Today in Greece there are many hundreds, if not thousands, of small producers of agricultural and livestock products. They all have a common goal. To increase their sales. To increase their profits. To make their products known. To let people know about their products.
How can the internet as a communication channel help them? How can online marketing help them to increase their customer base and sales?
What is the online sale of agricultural and livestock products. What is internet sales
Before I go any further let me define what online selling is.
Many people think that online selling is only selling done through an e-commerce store where the customer views, selects and buys the product which is eventually delivered to their home.
An online sale is defined as more things. E.g.
- I learn about the product on the internet and buy it from the supermarket or a shop.
- I see a product on the internet, call and order it.
- Someone I know found out about the product through the internet, he recommends it to me and I buy it.
- Someone tries a product and recommends it over the internet leading some people to buy it too.
- Order and purchase directly from the producer.
These are some of the sales that can be accounted for as online sales.
So we can see that through the internet there are many sales channels that we can use to increase sales. The proper exploitation of these channels is done through online marketing.
With the internet, the whole country has become a neighbourhood. There are practically no boundaries and limits to informing potential customers. A producer from northern Greece or Crete can inform a customer in Athens just as easily as a grocer who is next door to the customer’s house in Athens.
What are the main actions of online marketing
Website
The basis of all actions is a functional and informative website which does not necessarily include an online shop. The website is the company’s or producer’s shop window on the internet. Through the website customers will be able to see the products available, contact the producer and order the products.
Google Ads Google Ads
Google offers Google Ads, an integrated system for displaying text, banner and video ads. Google Ads is a very good choice as 90% of internet users in Greece use Google’s services to search for information. Importantly, the producer is only charged when someone clicks on the ad. Not when it appears. With Google Ads we target those who search for products similar to ours.
Note: Google Ads has hundreds of options and almost infinite possibilities and settings. The above description is simplified, but all of the information presented is true and valid.
Facebook Adverts Adverts & Facebook page
The majority of potential buyers have a Facebook account. 65% of them use it daily. It is almost mandatory for a business to maintain a Facebook account and a company page. Businesses and producers can use Facebook to display image ads, articles and videos to promote their products. It is a powerful and effective communication channel for all businesses and professionals. Facebook’s advantage is that we can target that part of the audience that we believe or know may be interested in buying our product.
Note: Do not confuse a personal Facebook page with a business page. Facebook does not allow the promotion of products and services through personal pages. It may even close your account.
Free ads
There are sites on the internet that accept to post free ads from producers. One such site is the kalliergo.gr, where a company or a producer of agricultural and livestock products can publish a free advertisement for the products offered, the ways of sale and prices.
SEO – Content Marketing
Simply put, we want to be found and seen. We want our storefront to be a corner shop on a main street and to be seen by as many people as possible because that increases our chances of making a sale.
When someone searches for products like the ones we have using the search engines (e.g. Google as 90% of Greeks do), we want our website to appear in the first positions of the search results to increase the chance that they will click and visit us.
To do this, our website must be designed correctly (SEO) and have the right texts (Content Marketing). Only then can a producer or business appear first in the search engines and gain more customers.
Product and business presentations through articles
A very good and effective communication channel is the publication of informative articles on websites. People read articles and like to be informed through them if they are well written. The kalliergo.gr is such a website. Thousands of prospective buyers would like to know about who you are and what you do. To be informed about your products, where they can find them and how they can get them.
Behind every product of Greek producers active in the agricultural and livestock sector (and not only), there are many dreams, hopes, good mood and above all, lots and lots of work!
Mistakes in Online Marketing
Unfortunately, the biggest mistakes in online marketing are made by small producers.
- They think they can do it all by themselves.
- They think they know the systems they are using.
- They think their websites are well designed and optimized for SEO.
- They think they know how to write effective articles and ads.
- They think they are saving money, but they don’t see the opportunities they are missing.
Most Greek producers are small. It is logical that they want to reduce costs in promotion and advertising.
Some of them either choose to try to do it all themselves, or fall prey to incredible “opportunities” that eat up their money to no avail.
But those who think small remain small.
The ones that will stand out are the ones that will invest in online visibility and come out on top of the competition.
Increase your sales via internet
All producers of agricultural and livestock products can increase their internet sales by doing the right marketing.
Google Ads, Facebook Adverts, ads, news articles, SEO, are valuable tools in online marketing, as long as they are used properly.
The mistake that many people make and remain small is that they think they can do everything themselves without knowing the tools well.
How we can help you
We can design realistic online marketing actions tailored to your budget to increase your sales by making your products known.
All you need to do is to contact us without any obligation.
Ilias Antonopoulos
MSc E-Business
Google Adwords Certified
Facebook Blueprint Certified
AlterMarket – Online Marketing for Business
