Unit 2: Marketing Opportunities and Strategies for Sustainable Farm/Ranch Businesses
Basic Marketing Research Techniques
In working with farmers and ranchers, it may be helpful to highlight two major types of research: primary and secondary research.
Primary research is the do-it-yourself approach. This is what most farm/ranch businesses are forced to do when creating a new market or entering an immature market. Primary research means gathering information on your own or with the help of a consultant.
Click each strategy link below to learn more about techniques for collecting information.
A farmer or rancher visits retailers and farmers markets to count people, evaluate products and prices, and assess customer preferences and competition.
The farmer or rancher may want to interview potential buyers – chefs, shoppers, experienced farmers and others – about their demand for new products, not just quantity, but quality and delivery and packaging preferences.
Producers may want to consider test marketing a product before investing too many resources into full-scale production. Test marketing examples include taste-testing, free samples and focus groups.
