Email Marketing for Farms & Small Businesses: Building Relationships and Loyalty

Welcome to another part of our series on Digital Marketing for Local Farms and small Businesses! Today, we’re diving into email marketing, a fantastic tool for building relationships and loyalty with your customers. Using the tips we learned from Bernadette Jiwa’s principles in our last article on Building Genuine Connections, we’ll show you how to create email content that truly connects with your audience and strengthens your brand.

Key Email Marketing Tips for Local Farms & Small Businesses

1. Build Your Email List

Your email list is gold. Here’s how to build and keep it:

• Sign-up Forms: Place these on your website, social media, and even at your physical location. Visit HubSpot’s guide on creating effective sign-up forms for more tips.
• Incentives: Offer discounts, free guides, or exclusive content to get people to sign up. Check out Neil Patel’s article on using incentives for email list growth for more ideas.
• Events: Gather emails during farm tours, markets, and community events. For tips on organizing successful events, read this Eventbrite guide on event marketing.

2. Segment Your Audience

Segmenting means dividing your email list so you can send more personalized messages. Here are some common segments:

• New Customers: Send welcome emails and introductions to your business.
• Regular Customers: Share updates on new products, seasonal offerings, and loyalty rewards.
• Event Attendees: Follow up with people who attended your events and invite them to future ones.

3. Craft Engaging Content

Content is the heart of your email marketing. Make it engaging by:

• Stories: Share your business’s history, values, and the people behind it. This builds a deeper connection.
• Educational Content: Provide tips, recipes, and how-to guides related to your products.
• Exclusive Offers: Reward your subscribers with special discounts, early access to products, and exclusive content.

4. Design and Layout

A well-designed email is more likely to be read. Keep these tips in mind:

• Mobile-Friendly: Ensure your emails look good on phones since many people check emails on their mobile devices.
• Visuals: Use high-quality images and videos to make your emails attractive. Canva’s guide to creating engaging email visuals is a great resource.
• Clear Call-to-Actions: Make it easy for your readers to know what to do next, whether it’s visiting your website, buying a product, or attending an event.

5. Measure and Optimize

Track your email performance to understand what works:

• Open Rates: The percentage of recipients who open your email.
• Click-Through Rates (CTR): The percentage of recipients who click on links within your email.
• Conversion Rates: The percentage of recipients who take a desired action, like making a purchase.

Use this data to refine your strategy continually.

1. Change How People Feel: Be Useful, Entertaining, or Inspiring

Create content that makes your audience feel good. Share uplifting stories about your business journey, customer testimonials, or useful tips.

Example: Share a story about how you make a particular product, the challenges you face, and the joy of the final result. Include a recipe or usage tip for that product, connecting its creation to your customers.

2. Help Customers Become Better Versions of Themselves

Provide content that helps your customers grow, like educational articles about sustainable farming, health benefits of certain produce, or business tips.

Example: Send a monthly newsletter featuring different products you offer, their health benefits, and how to use them in daily life.

3. Integrate Content Marketing into Your Business

Your emails should reflect your business’s values and mission. Share stories that highlight your commitment to quality, sustainability, and community.

Example: Highlight your sustainable practices and how they benefit the environment and the community.

Popular Email Marketing Platforms for Farms & Small Businesses

In this section, we’ll provide an overview of three popular email marketing platforms: Mailchimp, Wix, and Squarespace. Each of these platforms offers unique features to help you create, send, and analyze your email campaigns effectively. We’ll also include the cost for each platform to help you choose the best option for your needs.

Overview: Mailchimp is one of the most widely used email marketing platforms, known for its user-friendly interface and powerful features. It’s suitable for businesses of all sizes and offers a range of tools to help you create engaging email campaigns.

• Drag-and-Drop Editor: Easily design beautiful emails with a simple drag-and-drop interface.
• Templates: Choose from a variety of pre-designed templates to create professional-looking emails quickly.
• Audience Segmentation: Segment your email list to send personalized messages to different groups.
• Analytics and Reports: Track the performance of your campaigns with detailed analytics and reports.
• Integrations: Integrate with various apps and services, including e-commerce platforms, social media, and CRM tools.

Pricing:

• Free Plan: Includes up to 500 contacts and 3,500 emails per month with basic features.
• Essentials Plan: Starts at $13 per month for up to 500 contacts with additional features and higher sending limits.
• Standard Plan: Starts at $20 per month for up to 500 contacts with more advanced features.
• Premium Plan: Starts at $350 per month for up to 10,000 contacts, offering the most advanced features.

Overview: Wix is a popular website builder that also offers robust email marketing features. It’s designed to be easy to use, making it a great choice for small businesses and farms looking to manage their website and email marketing from one platform.

Wix Features:

• Wix ShoutOut: Create and send professional email campaigns with customizable templates.
• Drag-and-Drop Editor: Design your emails easily with a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor.
• Automated Emails: Set up automated email sequences for welcome emails, reminders, and more.
• Analytics: Track the performance of your email campaigns with detailed reports on open rates, click-through rates, and more.
• Integrations: Seamlessly integrate with your Wix website, making it easy to collect sign-ups and manage your email list.

Pricing:

• Free Plan: Limited features and branding from Wix.
• Basic Plan: Starts at $4.50 per month, includes 3 campaigns and up to 5,000 emails.
• Unlimited Plan: Starts at $12.50 per month, includes unlimited campaigns and up to 50,000 emails.
• VIP Plan: Starts at $24.50 per month, includes unlimited campaigns and up to 1,000,000 emails, plus priority support.

Squarespace Email Campaigns

Overview: Squarespace is another well-known website builder that includes powerful email marketing tools. It’s ideal for businesses that want an integrated solution for their website and email marketing needs.

Squarespace Features:

• Email Campaigns: Create beautiful emails using customizable templates that match your website’s style.
• Design Tools: Use intuitive design tools to craft visually appealing emails.
• Automations: Set up automated email sequences to nurture your audience and keep them engaged.
• Analytics: Access detailed analytics to measure the success of your campaigns, including open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
• Integration: Easily manage your email marketing alongside your Squarespace website, making it simple to collect and manage email subscribers.

Pricing:

• Starter Plan: $5 per month for up to 3 campaigns and 500 emails.
• Core Plan: $10 per month for up to 5 campaigns and 5,000 emails.
• Pro Plan: $24 per month for up to 20 campaigns and 50,000 emails.
• Max Plan: $48 per month for unlimited campaigns and 250,000 emails.

How to Implement Email Marketing Using These Platforms

Mailchimp

1. Sign Up: Create an account on Mailchimp.
2. Create a List: Import your email contacts or use Mailchimp’s sign-up forms to build your list.
3. Design a Campaign: Use Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop editor to design your email. Add your content, images, and links.
4. Segment Your Audience: Create different segments for new customers, regular buyers, and event attendees.
5. Send and Analyze: Send your email and use Mailchimp’s analytics to track performance.

Wix Email Marketing

1. Sign Up: Create an account on Wix or use your existing account.
2. Create a List: Build your email list with sign-up forms on your Wix website.
3. Design a Campaign: Use Wix ShoutOut to design your email with the drag-and-drop editor. Add your content, images, and links.
4. Automate: Set up automated emails for different customer interactions, such as welcome emails or follow-ups.
5. Send and Track: Send your email and use Wix’s analytics to track performance and engagement.

Squarespace Email Campaigns

1. Sign Up: Create an account on Squarespace or use your existing account.
2. Create a List: Use sign-up forms on your Squarespace website to build your email list.
3. Design a Campaign: Design your email using Squarespace’s customizable templates. Add your content, images, and links.
4. Automate: Set up automated email sequences to nurture your subscribers.
5. Send and Analyze: Send your email and use Squarespace’s analytics to monitor the performance of your campaigns.

By following these steps and incorporating Bernadette Jiwa’s principles, you can create an email marketing strategy that builds strong relationships and fosters loyalty among your customers. Email marketing is a powerful tool to share your business’s story, engage your audience, and drive repeat business.

For more detailed guides, check out resources from Mailchimp, Wix, and Squarespace. Implement these strategies, and watch your local farm or small business grow its online presence, driving more traffic and boosting your business!