What's your Local Food Marketing Plan?

Has anyone ever asked you what your marketing plan is? What was your answer? If you have one, that's great - we hope it's a very successful plan for your business. If your jaw dropped and you hesitantly uttered, “aaaaaaa.......” you may want to start planning now before the growing season is in full swing. Here’s how to use that uncertain answer to your advantage as we present the 9 A’s of a successful marketing plan:

Your Marketing Plan defines your customer, the products or services they want, and the most effective promotion and advertising strategies to reach your customer. The first step is to break down the elements of a marketing plan:

Marketing situation:
This is all about you - who you are, what is your farm/business about? This is really the key ingredient to a successful marketing plan. Your marketing is very personal to you and to your business - it should speak to who you are and what your business is all about. You entire plan will evolve from what you are about, what you value, and what you want for your family and your business.

Marketing objectives:
Aim for your goals. What are your goals? Are they to increase sales by 10%, diversify your customer base, or increase your distribution area? Defining your goals helps you to determine where and how to expend your energy.

Marketing strategies:
Audience: This step involves identifying your customers. Who are they and where are they located?
Authenticity: Make sure your product and your messages are authentic to who you are and what you are selling. Be honest with your customers.
Once you’ve identified your audience, your product and your message, you will be able to determine the best strategies to reach your customer base.

Strategies include: designing and printing a business card, brochure, well written sales letter, launching a web site, offering e-mail sign up, developing a mailing list of customers, offering discounts to repeat customers, establishing affiliate programs with other businesses (referring each other), advertising in print media and on-line, posting free business listings in others web sites such as LocalHarvest.org or GreenPeople.org, offering public speaking engagements, networking and joining business and civic organizations, sponsoring local food events, or hosting local food conferences and events.

Marketing budget:
After you pick your strategies, add it all up! How much do you want to spend, and how much are you spending? Does the amount of sales you will make from employing a particular strategy justify the expenditure? Remember your time equals money, too – consider assigning an hourly rate to your time to evaluate total cost. Can you afford your strategies? You may have to pick a few to start.

Action Plan:
Advocate: Be an advocate for your product, know all about it and pass along that information. You know why your product is the best on the market, but let others know about it, too!
Act: On your plans by getting your logo, business card, brochures, etc.
Ask: ask existing customers for feedback and referrals

Evaluation: Analyze your results in terms of your expenditures to see how successful your marketing plan has been. This step involves looking back at each element of your marketing plan. Do you need to change your strategies, your budget or your actions? Make sure you give your plan time to work – evaluating and making changes too often can cause confusion for your customers. Your plan may have been fine but you didn’t give it a chance to work.

Good luck with your marketing in 2009! If you have a great strategy you'd like to share with others, please contact us at info@eatlocalfood.com. We'll include your marketing idea in our next newsletter!