Promoting Your Market

Hello Fellow Marketeers!
A few follow-up thoughts on the recent NYS Farm Market Managers Conference held in Seneca Falls. For those of you who were not in attendance, you missed a great networking opportunity and a chance to get some inspiration for your 2010 farm market season. Most entertaining was the presentation by the delightful duo from the NYC who shared with us their customer outreach technique using a game of Market Bingo.
The conference offered a plethora of ideas on recruiting both vendors and customers. Whether your market serves 20,000 or 200 customers, the mission remains the same, sell the brand and create a memorable experience that has positive impact.
How is it possible to create a winning marketing plan if you are a staff of one or two and your marketing budget is a big fat—zero? That seemed to be the unspoken lament of many of the conference attendees. So with respect toward the bigger players, here are two simple ideas guaranteed to generate good will with both customers and vendors.
#1- Mr. Potato and Mrs. Potato Head at the Market: Grab a 10 pound bag of potatoes, a box of tooth picks ( snapped in half) and a variety of small vegetables. Grape tomatoes, sliced zucchini, carrot bits all work to serve as decorations for children age
5-up to create their veggie people. The more variety you have the better your creation. Let your imaginative freaky flag fly! Put up a card table and invite kids to stop by and play. If you can get parents involved, you have now created an incredibly positive market experience.
#2- Eat Healthy, Be Happy: This idea came straight from the conference. All you need are paper plates and markers. Set up your card table with a sign that says- “ Show us your healthy meal!”. Invite families to color the plates with all of the good food they can find at the market. You have just created an opportunity for your visitors to engage in conversations about healthy eating. It’s a very good thing.
Market promotions don’t have to be huge and expensive. Most of us don’t have the time or means to implement them anyway. Remember the KISS method of marketing- Keep It Simply Simple.
If you have any other ideas, do share. Until next time, I’ll see you at the Market!

PS: For those of you who wanted more information on Tasting rules and regulations, please go to www.monroecounty.gov and review the regulations under Health Department food sampling at public events. Each county has their own set of requirements but this is a great start.