Did you miss the Virginia Farmers Market Conference on January 18th?

With one purchase, you will access all of the session recordings, presentation slides, resource links and VAFMA’s 2023 Social Media Content Calendar for Farmers Markets.

Purchase recordings

Sample Clips from the Conference

Feedback from Attendees:

“The conference/training wasn’t stuffy & formal–I like the camaraderie among everyone. Because of VAFMA, it feels like we’re all a family.”

“Excellent speaker lineup! I really enjoyed this conference and am looking forward to future ones.”

“Lots of practical information. Thank you.”

“Mr. Cherry stole the show!”

“I really enjoyed that there was information regarding how to take better photos/videos. This helped me as I am the Marketing Manager, it let me know what customers may want to see more of. My goal this year is to continue to build education for consumers through our use of Social Media.”

“Keep up the great work! Such a fun and productive organization to be a part of!”

“Great conference! One of the smoothest running Zoom conferences I’ve attended. The Marketing Conversations session was very informative, and it was really nice to hear the professional perspective on media content from Daniel as well as learn some new tips. Thanks to everyone who helped organize things this year.”

“Great program, very helpful”

“The social media discussions were the most helpful part of the conference for me. Thank you for hosting!”

“Always great resources. Thanks.”

“You rock.”

“It was a great training session. Very informative.”

“Great conference. Thanks for putting it together.”

“Thank you for your time and all your hard work!!”

Make Social Media Work for Your Market:
Why It’s So Important, and What to Be Focused on Right Now

with Shannon Loy of The Social Ginger

This workshop will teach you why social media is so important to your marketing strategy and what’s worth focusing on now. You’ll learn how to protect your accounts from hackers; understand the recent big changes in the current social media landscape; learn about the importance of creating high quality content such as pictures, videos, and graphics; learn about various strategies to help you stay consistent, and be taught a plan for tackling platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok when promoting your farmers market.

Taking Better Market Photos & Videos: Consistency, Not Perfection

With Daniel James of HERD Ventures

In this session, Daniel James of HERD Ventures will teach you how to collect the best marketing photos and videos of your farmers market. You will learn tips for shooting, getting permissions, working with vendors, and consistent areas of focus. Using these strategies will help you build a silo of material for market promotion in the shortest time possible.

Marketing Conversations

Session Moderator – Justin McKenzie, City Market Manager, Charlottesville Parks & Recreation

• Attracting Influencers to Your Market — Instagram influencer Elaine Digges @miss_elaine_neous – “Richmond’s small biz hype woman”
• Using Live Video to Grow Your Market — Tyrone Cherry III, Social Entrepreneur, Petersburg League of Urban Growers (P.L.U.G.), Petersburg Oasis Youth Farm, River Street Market, and P.O.P Market.

Ask questions and share your own marketing tips with other market managers!

Virginia Fresh Match and People Centered Outreach:
Communicating incentive programs to engage new customers through food access

This session will share information on the Virginia Fresh Match SNAP incentive program and how to engage with programs and community partners to welcome new customers to your farmers market. Hear from experienced Virginia Market Managers who will share strategies, including consumer engagement, community partnerships, and advocacy. A breakout session on food access marketing tactics will enable participants to discuss their own challenges and successes engaging with new customers.

Supporting Partners

Funding for this project was made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant 21FMPPVA1084. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.