Freezer Beef - A Modern Take on a Well-known Industry

FREEZER BEEF - A MODERN TAKE ON A WELL-KNOWN INDUSTRY Story by Lexi Maurer, OCA Summer Intern

Modernizing is essential to any growing business or industry looking for a future they can rely on, especially in times as unpredictable as now. Change is often a tough pill to swallow when your business is on the line, but being bold can reap unexpected benefits. The goal with all beef is to raise a wholesome, quality and nutritious product that consumers can enjoy with their family. While freezer beef is a common concept, the question arises how can you sell it efficiently? Dennis Corcoran of Ross County, co-owner of the family operation that is Corcoran Farms, has been selling Certified Angus® freezer beef from their Certified Angus Beef® feedlot for 25 years. Throughout this time, he has seen many changes and has helped in establishing the way for a new change in the beef industry by starting an online freezer beef ordering website five years ago. Dennis’ wife was the mastermind behind the development of their website where she used Wix.com to build it. The website has helped simplify their way of ‘catching’ new customers. Replies come in at all hours of the day that can easily be answered, thus, putting the ‘send button’ in the hands of the potential customer. Doing this has allowed more flexibility in reaching the people who are inquiring about their business, or the industry as a whole. For many years before the website, word of mouth was the primary way of selling their beef. Their next step toward modernizing was creating their Facebook page. Dennis believes this was a very helpful tool for keeping their customers updated. In addition, they use Facebook to place paid ads that promote the product and drive people to their website. About a year ago, they made the investment into a Google boost. This promotion focuses on embedding keywords into their website which in return brings their company, website and information to the top of a Google search when the keywords are included in the search bar. They viewed this as something that would benefit them in the long run, but little did they know they would receive up to six calls per day. This investment has been educational and has helped Corcoran Farms to understand the value in keywords and online presence, and it immediately became a rewarding one. Over time, they have adapted their website to increase cohesion between the website and advertisements by using similar words - this allows their business to be found easier online. Throughout their time selling beef, the Corcorans noticed sales were becoming stagnant due to aging customers and lack of new customers. Dennis said, “[We were] worried about peoples’ interest in beef.” The website has allowed these potential new customers to learn and make an educated choice about what is best for them. With these new customers comes the responsibility of helping the customer ‘grow into it’ as Dennis explains. Some may be unaware of the quantity of beef they will realistically consume in a year and helping to guide consumers will build the rapport that is necessary to have a repeat customer. Dennis explains that he sees it as critically necessary to have a web presence in today’s environment. The first thing most people do is look for a website when researching a company, so the benefits of going online have far outweighed any cons, which were minimal to begin with. When marketing a business, Dennis likes to see what others are doing while also striving to educate his customers, be different and try new ideas. He mentions being upfront with people, answering the questions they have for beef producers and trying to make their experience with the beef industry as positive as possible. Providing a consistent, high-quality product and well-finished animal with carcasses that have consistently graded well, will aid in keeping customers happy and coming back year after year. The current pandemic has had a real effect on all businesses across the country, but the freezer beef industry has seen significantly increased interest from consumers who, as Dennis states, “Are becoming more acquainted with their food.” And even though consumers may be going back to the farm to purchase their beef, they will certainly not be straying from the modern ways of the internet any time soon.