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HARRY'S COMMENTS: We are working with Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative (GRFC) in their search for a fully remote Director of Marketing.

GRFC is a farmer-owned ecommerce company that makes buying ethically raised, nutritious meat easy for consumers, and its model includes a close partnership with harvest and further processing operations.

GRFC is not your typical meat company, but rather a community of farmers, butchers, and eaters working together to create a better food system and better world.

For seven years in the 1990s, I was a frozen food trader for AJC Group, and I've personally toured beef, pork, poultry, seafood, and vegetable packing plants in 12 U.S. states (plus China, Denmark, and Canada).

I have written extensively about ecom for meat industry trade publications, and at one point I even had my own monthly ecom column for the National Provisioner. Go figure!

This is an industry about which I know a TON.

Now then: GRFC was founded in 2014 by Cody Hopkins and a small group of farmers who, at the time, were struggling to get market access and the infrastructure they needed to grow their businesses.

The group decided to take a collective approach and develop a vertically integrated business that would allow them to cultivate consumers for the pasture-based, grass-fed product to which they had access.

As is common in the meat business, the co-op began by successfully wholesaling its products.

But in 2017, GRFC gained traction in the DTC ecom space as consumers embraced a trend towards proactive health management and animal welfare. When these consumers realized GRFC's products were more environmentally friendly, word of mouth spread.

To hear Cody tell it, "There are a ton of people out there who want to support the small family farmer. They don't trust where their meat and food is coming from. These are folks who are very eager to learn more."

"They're on a learning journey. GRFC is not the cheapest way to feed one's family from a pure dollar standpoint. It's for a growing subculture of people who regard what they consume as the simplest way for them to have the kind of impact they wanna have on the world."

The Meat, Beef, and Poultry Processing industry (NAICS 31161) involves the slaughtering, processing, and packaging of livestock and poultry. Meat products are a staple in American diets, with demand closely tied to the economy and household incomes.

When it comes to beef, there is no substitute.

Yet, with a value chain that involves every activity "from farm to fork," the industry has faced volatile meat prices due to drought, disease, unstable feed prices, and the pandemic. These issues often allowed major meatpackers to underbid for livestock, which has incentivized cattlemen (like GRFC) in some geographies to integrate downstream.

Despite such challenges, demand in the US has grown as disposable incomes have increased, allowing consumers to purchase premium cuts on a regular basis. The 2020 trade deal between the US and China further boosted demand, leading to rebounding export activity as international trade resumed.

Over the past five years, industry revenue grew at a CAGR of 0.9% to $264.9 billion, despite a projected 2.7% decline in 2024. Profit margins are expected to drop to 5% of revenue in 2024 from 5.2% in 2019.

We're looking for a proven Marketing Top-Gun to own GRFC's marketing (with an emphasis on retention and loyalty), and it's vital that this executive be willing to get their hands dirty and work within the firm's current marketing resources. Re-read that.

This role is fully remote and will require trips to Arkansas twice a quarter.

This is an important job, and it involves aspects of DTC ecom marketing and ops, plus marketing strategy and brand building -- which ain't easy in the meat business, where 80% of the industry competes on price, you're-only-as-smart-as-your-dumbest-competitor style.

We're looking for a RESOURCEFUL direct response-oriented marketer who understands that there are TWO kinds of companies in the universe:

1. Those that make a sale to get a CUSTOMER, and
2. Those that get a customer to make a SALE.

Normally, I'd counsel marketers to be more of the first kind of marketer than the second, but in the meat business, YOU NEED TO BE BOTH.

I'm not going to explain here/now why that is (I'll save that for my phone call with you), but trust me: The meat business is a cruel mistress, and there will be days you'll see written on your latest unsold inventory position report, "SELL IT OR SMELL IT!"

To win in this role, you will need to be a highly organized, business oriented, data-driven customer relationship marketer who can lead GRFC's conversion marketing efforts with a focus on ...

1. deepening customer relationships,
2. improving experiences, and
3. driving lifetime value (LTV).

Previous executive-level marketing experience in the fresh and frozen food business is highly preferred, as is a PROVEN track record of success in DTC ecommerce. For our first phone call, you can bet the ranch I'll ask you to SHOW ME a previous food brand you built.

1. Example
2. Action
3. Results.

You can expect me to get into the weeds with you HOW you have made previous marketing decisions for both B2B and DTC. Shopify experience is a MAJOR PLUS.

I spent a ton of time on the phone with the client teasing out exactly what you’ll need to KNOW and DO to hit the ground running in this role. Some of the things I can share with highly qualified candidates include ...

1. The "real" background requirements for this position, along with the top five things all resumes MUST have to be considered for the role.
2. The top five problems that exist due to this position being open. These are the little brush fires you will be expected to put out during your first month on the job. Every ecommerce job has these — and this one's no different.
3. What your average day/week will look like in this role. There's what you read in the standard ecommerce job posting ... then there's reality. We've got the reality.
4. The leading and lagging KPIs that will determine your success in this role. In a nutshell: How you'll keep score.
5. The major projects you’ll need to complete by Day 100 to be considered a home-run in this position. We’ve got the lowdown on how you can plug-and-play and drive REAL value in this ecommerce job.

I have a massive amount of proprietary intel to share with qualified candidates. My industry research for this assignment exceeds 100 pages! Be sure to TEXT me, Harry Joiner, at (404) 281-2025 for this info. Or simply use the email link when you apply for the role below.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement website and marketing strategies that optimize for customer conversions that lead to long-lasting customer relationships that maximize LTV
• Lead and project manage all customer communications
• Utilize customer insights across channels to identify opportunities for improving customer experience and greater LTV.
• Oversee email and SMS marketing execution
• Manage and develop our membership program and future subscription program
• Develop and implement strategic plans to increase repeat purchases and LTV
• Coach and develop team members while also executing tactical work

Desired Qualifications:

• Degree in Marketing Management, Merchandising, Business, or similar.
• 5+ years experience in managing an e-commerce catalog and website, including managing web analytics/KPI’s and Google Analytics.
• In-depth knowledge of Shopify and Klaviyo marketing platforms
• HTML and UI/UX experience a plus!
• Proven experience in loyalty/relationship marketing, with a focus on driving
• repeat purchases without heavy reliance on discounts
• Background in farm-to-fork ecommerce
• Track record of helping ecommerce companies create long-term, profitable customer relationships
• Demonstrated ability to identify and implement strategies to generate more sales and strengthen customer relationships

Experience in answering and solving common ecommerce marketing challenges, such as:

• Converting subscribers to first-time customers
• Utilizing email and SMS marketing efficiently
• Managing inventory through marketing initiatives
• Improving promotional email performance
• Boosting new product sales
• Developing engaging email content strategies
• Optimizing email frequency
• Improving website conversion rates

Desired Skills and Attributes:

• Passion for regenerative agriculture and supporting small family farms
• A commitment to prioritizing the team's success over individual or departmental success
• Hungry to continuously grow and improve
• A commitment to helping create open communication lines across the organization where everyone is informed, respected, listened to, and appreciated.
• Willingness to hold yourself and others accountable for delivering results and meeting customer needs.
• The confidence to navigate difficult conversations.
• Leadership experience with a coaching mentality
• Proven ability to work independently as well as collaboratively
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships in a remote work environment
• Demonstrated ability to excel in a hands-on, fast-paced entrepreneurial environment
• Ability to help a team prioritize and test new ideas/opportunities in a systematic and organized manner
• The ability to effectively leverage knowledge, assets, and previous work to create a high level of efficiency.
• Strong analytical and data interpretation skills
• Excellent project management and organizational ability

Applications for this ecommerce job are being coordinated by Harry Joiner at EcommerceRecruiter [dot] com. (Google him.) Candidates, please be sure to email Harry for additional information that will differentiate you in your candidacy. Due to the intensely competitive nature of this search, thorough preparation for these interviews with this proprietary material is strongly recommended.