A Web site can offer existing and potential customers more information about you, your products, your growing practices and business philosophy. It can be a place to post updates about your farm, photos and recipes. It can also be a virtual storefront. Selling your product via the Internet – or e-commerce – can open up your business to a whole new market. There are many levels of e-commerce, from posting an order form that customers print out and mail in, to an e-mail link for people to submit orders, to an interactive online store that consolidates ordering, payment and shipping. Even setting up a simple e-mail listserve may be just what you need to help get the word out and keep your customers coming back.

Take, for example, Rich and Steph Rockwood of Redrock Farm in Chelsea VT. The Rockwoods added an online store to their Christmas tree farm Web site in 2003 (http://www.christmastrees.net). Since then, Rich says, their mailing list has grown by about 100 names a year. Mail order tree sales have almost doubled since 2000 and Rich attributes that increase directly to the Internet. “We’re getting less paper orders and less checks,” Rich said. “People seem to like doing things online.” Wreath sales also have gone up, too, and Redrock Farm has added more products. “We keep trying to grow – but not too fast,” Rich said.

Rich, 54, cautions against moving too quickly with a business Web site. De¬veloping a site can be costly. His advice is to research products and marketing strategy and start with a simple site.

E-commerce takes planning and coordination. It can also be a lot of work and does not necessarily yield an increase in profits. However, it can increase the visibility of your business, allow you to process orders more efficiently and in¬crease your connection with people who want to buy your products. Customers often use the Internet as a starting point and your site can be a great way to introduce people to your products without a lot of leg work.

Having an Internet presence doesn’t mean selling your soul or changing the flavor of your business. You have control and can decide what ingredients to include in your business recipe.

Jericho Settlers Farm, which sells vegetables, flowers, meat and eggs, launched its Web site (http://www.jerichosettlersfarm.com) in 2006. The site includes photos, a farm journal and recipes. Customers can download CSA and meat order forms and mail them in with payment. The site gives customers a behind-the-scenes look at the farm, said Christa Alexander, who runs farm with her husband, Mark Fasching, and her mother, Emilie Alexander.

“It gives people a chance to learn about our philosophy,” Christa, 32, explained. “To tie people to the farm community and the reasons we’re here.” Jericho Settlers’ Farm includes its Web address on all labels, brochures and e-mails to generate traffic to the site. Thinking about how consumers search for products and finding ways to get people to your Web site are essential to developing a successful site. It’s important to consider what you want your Web site to do and how it fits in with your marketing strategy.