New behaviours are constantly being formed around online shopping and, as they do, so must your marketing. Why not try the following:
Update your 'Abandoned Basket' message - Automated emails reminding shoppers of what they left behind are a mainstay of e-commerce - and a bonus marketing opportunity! This is your chance to reassure potential customers with information about your product guarantee, and eco-credentials or tempt them with a time-limited offer.
Take Part in a Twitter Hour - a Twitter hour is a regular time slot that is allocated to a specific topic. You can join in the conversation by adding the relevant hashtag or account name to your tweet to join the conversation. With hundreds of 'Hours', there is bound to be one suitable for your business e.g. #UKGiftAM, #WeddingHour & #EquineHour.
Team Up - with so many people wishing to support local businesses, why not team up with like-minded companies in your area and put together a #ShopLocal Christmas Gift Guide on Instagram or Facebook?
Show Off! - 70% of British Christmas shoppers say they are open to purchasing from retailers they haven’t bought from before so, whether it's a 5-star review on Trip Advisor, a glowing recommendation on Trust Pilot or an award your product has won, shout about it on your website and give folk an extra reason to buy from you.
Be Seen and Heard! - If you use a PR company, they will already have been working hard to feature your product in Christmas shopping guides in glossy magazines (if not, you need a new agency!!!). If you want to be proactive, then search for #PRRequest on Twitter for influencers looking to collaborate.
News
Skills Development within Farming’s Workforce: two unmissable opportunities to upskill and contribute your solutions at AgriScot this Wednesday:
Twitter has been in the news recently following its acquisition by Elon Musk. Have you moved to Mastodon? Are you sticking with Twitter? If so, you might be interested to know that you can now combine text, photos, videos and GIFs in a single tweet. Another relatively new Twitter feature that the Scene & Heard team have found useful is 'Remove me from this conversation'. Simply click on the three little dots on a Tweet — to untag yourself and leave a conversation (and stop receiving notifications).
Pam Newby has some excellent tips on using social media to market your self-catering cottage here: pod.fo/e/1425d3 (for more in-depth learning, The OnFARM Academy offers affordable, online training for rural businesses on a range of topics from press release writing to Instagram stories, creating audio content and more. Find out more at training.onfarmacademy.com).
Are you one of many people who have bought an ex-military Land Rover? Are you curious about its history? Do you wonder whether it had an exciting past as a military vehicle? You can find out via a request to the MoD? Find out more here. (You might also be interested in joining the Ex Military Land Rover Association)
Scene & Herd Director Anna, was one of five speakers at the recent Women in Agriculture Scotland Autumn Event. If you would like to book Anna or Monty to talk about any aspect of rural marketing at your event, please get in touch.
The OnFARM Podcast has returned after a short break for half term. You can listen to all of the podcasts at podfollow.com/onfarm and if your organisation is interested in sponsoring an episode, let us know!
Looking for Christmas gifts? Amanda's latest book 'Celebrating the Seasons' is available to order at her website!
Other ideas include:
The Venison Farm - All of their venison comes from red deer who graze the carefully managed pastures of the family farm nested in the foothills of the southern Uplands in Dumfriesshire.
Connage Highland Dairy - Multi-award winning organic dairy in the Highlands selling cheese, pickles, biscuits and cured meat. If you can't make your mind up, they also sell gift vouchers.
December dates for your Social Media Marketing
1 - 24 - Advent - why not create a digital advent calendar showcasing your products and/or staff?
3 - Small Business Saturday - Now in its ninth year, Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to 'shop local' and support small businesses in their communities. Get involved by using #SmallBusinessSaturday online and check out the website for more info: https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/
5 - World Soil Day - This year's theme is "Soils: Where food begins" which aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being. See the campaign website for resources.
21 - Winter Solstice/Shortest Day
Get in touch if you need any assistance with your social media.
Anna Davies: Email: anna@sceneandherdpr.co.uk
Ross (Monty) Montague: Email: monty@sceneandherdpr.co.uk
Company Registration Number: SC448325. VAT Registration Number: 162173427