A weekly report prepared by the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). If you require further information, regarding this report, call the Elora Resource Centre at 519-846-0941. Office hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm. For technical information, call the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or visit the OMAFRA website: www.ontario.ca/omafra.
DIRECT MARKETING AND BRAND LOYALTY, PART 1
As the warmer months approach farmers are presented with new opportunities to better connect with their customers. These connections could help farmers to form meaningful and long lasting relationships. Some methods used to form these connections with customers include: roadside stands, on-farm shops, pick your own produce and participation in farmers’ markets. These types of selling methods give farmers the opportunity to personally interact with customers and to directly market themselves and their products.
If done right, these selling methods will help to ensure a strong relationship between farmers and their customers. A strong relationship will help farmers to retain customers and create brand loyalty. There are many benefits to instilling brand loyalty among customers.
On average brand loyal customers makeup approximately 80 per cent of a company’s business, so retaining these customers should be a priority. It is three to five times more expensive to replace a brand loyal customer than to retain one.
Brand loyal customers are a huge aspect to any business and direct marketing is a great way of retaining current loyal customers and to create brand loyalty among new customers. In order to create the opportunity for face-to-face interactions (direct marketing) customers must be aware of your product and where it is sold. Social media and other forms of marketing present farmers with an opportunity to build brand and product awareness.
How to Directly Market Your Product
Customers must be aware of when and where products are sold and social media can play a large role in giving customers constant updates on product availability. Different social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs provide an important opportunity for a two-way communication channel between farmers and customers. These social media channels allow farmers to provide instant and up-to-date information. A consistent online presence with regular product updates will help to remind customers of your business and its quality products and services. In attempts to create and maintain relationships with customers farmers should:
– create a customer database (customer information);
– provide frequent social media updates;
– educate customers;
– listen to customers; and
– create customer surveys (for feedback).
Farmers should always attempt to put their customers first by focusing on their satisfaction and forming personal connections. Farmers should interact and engage with customers, entertain them and educate them about agriculture and their business. Forming these personal connections will help build relationships and lead to brand loyalty.
Another method to improve customer satisfaction involves reviewing customer complaints. Complaints should be looked at as an opportunity to improve the brand, service or product. Complaints that are addressed and corrected on the spot have an average customer retention rate of 82 per cent.
