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Agricultural tourism increases the potential for on-farm sales with value-adding products and services, further diversifying the farm operation's product line. There are three agritourism basics: have something for visitors to see, something for them to do, and something for them to buy. This publication covers all elements of planning a successful agritourism enterprise, including business planning, marketing, learning legal rules and regulations, assessing risk and safety considerations, and considering customer satisfaction.
This fact sheet provides key strategies for marketing local foods based on demographic trends seen in recent scholarly literature.
Social media usage is at an all time high, with the majority of individuals older than 18 saying they regularly use platforms like Facebook and YouTube. More than 60% of adults ages 18 to 29 routinely use Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. This means that one of the most effective ways to market local food to all age groups, and Millennials and Generation Z in particular, is through social media. Age, however, is not the only demographic to consider when marketing local food. Data also shows that gender plays a significant role in social media usage; women are more likely to use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok than men regardless of their age. Agents should consider this when using social media and should focus on marketing to female consumers–a demographic that has already been shown to have favorable opinions of local food. Marketing local food is important for Extension agents who work in the local food space because N.C. Cooperative Extension’s purpose is to support agriculture and the people of North Carolina. The following is a set of best practices for social media usage to promote local food.
This publication explains how microentrepreneurs can use emerging web-based marketplaces to sell services, goods, and experiences to untapped markets.
Online sales can benefit tech-savvy local food producers who are looking for an emerging way to connect with consumers. There are multiple online sales platforms that can help ease the administrative burden of direct-to-consumer sales and help with online marketing to reach consumers. Here is a list of resources that farmers can utilize and a list of questions to consider when thinking about adopting an online platform. With the growing popularity of online shopping, producers should consider becoming involved in online sales to consumers as a strategy to make their agribusiness more resilient.
This factsheet describes important considerations for developing an effective marketing plan to promote an agritourism business.
