Marketing & Getting Clients

How to Get Clients for Your Agritourism Business

Getting clients for an agritourism business requires a different approach than traditional hospitality or retail. Your customers are looking for an experience—a chance to connect with farm life, learn something new, or escape the city for a day. They’re often planning weeks or months in advance, booking through online platforms, reading reviews carefully, and sharing their experiences on social media. Your marketing needs to show them what makes your farm different and give them confidence that the experience is worth their time and money.

Most agritourism businesses get clients through a combination of online discovery (search and booking platforms), social media, direct referrals from past visitors, and local partnerships. The good news is that satisfied visitors naturally become your best marketers—they post photos, leave reviews, and tell friends about what they experienced.

Who Your Ideal Clients Are

Your primary clients fall into a few overlapping groups. Families with children ages 4–12 looking for educational, hands-on activities make up a large segment—they want experiences like fruit picking, animal interactions, or farm-to-table meals that feel special and memorable. Urban professionals and couples in their 30s–50s seeking weekend getaways or Instagram-worthy experiences are another strong market. You may also attract school groups, corporate team-building events, and tourists passing through your region who are looking for authentic, local activities rather than typical attractions.

Understanding where these groups come from matters. Families often live 1–2 hours away and plan weekend trips. Tourist groups may be traveling through your region for 3–5 days. School groups book seasonally, often in spring and fall. Each group has different booking timelines, price sensitivity, and marketing touchpoints. Families respond to safety information and age-appropriate activity details. Tourists want location, hours, and unique experiences. Schools need group rates and educational value.

Your Best Marketing Channels

Agritourism Booking Platforms

Platforms like Agritourism.us, FarmStay.com, Airbnb Experiences, and Viator are where many people actively search for farm activities. These sites have built-in audiences of travelers specifically looking for what you offer. Set up a profile with clear photos, detailed activity descriptions, pricing, and availability. Reviews on these platforms are critical—they drive bookings and are often the first impression potential clients see. Plan for platform fees of 15–25% of your booking value.

Google Business Profile and Local Search

Most people searching for “farm activities near me” or “agritourism near [city]” use Google. Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile with accurate hours, high-quality photos, activity categories, and a direct booking link. Add regular posts about seasonal activities and upcoming events. Encourage past visitors to leave reviews—this directly impacts your visibility in local search results. Getting 10–15 reviews in your first few months noticeably improves your ranking.

Social Media (Instagram and Facebook)

Instagram is where your agritourism business lives visually. Share behind-the-scenes farm work, seasonal updates, visitor photos, and close-ups of animals, crops, and meals. Instagram Stories showing real-time activity (a child petting a goat, harvest happening now, sunset over fields) create authenticity and urgency. Facebook is useful for detailed event promotion, group booking inquiries, and reaching older audiences. Both platforms let you link directly to booking or contact information.

Email Newsletter

Once someone visits or signs up, stay in contact through email. Send monthly updates about seasonal activities, upcoming events, special packages, and behind-the-scenes stories. Email is inexpensive and has the highest return on investment for repeat bookings and referrals. Even a simple monthly newsletter with 3–4 paragraphs and photos keeps your farm top-of-mind when families or groups are planning their next outing.

Local Partnerships

Partner with hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, tourism bureaus, and travel agencies in your region. Offer them 10–15% commission on bookings they refer to you, or create reciprocal referral agreements. Tourism offices often maintain lists of local attractions they recommend to visitors. Restaurants, breweries, and other agritourism businesses can cross-promote with you. These partnerships generate consistent, warm leads.

Community Events and Farmers Markets

Set up a booth at local farmers markets, county fairs, and community festivals. Bring printed materials with photos and your website, and talk to people directly. Many visitors will book on the spot or within days after talking to you face-to-face. This builds credibility and creates personal connections that lead to referrals.

Getting Your First 3 Clients

1. Set up your profiles on one agritourism booking platform (start with Viator or Agritourism.us) and optimize your Google Business Profile with photos, descriptions, and contact information. This takes 4–6 hours but reaches people actively searching for what you offer.
2. Ask friends, family, and early supporters to visit and leave honest Google reviews. Offer them a small discount or free item (farm produce, a meal) in exchange for a detailed review mentioning specific activities. Aim for 5–10 reviews in the first month—this builds credibility and helps you rank in local search.
3. Create a simple Instagram account and post 3–5 photos daily for two weeks: animals, farm scenery, a meal, a visitor moment, a seasonal activity. Use location tags and hashtags like #agritourism, #farmlife, #weekendgetaway. Share the link with your email contacts and ask them to follow and tag friends.
4. Reach out directly to 10 local businesses (hotels, tour operators, visitor centers) with a personal email or call introducing your activity and offering a referral commission. Include a link to your booking page and one compelling photo.
5. Host a free or heavily discounted “soft launch” visit for 1–2 small groups or families. Invite them to share photos and reviews. One great experience and glowing review often leads to 3–5 bookings within the next month through word of mouth.

Building Referrals and Word of Mouth

Word of mouth is your strongest marketing asset in agritourism. One family’s positive experience becomes a recommendation to other families in their social circle. Encourage this by making it easy for visitors to share: ask them to tag you on Instagram, provide business cards they can hand to friends, and follow up after their visit with a thank-you email and a referral incentive (10% off their next visit if they bring a friend). Reply thoughtfully to all reviews, even negative ones, showing that you care about feedback.

Create a simple referral program: if a past visitor refers a friend who books an activity, give the referrer a $15–25 credit toward their next visit or a farm product package. Promote this program in your follow-up emails, on your website, and through social media. Track referrals so you know which activities and which groups are driving new business. Over time, 30–50% of your bookings may come from referrals if you nurture these relationships well.

Your Online Presence

Your website needs to clearly answer three questions: What activities do you offer, when are you open, and how do I book or contact you? Include a photo gallery showing animals, crops, facilities, meals, and real visitors experiencing your farm. Write descriptions that emphasize the experience—”Let your child help collect eggs from our 30 heritage hens” feels more real than “See farm animals.” Add practical details: age recommendations, group sizes, duration, what to wear, parking, and accessibility information. Mobile-friendly design is essential, as most bookings happen on phones.

Include testimonials and reviews prominently—they’re more persuasive than any description you write. Link directly to your booking platform, email signup, and social media. Make sure your hours, contact phone number, and address are correct everywhere they appear online. Inconsistency in business information confuses potential clients and hurts your search ranking. Update your website seasonally with current activities, photos, and availability.

Social Media Strategy

Instagram and Facebook are where agritourism businesses succeed because the work is visually compelling. Post 3–4 times per week on Instagram: close-ups of crops and animals, children and visitors enjoying activities, meals, farm work, and seasonal changes. Use Reels (short video) to show activity in motion—these get 3–5 times more engagement than still photos. On Facebook, post event announcements, group booking information, longer stories, and links to your booking page. Both platforms let you tag your location, which helps locals and tourists find you.

Respond to comments and messages within 24 hours. People booking experiences want to feel welcomed and assured. Follow relevant hashtags like #agritourism, #farmexperience, #weekendgetaway, and engage with other farms and tourism accounts. This builds community and exposes your content to potential clients searching those tags.

Paid Advertising

Start with paid advertising once you’ve generated 5–10 solid reviews and have clear booking systems in place. Facebook and Instagram ads targeting families and tourists within 25–50 miles of your farm can cost $5–15 per day and deliver consistent bookings. Start with a $300–500 monthly budget and test ads highlighting your most popular activity with the strongest testimonial. Google Local Services Ads (if available in your area) put your business at the top of search results for your service category. Agritourism booking platforms like Viator offer paid promotional spots that cost 5–10% above your normal commission—worth testing if your base bookings are steady.

Client Retention

• Send a thank-you email within 24 hours of a visit, including a photo and a request for a review or referral.
• Maintain an email list and send monthly or seasonal newsletters with updates, new activities, and special offers for returning guests.
• Create a loyalty program: a punch card (digital or printed) where every visit earns credit toward a free activity or discount.
• Offer seasonal packages and exclusive events for email subscribers—early harvest celebrations, holiday farm tours, or special meals.
• Follow up with past visitors 6–8 months after their visit with a “we miss you” email and a discount code.
• Implement a referral discount and track which returning clients bring the most new visitors—consider giving them extra perks.
• Gather feedback through brief post-visit surveys and actually use it to improve weak points.

For more actionable steps, explore the fastest ways to get your first 10 agritourism customers, review the best marketing tools for your agritourism business, and learn proven local marketing strategies for agritourism.