If you’re in the beekeeping business, you automatically qualify for a unique opportunity in marketing.

You see, beekeepers are just like everyone else: They enjoy reading, listening, watching, and consuming all forms of content around their passion. 

The problem is not the demand for good marketing; it’s the supply.

If you can meet your customers where they are with a valuable message, your business stands to reap rewards for many years to come.

At Fisheye, we’ve discussed the wide world of marketing opportunities with many in the bee industry, and we often get the same response:

“What am I supposed to do?”

Allow us to offer six key strategies that are sure to move the needle for your beekeeping business in 2021.

1. Make the investment into video marketing.

It’s no secret that video marketing is a huge player in the future of marketing.

You don’t need a list of 55 statistics to tell you that video content is highly valuable. Look inward and consider the influential power video has had in your own life.

Beekeepers are no different, and may in fact be more impressionable than other audiences due to their enthusiasm and appetite for all things honeybee. 

And thanks largely to the advancement of technology, quality video content is more accessible than ever — but it must be done right. 

Find someone who can ideate, storyboard, produce, and edit videos that fit your brand and vision. 

Simply put, there’s no better way to share your story and connect with your audience than through video.

2. Write, write, and write some more.

Yes, video is an ever-growing goliath. But, no, it will never fully replace humans’ love for the written word.

An engaging blog — when written relevantly and constructively — can outperform a drab video on any day of the week.

The most important thing to keep in mind when writing to your customers is whether the topic is valuable and interesting to them. Eloquent words fall short if their subject is useless, untimely, or inauthentic.

As far as which topic choices to choose, consider the following:

• Education on your product or service

• General education on a beekeeping activity related to your offering

• Customer success stories / testimonials

• Industry reports or research

• Commentary on current events in beekeeping

• Q&A’s with a partner or expert

• Tips for beginning beekeepers

• Survey / poll data on relevant topics

• Club events / announcements

• Event recaps

The list is as long as your imagination.

Be as concise as possible. Use bullet points when able. Keep the reader engaged.

3. Build strong social handles.

If you think beekeepers aren’t hanging out on social media, think again.

Facebook alone estimates there are millions upon millions of people on its platform who are interested in beekeeping.

By actively engaging on social media, you’re interacting with your customers right where they are. The above strategies will largely assist in your ability to build a strong following on social media, but it doesn’t end with simply distributing content and taking your hand off the wheel. Respond to comments, comment on others’ posts, and share content from reputable sources — your customers in the social media world will thank you.

4. Acquire a powerhouse of an email list.

An (engaged) email list can be a huge asset to your business.

We stipulate “engaged” because many businesses do in fact have a sizable list of email addresses from past customers.

The problem is, the list is dead.

Hear this: the strength of an email list is not in the size of the list, but in the engagement of said list.

If your business can build an email list with strong, consistent engagement, this marketing channel may prove to be your most profitable.

5. Establish partnerships in the beekeeping space.

Relationships are key in life and in marketing.

By strategically partnering with genuine, like-minded experts in beekeeping, you can leverage the trustworthiness and reach of their audience. And through mutual promotion of their brand with your audience, your own customers will gain further value from your brand.

A solid partnership can mean wins across the board.

6. Consider an effective direct mail campaign.

Targeted, direct mail strategies can still be highly effective — and lucrative.

We don’t recommend spending frivolously to a general audience. Your dollars are probably better spent elsewhere in this case.

But if you have an address list of past customers, vendors, or the like, consider an intentional way to make an impression via snail mail.

Product samples are an excellent example. Getting a sample of your product in the hands of a potential customer is a wonderful objective, especially once you consider the lifetime value (LTV) of your converted customers.

There you have it.

Employ any (or all!) of these six strategies in 2021 and you will most certainly see a net positive benefit in the not-so-distant future.

Of course, marketing is never “one size fits all.” Long-term marketing — the kind that really moves the needle — is a beautiful blend of many channels and strategies. It’s a consistent and ongoing effort to engage your audience and potential customers. 

Content impacts social and search, social impacts email, email impacts conversions, and so forth.

But everyone must start somewhere.

If you’d like to walk through a holistic marketing strategy for your beekeeping business or would like to learn how we at Fisheye market other businesses in this space, reach out to us! 

We’d love to hold a discovery meeting and learn more about you.

Here’s to a wildly successful 2021 and bee-yond.