How Agritourism Operators Make Marketing and Promotion Decisions

Abstract

Agritourism operators in Oklahoma were interviewed to determine how they make promotional decisions. Three themes were found from the interviews. The first was Educated Guessing. Participants were not formally trained in promoting agritourism operations, but they used their past experiences and the resources available to them to make decisions. The second theme was Facebook First. All 10 operations in this interview used Facebook as their primary marketing method based on positive experiences with the site as a promotional tool, followed by other options, such as websites. The third theme was More of the Same. The participants mostly intended to keep doing what they were already doing and were hesitant to make changes. Even those who wanted to make changes often just wanted to improve what they were already doing. It is recommended that new agritourism operations focus their initial marketing approach on Facebook due to low cost and high reach, while other options can be considered later to meet the operation’s needs. Organizations that help agritourism operators should be mindful of differing needs, so a one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate.