At the 2011 Great Lakes EXPO, eVGN got to talk with Ken Hall, owner of Edwards Apple Orchard in Poplar Grove, Ill., about some of the things that have made his farm market successful. Here are some of his favorite farm marketing ideas, in no particular order.

1. Landscaping and a memorable entrance — Hall suggests picking combinations of flowers and trees that set a tone for your business. If you're open in the spring, have spring flowers. If you're primarily a fall market, have flowers and trees with rich fall colors.
   
   
2. Have proper signage — Hall said one of the best things he has done is switching to blackboard signs and using Chalk Ink, an erasable marker that looks like chalk. It allows the signs to be changed as needed and conveys authoritative information to the customer. He uses his signage to keep customers up to date on produce availability and to tell the story of the market and produce.
   
   
3. Configuration flexibility — At Hall's market, he strives to keep the configuration of the market and especially the parking lot flexible to accommodate needed changes as they arise. Hall suggests things like extra cash registers and tents to set up extra checkout lines on heavy traffic days. He also suggests Port-A-Potties and benches. Having the ability to adapt to needed changes is vital to being successful, Hall said.
   
   
4. Have a Slim Jim — One thing Hall has noticed is the amount of people who accidentally lock their keys in their car at his market. He suggests having a Slim-Jim-type tool on hand to help them out. When people lock themselves out of their car, they feel helpless, he said. Being there to help them out makes their day and makes them remember your market so they come back.
   
   
5. Old images of the farm — One of Hall's favorite ideas was to obtain old farm images, have them blown up to poster size and use them to make murals on the walls of his market. Old pictures not only tell a story, Hall said, but they intrigue visitors enough to ask what that story is, giving you an opportunity to converse with them and make them part of your farm market family. It gives them a sense of connection that brings them back.
   
   
   

Photo by Derrek Sigler

While there were many great booths displaying great products and services at the 2011 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO in Grand Rapids, Mich., one of the most popular with attendees and vendors alike was the donut booth. Bakeries are a proven addition to your farm market.

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