You can connect with your audience in a myriad of ways. It doesn’t always have to be just social media. In fact, I would encourage you to find ways to connect with your prospects offline. Face to face conversations can be so powerful and inspiring for both you as a business owner and your potential client.
One company that has embraced the art of connecting with its customers outside of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Co. is the Ojai Olive Oil Company. On a recent visit to Ojai, California, I was curious to experience what the buzz was all about and paid a visit to the Asquith Ranch where Ojai Olive Oil is based.
Ron Asquith, owner of Ojai Olive Oil, giving a tour of his olive grove.
Nestled beautifully in the Ojai valley against a mountain backdrop, the ranch welcomes visitors with its quaint setting surrounded by olive groves in every direction. In fact, the main olive grove on Asquith Ranch was planted in the 1880s, and the trees have thrived in the perfect Mediterranean climate over the last century. These stunning olive trees have even survived droughts, wildfires and storms! (They are true rebels, wouldn’t you say?!)
Ojai Olive Oil builds connections with tasting tours
Well, back to my story of connecting with your audience… The free(!) tours at Ojai Olive Oil are not run by just anyone. Ron Asquith, the owner of Ojai Olive Oil, warmly greets visitors! And Ron is the most fabulous tour guide sharing his wealth of knowledge about olives in general and how the olives are grown, harvested and pressed into oil at his farm.
Not only did I learn a lot about Ron’s olive oil production (all his top-quality mills are imported from Italy!) and his sustainable farming method, but I also did get to connect with him personally by asking questions and chatting about his passion – olive oil.
After the tour we got to visit the tasting room, which was set up beautifully. The Asquith’s had prepared bowls of bread cubes and tiny tasting cups and offered all of their products up for tasting, including different olive oils, some of them infused with herbs or fruit, and a variety of outstanding, infused balsamic vinegars.
So, how did Ojai Olive Oil connect with me on a different level?
By having the owner, Ron Asquith, run the tour I got a real sense of passion and personality behind the business. Hearing Ron talk so passionately about growing olive trees and producing olive oil, turned me from an olive oil aficionado into an Ojai Olive Oil fan. And that’s a big difference!- Not charging for their tours is the smartest thing, because it opens the Asquith family up to an entirely new audience that would not have paid a visit to their farm if they had charged for a tasting tour.
- Taking a look behind the scenes at the actual farm and olive oil production facility helped me appreciate the elaborate process that goes into harvesting olives and pressing them to make premium oils. Never again will I think twice about the price tag being too high for a bottle of their first-class olive oils.
- Physically standing in an olive grove and listening to Ron speak about the history of his farm is an experience that can’t be imitated online. I smelled the air, tasted the olive oils, inspected the olive mills, and personally interacted with Ron and his team. Try that online!
How can YOU connect with your audience offline?
Think about what you can do to connect with your audience offline to enhance the experience your audience will have with your brand. If you don’t make a physical product, how can you share your expertise at an event or meet-up? Where can you reach your prospects face-to-face and have them ask you questions and interact with you personally? How can you share your story by “showing” rather than “telling”?
And while you ponder on these questions, why don’t you get out of your office and pay a visit to Ojai Olive Oil or another great business in your area and start connecting that way?!
Let me know what you’ve come up with!
Rebel on –
Nina
PS: Even if you’re not located in Southern California, Ojai Olive Oil does sell their exquisite oils online. And did I mention their olive oil is ranked as one of the world’s best 50 olive oils? Yep, time to plan that trip to Ojai, baby!
PPS: I did not receive any from of compensation or sponsorship from Ojai Olive Oil for this post. I just happen to be a big fan of Ojai Olive Oil and their mission. 🙂
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Photos by Communications Rebel
