Marketing tips for selling honey on a small scale
One of the biggest challenges when you first start selling honey is how to go about it. Many people have no experience in this kind of thing.
The key is to start small. Small steps will eventually get you where you want to go and you will definitely learn a lot while doing it. This will keep the cost low and the flexibility to change at any time.
There are a few things you need to consider, namely the target market, how you will distribute it i.e. your marketing channel, the packaging of your product and how you will promote it.
Most people starting out won’t have many hives. You can usually start with one or two just to get familiar with beekeeping. So, to test the water in honey marketing, the first and easiest thing to do is to promote it to close friends or relatives. It could be that when you start just invite them to have some tea with some honey and let them taste it! You can get their feedback and continue from there.
Essentially to begin with the target would be the local market within your circle of friends or neighbors and you can also set up a shop on the side of the road or if your place is close to the road have a clear sign letting them know they can get fresh honey from you!
It pays to take the time and create a simple yet attractive sign and something that is big enough for drivers to notice and want to pass. Graphics and images attract. Put on your creative cap for brainstorming and feedback…OMG, there are so many ways, maybe even create a variety of layouts to ask people to vote on which one is the best. Nowadays you can even do it online: ask your Facebook friends 🙂
In addition to your signage, product packaging is also crucial. Although there is a saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, you know for a fact that in the real world most of us DO judge by how someone or something looks. How many times have you picked up that “cute” little box at the grocery store because it looks great (even though you didn’t initially plan on buying it)?
Creativity plays an important role. You don’t have to have a million dollar research to do that, but the packaging has to be decent enough that someone wants to buy it. That means the labels must stick properly and be clean. Usually the winning strategy with honey is to put it in clear glass or plastic bottles so people can see what color it is.
You may also want to do some branding including your company name and type of honey and probably contact number. or website if you have. Well, you know what an opportunity this will bring.
Yes, there will be some cost. Take this as an integral part of the business. Nowadays, you can look for cheaper solutions, like getting the bins for eBay or Walmart.