March 2024 Farm Marketing News
This month's farm marketing news includes a rundown of Google's latest update, plus tips for email testing, Shopify Shipping, and more more. Scroll down to meet Setel!
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What do the latest Google updates mean for your farm?
Google began rolling out an algorithm update earlier this month, and we've had a number of farms asking what this means for them.
This month's algorithm update focuses on low-quality content and spam websites. Google has de-indexed junky sites whose sole purpose was to generate ad clicks without providing truly useful content, including those who copy content from other sites. There’s some evidence that AI-generated content is a target of these policies, too.
How will this change affect your farm? It depends on what SEO work you've done (if any). As long as you haven't tried to outsmart the system or do anything sneaky, it’s unlikely to have much of an impact on your website.
At Grapevine we don't get too worried about every Google algorithm update. That’s because when you follow the core best practices, updates typically don’t have a big impact on your website. The key is to think like Google: their goal is to deliver the best possible answers to users’ searches, so the solution is to make your website easy to find and genuinely useful, without trying to game the system. Sometimes an update will have a dramatic effect on websites that are doing things the right way, but it’s rare.
Read more about this update, directly from Google.
If you want to reach new customers and grow your sales, SEO is a key tool that can have a dramatic return on investment. If someone is actively searching for what your farm offers, it would be a shame for them not to discover you — or for you to have to pay for Google ads as the only way to connect with those searchers. Want a hand? We offer SEO basics as part of our standard website packages, along with coaching and more intensive SEO work.
More Farm Marketing News + Tips
Email Marketing
If you have the time to DIY, check out Klaviyo's guide to A/B testing, designed to squeeze the best results out of your email marketing.
Local Food Marketplace
LFM now offers online SNAP payment processing, and built-in SNAP match! Sign up for the informational session on April 23rd.
Shopify Shipping
Did you know Shopify Shipping offers discounts of up to 68-88% on shipping rates? The exact amount depends on your Shopify plan and the shipping services you use, but access is included as part of the basic plan. Learn more on their site.
Northeast US
The USDA Northeast Regional Food Business Center is hosting a webinar on March 25th with a discussion of regional supply chain needs and an update on the launch of two funding streams for small- to mid-sized food and farm businesses. (Covers Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and DC.)
What We've Been Up To
We've developed several targeted social media advertising campaigns to build awareness and drive sales for Rebel Pastures, a small Michigan farm raising chicken on pasture.
While advertising is a long game that typically takes a few months for results to peak, this farm saw results in just a couple weeks!
Haven’t had good results with social media ads in the past? We have years of experience in running ads the right way and our proven methods produce real results. Get in touch!
"We’re getting a ton of shipping orders from the ad campaign. We’ve been slammed (good thing)."
— Justin Bajema, Rebel Pastures
Want to Work With Us?
Our waitlist currently stretches into June for many types of projects, including marketing strategy, advertising, SEO, email/SMS automations, and e-commerce websites.
To get started, you can download our latest pricing guide, which also includes a link to schedule a call.
Meet Setel!
Get to know Setel Holden-Villars! She joined our team in 2022 as an intern and now serves as Grapevine's admin assistant.
📍 Where are you located? In Portland, Oregon.
✨ What work were you doing prior to Grapevine? After serving in the Navy, I got my bachelor's degree in nutrition and am currently getting my master's in business administration with a concentration in marketing.
🍪 What's your favorite meal? Pasta, always.
✨ What are some things you like to do in your free time? I love doing anything active – strength training, running, hiking, gardening, or walking my pups Cleo and Axyl.
✨ If you could travel to one place in the world right now, where would it be and why? Greece! I love being near the water.
📚 What was the last good book you read? Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch.
🍽️ Who would be your ideal dinner guest? Doja Cat, lol.
✨ What is your favorite holiday? New Years!
✨ What's your favorite thing about working for Grapevine? The flexibility of making my own schedule and challenging myself to solve new problems.
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