Promotion Ideas for Farmers' Markets
Low Cost Marketing and Promotion
Displays Create a Lasting Impression
LOW COST MARKETING AND
PROMOTION
Author: Unknown
While most farmers' markets do some sort of promotion, many do
not take the time to develop a promotion strategy. A strategy
should be geared toward your target population, including those
you would like to have in your market, but are not presently
there. The most important thing to remember is: KEEP ON MARKETING!
Having one special event at the market's anniversary is not
enough. Develop an annual promotional plan where you try something
different EACH MONTH. Here are some areas to consider:
Give "community flooding" a try. In this
approach, every place you can think of is given fliers or posters
to promote the market. The only limit is your time and
imagination. Possible locations include: garden nurseries, health
clubs, local businesses, day-care centres, and any other
appropriate place.
Make your market distinct. Work on long-term image
development by choosing a logo and using it on everything you
create. Develop a Frequent Shopper program, or advertise a
money-back guarantee on all purchases. Develop a monthly consumer
update or newsletter with market information and recipes. Persuade
customers that they want to return to your market.
Work with farmers to improve their merchandising techniques.
This will benefit both farmers and consumers - farmers will
increase their sales and consumers will enjoy their shopping
experience.
Write for local publications on topics related to farmer'
markets. A column on What's In Season can be a big hit. An
introductory article about the market could be inserted in every
church bulletin in town, or in every community group newsletter.
Involve the community in what you do. Think of promotion
as integrating the market into the community. Have school children
perform at the market, or invite the local library to have a book
sale at the market. Reserve one spot each week for a non-profit
organization. Invite the local fire department to a chili cook off
or a pancake breakfast.
Become the media spokesperson for farmers' markets.
Develop good working relationships with the media. Farmers'
markets are of interest to food editors, community events people,
business/agriculture editors, and they make great feature stories.
Find out what press people are interested in and keep them in the
loop. Be helpful even if it may not directly benefit your market -
developing the relationship is the key to long-term media
coverage.
Cross-market with local businesses. Have a scavenger
hunt where customers find necessary items in nearby stores. Invite
one merchant a week to participate in the market. This could be
repairing shoes, giving a haircut, or giving a short class on
"How to Deal with Auto Repair People". Invite local
restaurants to cook at the market. Speak at the local Chamber of
Commerce member meeting (and don't forget to become a member)
about the happenings at the market and how they can benefit.
Work regionally with other farmers' markets. Advertising
which is expensive for one market becomes affordable with a number
of markets. Refer farmers to other nearby markets when you are
unable to include them in yours. Develop brochures listing all
regional markets for citywide distribution.
Have agriculture education events at your market. Give
consumers a quiz about agriculture in your area and award a $25.00
market gift certificate to the winner. Invite nutritionists to
help prepare fresh fruits and vegetables and learn about their
health benefits. Feature a "Farmer of the Month" with
pictures and information about their farm and farming practices.
Use special events to thank your customers and attract new
ones. Celebrate spring with a strawberry shortcake give-away.
Give each mother a free carnation on Mother's Day, raffle off a
turkey and all the trimmings from the market for Thanksgiving,
have a pie bake-off which is judged by local politicians or media
folks. Give away melon slices during "Melon Mania", or
grapes in "The Grape Escape".
Please feel free to send in
promotional ideas that have worked for your market.
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DISPLAYS CREATE A LASTING IMPRESSION AT
FARMERS' MARKETS
Author: Monika Roth, Cornell Cooperative Extension mr55@cornell.edu
 From a manager's point of view, consider the displays at your
market as the sum total of how you look to the customer—the
first impression. Individual vendor displays, the set-up, site and
amenities make up the total market shopping experience. With that
in mind, take a walk through your market with a customer you don't
know and get their impressions. Or find a retail designer to walk
the market and provide suggestions. As with all retailing, the
quality of the shopping experience makes a big impression on
customers and influences their return visits.
At an established market, the ability to change or control the
appearance of your site and surroundings may be limited. However,
enhancements and amenities can be added to improve the shopping
atmosphere. Colourful flags, signs, balloons or beautiful
planters,
though they may be temporary, help draw attention and create a
festive feeling. If banners and planters can be left in place when
the market is not operating, this serves as a reminder of market
days to come. At a minimum, the site should be clean and waste
containers provided. If cleanliness of the area is a problem,
bring it to the attention of public works departments. Safety may
be a concern in some neighborhoods, so having police officers
present, if only to manage traffic and parking, increases customer
security. Seating is an amenity that is also appreciated,
encouraging customers to relax and stay awhile.
After looking at ways to improve the appearance of the area in
which the market operates, next consider the layout and how easy
it is for customers to shop. Take a clipboard with a map of the
market and draw a line on the map that follows a customer through
the market and place an "x" on where they stop. Do this
with 20-50 customers and shopping patterns emerge that illustrate
bottlenecks or dead spots. The arrangement of vendors may generate
impulse sales to customers waiting in line. For most markets, a
single or double linear arrangement encourages the customer to
walk from one end to the other. Avoid having too many openings
that allow them to escape.
Dead spots in the market are not only caused by the placement of
vendors, but are greatly influenced by the products, quality,
displays and personalities of individual vendors. New vendors are
often at a disadvantage over established vendors, but can
establish themselves fairly quickly if they focus on presenting
unique, high quality, attractively displayed products.
Successful selling at a farmers' market begins with high quality
products. It is important that vendors differentiate themselves
from the competition. This can be accomplished through product
quality, product mix displays, signs, enhancements and selling
skills. Before a new member joins a market, they should be
required to visit and discuss with the manager or board what they
feel their unique contribution will be. This is not to exclude
vendors from selling similar products but to help them focus on
what they have to offer the customer that is unique. Having enough
volume of demand products is important but diversity increases the
values and convenience of shopping at a farmers' market for the
customer.
To build an effective display, a vendor needs to bring sturdy and
safe selling tables or display racks. Watch for splintered wood or
table legs to trip over. Display tables or stands should be clean
and attractive. A tablecloth can hide an ugly table and help to
enhance a display. A display should be arranged within the
customers view between knee to eye level, with a 30 degree slope
no deeper than a customers reach. A tent is an effective way to
delineate a selling stall and helps protect products from the rain
or sun. Umbrellas may be colourful and attractive but are less
useful in providing enough cover and are easily blown over in
strong winds.
Displays are the silent salesperson at market and should
communicate a vendors' image and product standard, as well as
attract attention and be arranged for efficient selling. Displays
should appeal to the senses using colour, texture, fragrance, and
taste to attract customers.
 Mass appeal is the minimum standard for an effective display. This
can be achieved with one product or many products. The vendor with
only a few products will want to keep them piled high and looking
fresh. The vendor with several products will want to arrange these
across the face of the display using colours and textures to
visually enhance the display. A general rule is to display at
least 3 larger items like cabbage or winter squash before moving
to the next item. For smaller product, display 6-8 items and then
move to next product. Smaller items should be closer to eye view
while larger items can be lower in the display. Bulky items are
effectively displayed in baskets, crates, or bags raised off the
ground by at least 12-20 inches. It is important to consider the
efficiency of selling when arranging a display. Avoid elaborate
displays that lose their integrity as soon as one item is removed.
If a vendor only has a few products to sell, mass appeal can be
created through enhancements such as tablecloths, baskets,
flowers, photo albums, samples, etc. For example, meat vendors who
may not be able to display their products can have farm photos,
attractive signs, product information, recipes, cooked samples,
etc. to attract customers. Given public concerns about food
safety, it is critical for managers and vendors to adhere to all
health and sanitary regulations to ensure public safety. A clean
attractive display of quality products will go a long way towards
gaining customer confidence.
The final strategy for successful sales at a farmers' market is to
be customer-oriented.
This begins with how the vendor looks—a clean shirt, apron or
hat with the farm name signals professionalism and pride. Greeting
customers with a friendly smile and talking to them about the
products goes a long way towards personalizing the experience for
the customer which is what makes markets unique from other retail
food outlets.
A market manager can improve the success of farmer's market
businesses by helping vendors recognize product opportunities and
ways to improve displays. This contributes to the overall product
selection and appearance of the market and enhances the customers
shopping experience. It is the sum of the whole that creates the
atmosphere which is unique to markets and which helps ensure their
success.
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