The OFMA Resource Library
Brand & Marketing Toolkit

Social Media

The digital world can be overwhelming! There’s so much to keep track of: websites, google, social media, and more. It’s helpful to think of them in terms of their functions and goals, and then tackle them one at a time. Just like your local coffee shop or community center, the digital world is a place where people “hang out” and go to find information. 

If you can swing it, we recommend that every market have a single-page website (see below on how to make one!) and 1-2 social media accounts. The website contains your evergreen information; the kind that won’t change very often. Your social media account(s) share your news, updates, and reminders. They also engage your community– by featuring vendor highlights and invitations to your community. 

Once you have these set up, and are running them successfully, you can experiment with other digital marketing, like Mailchimp newsletters.

Websites: An Overview

Does my market need a website?

Ideally, yes. We recommend that every market have at least a simple, one-page website. This is where people can go to find your market’s name, location, hours of operation, and season opening date. It’s also good to have a link to your social media platform of choice that shares more frequently changing information and updates. As a bonus, include a way to contact your market, sign up to be a vendor, and a list of vendors each season. 

Can I make a website without breaking the bank?

Yes! We like Squarespace because it is affordable, and easy to learn. Watch this short video we put together using a Squarespace theme we recommend for Farmers Markets if you want to keep it simple!

Social Media: An Overview

Where do I start with social media? 

The best social media platform for you is the one that most of your community– both current and potential new customers – use regularly. The next thing to consider is how much effort you will be able to spend on social media. If you won’t have the time to regularly update multiple sites with high-quality photos or videos, consider sticking to a single platform.

Facebook
If you only have time to manage one account, Facebook is a great choice. It has by far the largest audience: 68% of U.S. adults say they have used Facebook at some point. It is especially popular with people over 55. You can create a detailed business profile, post many different content types, and use specific advertising to reach new customers. Make sure to set up a business account for your market (not a group page), and make sure you set your page to be publicly accessible to all!

Instagram
Instagram is based on photos and videos, and it’s a great way to showcase products with visual appeal (think fresh produce, flowers, craft items, etc). About half of U.S. adults say they use Instagram. 60% of their users are under age 34, and they tend to live in urban areas. 

YouTube
YouTube is the best place to share quality videos, with the emphasis on quality. If you don’t have the time or resources to craft professional-looking content, you may want to avoid it. But if you do, a good video can pay off - popular YouTube content is often shared widely elsewhere. 

TikTok
TikTok is another popular video platform that is geared towards fun, short videos (60 seconds or less). TikTok is growing, and is mainly used by a younger audience.

X (formerly Twitter)
X is all about the written word. Users post short updates called tweets, marked with hashtags to join with broader conversations. X is most useful if you can post multiple times throughout the day, because most tweets are only seen for about 15 minutes after they are posted. X is popular with journalists, which can be helpful if you are trying to get stories placed in the local news.

Social Media: Getting Started

Okay, I have my social media account set up - now what?

Your goal on social media is to connect with your community and take part in conversations. Folks are interested in the people and the stories surrounding your market, and they enjoy learning about them. 

A good rule of thumb is the 80-20 rule, where 80% of your posts are entertaining or educational, and 20% are directly advertising your market. 

How do I build a strong account for my Farmers Market?

Build a foundation - a compelling profile image, a description of your market, and its location and hours should be front and center!

Always include location and open hours in your main profile description on every account. Change it when you close for the season, and as soon as you know them for the following year, update your account details so folks know what to expect.

Example— during season: 
My Green Market 
Open: Summer Saturdays 9am - 4pm
123 Street, Town, State, ZIP
Visit us!

Example— off-season: 
My Green Market is Closed for the Season
Visit us in 2025! Summer Saturdays 9am - 4pm
123 Street, Town, State, ZIP

Creating Engaging Content

Once you have chosen your platform and set up your account, you’ll want to explore all the different ways to share ideas and information with your audiences. Here are some different ways to create engaging content.

Share in-person events.

Share the in-person experience of your market online by featuring pictures of your market, vendors, and products.

Here’s an idea: Every year there is National Farmers Market Week! Celebrate with events at your market and post about it in your social media.

Share recipes.

Ask each vendor to share a recipe with you that you can feature on your account, and share them throughout the year. You could also do this with market customers and community members! For inspiration, check out the OFMA Recipe Challenge.

Share behind-the-scenes stories of your market, vendors or other partners.

This can add an engaging personal touch that helps people connect with you. You could also take photos of vendors with their goods, and do short feature stories on them.

As you gain new followers, reintroduce your market.

Reintroduce your market every once in a while, especially as you gain new followers. You can post an image of your market, or people that work there. It can say something like:

"Hi there! We have a lot of new folks visiting this page, so we wanted to introduce ourselves! We are [NAME] Farmers Market, in [TOWN], Oregon. We're open every [DAY] at [LOCATION]. We started [NUMBER] years ago, and here is a fun fact about us, or something important to us as a market. Thanks for joining our journey, please come visit our market!"

You can also "pin" an introduction if you are using Instagram or Facebook, so this will be the first post folks see when they visit your social pages.

Host contests.

Create a contest for the best photos of your market, the best recipes, or the largest “pumpkin” or produce you might feature in your region. Create a hashtag, ask people to use it when they post the photos, and to tag your account. Then, you can share submissions and a winner! This brings community engagement directly from your market to your social media page, and gives you the opportunity to highlight and feature your community. For example, here’s the OFMA Annual Photo Contest.

Combine efforts with vendors.

Make sure to follow all of their accounts, and share their posts on your account (and tag them when you do!). Ask vendors to tag your market so you can support each other online.

Share educational information that supports your market ideals and values.

You could share fun facts about Oregon, information on how to grow food, sustainability, or native plants. You could talk about health benefits of the food that you sell, or food equity and justice in your region. It’s nice to balance joy and information when sharing educational content! Here’s an example of a campaign on healthy eating by OFMA.

Tools & Resources

FAQ

Find answers to frequently asked questions about social media for farmers markets below!

  • Posting often lets folks know that you are open! It puts your market top of mind for customers, and reminds them to come visit. Unlike email marketing, posting every day is okay during your high season, if you have the capacity to post this often! Keep yourself visible. 

    In the off-season, you can be more dormant, just be sure to post every once in a while to let folks you're still around and get them excited for next season!

    Minimum Suggested Frequency

    Active season: 3-7 posts/week

    Off-season: 1-3 posts/month

  • Design posts on Canva!  If you have time, Canva is a free tool with lots of templates you can use to give your posts a little boost. Just remember, less text is more when posting graphics, and at the end of the day, photos always do best, so try to feature photos whenever you can!

    Setup a link tree! If you have a website and multiple other social media accounts, set up a link tree and link to all your accounts.

  • Hiring a professional photographer can go far! Professional photos can be used over and over: on your website, in social media, and in print. Photography is a great asset to invest in for your market, if you have the cash to spend.

  • Create and use your own QR code to direct people who vis your market to your website or primary social media account. A QR is like a barcode that anyone can scan using the camera on their smartphone. When they scan the code, it will direct them to your website or social media page.

    Here is a free QR code generator you can use. Incorporate this into a print design you make on Canva, or just print out the code, cut it out, and slide it into a table top display stand.

  • In the off-season, you can recycle content! Repost images from your open season, to remind folks of your market. Most of the ideas above for engaging content are still effective in the off-season, but you don’t need to post as frequently. 1-3 times a month would be great.

    Be sure to start posting 1-3 months before your market season opens again, to remind folks you will be opening and ensure yourself a big turnout on opening day!

  • Yes! It's a great idea to share relevant content from other accounts. You can use Instagram stories to repost content from other markets and food-related accounts! OFMA has great posts you can reshare regularly. Just make sure to always source the original account.

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