As a farmer, you take pride in growing and harvesting the best quality produce, but what if consumers don’t see the value and won’t buy your products at the farmers market?
To make sure your hard work isn’t in vain, you need to effectively market your food products. Marketing will help communicate to consumers, set you apart from competitors, and make people buy.
Here are some tried-and-true tips for marketing your harvest.
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1. Make your stand and the immediate surrounding area clean and attractive, suggests the University of Minnesota Extension. This includes grouping vegetables together to make large blocks of contrasting colors, which draw customers’ eyes. Put the crops on shelves or a stand, not on the ground.
2. The University of Minnesota Extension also recommends labeling produce clearly using signs with the name of the vegetable and the price. Also, provide printed recipe cards featuring your food products so consumers will be inspired to try them at home.
3. Make your farm’s name and logo a centerpiece at your stand with a professionally printed, large banner, advises Modern Farmer. Because you are branding yourself, don’t limit the name of your farm to the banner. When talking with customers, be sure to use the name of your farm often in the conversation to make it memorable.
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4. Growing Magazine recommends using social media for marketing your food products. Create a Facebook page for your farm and use it consistently to communicate with customers about what is in season, any upcoming sales, and information about where they can buy your produce. Also include information about your farm, your growing practices and anything else that sets you apart. Include lots of colorful photos in posts that will catch consumers’ eyes online.
5. Invest in well-trained staff, says Modern Farmer. Your farm stand staff should know about the differences in the varieties of heirloom tomatoes on display and should be able to speak with authority about your farming practices. If consumers have too many unanswered questions, they may shop elsewhere.
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