We’re a month into 2016, and by this time the gyms are starting to become less crowded and healthy choices are starting to slip for many resolution-setters. And just as fresh produce marketers are taking to social media to encourage consumers to stick to their goals, we want to encourage fresh produce marketers to do the same with their efforts! If you have your sights set on building a new website for your company in 2016 but you haven’t outlined a formal plan or goals, this list of website resolutions will help you make progress on this seemingly daunting task. Here are our website recommendations for fresh produce marketers to consider:

• Get Mobile Responsive – If your website is not yet responsive to different mobile devices, we cannot stress enough that this should be your #1 resolution for 2016. Mobile-friendliness is no longer an option for companies that want to be present online. If your digital assets are not optimized for cell phones and tablets, they are not being visited or viewed at level that is possible in today’s digital environment.
• Personalize Your Content – Consumers are fed up with irrelevant content on websites they frequent. They’re demanding more personalized experiences online, and to make this happen, marketers and websites have to get In 2016, personalized websites that have the capability to remember its visitors are going to become key. Imagine having a website that greets your customers AND consumers by name and then offers them specific content suggestions that would be of interest to them!
• Collect Useful Data – One of the ways personalization works is to provide points of entry throughout websites giving an option to “opt-in” to receiving more information from the company beyond your visit. For fresh produce marketers looking to gain market intelligence on their customers and consumers, this is a must-have resolution. Learn more about how this works and how you can incorporate forms into your website
• Measure Smarter (and more frequently!) – Fresh produce marketers: if you aren’t already reviewing and measuring your website’s performance from various angles on a month to month basis, you are missing the boat on proving your digital assets’ value. Not to mention that it will be really difficult to make a case as to WHY you need additional funds in your marketing budget or WHY you should launch a certain promotion if you can’t provide validation and support. If you’re totally new to web analytics, try starting here. If you’re interested in options to broaden your capabilities beyond Google analytics to gain a better understanding of who is visiting your website and why, consider Hubspot.
• Create a Digital Newsroom – Over the past year at DMA Solutions, we’ve come to feel strongly that Public Relations is one big area of marketing that the fresh produce industry is missing. You can read a little more about our thoughts relative to this area here, but if you’re a fresh produce marketer considering making PR a priority in 2016 or even 2017, you may want to consider adding a digital newsroom to your website to support this effort. A newsroom is more than just a place to house press releases – this page will be a “hub” for journalists and food media to go on your site to download a media kit and learn more about your brand.
• Start a Blog – It’s 2016… and you don’t have a blog? Get on board! Ask yourself: do you want your brand and your website to be known as the go-to resource for the products that you grow, pack, ship and/or sell? If the answer is yes, your website needs a blog! Whether you want to target your customers or consumers, a blog will be the key tool that drives continuous traffic to your website and helps you to create engaging and helpful content that keeps your visitors coming back for more. For many of you fresh produce marketers, your competitors aren’t blogging yet. Don’t wait until one of them starts to move forward with this powerful website resolution.

No matter where you are in your marketing journey for 2016, we encourage you to take a look at your website and consider these resolutions and trends for the coming year as opportunities to improve your performance. If you know you are in need of a refresher in 2016, or you know you need to get mobile-friendly or start a blog, feel free to contact us to learn more about our customizable website services.