creative ideas farmer market booth Archives

Farmers Market Marketing Ideas

Need some farmers market marketing ideas? If you have a booth at farmers’ and artisan markets, here are some of my unique farmers market booth display ideas to get potential customers to find your booth, stop at your booth and, hopefully, buy!

Now, not all of these ideas may be allowed at certain venues, so read their rules handbook first before you incorporate any of these ideas.

12 Unique Farmers Market Booth Display Ideas

Signage – You need a banner for the top of the booth canopy, that is waterproof and durable and has your shop name, url and tagline. You also need signage as a backdrop for the booth (with shop name at eye level). Also have smaller signs on the posts. Ask the venue if you are allowed to also have sidewalk sandwich boards positioned on the ground at each corner of the booth, so they can be seen by traffic coming from each direction, and put flyers on cars in the parking lot.
Free Samples – Have free samples and/or product testers available (if relevant to what you are selling). Always give a free sample to someone who does buy a product in order to try and up-sell other products. At very least, give everyone a business card with a coupon code stamped on the back to use for future purchases at your online shop.
Small Attraction – Consider a small attraction at the booth that will get people to stop, such as spinning a prize wheel to get a certain percentage off purchase, free gift, etc. Be sure to also read, 101 Promotional Ideas for Your Small Business.
Photo Opportunity – Have a photo op at your booth like a creative photo cutout where people put their head through the hole and take a picture. Make sure it has your shop’s name on it and encourage them to share the photo on social media to get your shop name seen by their followers. You can get customized cutouts at Shindigz.com for less than $50 that are vertical and wouldn’t take up a lot of space.
Business Cards – Swap business cards with at least 5 other non-competitors at the farmers market (but who target the same customer) and ask that they put your business card in the packages of their customers and you will do the same for them.
Shopping Bags – Put customers’ purchases in large paper shopping bags with handles that clearly show your shop name, tagline (so they know what you sell) and booth number. Also consider a reusable farmers market bag that has your name on it, that customers will use every time they go to a farmer’s market with free advertising for you.
Have a Traffic Generator – Have an employee walk around the farmers market handing out business cards, directing people to your booth. Stamp the booth number on the back of the card.
Giveaway – Collect emails of customers and potential customers by hosting a product giveaway whereby people put a ballot with their name and email address into a box for a draw at the end of the day.
Tiered Displays – Display your products in tiered levels, not all flat on the table, so that people can see your range of products as they walk by.
Tablecloths – Invest in tablecloths that cover the entire table (height and width). This allows you to store more products under the table (you never want to run low on inventory and have an empty looking table) and it can act as additional signage if you print your shop name on the fabric.
Social Media – Follow the farmers market on all social media sites and promote your presence there a few days prior, including tagging the market itself in hopes of a share. For example, this would be a good Tweet: “Visit us this weekend, booth #21, at the Marlboro Farmers Markets @marlborofarmersmarket”
Vendor Opportunities – Explore all vendor opportunities each Farmers Market gives to its sellers (and even suggest some ideas to them), such as optimal booth positioning, free signage, free advertising, free mentions on social media and so fort