Marketing ideas for poultry business in ember months: How to sell the same chicken 7 times
Ember months are September, October, November and December. These 4 months are the most important time for poultry business in Nigeria. More than 70 percent of yearly sales happen in these months. This is because of school resumption, Christmas, New Year and many family celebrations.
But many poultry farmers make a mistake. They use only 1 message from September to December. They keep saying buy chicken from me. When everybody says the same thing, customers will not choose you. To sell more, you need different marketing angles.
A marketing angle is just the reason you give customers to buy at a particular time. The chicken is the same, but the reason changes. Below are 7 angles you can use from September to January.
1. September: Early bird lock price
In September, chicken is still cheap and easy to find. By December, price will go up and big sizes will be scarce. So September should be for early booking.
The message is buy your December chicken now before price goes up. Pay small deposit now to lock the price, and the farmer will keep feeding the chicken till December.
This helps customers save money and avoid last minute rush. It also helps the farmer get cash early to buy feed.
2. October: School protein pack
In October, schools have fully resumed. Parents are focused on what their children eat. This is a good time to sell chicken in small packs.
The message is children are back to school and they need protein to learn and grow. They cannot eat noodles and garri every day.
Instead of selling 1 full chicken, sell a school pack of 10 chicken laps. Wash it and make it ready to cook. It can last for 2 weeks of school meals. It is affordable and solves a real problem for parents.
3. November: Freezer full before December
November is preparation month. Families are already planning for Detty December. Many women are afraid that their freezer will be empty on December 24 when price is highest.
The angle is Detty December is near, will your freezer be empty?
The offer is 5 chickens, killed, cleaned, cut and packed in freezer bags and delivered to the house. This makes customers feel organized and ready.
4. December part 1: Fresh versus old frozen
In December, there is trust problem. Customers are afraid that the frozen chicken they want to buy has been in cold room since January. Freshness is the best thing to sell.
The message is is that chicken fresh or has it been frozen since January? Our own was alive yesterday.
The proof is to show live video of the chickens in the morning and videos of killing and cleaning. When customers see freshness, they will trust you and pay more.
5. December part 2: Gift to parents and village
December is time for giving. Many people in the city want to send something meaningful to their parents in the village.
The angle is do not just send money to your parents, send live chicken. It shows more respect and honour.
The offer is village delivery. The farmer delivers live chicken to the customer's mother in the village with a name tag from the child. This emotional angle sells very well.
6. December part 3: Party and office party pack
Many families, churches and offices do end of year parties in December. They need many big chickens. Nobody wants to serve small chicken that will bring shame in front of guests.
The message is are you doing Christmas party for 50 people? Do not buy small chicken.
The offer is party pack of 10 big broilers, 4kg and above, killed, grilled and delivered to the event venue. This saves the host stress and gives them respect.
7. January: After Christmas clearance
After Christmas, many poultry farmers stop selling, but families still need to eat in January. There is still demand but low supply.
The angle is Christmas is finished but your family still needs to eat.
The offer is leftover big chickens sold at cheaper clearance price. This helps the farmer clear stock and avoid carrying chickens into February when feed cost will eat his profit.
Conclusion
A poultry owner does not need 7 different products. He needs 7 different reasons for 1 product.
From early booking in September to school packs in October, to freezer full in November, to fresh, gift and party packs in December, and clearance in January, each angle meets the customer at the point of his current need.
The farmer who understands marketing angles will not struggle to sell. He will sell out before December, while others are still posting buy chicken from me.