(PHOTO: Jackie Johnson, file)
Wisconsin state ag officials want to help local producers do a better job of marketing their food products to the public. The Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin Local Food Business Seminar Series will continue in the New Year with marketing seminars starting January 5th. DATCP Local foods specialist Kietra Olson says this low-cost seminar gives local producers an opportunity to see exactly how other people succeeded. “Tera Johnson from the UW Extension Food Finance Institute, who is the founder of Tera’s Whey, and she’s going to be specifically talking about strategic marketing, how to target your consumers. We also have Melissa Pahl, who is the owner of Twenty Marketing, who’s going to be focusing on the social media aspect of your marketing and communications plan.”
Olson says having real-world successes demonstrated in this public format is rare, so growers and producers should take advantage of the chance to learn something new. “Having these experts share their first-hand knowledge is not normally something that you’d have access to, so although people can do a pretty good job of it on their own, coming to this class will expose them to ideas and channels that they hadn’t thought of previously.” This Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin seminar will be held in Waukesha on January 5th, Stevens Point on January 6th and in Madison on January 8th. Other seminars are being scheduled through March, and will also be offered in multiple locations.
WSAU