Nicole Burkhard, Nova Scotia Agriculture November 13 th, 2011 ACORN

‘Original’ Guerilla Marketing Guerilla marketing – concept from early 1980’s Level playing field of small businesses competing with large corporate marketing budgets Creativity is free: advertize in unexpected places, get word out through buzz Get maximum results with minimal $$

New Era of Marketing Yesterday Today Traditional marketing as one-way communication Newspaper ads Billboards Commercials Earned media Businesses hunt for customers Based on social marketing Relationship-based Customer engagement - experiential 2-way conversation Peer-to-peer (recommendations) Powerful new tools: internet, & social media Businesses are found (google, facebook)

What is your marketing strategy? Know Yourself What is your mission, vision, values, brand? A brand is not just a logo, it’s your whole package – it’s every point of contact with your customers (website, online ‘personality’, phone message, customer service, etc.), which is informed by your values Know Your Customers 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your customers – how are you targeting this segment? Are you listening to what customers are saying about you? (monitor social media, surveys, feedback, Google Alerts)

Maximizing your marketing impact: Use your community connections to reach people and find out who your customers are Create win-win partnerships with other businesses (collective marketing – geographic, complementary products & services, etc.) Spread the word through educational events and workshops Use internet tools like social media and marketing to develop strong and lasting relationships with your customers

Why use social media? Only one component of your overall marketing plan – but an essential component : 75% of Canadians use social media 55% of Canadians are on Facebook 47% of Canadians are on Twitter Top 3 sites: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Social media has been found to: Increase general exposure for business Increase traffic to website Increase search marketing Create new business partnerships Improve sales

Tips for using social media (SM) Define your goals: What is the purpose of your page? Identify 1-3 objectives Content strategy: 80% Educational and Entertaining What do people want to know? What are the top 10 questions people ask you? What’s happening on the farm today? 20 % Information on your products What you have available, and when and how people can buy it

Tips for using social media (SM) Have a call to action – you don’t just want to engage your customers, you want them to act: Visit your website (online store, CSA sign-up, etc.) Tell friends about your products & services Run contests and promotions

Tips for using social media (SM) Optimize your webpage and signature for social media: Make people aware of your SM presence and encourage them to like, follow, view and share… Post often & keep content relevant – be proactive Use time-saving strategies and tools: Link Facebook and Twitter accounts Use hootsuite.com to schedule messages and manage SM accounts

Facebook Tips Profile = personal (friend) Page = business (like) Group = ideas/things in common (join) Recommendation: Facebook Page Statistics under ‘Insights’ Can post as business – huge potential for networking, sharing information, gaining exposure

YouTube 2 nd largest online search engine after Google Untapped potential for getting your word out CSA promotional video ‘a day in your life on the farm’ Example: Annapolis Seeds The_chronicle_herald_metro_ _A04.pdf ture=youtu.be ture=youtu.be

CONTACT INFO: Nicole Burkhard Agricultural Transition Officer Nova Scotia Agriculture