Berry Boost: Revamping Distribution and Social Media for a Family-Owned Farm
The client is a family-owned and operated farm. The company specializes in growing, harvesting, packaging, and distributing berries throughout the berry season as well as throughout the rest of the year.
Situation
Due to an unsuccessful and expensive marketing campaign over the past berry season, they were unsure about their target market and how to reach potential customers. Moreover, they were inactive on social media platforms and had a limited customer base.
Along with marketing challenges, the client also faced low demand through pre-order pickup locations throughout the state. Because of this, excess product was left at the end of the season, which needed to be stored in expensive facilities in order to maintain its quality.
Challenge
The Rem and Company team tackled three key projects to help the client improve their business operations:
First, the team developed a comprehensive social media strategy to increase the client's presence and engagement on all relevant platforms. This included revamping their existing accounts and creating new ones to expand their reach and connect with potential customers. With an aim to increase customer interaction and company visibility through social media.
Second, the team conducted a thorough analysis of the client's distribution channels and costs, identifying areas for improvement and cost savings. This included evaluating the performance of existing pickup locations and recommending new ones, as well as negotiating better pricing and terms with suppliers.
Third, the team developed a targeted marketing campaign to increase product exposure to corporate clients, leveraging the client's existing relationships and identifying new potential partners. The campaign focused on highlighting the client's unique value proposition and competitive advantages, positioning them as a top choice for high-quality berries.
Approach
When it came to addressing the social media presence, the Rem team first identified the type of content that would fit the client's desired image on social media. To keep customers engaged and excited for the arrival of the berries, the Rem team created a content calendar that could be utilized during the busy picking season, mimicking the phases of the berry season.
For the second task, the Rem team approached it in three steps. First, they analyzed sales data to understand which locations had the best performance. Then, they conducted a deep dive into each location to analyze the marketing initiatives, location characteristics, and overall city demographics. Lastly, the Rem team proposed new marketing initiatives to target demographics across new locations, based on the analysis of their previous customers. Additionally, the team conducted a deep dive analysis into potential fulfillment partners with the goal of lowering shipping costs. The team contacted different fulfillment companies and used past sales data to estimate yearly costs.
To expand the corporate client portfolio, the Rem team compiled a list of potential clients with initiatives that mirrored their current corporate clients. Then, the Rem team drafted introductory content that the client could use for initial outreach.
Impact
The client was able to streamline their social media efforts by using the content calendar developed by the Rem team. This calendar included graphics and captions and enabled the client to maintain their engagement schedule with minimal effort. They no longer had to spend time making decisions about what content to post.
The Rem team's analysis of sales data and demographics allowed them to identify new locations and propose marketing initiatives targeted to specific customer demographics. This provided the client with the opportunity to expand their customer base and potentially restructure their distribution routes to accommodate new demand.
The Rem team also conducted an analysis of current shipping costs and potential fulfillment center partnerships. They were able to identify a partnership that provided the client with the lowest possible shipping costs. This allowed the client to focus on their core business without having to spend time on time-consuming research.
Overall, the Rem team's recommendations helped the client improve their social media presence, expand their customer base, and reduce costs.
Team Breakdown
Team Lead: Marianne Gutierrez
Strategist: Natalia Perez
Strategist: Matthew Crowder
Junior Strategist: Justin Lorry
Junior Strategist: Aaditya Vyas
Relevant Background Information
Business Type: For-Profit
Industry: Farming
Location: Florida
At Rem and Company, we're on a mission to keep doors open and dreams alive. Rem and Company started as a social impact initiative offering free consulting services to small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Rem and Company has become an information hub and digital community platform for small businesses in need. At Rem and Company, small businesses stay up to date on trends in their industries, learn new approaches from peers, build a network, and develop the capacity to adapt as the world around them changes. Our consulting teams provide small businesses with the opportunity to identify and prioritize issues facing their business, propose innovative strategies and facilitate execution. If you are a small business owner and want to learn more about how we can help, request a free consultation.