Cannon Beach by Joni Kabana
VI. Marketing Your Agritourism Venture
Marketing can feel intimidating, but you can tackle it step by step. Determine the most likely customers for your product or service; communicate what you offer in terms of what your customers value; deliver what you promise and delight your customers, who will recommend you to others; and price your offerings for a profit.
The marketing strategy ties into your general business plan (see business planning resources in Section V); it should be consistent with your overall business values, goals and budget. But the marketing plan is different because it focuses on detailed tactics. Below are some Oregon resources, as well as selected tools from other states that are particularly useful.
Market Data
- Section I of this handbook, “Why Consider Agritourism?” contains information about market preferences and trends for agritourism
Marketing Resources and Advice from Travel Oregon
- An overview of Travel Oregon’s marketing resources for tourism entrepreneurs, as well as general marketing tips are available in the two resources below:
Developing a Marketing Strategy
- Marketing Strategies for Agritourism Operations – Holly George and Ellie Rilla, University of California at Davis, Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Developing a Marketing Plan for Your Farm – Communities Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)
- Making a Marketing Plan – Small Business Administration
- Oregon Agritourism Marketing Strategy Template
Other Marketing Tools
- Agritourism Signage: A Study of Best Practices – MARStewart Group
- Digital marketing for agritourism: At little to no cost, businesses can use web-based communications to disseminate information and impart their unique brand identities. Below are examples of effective digital marketing messages from agritourism businesses and
partners based in Oregon. These examples showcase three types of online tools: websites, blogs and social media. The website is your general resource for customers, like a paper guide that doesn’t change often. The blog is a window to your world, speaking more broadly about industry topics than your business alone, as well as a way to boost your website’s SEO (search engine optimization). Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram can serve as newsletters, where you announce upcoming events and showcase recent happenings. All these tools help you connect, and stay connected, with customers.