Building the conversation between farmers and consumers - CFBMC's Marketing Caravan is in town!

By CFBMC

March 12, 2010

You have a great product, a valuable service or a timely agri-business idea. Now, what do the paying customers want and how do you tell them what you have to offer?

The Canadian Farm Business Management Council (CFBMC) will help farmers answer that question. The first step is to identify what potential customers are looking for. Once that is achieved, they must then communicate with those customers.

The Marketing Caravan one-day workshop will provide all the resources necessary to identify a target market and reach customers, as well as an opportunity for participants to network and share the successes and challenges of agri-business. The atlantic region section is slated for Wolfville, Nova Scotia February 17.

“Every year we ask what rural entrepreneurs want to know and learn about. The program is always evolving in response to the feedback of past participants,” says Arlene Kennedy, Project Manager, CFBMC.

This year the workshop will cover two topics in detail; consumer behaviour and media relations. Jolene Brown, a well-known expert on family farm business, delves into the consumer mind and discusses what consumers are thinking about and how they make their food buying decisions. In her presentation When Pigs Fly she will discuss changes in agriculture today and how they are impacting the buying decisions of the consumer.

Media relations can be a scary prospect when not armed with the right tools. In Get the Media Talking about your Agri-Business, Annemarie Pedersen will share the basics of creating key messages, pitching a story and working with the media to get the message out. Participants will also take home a tool kit to walk them through the process when they are ready to start their own media relations campaign.

The Marketing Caravan will also provide plenty of opportunities for workshop participants to network with other rural entrepreneurs throughout the day, and a chance to “Show and Tell” your agri-business to the group.

There  are 10 workshops hosted across the country this year by CFBMC and their regional partners.

- Saskatoon, SK – Organic Connections – November 19, 2009
- Airdrie, AB – Going Organic – November 24, 2009
- Wolfville, NS – Nova Scotia Agriculture – February 17, 2010
- Swift Current, SK – Bert radio-online.com – March 1, 2010
- Weyburn, SK – Bert radio-online.com – March 3, 2010
- Morris, MB – Manitoba Government – March 5, 2010
- Camrose, AB – Bridges to Success Inc. – March 10, 2010
- Penticton, BC – BC Farmers’ Markets Association – March 13, 2010
- Guelph, ON – Ontario Farm Fresh – March 23, 2010
- Kingston, ON – Ontario Farm Fresh – March 25, 2010

All registrants for the Marketing Caravan workshop will be entered to win a day of mentorship – a chance to have a one-day, on-farm consultation with a business consultant. This is a great opportunity to get valuable feedback and ideas. Register early as space is limited.

Click here for all the details and contact your local partner organization to register.