In 2023, the National Farmers Market Coalition and the University of Wisconsin-Madison partnered on a data-driven project about using social media to attract and retain farmers market customers. UW’s Dr. Bret Shaw (project lead), FMC program director Dar Wolnik, and FMC Research Consultant Dr. Laura Witzling led this three-phased project, supported by a grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA).

First, working with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), a (nearly) nationally representative survey was conducted focused on questions about food, lifestyle, farmers markets, communication, and demographics.  Informed by the survey results, eleven farmers markets across six states tested social media ads to see what messages were effective in meeting markets’ social media campaign goals.  The final stage involved sharing the learning from the first two stages through both research publications and new FMC resources featuring data-driven social media strategies for use by farmers markets.

The national survey, conducted in August of 2023, yielded 5141 usable responses, with sampling conducted so that the respondents reflected the demographic composition of the U.S. in key categories.  The survey asked about attendance, purchase habits, perceived impacts of farmers markets, engagement in non-shopping activities, lifestyle segments, and demographics.  Results were broken down by segments– groupings of people in different ways that may be reflective of their age and other characteristics. Eighty percent of all respondents had attended a farmers markets, though the frequency varied. Accessing fresh food is a top motivation to do so, with 92% commonly purchasing fruits and vegetables. Most (95%) spend $10 or more per visit, with a quarter (24%) spending over $50 each trip. Barriers to farmers market attendance include forgetting about the market, perceived high prices, and crowd.

Seventy-five percent of attendees report eating healthier due to farmers markets. SNAP users ranked the benefits of attending farmers markets more highly than non-SNAP participants.  Socializing, learning more about food, and connecting with community resources are also frequent activities when people shop.  This distinguishes farmers markets from most other food retail environments.  Gen Z and Millenials, in particular, valued these other activities available at farmers markets. They are also most interested in “convenience options” including prepared meals, meal kits, and preordering for online pickup. Markets may aim their offerings and messaging towards these different audiences.

In addition to breaking down respondents by age, the survey found three distinct lifestyle segments.  Highly-engaged, health-focused, and emerging interest segments represent the degree of involvement in food & farming, cooking, supporting local businesses and similar activities.  Different marketing strategies can target each of these.

During the project’s next phase– testing social media message across eleven markets in AK, CO, IL, MN, WI, and VT– a series of ads with messages focusing on “supporting local farmers”, “fresh & healthy food”, “sustainable food”, and “doing something fun” were run to test which were the most effective; those focused on fun and supporting local farmers consistently performed the best.  Other ad campaigns included one testing whether one time or monthly ads performed better, and another raising awareness about SNAP/EBT acceptance.

Results from the survey and social media ad campaigns informed a set of recommendations that any market can use.  Being clear about your goals, whether to increase traffic for a special event, remind shoppers about the market, or attract new shoppers is paramount.  Then, choosing messaging and images that resonate with a target audience you select, and ensuring the timing, platform, and budget align, will get you on track for data-driven success! Check out the Social Media Ad Project category in the Resource Library to learn more about the research and see all of the recommendations.  You can also check out the JAFSCD article: U.S. farmers market attendance and experiences: Descriptive results from a national survey for a deeper dive from some of the research results.