There’s a good chance you already have a brand strategy for your farm. You know the types of products and services that you offer, how you differentiate yourself from competitors, and why your farm is uniquely suited to a specific type of consumer. Guess what? You're essentially "branding" your farm! Branding is simply telling a compelling story about your business in a way that interests your core audience.
Taking a strategic approach to branding does take a bit of time and effort, but the outcome is well worth it. Not only does it give you an opportunity to get to know your customers better, but it also helps you develop a consistent image of your business across all marketing channels.
Why Branding Your Farm Makes a Difference
Regardless of your industry, branding can have a major impact on your business. In fact, successful branding yields a number of benefits, including increased customer loyalty, improved brand perception and a recognizable identity.
Branding for the farm industry is particularly important as people are increasingly concerned about the quality of the food they purchase for their families. And employing effective branding strategies is a great way to position your farm as a leader in local, fresh produce.
4 Branding Tips for Farms
If you’re new to branding, it may seem a bit daunting. Fortunately, we’ve rounded up our favorite tips for helping you build your brand.
- Create Your Logo
Your logo is often the first thing that people see in regards to your business, so it's important that you are not only communicating the right message, but also evoking the emotions and ideals that you want to convey. Farm brands may find it beneficial to position themselves as locally-owned, organic, safe or reliable. Perhaps your sustainable farming practices is what sets you apart from your competition. Selecting a logo that reflects your values and speaks to your audience sets your entire branding project in the right direction.
- Updating Your Website
Beyond your logo, your website is usually the first chance you have to make a good impression on your audience. This single platform is the cornerstone of your online marketing strategy - ensuring that you are discoverable online and providing your audience with a way to learn more about you and communicate with you directly.
Your website doesn't have to be fancy, but it should contain the following components, at a minimum:
- An overview of who you are and what you offer
- Your address and contact information
- Any special sales or promotions
- Information about your brand, including your value proposition
- Landing pages for social media and other digital advertising campaigns
- Mobile-friendly pages so your site loads properly on any device
- Social Media
Social media is a fun way to not only promote your brand, but to also engage your audience and correspond with them in a natural way. Video and images are extremely compelling for social media, and can offer you a great deal of exposure without a high price tag. For example, you may want to highlight photos of your harvest or share a how-to video on the best way to properly clean fresh produce. The key to making social media work for your brand is to post regularly to your social media accounts and spark one-to-one conversations with your “fans.”
- Advertising
Advertising helps reinforce the message behind your brand and adds momentum to your sales efforts. When you are advertising to the right audience with the right frequency and messaging, you will find that your brand awareness in the local community will improve dramatically.
We recommend the 21-52 BrandsFormation advertising plan, which means your ad will run 21 times per week for 52 weeks a year in order for customers to see or hear your ad at least three times - the minimum frequency required to truly make an impact. And when done right, your advertising efforts can spread the word about your farm and attract customers who continue coming back.
An effective branding strategy can help you tell your farm’s story and successfully attract customers who care about your values and offerings. While there are more ways that you can continue to reinforce your brand and messaging, we recommend starting with these basics and building a comprehensive marketing strategy for your farm to begin seeing a positive impact.
