When vying for consumers’ attention and business, personal communication seems to be the small farmers’ best tool.
Direct communication with customers, providing great customer service and being approachable are all key factors when interacting with customers, a recent PIE Center study shows.
The PIE Center, in partnership with the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation and the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department, explored consumers’ attitudes and opinions on local food as part of a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant.
Part of that grant included focus groups with small-scale producers, consumers and Extension professionals that aimed to analyze the effectiveness of Florida MarketMaker, a web-based marketing and networking tool designed to connect producers and consumers.
“It is important for us to go straight to the source when analyzing tools that are developed for producers,” said Tracy Irani, PIE Center Director and faculty member in the UF/IFAS Agricultural Education and Communications Department. “The people who use the tool everyday are the best ones to approach for feedback.”
PIE Center researchers asked what small farmers did to market their products to the public, connect with consumers and engage in their community. Researchers also wanted to hear about experiences with the Florida MarketMaker website and how it could be modified to better suit their needs.
The PIE Center conducted six focus groups to test the effectiveness of six messages when using Florida MarketMaker as a marketing tool to connect producers and consumers in local markets.
Farmers mentioned the importance of word-of-mouth conversations, creating a personal connection with customers and building relationships as key practices for connecting with consumers, according to graduate student researcher Laura Conaway.
“This shows that even in an age of digital communication, personal conversations and interactions, as well as your reputation in the community, are still very important factors when marketing and running a small farm,” she said.
However, even small farmers are not immune to the push for online communication. Many producers discussed updating their social media sites to let customers know what produce was ripe that week.
“We are becoming a world built on digital communication,” Irani said. “While social media may not be a primary method of communication for everyone, it is important to build an online presence for your organization or business.”
Producers reported success with offering organic products, diversifying their offerings, meeting personal requests by local restaurants and providing delivery service.
“We were happy to see our small farmers connecting with the public and finding their place in the market,” said Rachel Divine, research coordinator. “Partnering with local restaurants or taking requests on crops to grow are great ways to build personal relationships and a place in the community.”
The research showed that producers are willing to connect with the public and willing to grow and change to meet the demands of their local community.
“It was nice to see that producers felt so passionately about building relationships with the public,” Divine said. “They are really invested in connecting with consumers and are vested in the agricultural industry, which is great.”
Additionally, the Florida MarketMaker research is already making strides in the academic community. Conaway’s poster displaying the results and implications of the MarketMaker portion of research was the top-rated agricultural communications research poster at the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists conference in Orlando last month.
