32 ways… 29 tips… 50 marketing steps to follow daily… ACK! too much! I’m a professional marketing expert and these lists overwhelm me – I can only imagine what this does to the hearts and minds of small business owners.
Marketing is supposed to be part of your business day not the entire day and most of your weekends!
So I’m doing my part to advocate for sensible branding. I know your business is always on your mind getting your constant love and care. Each week, I’ll be sharing no more than three ideas that I think would work great for local farms and maybe other local businesses. Try one, try all but only if they make sense for your time, resources and your budget.
This week’s ideas
1. Free Marketing Program with Department of Agriculture Many states, regions and food products have marketing boards and marketing programs with low member fees for farms. These are some of the first places consumers look to “buy local” so being listed in their directories is a great way to be found. Review your state’s Department of Agriculture to see what marketing services and resources they share.
2. Promote Your Schedule When you plan out your month’s activities – Farmers’ Market, field trips, CSA deliveries – place them in a one-page calendar format and share on your website and social media. Take one hour at the start of the month and load up Twitter and Facebook with “Where We Will Be Today” posts. Then “live” tweet or post one or two pics when you are there highlighting your produce, booth, etc.
3. Cross-promote with local eateries A win-win is selling directly to restaurants whose customers love knowing they are supporting local farms by eating there. Restaurants love fresh produce delivered directly to them. Discuss featuring your farm’s name on the menu for special dishes that contain your product(s). And you can share on your materials “served at X restaurant” which helps lend credibility to your business and promotes theirs.
This is my way of sharing a little #FarmLove to all those that provide me and my family fresh, healthy food (thank you, thank you!)
Hello, I'm Jeny. With more than 20 years’ experience in marketing strategy, brand positioning, and content development, I collaborate with clients to develop stragies and action plans to streamline their marketing and improve their sales. 
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