Marketing Technical Assistance Services
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Marketing is the activity by which farmers identify, cultivate relationships with, and retain customers for their products. While not always thought of in the same light as starting seeds or feeding livestock, marketing efforts are just as crucial to the success of your farm business. NOFA-VT can support farmers with their marketing efforts by:
- Developing an overall marketing strategy to determine markets and target customers
- Using cost of production analysis to build the right margin into your prices
- Determining what mix of sales channels (farm stand, wholesale, farmers market, etc...) are right for your business goals
- Website building, including integrating e-commerce into your website
- Developing a brand strategy and logo design that evokes your farm's personality and catches a customer's eye
- Learning ways to best tell your farm’s story and integrate that messaging into your overall marketing plan.
- Planning for directly reaching customers across the whole spectrum of available media (email, social media, print, etc)
These are just a small selection of the paths that farmers can take to achieve their marketing goals; we’re always interested in hearing from farmers and developing a plan for technical assistance based on their specific needs.
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Access Online Marketing Resources
- Distribution and Wholesale Financial Analysis Decision Making Tool — This tool is designed to assist with the financial decision-making related to product-market channel, distribution, and delivery selection.
- Cutting Through the Noise: Successful Marketing Campaigns that Reach Consumers — Watch the recording of Rose Wilson and Jean Hamilton present on successful marketing campaigns at the 2018 Vermont Farmers Market Conference. Also, access marketing resources including the market research workbook, developing a marketing campaign handout, marketing tools, and activities cheat sheet, target customer cheat sheet, features, benefits cheat sheet, and marketing matrix sheet.
- Farm Stand Audit Tool — This tool will help you evaluate all aspects of your farm store or farm stand, from stocking to staffing to pricing. Using this audit, you will be able to think critically about your systems and improve and streamline your operation, leading to increased sales and margins in your retail operation.
- Winter Farmers Market Info Cards — These info cards are designed for farmers and farmer market managers to use at the winter farmers market to help promote products and encourage customers to buy more local food.
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Wholesale Local Food From Supplier to Consumer — This local food wholesale market assessment compiled by NOFA-VT and the Farm to Plate Network documents major trends in the shifting retail and institutional wholesale channels for local food, with a focus on produce, proteins, and dairy.
If you have any questions, or if you’re interested in receiving marketing technical assistance, please contact Bill via email or (802) 434-7154.
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