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market-farming - Re: Market customer attendance falling off?

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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "jay gee" <jgj23 AT mindspring.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Market customer attendance falling off?
  • Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2002 19:40:26 +0000


Julie wrote:

>>>> <snip> ... we are wondering
how other markets are trying to attract and keep market attendance
through the fall. Most of our die-hard customers are still coming, we
are just not attracting many new or keeping some of our semi-regular
summertime customers. We plan events and festivals and they work for
that weekend, but do not carry over customer attendance to the next
market weekend like they did earlier in the season. Any suggestions?
<<<<

In the West Coast city where I live, the Farmer's Market is held
on Saturdays all year round. It is busy and does not resort to
expensive one-time traffic building promotions such as festivals
or entertainment to get new people to look it over.

Why not? For starters, these types of activities do not draw
a high proportion of people interested in shopping at the
farmer's market. They draw people looking for cheap or
free entertainment, not organic or locally grown food.
Think about it...

What do the promoters of our market do? They send a notice,
every month, to all those receiving a bill from the local
municipal utility. This includes business and residential
customers. The notice is printed on an insert that is
1/3 the size of an 8 1/2 x 11 page. One side of the notice
explains time, hours and includes a map showing where
the market is held. The other side promotes the value
of fresh foods to the customer and describes what types
of foodstuffs are available, how many vendors, etc.

Local markets interested in promoting themselves to their
local audience should check with local water, gas or
electric companies to see about including a notice for
their market in with the monthly bill.

>>>> Is this normal for most markets? <<<<

Unless there is substantial advertising noise to the
contrary, it seems logical that most people would
believe that the market would fold up at the end of
summer.

That's why it is important for the market operators
to continue advertising and promoting until the
last session has been held.

My $ 0.02


Jay Gee
not a farmer -- but interested in farming







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