The demand for local food products have been steadily growing, thanks to the “Buy Local” movement sweeping the nation. However, the demand is only concentrated on seasonal produce.
Livestock farmers, on the other hand, are still aware that there is a strong demand for local meat markets – it just feels intimidating to tap into direct marketing, since local livestock farmers are not particularly abreast with the concept.
Who are the local consumers? Where do they often buy their meats? How do you set pricing on the meat products consumers are looking for? These and more are the questions we’ll try to answer in today’s post.
Who are the local meat buyers?
There are three classifications of consumers at local meat markets: the traditional buyers, the experience-driven group, and the cause-driven group. Each of these groups is motivated to purchase local meats – either by desires, needs, or philosophies. Let’s take a closer look at each group of local meat buyers.
Traditional Buyers
The traditional local meat buyers include those who would purchase side or quarter of beef or other meats for years. In the past, especially in rural areas, people would buy a side of beef from their local livestock farmer, and then store it in a spare freezer. This group of buyers buy in bulk and are driven by the high value of affordable prices. They don’t buy separate cuts of meat nor shop at specialty stores. When traditional buyers find a farm that they like, they remain loyal customers.
Experience-Driven Buyers
The experience-driven buyers, also known as the food enthusiasts or “foodies,” thrive on the authentic dining experience. These trends include regional specialties and gourmet eating. Food enthusiasts want to know where the food they are eating came from and what the story behind it is. They must learn the livestock farm their food came from, the cut of the meat, how it was prepared, and the likes. Knowing these information fuels the specialty eating food enthusiasts crave most. Thus, they tend to purchase high-value cuts and are the least sensitive to costs. Unlike the traditional buyers, these experience-driven buyers don’t buy in bulk; they tend to buy in small quantities and shop at local meat markets and specialty stores. They also prefer to dine at restaurants that locally raise their animals for meat consumption.
Cause-Driven Buyers
The final group of consumers is the cause-driven group. They are the ones buying their meats for a safe, sustainable and healthy meal. Consumers that are driven by social causes such as animal welfare, the environment, health, and supporting local and small businesses fall under this consumer category.
This cause-drive group, also known as the green consumers, may also be vegans or vegetarians. Those who don’t eat commodity meat also fall under this group of consumers.
They usually shop at local meat markets, natural food stores, specialty stores, and farmers’ markets. They also want to learn where they products they buy originate, how the meats were raised, and the validity of these claims.
Marketing Tips
The three groups of consumers visit the meat marketplace with different buying habits and biases. The one similar demand they have in common is quality. For your shop to compete in the local meat markets scene, the primary things you have to provide your customers are honesty and quality. Naturally, you would want to target all meat buyers; however, for even more successful results, tailor your marketing to one or more of these groups.
Your chosen target group of consumers will shape all other marketing choices such as your marketing platforms, cuts, prices, and advertising.
Once your marketing collaterals are ready, it’s always a good idea to keep brochures, business cards, price sheets, and flyers you can hand out at all times.
You’ll meet potential customers all the time, and you want to make sure you can introduce yourself to them and include your contact information. You can also join agricultural events with tastings for local meat markets so you can give out samples of your products.
Whoever your target consumers are, make sure that you are clearly and consistently communicating your practices and claims of your brand on all your marketing materials. You can even invite your customers to visit your farm and facilities to establish trust and loyalty to your brand.