We love making websites for farms, but we know not all farms need websites. So how can you tell if your farm business needs a digital presence? Here is our quick checklist of 5 things you’ll want to determine before you take the plunge and build a website for your farm business.
How Big Is Your Farm?
As much as we would love to build a website for every farm we talk to, we know it’s not always the right time. If you’re running a minimal operation or a hobby farm, spending money on a robust website might not be the best move right now. You may be able to do some things with social media until you’re able to grow.
What is Your Budget?
Yes, there are plenty of DIY website builders, but they don’t always offer a full range of services and don’t provide any long-term maintenance or security. So figuring out your budget for web design and continued marketing will help you decide what your next step should be in terms of growth and development.
How Do You Want to Advertise?
Do you know your target audience? That’s an important question when determining how to advertise your farm. Are you targeting farmer’s markets, CSAs, groceries stores, or restaurants? Each of these markets has unique requirements for advertising, so creating a website with these funnels is essential.
How Do You Use Social Media?
Many small farms rely on social media to spread the word. And there is nothing wrong with this, for the most part. But social media has one big challenge: you don’t own it. Any social media platform, like Facebook or Instagram, can shut down pages or users for any reason with no warning. You could lose everything you’ve done and all your progress. But you own a website. The domain and content are yours, so you’ll always have that information in one place.
How Do You Tell Your Story?
One of my favorite quotes (and I use it a lot) is from author Simon Sinek.
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”
Many farms are probably growing the same produce that you do, so what makes you stand out? What’s your story? More importantly, how are you going to tell your story? Sure, you can talk to every individual customer who visits your farmer’s market booth, but that’s not the most efficient way. Instead, create online content that drives traffic to your site through SEO and provides readable and engaging content that keeps people coming back.
Are You Ready for a New Website?
Work with a dedicated marketing company to develop a custom and dynamic website for you. With graphic design and original content, your site will be optimized for your audience.
DPEG Marketing Company has 8 spots open for website design in 2022. We partner with farm and equine businesses to help them grow.
Contact us for a FREE consultation by emailing [email protected] or calling (828) 333-3816.
