5 Emails your Farm Should be Sending
Email is a powerful tool to spur Farm sales, driving up to +30% larger order sizes. Buyers want to know about your Farm and get information in their inbox, somewhere they look every day. Taking advantage of the power of email is one of the best ways to propel your Farm business to the next level.
Collecting Emails
Before you send effective emails, you have to collect contact information from Buyers. There are tactics to ensure email sign-ups, online and in-person. At markets or stands, use a sign-up sheet to secure emails from Buyers who walk by your products. Offering a 10% discount on their first purchase for signing-up can help incentivize Buyers. For easier collection, you can place a QR code at your stand, where Buyers can scan with their phones and enter their contact information.
Online, you can employ a pop-up on your website to request contact information, so Buyers who are already showing interest in your business can sign up for your Farm newsletter (and receive 10% off their first purchase). This is standard practice on all ecommerce websites. Additionally, include a link in your social profiles for Buyers to enter contact information to sign-up at their convenience. The more contacts you collect, the more emails you will want to send to fuel purchases.
Learn more about collecting emails from Buyers:
Automated Campaigns
It is crucial to have automations in place to save your Farm time. If you have to manually segment your contacts into lists, you will quickly burn-out trying to calculate the best times to send emails to each Buyer and draft newsletters without recommendations. Mailchimp can automatically analyze characteristics and behaviors to ensure Buyers are grouped together by similar purchase patterns, and send emails at the best delivery time for each contact (individually). Leveraging segmented emails (and Buyer lists) can improve your open rates by up to 14%!
Barn2Door works with Mailchimp to integrate your Buyer contacts and purchase history seamlessly in your account. Mailchimp’s Customer Journey Builder automatically segments ‘audiences’ through their behaviors and purchase patterns to group similar Buyers together. Based on their actions, they can be automatically enrolled in campaigns best suited to their needs.
For instance, if you have 15 new contacts sign-up at a Farmers’ Market, they can be employed into a ‘Welcome Email’ campaign. For any Buyer who has not made a purchase in the past 90 days, they can automatically be enrolled into a ‘Re-Engage’ campaign, to prompt them to make another purchase.
To keep Buyers engaged, here are 5 emails your Farm should be sending:
#1: Welcome Emails
After a Buyer has subscribed to your email list, welcome them to your Farm by sending an email. This can be automated to send to new Buyers after they sign-up for your email list. Within the ‘Welcome Email,’ include the story behind your Farm, share your values, products and practices, goals for your Farm business and what Buyers can expect when purchasing from you. This email should share everything you want Buyers to know about you, because it could be something that helps cement the relationship with your Farm.
In your Welcome Email, include a simple 1-2-3 guide on how to order from your Farm, online and in-person. Add links that will drive Buyers to your website, store, and your social media handles. Pictures of your Farm, family and products will make the email more personal.
Some Farms choose to offer a ‘Welcome Discount’ in this first email. This will encourage Buyers to check out your store and make a first purchase. Once they see the value in ordering Farm fresh products, they will return for more.
#2: Order Reminders
It is important to have consistent communications with Buyers. Order reminders can share popular products, restocks or subscription dates with Buyers. Re-engaging customers who have not interacted with your store for a while will ensure you are reaching Buyers in your area. Customers may be busy, and you can potentially spur more sales when you remind them to place an Order from your Farm.
Order reminders are a great way to consistently remind Buyers what’s “fresh and available” and why they bought your products in the first place. With so many brands communicating with your customers, it is important that your Farm stays at the top of their inbox and shares products of interest.
#3: Product Recommendations
Too many options to choose from will lead to Buyer decision fatigue, and reduce purchases from your Farm. It is important to give customers recommended options that are tailored to their wants and needs. However, you may not have time to review hundreds of Buyers’ purchase histories and make suggestions based on their past transactions.
Mailchimp’s Customer Journey Builder (CJB) integrates with the Buyer purchase history in Barn2Door. Utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI), “Smart Recommendations” can make specific product suggestions from your Farm store for each Buyer - automatically.
Additionally, if Buyers have never purchased from your Farm, Smart Recommendations is a great way to introduce new products and encourage them to shop. Adding recipes and photos within your email can also help Buyers feel more comfortable making a purchase, knowing how to use your products.
#4: Newsletters
Newsletters keep Buyers ‘in-the-know’ with everything that is happening on your Farm - from events to product sales. Nearly 90% of consumers prefer to receive updates from your Farm with an email newsletter. Successful Farmers use these emails as a way to share new products, Farm updates and educational content.
Sending newsletters consistently keeps your Farm top of mind. Farmers who send weekly newsletters to their contact lists enjoy up to +28% more in average monthly orders. While these can spur orders from Buyers, newsletters also focus on building a relationship with your customers, encouraging future purchases.
#5: Re-Engage Campaigns
Your Buyers are busy and can quickly get distracted with work, family or volunteer commitments. As a result, some of your Buyers may lose touch with your Farm business, or are simply unable to attend the Farmer’s Market this weekend.
The Barn2Door purchase history of your Buyers is directly integrated with your Mailchimp account, which can power an automated Re-Engage Campaign for anyone that has not made a purchase in the past 90 days. This email is a fantastic opportunity for your Farm to remind Buyers of their prior experience with your Products, while also offering a Promo or Smart Recommendation to prompt a purchase. Best of all, it is fully-automated, takes no effort and it works!
Conclusion
Email marketing involves attracting sign-ups, knowing your various Buyer types and sending emails based on their behaviors. With a variety of sign-up opportunities and automated campaigns, your Farm will secure more sales.
There are many other types of emails you may choose to send depending on specifics of your Farm and Buyers. These 5 email types are a great way to start communications, encourage ongoing purchases and build relationships and Buyer loyalty.
Barn2Door offers software for Independent Farmers to create and promote their brand, sell online and in-person, and save time managing their business. If you’re curious to learn more, watch this 5-minute video.