Marketing- Sometimes you have to get dirty!

Bitterwind Ranch truck getting muddy! Photo copyright by Miriah Reynolds

Alright.... not the kind of dirty your thinking of! I'm talking about breaking out the pens and drawing out a plan! Most of this past week revolved around coming up with a marketing plan and trying to implement it. Since starting this class, I have had to take a step back and re-think my business ideas. The 4 Ps made me realize just how much more I need to plan for making my business profitable. Promotion is the main point that I need to re-evaluate. Here are some goals and ideas to start marketing and promoting my products:

• Give away some samples. Many people don't want to pay for a product they are unsure of, maybe by giving away some samples would attract customers.
• Use more social media. I'm trying to use my company name more, but using social media would help spike awareness.
• Focus on a few products. I have so many different product varieties, I need to try and advertise the best sellers- then maybe those customers will try the other varieties! 

Marketing & Seeds

Over the past couple weeks I have spent the days out in crop fields and my garden. It occurred to me while I was pulling weeds out of a winter wheat field that marketing and seeds have similarities,

Starting Small: 
Even the smallest marketing ideas ~ a logo for example ~ may have a huge impact on the success of a business. Seeds start out really tiny and blossom under the right conditions. It may take a while for customers to catch on to the logo, name, or product. So start local and then expand.

Photo: Zeus Hop at Bitterwind Ranch , Belgrade MT

Take Time: 
Every seed is different. Some take a longer time to germinate than others. I have some Hop rhizomes that literally grow 3" over night. While the lettuce seeds take a few weeks before they germinate. Each marketing idea may have different effort and technique requirements.

Sunshine: 
 This analogy may be a stretch, but I'll give it a shot. Sunshine is a bit like optimism. Every idea or new product may need a little optimism in order for it to be successful.

The Front Counter

I'm standing at the front counter of my old job. The phones are ringing off the hook, the radio are asking for price checks, and I've got a line of people waiting to be helped. After hours of the same nonsense, my frustration melts into humor- as I start wondering where the heck are my co-workers!! To any customer walking in the store, it must look as though I'm terrible at my job, that I can not handle any difficult situations, when truth be told, I just need another cashier's help. Despite the madness I still look up from the register to welcome each customer, also asking if they need help finding anything. It seems as though their judgment of my incompetency is eliminated and they become more patient. 

This is the face of customer service. Sometimes it only takes a few words "have a great day" or "thanks for your business" to change a customers opinion. 

In any business there is typically a front counter person. The one who becomes the 'face' of a company. They are the first ones to greet a customer (first impression) and the last one to provide service. For several years I was this person........ its not fun! Sometimes the employee is very dedicated to their job and has outstanding product knowledge. Other times, not so much. Making customers happy and feel appreciated is probably the most important aspect to having a profitable business. A happy customer tells one friend about their experience, an unhappy customer tells 5 of their friends.