdWords https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayuUQQQe6NY is a fee based online
advertising service that charges on a “cost‐per‐click” process that only charges when
someone clicks on your ad; it enables you to set a maximum price on the cost‐per‐click and
a daily budget for the total amount you are willing to spend.

It is desirable to use social mediums that are best suited to the usage patterns of the target
market.  This means that an organization’s social media strategy may change or vary depending
on the products, services, and activities offered.  For instance, LinkedIn could be a resource for
business communication, while Facebook might be ideal for reaching individuals on a personal
level. Whatever social medium is brought into play, a wider audience can be reached.  The use
of online social media expands the reach and scope of communicating with a range of potential
Organic versus Paid Advertising


19

customers.  Social media can reach new audiences and target markets, and it is an effective
method for enhancing relationships with customers.  It also can provide feedback on what is
being said about your agritourism business.
The Website
In addition to social media, there are multiple online marketing and promotional opportunities
that can be used to maximize communication with your customers.  An agritourism business
must have an effective website; this means creating a centralized site for the business that will
showcase the products, services, and amenities offered, and all of its various upcoming and
ongoing activities.  In web design, this includes the creation of a landing page.  Also called a
destination page, a “landing page is any page on a website where traffic is sent specifically to
prompt a certain action or result.”2
  The landing page is a crucial element of marketing because
it is frequently the first encounter between your organization and the public.
If the business has no website, one can quickly be created through any webhosting service.
Webhosting services provide the relevant business website data and place the page on the
internet.  Once a webhosting server has been chosen, the actual page can be created with the
help of any one of the many companies selling domain names.  These companies will help build
an organization’s page and provide it with the ownership of a domain name of its choosing,
(assuming it is available); these companies typically sell the names for 2 years at a time and
provide website maintenance services to customers.
To create a website without paying a professional, there are many do‐it‐yourself options
available.  There is so much information available about getting a website up and running and
so many aspects to website design, the task may seem to be overwhelming.  Fortunately,
creating a website is now easier than ever — make sure to comparison shop and look for
connectivity across social media channels.  The following list provides an example of the
names and website addresses for website builders:

1. www.wix.com
2.
www.web.com


2
Copyblogger.com accessed April 1, 2016.


20

3. www.webs.com
4. www.squarespace.com
5.
www.weebly.com

6. www.webhostinghub.com
7. http://www.1and1.com
8. http://www.sitebuilder.com
9. http://www.homestead.com/
10. http://www.buildyoursite.com/
Source: http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com
Website Design
The design of a website for an agritourism business should meet the standards of any
professional business: it needs to be professional, well‐organized, provide all required
information (particularly contact information that is easy to find on the website), and provide
easy accessibility for all users to navigate.  You may select to design your own website, or, if you
are unskilled in this area, you may opt to seek the help of a graphic design professional.  In
many cases, college students with experience in graphic arts may be a source of cost effective
assistance in this process.
The website should contain all pertinent information related to the business.  This includes:
 Pictures of the facility, the products, and/or illustration of services
 A description of your facility
 A description of all on‐site amenities, products, and services
 A fee schedule for products and services
 A calendar of events/availability
 Contact information, including names, alternative telephone numbers, and e‐mail contact
information


21

The website should showcase pictures of the products offered and/or pictures of activities.  The
goal is to highlight a variety of the products or services you offer.
Other information that may be posted on the website to facilitate the attraction of tourists may
include:
 Nearby lodging
 Restaurants
 Museums
 Places to shop
 Local/regional events, things to do, and local attractions

Pictured on pages 22 and 23 are examples of the landing pages and website design of two
agritourism businesses in the state of Mississippi.  Each of the example pages exhibit the
following key elements of a website:
 Images of the facility and facility events embedded and displayed
 Drop down boxes and links to additional information
 A photo gallery to access more pictures related to the facility, products, services, activities,
and/or events
 A tab including pertinent contact information
 A list of products and/or services with pricing information
 A link to view the calendar of events
 Icons and links to facilitate access to social media network pages (e.g., Facebook, Twitter)
Directions and/or maps
 The facility’s email/link to sign up for the facility’s newsletter
Choosing a Domain Name
Make it relevant to your business, content, or service
Keep it short and memorable
Get it right the first time!


22

The landing page for Cedar Hill Farm: http://gocedarhillfarm.com/
Note links to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest


23

Pictured below is the landing page for Seward Farms in Lucedale, Mississippi
http://sewardfarms.com/

Figure 2

Note sponsorships on this website


24

When designing the website, there should also be a focus on optimizing its use on multiple, if
not all, browsers—including mobile devices.  The number of people who use these devices to
search the web is continually growing, and it is important to be able to engage these audiences
through suitable channels.  Another important point to consider in website design is the
integration of pertinent keywords to naturally boost the page’s search engine rankings.  This
process is explained in more detail in the following section on search engine optimization.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
To ensure people actually see the website, it is important to take measures that will gain the
landing page hits (visits).  This can be achieved through what’s called SEO, or Search Engine
Optimization.  This is the process of “improving the volume or quality of traffic to a Web site
from search engines via unpaid or organic search traffic.”3
  Basically, this means identifying key
words that people will type into Google in order to access the facility’s website—whether on
purpose or inadvertently.  The use of SEO makes whatever text appears on a landing page
important, which is why it is crucial to make sure all of the facility’s site pages are optimized.
A quick guide to walk you through this process can be found by reading an article entitled:
Seven Ways to Optimize a Web Page for the Search Engines, on Aspire Internet Design’s
website.  This is a link to the article: http://aspireid.com/search‐engine‐optimization/7‐ways‐to‐
optimize‐a‐web‐page‐for‐the‐search‐engines/
Using Social Media in the Landing Page
Optimizing web content is not only important for helping to increase traffic to the landing page,
it is also important for generating traffic to all of the center’s various social media channels.
Once the keywords that users will most commonly search for to access a facility’s landing page
have been identified, they should be included and cross‐linked to all pertinent social media
platforms.  This is a way to get visitors to access the main website as well as social media pages,
expanding the potential points of access and increasing the number of opportunities to gain
exposure for the center.
Using social media links in the landing page is an equally important step in this process.  It is
essential that all of the social media icons for the facility appear on the home page of the
central website.  Social media links to the expo’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. should all
clearly be displayed by these icons for easy access.  Similarly, all social media should have a
direct link to the landing page.  Promoting pertinent information through social media will drive
customers to the facility’s website and help showcase all of its content.

3
Source: Blog.HubSpot.com


25

In addition, it is recommended that other pertinent or related websites that will be useful to
customers and/or visitors to the website be linked to under a “Links” tab.  Examples of other
places within the community you could include on a “Links” page: tourism offices, the chamber
of commerce, local Main Street associations, hotels or motels, restaurants, veterinarians, feed
supply stores, local farmers’ markets or agricultural co‐ops, farriers, and other products or
services that visitors may be seeking.  These links provide a valuable source of information to
visitors, and may also be a source of advertising revenue for your organization.  Your website
should also contain the logo and links to sponsors, but only you have received approval by the
sponsors.
Blog
In addition to social mediums and websites, blogs serve as valuable digital media tools that can
be used in any marketing campaign.  The following definition was taken from
Blog.HubSpot.com:
A blog is a word that was created from two words: “Web log.” Blogs are usually
maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events,
or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse‐
chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add
content to a blog.
Given this definition, agritourism operators can begin to see why creating a blog for their
business would benefit them.  Doing so could effectively draw attention to your business, the
products and services you offer, as well as its features, events, and benefits.  Like social media
platforms, a blog is a way to keep people “in‐the‐know” about what’s going on.  Therefore,
when creating a blog, it is important to integrate it with corresponding website and social
media accounts.  This will allow any new blog entries to keep social media channels updated
regularly and to engage its existing audience and to reach new audiences.
Three Tips to keep in mind when creating a blog:
 Allow for users to subscribe to it via email
 Make it easily shared through social media
 Allow for easy interaction/feedback through comment boxes on posts
To learn more about creating a blog, visit:
http://weblogs.about.com/od/startingablog/u/StartingABlog.htm
Direct Mail
Personalized direct mail can be a highly effective mode of advertisement, and unlike the
previous channels that have been discussed, this one is not electronic.  Research shows that


26

each mailing sent to a prospective customer increases the response rate greatly.  Another
advantage to sending direct mail pieces is that they also offer a portal to other digital channels
used by the facility, such as the website, blog, and social networking pages.  This added benefit
is the very cornerstone of why an integrated marketing approach should be used to begin with:
to be able to reach a wider audience and target the right demographic, in addition to increasing
overall response rates.
Although direct mail can be a very effective mode of advertisement and marketing, it is an
expensive form of advertising and requires the development of a strategically targeted mailing
list database.  These databases may be developed using lists of regular customers or by
developing a list of carefully targeted potential customers.
Email/Enewsletters
Email represents another tool for communicating with a specific audience via the Internet.  No
matter how great a website, social networking profile, or blog may be, it’s simply impossible to
always keep these tools on an audience’s mind.  Email marketing has the ability to effectively
communicate with a wide range of customers and targeted markets.  It also provides you with
the ability to develop unique content for different market segments.  For example, your
customer database may contain customers that purchase only specific products, seek specific
benefits, or local schools/teachers that have brought students on field trips to your farm; each
of these target markets might be sent e‐mail/enewsletters with a different marketing message.
Integrated marketing that uses email as a part of a campaign strategy requires careful design.  A
poorly composed, colorless email is more apt to end up in the “trash” folder of the recipient
rather than getting the intended message across.  For this reason, the facility should design a
quality email template that complements its website—this contributes to a comprehensive
marketing strategy.  It is also essential that emails relay useful, pertinent information on a
recurring basis and provide links to other media sites.
Drawing from the principles of integrated marketing, it is possible to see how email marketing
can leverage other social media as part of a coordinated marketing strategy.  Emails promoting
products, service, or facility activities can also be carefully timed to coincide with direct mail to
reinforce the marketing message of your business.
Collecting contact information is of great importance, particularly email addresses.  The website
landing page needs to be able to collect the email of visitors to the site.  A link on the landing
page to “Join our Mailing List” allows people to sign up to receive updates and newsletters via
email.  The development of email contact lists can be done in a variety of ways, such as
promotional giveaways that create value and drive traffic to subscribe to an email list.  Contact
information should be collected from customers on‐site and by feedback from all social media


27

being used.  All of the emails obtained from any source should be maintained in a database
(and properly categorized whenever possible).
Direct Mail versus Email
The use of direct mail can be very effective because it is focused and personal.  Although high
returns are usually seen on direct mailings, they also come with relatively high costs.  Email
communication production is inexpensive and immediate, meaning it could potentially be more
cost effective than direct mail.  Thus, when marketing your business, it will be less expensive
and more efficient to communicate via email.  However, not everyone uses email; this is
specifically true for some demographic segments.  It is important to be able to substitute the
use of direct mail by communicating via email (by sending a newsletter, for example) when
appropriate.  It may take time for an agricultural business to develop a clear perspective on the
effectiveness of direct mail as compared to email; at minimum, when sending email, a policy of
verifying that the email is being opened by recipients should be adopted.
Advertising
Advertising can be online or offline and it is vital because it creates market awareness of your
business.   Any paid method of non‐personal communication about an organization, product,
service, or event by a business is considered advertising.  Before embarking on an advertising
campaign, it is important to consider which type of ads will be used.  There are multiple forms
of advertising, that when effectively used, can contribute to the success of your business.
Different forms of advertising may be required depending upon the audience (market segment)
that is being targeted.  Forms of advertising include:
 Digital advertising (social media, email ads, newsletter ads)
 Print advertising (newspapers, magazines, brochures, fliers)
 Television advertising
 Music in advertising
 Radio advertising
 Online advertising (Banner Ads, search marketing)
 Product placements
 Physical advertising (bulletins, billboards, posters, transit)
 Press advertising
 Mobile billboard advertising
 In‐store advertising (external store signs, in‐store shelf sign, shopping cart ads, in‐store
radio/TV ads)
 Celebrity branding


28

Public Relations
Public Relations (PR) is a very important component of an effective integrated marketing
campaign.  Businesses and companies worldwide use public relations to create a positive
image, to create market awareness, and to reinforce their marketing strategies.  This is because
the practice of PR is primarily aimed at maintaining public image and the nature of publicity an
organization receives. There are multiple public relations instruments that may be used by an
agritourism business, to include: press conferences, press kits, press interviews, and
newsletters.  These tools may be used to increase market exposure and awareness and to
promote upcoming events.  It is important to develop a good relationship with the media.
Historically, media relations have been the heart of public relations.  There is no direct payment
to the media for providing publicity, which is why PR is often viewed as the most credible
marketing element to consumers.  When working with the media, it is important to know how
to successfully capture their interest and attention.  Many visitors attend an event to see or
experience something that is “new” or “exciting.”  The concept of “new” also happens to be
one of the most effective strategies in communications.  Thus, communicating the message of
“new” events and conveying a sense of “excitement” to the media should be considered when
trying to get coverage.
If the facility is planning to announce a new event, a press release on “what’s new” should be
prepared.  News releases should be full of facts and omit any opinion.  Group all of the key
information into the leading paragraph.  In addition to the news release, press kits feature
more detailed information such as the event or facility background, biographies of key
spokesperson and other supporting materials that may be useful to journalists.
Owners/managers should make certain their press kits are simple and focused on the topic at
hand—most reporters just want to receive the news and nothing extra.  To cost effectively
release information to the press, consider building a press release database (a press database
with contact information for Mississippi newspapers is provided in the Additional Resources
section of this manual; a linked electronic version of the database is also available from The
Stennis Institute of Government & Community Development – to receive a copy email:
jgp1@sig.msstate.edu
When holding a press conference, make certain the announcement has value for the media,
meaning they should have solid news for the media that will generate interest.  When holding a
press conference, the owner/manager or staff must take responsibility to arrange a location
and to personally invite press contacts to attend.  Alternatively, individual interviews may be
scheduled with certain reporters.


29

Newsletters, whether in print or electronic format, are another key tool for promoting a
business.  Knowing the names and contact information of customers and potential customers
enables regular contact with a target audience that can be delivered by mail, via email, or via
links in social media.  Newsletters should be simple and full of content that is of interest to the
audience, and should have visual appeal.  The following link provides a guide to writing
newsletters and for using other public relations tools:
http://www.iaee.com/downloads/1373403056.70290100_c07bd310c7/Public%20Relations.pdf

Partners in Promotion
It is important to note the integral role that Partners in Promotion play in an integrated
marketing strategy.  A partnership in promotion is an agreement between businesses to co‐
promote a product or service.  For example, Payless and Gamestop were two companies that
formed a promotional partnership during a holiday season, and both gave customers coupon
discounts to be used towards the other’s merchandise.  Because many of these stores are
closely located to one another, both benefited.  Another example is a promotional partnership
between Coke® and Fox Films, with Coke® agreeing to compensate Fox to show a beverage in
an upcoming movie.  If you visit the website of the Professional Rodeo Association
(http://prorodeo.com), you will notice that the landing page of this website has links to the
websites of multiple commercial sponsors and to the pages of affiliated organizations (i.e., the
American Quarter Horse Association); this website is an example of partners in promotion
because the websites of all of these organizations are cross‐linked and the links to social media
also cross‐link to those of commercial sponsors and affiliated organizations.
Partnerships in promotion are an excellent integrated marketing tool; they leverage the impact,
increase the reach, and enhance the effectiveness of all the mediums discussed in previous
sections (i.e. websites, social media, advertising, direct mail, e‐mail, etc.).  Capitalizing on the
potential for partnerships in promotion means working with multiple agritourism stakeholders
Public relations is inextricably linked to establishing partners in promotion
— develop relationships in your community and with other organizations
to enhance your business image and increase awareness of your
agritourism business — this includes your neighbors, community leaders
and local organizations, and state or national groups. Your local Chamber
of Commerce, Visitors Bureau, and Cooperative Extension office are
invaluable partners in promotion.


30

and making certain to provide partners in promotion with the tools, information, and
encouragement that they need in order to promote their participation.
You may also consider forming partnerships with other agritourism businesses in your
geographic area or partnerships with other agritourism businesses that offer similar products,
services, or amenities.  These partnerships can expand your reach and may also create
opportunities to share the cost for creating and maintaining content on social media platforms.
Your local farmers’ market may also provide opportunities to partner for promotion.
Important Partnership for Promotion Opportunities
 Mississippi Department of Agriculture & Commerce —
http://www.mdac.ms.gov/agency‐info/programs/mississippi‐agritourism/
o Agritourism registration and venue listings with links to websites
 Example: Brownlee Farms — http://brownleefarms.com/
o Mississippi Agritourism Signage Program —
http://www.mississippitods.interstatelogos.com/state/
o Farmers’ Markets in Mississippi — http://farmersmarkets.msstate.edu/
o Mississippi Market Maker —  http://ms.foodmarketmaker.com/
a. Make Mine Mississippi —
https://www.mdac.ms.gov/bureaus‐departments/market‐development/make‐mine‐
mississippi‐program/

 Mississippi Tourism —  http://www.visitmississippi.org/trips/step1
 Mississippi Agritourism Association — http://www.mississippiagritourism.org/
 Mississippi Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association — http://msfruitandveg.com/
 Other online marketing directories
o www.pickyourown.org
o www.agritourismworld.com
o www.farmstayus.com (Serenity Acres, Wiggins, MS; Oakdale Farms, Brandon, MS)
o www.ruralbounty.com (Seward Farms http://www.sewardfarms.com/ , Lucedale, MS)
o www.chefscollaborative.org
o www.localharvest.com
o www.sleepinthehay.com
o http://www.farmstayus.com/
o http://www.growingmississippi.org/
o http://agrilicious.org/home


31

Market Segmentation and Positioning

Generally, to simplify the answer to the question “what are you selling?,” begin by breaking
down your answers between selling experiences and/or selling goods.
Experiences may include:
 connection to nature/rural/outdoors
 romantic/healthy/quiet/adventure
 education/learning/conservation
Goods may include:
 Food
 Specialty products
 Crafts/artifacts/art
What are you selling and who are you selling it to?


32

Research about Direct‐to‐Consumer Markets
Consumers want to purchase locally grown fresh produce.
Opportunity exists, but depends upon effective marketing
and advertising to achieve visibility and increased
accessibility.  Major trends that impact direct‐to‐consumer
markets include:
 The “Locavore” Trend
 Concerns about Health and Obesity
 The Environmental or Green Movement
 Going back to basics
 Greater concern about food safety and seeking healthier food
Food safety preferences for produce include three segments:
1. Concern about pesticide and hormone use – “safety seekers” or “Health and Natural
Consumers”
2. Concern about price and quality – “price pickers” or “price conscious consumers”
3. Concern about quality and service – “Brand Buyers” or “Quality Seekers”
Consumer Issues:
 Nutrition, quality, and safety is a personal benefit.
 Supporting local agriculture or environmental conservation is a societal benefit.
 Potential antibiotic resistance or the unknown effects of hormones is a general public
health concern that combines personal and societal benefits.
 Consumer concerns about nutritional content, purity, freshness, and social concerns about
the public good.
 Publically oriented food attributes such as “free range, organic, natural, and locally
produced.”
 The “taste of place” – local foods that reflect a unique local character, that tell the story of a
place, or bring the taste‐history‐culture of a region to the consumer.

Research helps us understand
“who we are selling it to”


33

Types of Direct Consumers:
1. Well‐organized Eco‐families — support local and sustainable agricultural practices (civic
agriculture)
2. Strugglers — consumers who are low‐income and price sensitive
3. Rural traditionalists — consumers with traditional agrarian values who have historical ties to
agriculture
4. Professionals — consumers without children and singles in urban areas with a focus on
quality and image
Research about Agritourists
The primary types of agritourism sites visited are:  Food/Culinary, Heritage, Agricultural
Education, and Recreational Experiences.  Types of agritourism travelers include:
 Out‐of‐State Activity Seekers.  Generally, middle‐ to upper‐middle income bracket, travel in
small parties, enjoy active – recreational‐type agritourism, and take longer trips where
agritourism is often unplanned.  They plan their travel mostly by internet and choose
activities revolving around culinary events and on‐farm or heritage activities.
 In‐State Explorers.  Are predisposed to a variety of agritourism experiences, but most
activities are unplanned.  Generally plan their trips based on past experiences or
recommendations from friends and family.
 Family Ag Adventurers. Generally choose activities revolving around educational
experiences and active recreational experiences.  Plan trips based primarily on past
experience and personal recommendations.  Advertising through links with the Mississippi
Office of Tourism and links to the websites of family‐oriented businesses such as children’s
museums, local parks, or libraries can increase connections to this market segment.
 Mississippi Enthusiasts.  Primarily in‐state travelers and are parents or couples who return
based on past experiences and plan their trips based on personal web searches.  The
primarily select activities that revolve around culinary experiences.
 Accidental Tourists.  Travel primarily without children or by themselves, and may be visiting
for non‐recreational business, educational, or convention activities.  Are in the state for a
few days with a small window of time for leisure, but may be seeking activities to occupy
their free time.  May represent an opportunity for enterprises located close to major
transportation corridors and population centers.  Make spontaneous decisions based upon
road signage, brochures placed in visitors’ centers or hotels, and referrals from other
businesses.
The methods that agritourists use to plan their travel include:
 Past experience


34

 Arranged by hotel
 Travel website
 Personal web search
 Travel agency
 State tourism office
 Welcome Center
 Magazines
 Direct Mailing
 Signage
 Travel Association
 Park brochures
 Regional brochures
 Personal recommendations/word of mouth


35

Content and Keyword Development for Social Media
Content development is an important element of advertising.  Essentially, it uses content to
draw the attention of potential customers.  Content development is integral to using social
media to market your agritourism business because the Internet is comprised entirely of
information, i.e., content.  Content development is driven by the target market (needs, wants,
desires, interests, and benefits).  You must know what your customers want and engage them
in the content that you provide.   When people search for information on the Internet they use
keywords, the relationship between these queries and the keywords you select to use for the
content you provide is at the heart of using social media to market your products or services.
Your keywords should mirror the different types of user queries that may be used when people
are trying to find a product or service that you offer.
You might begin developing a content strategy by conducting a keyword analysis with a list of
phrases that you believe your audience is using to find the types of products or services that
you offer and by visiting the websites of similar businesses to obtain ideas.  You may also view
the HTML Page Source of similar businesses by going to their website landing page and
examining the keywords used.  Once you have arrived at the website landing page, you may
view the keyword used by clicking on View – Page Source (or right click and select View Page
Source in Safari or Google).
 You can then examine the <title> and “keyword” terms used as shown in the screen shot
below (e.g., strawberries, pumpkins, Fresh Vegetables and Fall Fun in Red Banks,
Mississippi.)


36

 You may also use Google AdWords
(https://adwords.google.com/)
to examine keywords by entering a
relevant website address and then
selecting “keywords” to evaluate the
popularity of keywords.   As shown in
the screen shot at right, the keyword
blueberry has received 246,000 clicks
and is more popular than berries.
 Long‐tail keyword phrases result in
more specific searches and potentially
reduce the number of clicks, but are
going to increase your quality ratings and placement on Google.  Adding geographic limiting
terms to your keywords will increase specific searches and may increase your placement,
but will also exclude other geographic areas (e.g., this may be negative for tourism focused
businesses, but positive for “you‐pick” businesses).  Keywords with five or more words have
been found, on average, to drive less than half the volume of clicks and impressions when
compared to shorter keyword phrases.
 Once you have developed keyword search terms, enter them into an Internet search engine
and examine the resulting search results and placements
The keywords you select to use may differ based upon your marketing objectives, the social
media type, and specific campaign strategies; for example:
 Are you selecting keywords for your Internet website, your Facebook page, or YouTube
page?
 Are you trying to increase your reach to have more people seeing, liking, sharing, and
commenting on your home page or Facebook content?
 Are you seeking to drive traffic to your home page, get people to view your videos, product
page, or calendar of events?
 Are you trying to make a sale, increase awareness, and/or promote your brand image?
 Do you want to increase your e‐mail contact list, promote a newsletter, and increase
subscribers?
 Are you having a special event or are you offering a “special deal” that you want to
promote?
Examples of content development or approaches to content advertising include:
 Posting articles to the facility’s own blog or content website


37

 Submitting/posting articles to Squidoo, Hubpages or Blogger
 Issuing press releases
 Reviews appearing on other people’s websites
 Yahoo answers
 Social bookmarking at Digg, Pinterest, etc.
 Posting videos on video sharing sites (i.e. YouTube)
 Posting comments in any online forums in the agritourism community or related industries

When utilizing content advertising, traffic can be generated from different sources.  Traffic can
be drawn from the website where the content is posted and from the search engine being used
to find the content.  The real challenge lies in getting “outside” traffic from the search engine.
The ultimate objective is for the website to obtain a high ranking in search results from the
search engine(s) that are being used.  In addition, it should also direct traffic from those search
engines to your website landing page.  This is accomplished through the process of careful
keyword research and SEO, or Search Engine Optimization.

Promotional Planning and the Use of Social Media for Events
Every business is different, and the planning timeline for promoting your business will be
specific to that organization; within this context, the following section provides a sample
timeline for engaging an audience online prior to an event.
Planning.  This is the time period when the goals, objectives, and strategies are established; this
planning focuses on the target market you are trying to reach — the defined target market will
drive all marketing and advertising decisions.
 Determine goals and audience needs
 Develop your marketing strategy, the elements of the communication mix you will use, and
your social media strategy
 Design Website, Facebook, and Event pages
 Create Linkedin groups and subgroups
 Identify partners in promotion
 Distribute pre‐show e‐mails announcing activities/events on various community
networks
 E‐mail social media opportunities to sponsors, advertisers, vendors, or exhibitors
 Begin relevant discussions and daily posts
 Identify participating blogs
 Start and continue Twitter blitz
 Create Facebook fan page and invites
 Send e‐mails about event


38

 Promote contests; start a picture contest
 Distribute press release(s).
 Announce blog posts about any Webinars, events, etc.
 Begin Twitter/Facebook/Social Media community outreach.

During the Event.  During the event, share information on a frequent and ongoing basis –
involve the audience by encouraging feedback; include quotes from participants, pictures, send
links to videos on the facility’s website, and use YouTube to share event activities.  Social media
can increase the excitement about your event and enable you to directly interact and receive
feedback from your target market(s).
Post‐event.  Continue engagement through all social media and marketing channels and
evaluate feedback.

 Send links to website and social media via e‐mail
 Continue to provide content to bloggers
 Track your online and offline presence and evaluate the success of different media
 Post an online survey on your website to track audience feedback, ask for comments about
attendees’ experiences at the event
 Maintain communication on social media, post updates, and encourage attendees to post
their own content on Facebook
 Continue to engage through Twitter
 Announce contest winners
 Continue to engage people and to post information about the event for a long time after
the event (keep content fresh and interesting)
 Focus on building relationships by being responsive to your online audience

Social media is an important element of your marketing communications
strategy.  Social media can dramatically impact your success.  Use a customer‐
centered social media strategy – provide useful information, promote others,
share news, involve the community, and connect at a deeper level with your
audience.


39

Abrosial Creole Flavorful Kneaded Piquant Solid
Amazing Crispy Flavorsome Kosher Pleasant Soufflé
Aphrodisiac Crispy Folded Laced Powdered Sour
Appealing Crumbly Fondant Laden Powdery Sparkling
Appetizing Crunchy Fra diablo Laiche Potent Spicy
Aromatic Crusty Fragrant Layered Preserved Spirited
Aromatic Crystalized Feathery Lemony Puffy Spongy
Au fromage Cuisine Fresh Light Pulp Spread
Au gratin Curd Freeze dried Lip‐smacking Pulverized Sprinkled
Au jus Cured Fricasseed Liquid Pungent Spritzed
Balsamic Curried Fried Low‐Fat Puréed Steamy
Barbecue Decadent Frosty Luscious Ragout Stewed
Battered Deglaze Frozen Lusty Rare Strong
Béarnaise Dehyrated Fruity Lyonnaise Raw Stuffed
Bite‐size Delectable Fudgy Marinate Redolent Subdued
Blackened Delicate Full‐bodied Marvelous Refreshing Subtle
Blanched Delicious Full‐flavored Mashed Relish Succulent
Blended Delightful Garden‐fresh Meaty Rich Sunnyside up
Bold Deluxe Garlicky Mellow Rib Sticking sugar‐coated
Bolognese Dense Gingery Melting Ripe Sugary
Boned Deviled Glazed Melt‐in‐your‐mouth Roasted Sweet
Braised Dietary Glossy Mild Robust Sweet and Sour
Brewed Diluted Golden Milky Rolled Syrupy
Briny Dipping Good Minced Roux Tangy
Brittle Distinctive Gooey Minty Saline Tantalizing
Broiled Divine Grainy Mixed Salted Tart
Browned Doughy Granulated Mixture Salty Tasty
Bubbly Dredged Grated Moist Satisfying Tempting
Bursting Drenched Gratifying mouth‐watering Saturated Tender
Buttercream Dripping Griddled Natural Sauté Texture
Butterflied Drizzled Grilled Nectarous Savory Thick
Buttery Dry Gustatory Nourishing Scented Titillating
Candied Dry‐Roasted Heady Nutritious Scrambled Toasted
Canned Dulcet Heavy Nutty Scrumptious Toothsome
Caramelized Dusted Healthy Oniony Seared Tumaceous
Charcuterie Earthy Hearty Oozing Seasoned Vanilla
Charred Enjoyable Heavenly Organic Sharp Velvety
Cheesy Enticing Herbaceous Packed Shredded Vegetarian
Chewy Escalloped Herbal Palate‐pleasing Silky Vinegary
Chili Etouffee Homemade Pan‐fried Sizzling Warm
Chilled Excellent Homestyle Paprika Simmering Watery
Chipotle Exquisite Homogenized Parboiled Skimmed Whipped
Chocolaty Fat‐free Honeyed Parched Slathered Wholesome
Chopped Fantastic Hors d’oeuvre Parfait Sliced Wild
Chowder Fermented Hot Pasteurized Slivered Wonderful
Clarified Fiery Hot Sauce Pâté Smokey Wrapped
Classical Fine Icy Penetrating Smooth Yummy
Comfort Food Finger Licking Good Infused Peppered Smothered Zest
Condensed Fibrous Intense Peppery Snappy Zestful
Condiment Filled Inviting Perfumed Snappy Zesty
Creamed Fiery Juicy Piccata Soaked Zippy
Creamery Flakey Julienne Pickled Soft
Creamy Flambé Kick Piping soft‐boiled
Example Words Used to Describe Food


40

Worksheet
Executive Summary: Provide a brief explanation of what your business does (one or two
sentences). Company Overview: Provide a brief history/description of your company.
Include information about when your business was formed and unique or exceptional
characteristics of your business (e.g., family farm/3rd generation farm family, organic or
free range, scenic/picturesque landscapes, lakes/streams, exceptional facilities).  What
type of legal entity is your business (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or
limited‐liability).  What are your accomplishments to date?
Describe each product that you sell:  Begin with the name of the product, list the price
of the product, and then describe each product.  Use descriptive terms to describe you
products; think in terms of using appetizing words to describe crisp, garden‐fresh
lettuce; ripe, sweet, and juicy tomatoes; or golden sweet farm‐raised corn.  A list of
words is provided on page 40 to help you think about how to describe your products.
Describe the services or activities that you provide:  Begin with the name of the
service(s), amenity, or activities; list the cost of use in relevant terms; e.g. hourly, daily,
fixed price; and then describe each service.  Make certain to identify any free amenities
your facility offers, e.g., a free shaded picnic area with barbeque grills; overlooking
scenic water views; accessible, lighted free parking; or free dog park area for your family
pet.  Also think about other special attractions that are nearby that may attract visitors
to your area; for example…”within two mile of the Red Gate Bison Ranch.”  Do you offer
unique amenities or services?  Make certain to use descriptive terms.
Identify target markets: Precisely define your current and/or intended customers.  Use
the data handout for your community to create a demographic profile for your target
customer(s); describe your customers and your market using appropriate geography,
age, income, household status, etc.  Identify the potential size of your target market,
and when appropriate, define their spending patterns.
Define customer needs: Describe why customers want or need your product and/or
services.  What is important to your customers – quality, price, location, service,
educational/learning experiences, or relaxation/recreation?
Industry Analysis: Relevant market size is determined by the number of customers who
may purchase your product/service multiplied by the amount these customers may
spend on your products and/or services on an annual basis.

Final growing your brand workbook

Final growing your brand workbook

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Final growing your brand workbook

Similar to Final growing your brand workbook (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Final growing your brand workbook