Marketing and Sales
Access Penn State Extension’s educational resources on agricultural marketing and business management. Comprehensive information is available on value-added agriculture, organic produce, and social media and internet marketing.
Agricultural Marketing
Marketing is an important component for the success of agricultural businesses. With effective agricultural marketing, farmers can increase profits, boost sales, and reach out to more customers. The first step to successfully market food products is knowing your customers. Researching the target market gives you the ability to uncover many details about a consumer before you start communicating with them.
Making the most of that research – and using it to interpret what consumers need – is integral for a winning agricultural marketing and sales effort. The data gathered can be utilized to create beneficial strategies that reach the right market. Organic production and marketing, for instance, is a strategy that can add value to a new agribusiness and set it apart.
Many farmers choose to market their products directly to customers at farmers’ markets, fairs, and roadside stands. Compared to selling wholesale, direct marketing allows a higher degree of flexibility and control.
On this page, find information on the marketing of agriculture products. Discover how to design and implement marketing strategies for value-added products and agritourism businesses. For practical tips and best practices, join the Under the Ground workshop, as well as the Food for Profit online course.
Pricing and Selling Farm Products
When running a seasonal business, adjusting the sales strategy throughout the year can prove beneficial for bringing in income while meeting customers’ needs. Strategies to diversify the farm’s income and achieve year-round sales include season extension, crop diversification, and value-added products.
Choosing the right price for each product, however, can be challenging. Pricing is an important strategic process that helps determine what price to attach to a product. Many agribusiness professionals utilize a combination of various product pricing methods, such as target return pricing, psychological pricing, and subscription pricing.
Use Penn State Extension’s Price and Pricing worksheet to estimate the number of units that must be sold to achieve a profitable sales goal. In addition, consider the Strategies for Successful Selling workshop and learn to improve sales pricing and in-depth winter sales strategies.
Online Marketing and Sales for Farm Businesses
In the United States, 90% of the adult population is online. This is why creating a sound digital marketing strategy – and optimizing your online presence – is essential. In addition, with the increased growth of e-commerce, the need for farms and agribusinesses to implement e-commerce into their farm marketing plan has become crucial.
Sales of agricultural products through e-commerce can facilitate advantages such as market outlet diversification, expanded customer base, and customer convenience. More to that, it allows for collecting valuable data on product sales and customers that can be used to fine-tune and improve the customers’ online experience.
In this section, access Penn State’s video series on online sales management to learn more about designing your online store, as well as picking and packing orders efficiently. Information on understanding different e-commerce payment methods is also available.
Marketing on Farm Markets
Farm markets provide a profitable and convenient way for local farmers to sell their products. When selling at farm markets, differentiating your products can make a big difference. An attractive display provides several benefits, including attracting customers, announcing a sale, and promoting slow-moving items.
To create an effective product display, consider your goals, budget, and theme. Good visual merchandising is further based on elements such as balance, focal point, color, and lighting. Explore hands-on strategies for farmers’ markets and roadside stands with Penn State Extension’s Retail Farm Market School. This online course will teach participants how to use produce science best practices, handle products, and implement merchandising and customer service strategies. A Farmers Market Managers Conference is available, as well.
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WebinarsFree
Food for Profit: Elevate Your Food Photography
When 06/06/2024Length .75Discover the art of stunning food photography with just your phone! Perfect for food entrepreneurs. Join our free webinar! -
WebinarsFree
Food for Profit: Perfect Marketing Materials with Canva
When 06/04/2024Length 1 hourDiscover Canva's features, template creation, ensuring brand consistency, and tips for efficient graphic design. -
ArticlesAgritourism Insights: Marketing Tools for Agritourism Operators
Agritourism Insights is a series of short Extension articles from the Penn State Agritourism Team that provides analyses, expert advice, and practical tips on various agritourism topics. -
Articles4 Benefits of Buying at the Produce Auction
Produce auctions allow farmers to sell their bounty efficiently, leaving more time for farming. Here, we set the record straight on produce auctions. -
ArticlesMarketing Poultry Slaughtered Under USDA Exemption
Are you raising poultry and wondering what rules apply to you? The following summary states where you can sell your poultry depending on how it was processed and what other regulations apply. -
ArticlesFood Trends 2024
Each year brings a batch of food trends. As in years past, we provide insight into some included in publications and posted by well-established marketing firms, associations, and supermarket chains. -
ArticlesPotato Production
With many varieties and high consumer consumption, potatoes fit well with many small growers and can be marketed through various outlets. -
ArticlesAgritourism Diversification: Virtual Classes, Events, and Experiences
Virtual events have become popular and convenient due to their accessibility, offering agritourism businesses the opportunity to reach a wider audience without the limitations of physical space. -
ArticlesAgritourism Diversification: In-Person Classes
Classes provide agritourism operations with an effective way to diversify their offerings, giving them the opportunity to make use of their existing resources and expertise. -
ArticlesDeveloping a Business Plan
An important task in starting a new venture is to develop a business plan, which is a "road map" to guide the future of a business or venture. -
ArticlesAgritourism Diversification: Petting Zoos on the Farm
Petting zoos are an attractive feature to some agritourism businesses. This article outlines three areas of consideration prior to opening a petting zoo to visitors. -
ArticlesShipping Dairy Foods Direct to Consumers
Shipping of dairy foods direct to consumers is on the rise as online purchases are increasing. This article covers essential packaging and shipping issues that dairy processors will need to navigate for success. -
ArticlesCultivating Your E-Experience: Understanding Aspects of Customer Communications
A solid understanding of customer needs and types of communication and complaining customers will position you to provide a high-quality online customer communication experience. -
ArticlesCultivating Your E-Experience: Responding to Consumer Communications
Personal, timely, and attentive responsiveness to consumer communications is a key component to consumers' e-experience. -
ArticlesFood for Profit: Marketing Your Food Product
Marketing is more than advertising. It is everything you do to promote your business and your food products from the moment you conceive of a product to the point at which customers buy it. -
ArticlesMarketing Your Agritourism Business
Successful marketing of your agritourism business requires a sound strategy. This article provides guidance on developing a strategy to lessen and manage marketing risk. -
ArticlesWhat's the Difference Between Markup and Profit?
Understanding the difference between markup and profit margin is critical to the success of your business. -
ArticlesFeeding Beef Cattle
Beef cattle feeding is possible on small and part-time farms, but the cost of feeding drops significantly as the size of the operation increases. -
ArticlesDairy Product Trends - Ice Cream
This article provides a broad overview of ice cream consumption trends and consumer preferences. -
ArticlesDairy Product Trends - Cheese
This article provides a broad overview of cheese consumption trends and consumer preferences. -
ArticlesImpact of the Pandemic on Wine Consumption and Winery Visitation Trends – Part 3
This article reports results from a winery tasting room visitor survey in the mid-Atlantic region. -
ArticlesImpact of the Pandemic on Wine Consumption and Winery Visitation Trends – Part 2
This article reports results from a winery tasting room visitor survey in the mid-Atlantic region. -
ArticlesImpact of the Pandemic on Wine Consumption and Winery Visitation Trends
This article reports results from a winery tasting room visitor survey in the mid-Atlantic region. -
ArticlesSocial Media for Ag Business: How Can You Use It?
This article provides an overview of how social media is used by the public, highlights six ways you can put social media to work for your ag business, and the benefits you can see from social media use. -
ArticlesE-Commerce for Ag Business: Advantages and Challenges
This article will overview the advantages and challenges that a farm, food or ag business owner may be facing when deciding whether to implement e-commerce.
