Central Illinois | koningj1 - 2/29/2016 09:21
The consumer-driven "local food" trend is continuing to get bigger from what I've seen and we're close enough to some larger urban areas in Michigan that this is something I've been looking into a lot lately.
How many of you with livestock market directly to consumers, especially consumers who are very far removed from the farm? I mean freezer meat, local groceries, restaurants, hog roasts, individual cuts, CSA, etc? If it's not giving up your secret competitive advantage, how do you advertise - social media, newspaper, farmers market, word-of-mouth only? What works/doesn't work with consumers?
A consumer trend I've seen is the desire to have products with feel-good, buzz-word labels like "no hormones added", "non-GMO", etc etc the list goes on and on. These kinds of value-added products are not something I personally want or need, yet many consumers do. I find myself thinking, do I want to educate/argue with a consumer who doesn't know about food production? ... Or do I want to just give the consumer what they want? When I see "no hormones added" pork or "non-GMO" popcorn, I just shake my head, but consumers will pay a lot of money for that.
Thanks in advance
"Educate" a consumer and "argue" are two different things. One I have no issue with, the other will only drive them away and cement their beliefs. The best thing to do is put the accurate, detailed information out there and let them decide. When you advertise just say what you have, they will decide what they value. I give basic information in my advertisement and if they ask questions I expand on their questions to the best of my ability. I never get frustrated, only explain facts; never give opinions. |
Direct Marketing to Consumers
