When marketing premium turkeys, as with any other premium product, there needs to be a strong and properly thought-out message if consumers are to understand the benefits of purchasing from you rather than from a competitor.
There are a number of steps that can be followed to ensure that this message reaches potential purchasers and that the value of your product is properly appreciated.
1. Decide where in the market you are positioning your product and ensure your marketing reflects this in terms of both cost and image.
Are you aimed at the traditional Christmas market? Are you at the top end, which is reflected in specification, quality and price? Do you surpass competitors on quality, flavor and general customer satisfaction? In short, do you offer a product that customers will want to return to year after year?
2. To create a niche in the market, you need to establish clear points of difference from what the mainstream offers.
No matter how big or small that difference may be, shout about it from the rooftops!
In the UK, major retailers have certainly raised their game. They no longer see Christmas turkeys as loss leaders and expect to make a margin, and they are continually increasing the specification of the turkeys they sell.
They tend to rely on larger strains and hybrids for the standard fresh turkeys that do not have the provenance, maturity, conformation, meat yield or meat texture that consumers expect from premium turkeys.
For example, we extol the virtues, not only of growing turkeys to maturity but the overall benefits of also hanging and dry processing to enhance the flavor and eating quality.
3. Product presentation is key to any premium product.
The turkey needs to make the right impression when the customer first sees it -- so the finish of the bird, packing, product information and cooking advice must be spot-on.
Providing extras, such as meat thermometers and detailed cooking and carving instructions to ensure customers have the ultimate experience, can set you apart. With more customers coming to the farm to collect, this provides a wonderful opportunity to maximize the magical experience and feel-good factor in visiting a farm at Christmas.
4. In these days of green thinking, stress the local provenance and artisan nature of the traditional turkey business.
Local and artisan are strong selling points, so build your sales pitch around them.
5 . Recognize the growing power of the Internet.
In mail order, the Internet is rapidly replacing telephone inquiries, so make sure you have a good website. This should look attractive, show clearly your points of difference and make it easy to place orders. In our case, 75 percent of retail orders came from our website last Christmas, and many people were ordering out of normal office hours when they wouldn't have reached anyone on the phone.
6. Food is personal, and if you can involve real characters in your business story, then use them.
We all love and trust family businesses -- their care for customers is more personal than what you might expect from larger companies.
7. If you have surplus birds at Christmas, don't dump them in the local wholesale markets, which are often oversupplied and only achieve very cheap prices.
A few turkeys left in the freezer for consumption by your family and friends during the year is a cheaper long-term solution than destroying value at local markets.
8. Get close to influential people who can promote your product for you -- such as local celebrities, and movers and shakers.
Certainly include the media in this.
9. Do not be afraid to invite your customers and the media to your facilities.
Show them you're proud of how you rear your turkeys and of the product you are selling. Wow them with your passion and knowledge!
10. Finally, understand every aspect of your product from its origins to being eaten, so you become a genuine expert and ambassador.
Live and breathe your brand; you are its soul!
