NIAGARA SESSION TIPS A FARMERS’ MARKETS ONTARIO® ILLUSTRATED TIP SHEET FOR MARKET MANAGERS

TIPS WORTH TRYING: 10 IDEAS THAT HAVE WORKED FOR OTHER MANAGERS FMO’s group sessions in February at the Market Managers’ Symposium in Niagara Falls were a lively forum for the exchange of ideas. The topics ranged from marketing to funding, from social media to dealing with vendor problems and managing a market move. From the wealth of advice and ideas put forward, we chose 10 tips we thought were especially worth sharing.

TIP #1 EVERY MARKET NEEDS A TOOLKIT OF THESE 7 MARKETING ESSENTIALS.

1. A LOGO is more than just a sign. It’s an expression of who you are and how you want to be perceived. Put your best foot forward and get a professional designer to create something you’ll be proud to use on signs, clothing, ads and online. 2. A WEBSITE is no longer a “nice-to-have.” It’s a must. Even if it’s just a few pages, it must be lively and informative, telling your customers who you are, where you are, when you’re open, who your vendors are, what’s in season, what special events are coming up, and what your market looks like. (Use colourful photos and graphics.) If at all possible, include a blog.

The emailnewsletter subscription form is agreat idea.

The map ishelpful for new

customers.

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See actual site at http://junctionmarket.ca

NIAGARA SESSION TIPS p.2

3. PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS - Put up posters and flyers in key places in your area a month before you open and before special events to get on people’s radar and build some excitement. On opening day, place A-frame signs or have volunteers wearing sandwich boards dotted around town to make sure everyone knows that your market is now open for the season. Consider creating attractive gift certificates or “market bucks” for customers to buy for friends and relatives so they can splurge on the market items they love most. Get vendors to cooperate on offering special deals in a coupon book – either discounts or bonus buys (i.e., something free with the purchase of another item).

4. A WEEKLY EMAIL NEWSLETTER is a great way to keep in touch with customers and build a relationship with them. So sign them up (at the market and on your website – as The Junction Market does on their home page, shown on page 1) and keep them informed – not only during the season, but when the season ends and before the new one begins.

5. PR: REGULAR NEWSPAPER ARTICLES Community newspapers care about what their readers care about, including your your market. Get in touch with the editor or a friendly reporter and keep feeding them news. Send them high-quality photographs. Offer them interviews with vendors. Keep them in the loop.

6. BRANDED MERCHANDISE – Put your logo on T-shirts, ballcaps and aprons for your vendors to wear to give your market a unified look. Offer your T-shirts and ballcaps for sale to customers, along with reusable shopping bags for them to bring to market each week. (Bags are a lot like billboards for your market.)

7. SPECIAL EVENTS should focus primarily on attracting new customers. Make your events newsworthy so they’ll get written up in the local paper the week before they happen. Measure how each event succeeds in bringing in shoppers and boosting sales vs. regular market days. Learn what works and what doesn’t.

8. FACEBOOK - See section on page 4.

Some of the events that markets have used with success include:

• Zombie walk (pre-Halloween) • Corn roast • Silent auction • Sports team demonstration • Veggie valets (volunteers who help carry heavy market purchases to shoppers’ cars • Story time at the market (to keep kids amused while parents shop) • A kids’ table (with arts & crafts) • Customer appreciation day • Christmas in July • Market’s birthday celebration • Vendor contests • Tie-ins with the town’s special events • Chili cook-off • Pie contest • Tomato festival • Gardening day • Inviting community groups like the local Garden Club, Historical Society, Conservation Association etc. • Chef demonstrations using local produce

TIP #2 REcRUIT VOLUNTEERS

Every market needs volunteers to provide extra manpower and extra services for customers. They can run the market information booth for you, help vendors set up tents and tables, assist you in conducting customer surveys (a great way to find out what people like and don’t like about your market, as well as products and services they wish you would offer). They can also keep track of statistics for you - like the number of visitors and how sales are affected by the weather.

Places to look for volunteers:

• SCHOOLS: High school students who need to amass 40 community involvement activity hours before they can graduate

• COLLEGES: Students in co-op programs who want to gain experience (e.g., culinary schools, recreation programs, event planning programs, nutrition programs

• SENIORS’ CENTRES

• VOLUNTEER CENTRES

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NIAGARA SESSION TIPS p.3

TIP #3MAKE VENDORS FORMALLY AGREE TO cOMPLY WITH THE MARKET’S RULES.

Handshakes aren’t good enough. You need to get things in writing so vendors know what you expect of them, what behaviour is not acceptable and what the consequences are of noncompiance with the rules.

• All vendors should re-apply each season, and only members in good standing can have their stalls renewed.

• Vendors should sign a document outlining the market’s rules (including physical and verbal behaviour, lateness etc.), thereby consenting to abide by the rules and acknowledging that they understand and accept the penalties for infractions.

• Outlaw price fixing. Ensure that vendors understand that price fixing is against the law and that they – and the market – can get into trouble with the Competition Bureau.

• Don’t let resellers undercut growers by a lot. Many managers have had to talk to resellers about keeping their prices in line with those of other vendors. Consensus was that a 10% variance in prices was acceptable.

TIP #4ENFORcE THE RULES – cONSISTENTLY.Impose a ticketing system to deal with vendor infractions and apply fines. (e.g., any vendor with six $10 infractions within one season must attend a meeting of the market’s Board or the market manager.

Create a progressive system for infractions, e.g., a verbal warning, then a written warning, then a fine, then being asked to leave the market.

Be consistent about fee collection, whatever method you use. Some markets ask for postdat-ed cheques. Others require that all vendors pay for the season in advance. Many use a warning system, and follow through - e.g.:

• First, a friendly reminder that the vendor missed their last monthly payment.

• Then a warning that they have missed two consecutive months.

• Next, a sterner notice that since three months of fees have not been paid, a meeting is required and the entire balance owning is due at the end of the month.

• Finally, an eviction notice.

TIP #5BE A GOOD MANAGER: SHOW FAIRNESS & APPREcIATION & SHARE INFORMATION.Rotate stall locations. Make it a rule that every 5 years, all vendors will have to change stall locations – to ensure that everyone knows they are being treated equally (and to prove that no space is any better than any other).

Hold a Vendor Appreciation Party to thank vendors. (Use the opportunity to get honest feedback - e.g., by enquiring about their highs and lows.) Present them with sales data (if you have collected any), shopper counts, customer feedback, etc. Tell them about any fundingopportunities you’re pursuing or have secured. They want to know and have a right to know.

TIP #6cREATE A SYSTEM FOR AccEPTING AND DEcLINING NEW VENDORS.

Plot out a vendor mix for your market and use it as your guideline for recruiting new vendors. (Try asking customers what they want at the market to help you figure things out.) use this to justify accepted and declined applications.

Create categories for acceptance - e.g., full season, 8-week block, daily rate. Some markets collect a membership fee on top of their rates. Some markets give a 15% discount on fees if vendors attend the market for the full season. This helps discourage people who want to sell for two weeks because they had too much of one product.

Welcome new vendors to the market. Make an announcement on their first day, and give each new vendor a welcome package. Explain to other vendors why the new vendor is a good fit for the market and its long-term strategy for growth.

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NIAGARA SESSION TIPS p.4

TIP #7USE FAcEBOOK WHOLE-HEARTEDLY.Successful markets know how important their Facebook page is – and how vital it is to have someone they trust to administer it properly, monitor it constantly, post news and photos regularly, and reply to customers’ questions and complaints promptly. But in addition to theadministrator, you should have other “contentmanagers” who can post on the page and field questions, etc.

As one social media expert put it: “Social media is word-of-mouth marketing...amplified.” Conventional wisdom is that when someone has a good experience, they’ll tell three people. If they have a bad experience, they’ll tell 10. On Facebook, those numbers are multiplied exponentially. So don’t make Facebook an afterthought. Don’t just update it once a week!

General pointers:

Use Facebook to talk to your customers, not to overtly sell to them. Share news, photos and links about topics you both care about.Share recipes., quotations and cartoons. Show photos of what your market location looked like in days gone by. Post fascinating facts (a.k.a. trivia) about farming or food. Make it a conversation, not a sales pitch.Don’t be stuffy or formal. Let your personalityshine through. Talk to your Facebook friends the same way you’d talk to your friends and relatives. Don’t be stuffy or formal. Let your personality show.

Don’t use Facebook to just tell people things. Ask questions. Ask them for their favouriteseasonal recipes using fresh market produce.Ask them to share their photos of the market. Make it a two-way conversation, not just a monologue. But don’t get carried away. Keep the content relevant.

Best ways to get people to click Like:

Run a contest: Anyone who clicks like gets an entry in a draw for a gift card. “Show us (on your mobile) that you’ve Liked us at your next visit & get $2 in Market Bucks.”

Partner with popular companies in your community with lots of Facebook friends.

Ask people to share your page and Like your page to help you grow your market.

Announce goals: “We’re almost at 500 Likes. Help us get there faster!”

TIP #8MANAGING A cRISIS ON FAcEBOOK1. Acknowledge that something happened even if you have no answers yet.

2. Speed matters. Find out what happened and put your answer on Facebook ASAP.

3. Say you’re sorry – and mean it. People will forgive you for an honest mistake.

4. Describe what you’ve done to fix the problem so it doesn’t happen again.

5. Stop after 2 replies to the same angry post. The first reply is an answer. The second, a clarification. A third would just be arguing.

TIP #9MAKE YOUR WEBSITE A LOT LIVELIER1. Add a new picture each week (of yummy food, vendors, visitors, special event).

2. Update info weekly or daily, featuring what’s happening and what’s new each week.

3. Invite vendors to contribute pix & content.

4. Add a weekly blog; keep topics interesting and relevant.

5. Make your site colourful and professional - it’s really an online ad for your market.

TIP #10KEEP ON LEARNING 1. Browse the Internet and get inspired by what other markets do. Adapt ideas to suit you.

2. Check out these how-to videos on YouTube:

Farm Marketing with Social Media http://tinyurl.com/o5oqnqz

Farm Marketing with Twitter http://tinyurl.com/pw78maa

Farm Marketing with Facebook http://tinyurl.com/pgw8v3v

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See actual page: www.facebook.com/JunctionMarket

See actual page: www.facebook.com/OttawaFarmMkt