Back in the day, advertising your business used to be very expensive. It was only done in newspapers and magazines. But not anymore! With the internet and other free or inexpensive marketing techniques, you can let people know about your produce without spending a fortune.

Now, due to the explosive growth of the internet as an advertising medium, most of the effective marketing tools are free or close to it.

Honestly speaking, most farmers are not very good at marketing in general. They may be able to grow the biggest cabbages and juiciest tomatoes, but don’t know how to find new customers or stay connected to their existing customers..

There are also dozens of traditional marketing methods available to any grower who takes the time to use them. And today, we’ll share a few…

1. The Internet

You can use the internet to market your small farm. There are customers who are looking for local, fresh produce and other farm goods online. So, create a website, Facebook page, and or twitter account for people to find you.

Share interesting things, such as news about farming, articles you read, not just spammy advertising. Answer emails promptly and people will start to develop a relationship with you.

2. Restaurants

Try to approach restaurants directly. It’s important to develop relationships with chefs. This will  help you farm the products they want on a regular basis for their menus. Furthermore, chefs value fresh, locally sourced ingredients grown with care. What’s more, if you can grow a crop that can’t be found easily elsewhere, they are often willing to pay alot for it.

3. Run a competition

We love free things. So, give your clients an opportunity to win something. It will get people talking about your produce. You’ll give new clients an opportunity to try your product. Furthermore, you’ll make people aware of your product. This will help you get names for your mailing list as well as free publicity.

Marketing is a lot about building community awareness of your business and converting prospects to paying customers at almost no cost. And, contests will help you.

Just remember that your prize must be worth it for the contestant. For example, if your rear chickens, a few, or several, chickens should be the prize.(Not one chicken). Use whatever free resources you can find to market your competition. On the day you close your competition, announce the winner on all your social media platforms and send an email to everyone who entered. This is now your opportunity to sell to those that didn’t win. Offer them a discount ans a consolation prize. This can boost sales.

4. Sell more with recipes

Every time I’m given a flyer, I look at it and throw it away. So, instead of a flyer with your contact details, hand out a recipe or recipes with your contact details. You can use recipes to educate your customers and promote your product. You can also use them to explain the nutritional qualities of your products and teach potential customers how to use your crop in new ways.

The power of logos

If you want to build recognition, you have to get a logo for your growing business. A log helps people remember your business even if you’re just getting started. A logo helps your clients make that visual connection to you. It helps establish that your business is legitimate and credible. If you have a logo, people tend to believe that your business is here to stay and trustworthy.