The "Marketing Training for Adirondack Region Farms to Reduce Economic Risk" project aimed to enhance the marketing skills of local farmers and small business owners through one-on-one personalized coaching and by hosting opportunities for participants to practice their new skills. Throughout the reporting period, we facilitated events where participants could practice their marketing strategies and connect with the community. Our approach focused on providing tailored support to help Adirondack Harvest member farmers and small business owners develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that can help them stay resilient and agile in the face of a changing market and climate.
We provided free one-on-one marketing consultations and coaching to over 30 farmers and small business owners in the Adirondack region that are current members of the Adirondack Harvest program, and gave over 15 different farmers a chance to participate in special events where they could practice their new marketing skills.
The project utilized various delivery strategies, including in-person consultations, workshops, and community events. We also used marketing tools like print mail, email newsletter, social media, and website to provide and distribute helpful resources and examples.
This project aimed to improve participants understanding of marketing strategies for local farmers, and give them confidence to implement stronger marketing strategies that help them connect with their customer base. We have seen a significant increase in the frequency, strategy and quality of marketing efforts by many of the project participants. Our efforts not only strengthened individual business marketing but also helped us engage with our membership base which helped encourage our members to take advantage of their membership benefits. The feedback we received shows that we achieved our original goal.