New Food and Farming Ventures - Resource Manual September 2003
Chapter 3 Marketing
Promotional Ideas
Promotion is any communication that helps make a sale and build customer relationships. Successful promotions increase consumer perception of value, thereby increasing demand and willingness to pay prices set for products. The best way to increase consumer perception of value is by promoting the unique differences of products from those of competitors. Creating perceived differences helps products be less price sensitive. It also makes products harder for others to effectively compete against. If promotional activities do not adequately differentiate products, the supplier will simply be another “me too” company forced to compete based on price to gain or maintain markets. Ideas to help you promote your business and products:
Newspaper Stories—Getting feature stories on your operation can be a goldmine of free exposure. Many weekly newspapers are always looking for story ideas. Think about what might be unique or interesting about your farm business that could be considered newsworthy and of interest to the greater community.
Radio—Local radio stations have a lot of air time to fill and are often looking for interviews, especially during their farm segments, and being interviewed is often as simple as a phone call.
Displays—Put your name and logo on everything. Display ideas include:
New Food and Farming Ventures – Resource ManualSeptember 2003
posters
signs
banners
flags
bumper stickers
roadside signs/outdoor advertising
car and truck signs
calendars
tote bags
business cards
brochures
catalogs
newsletters
t-shirts
recipe sheets
cookbooks.
New Food and Farming Ventures – Resource ManualSeptember 2003
Advertising—There are many opportunities to advertise. Use weekly ads in local papers to tell customers what is fresh. Some ads are simply a reproduction of a business card, designed mainly to keep your name in front of potential customers.
Direct Mail—This can be used to send a postcard to all your potential customers as well as to announce special events or keep connected on a regular basis to past customers.
Internet—A web site about your farm business is something you might consider. Another way to use the Internet is to keep in contact with past customers by e-mail, alerting them about product availability, new products, special promotions, etc.
Referrals—Always ask customers to tell others about your business. A satisfied customer is your best advertisement.
Presentations—Civic organizations usually need someone to make presentations during their meetings; try to get on the program to talk about your farm business. Trade shows, local fairs and home and garden shows can be good places to educate potential customers about your products.