Marketing Strategies for Food Co-op Start Ups

Ellen MichelMarketing and Outreach

Bloomingfoods Market and Deliellen@bloomingfoods.coop

Basics of co-op start up marketing, outreach and member-services

Where do you start? Brand elements and logo detour Who makes marketing decisions? What does a marketing decision look like? Where does the money come from, and how much should

you spend? What makes co-op marketing distinctive? What are your goals and how do you set them? Common pitfalls and challenges Best practices Resources 14 strategies for start ups

Logo in horizontal and vertical formats

Woodgrain texture

Limited fonts

Selected variable colors

Miss Larousse (French) recipegoddess

Brand Elements: Linden Hills Co-op

USDA, the "Every Day, Every Way" Department, made its play for the hearts and minds of visitors to our Nation's Capital by employing alien crop circle technology to carve the Department's logo into the grass of the National Mall.

Tourists lucky enough to be on the observation deck of the Washington Monument on April 1st got a bird's eye view of the spectacular sight.

Strangely, however, only one photo of the phenomenon -- the one you see above -- was released. All other photos were eerily erased without any known intervention.

Miraculously, the green expanse is expected to be back to normal by Friday, April 2nd, just in time for the crowds that will descend on the Mall and the Tidal Basin area this weekend to see this year's cherry blossoms.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Derivations of the USDA Logo

Crop rows and horizons, wandering pathway

Riverbank: eco-implicationsand link to Miami River

City or village“a stone’s throw away”

Sun: idea of radius

Font communicates casualand contemporary

Modern twist on farm foods

“close food”

Don’t see dot.coop

Inviting website

What are the elements and how do they connect?

Where do you start with strategic marketing?

Use templates to remember what you need to keep in mind

Flip charts capturegreat conversations

SWOT: thinkabout strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats

Enhanced SWOT: process, products and services, price, people, perception

Identify people with singular talents and get their advice and expertise

Consider working with a consultant

Document the details about your situation

Begin to tell your story: Story Plotterfrom Huffaker and Robertson, On Your Feet Brand Consultants

Evaluate and think critically about image and identity

Who makes marketing decisions? See if you can’t budget for marketing from the beginning:

you may save money in the long run Plan ahead to hire someone in marketing and member

services: the general manager and board can’t do it all Identify people who may contribute talent, but don’t

necessarily rely on voluntary contributions Let your story evolve from an authentic and meaningful

foundation – with good design principles Don’t underestimate the power of aesthetics – and bad fonts

(don’t use comic sans or papyrus) Think about the power of symbols

What does a marketing decision look like? Brand values include aesthetic values Internal: good marketing starts with the look

and feel of your store External: your logo and other brand elements:

team colors, t-shirts, textures, champions, mascots Education, information and training, both internal

and external Demos and education: the theater of food Social media: you are only as successful as your social

skills (and those of your participants) Customer service: bringing it full circle

Joel Salatin quote:

What we need is a mob-stocking herbivorous solar-conversion lignified carbon sequestration fertilization program

“Cows give us grass”

It is wise to budget for marketing from the beginning: include in first financial projections

Include marketing staff in decision-making conversations about store design and operations, hiring and training, prepared foods and demo

Use a marketing perspective to envision what you will do with your co-op: the social dimensions of your brand

The Story Plotter can help you begin to plot various kinds of stories, to enable group process: from Huffaker and Robertson, On Your Feet

Stories of Fact Stories of ContradictionStories of Possibility Stories of Fear and Anxiety

Marketing: the connection between money and story

What is distinctive about co-op marketing?

Organic and sustainable growth Connection to what Will Allen

calls the Good Food RevolutionJamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

Community collaboration Cooperative principles and values

can help you make decisions and guide your process:Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others.

‘Fat words’ need to be illustrated with storiesShow the world that you walk your talk

Authenticity and passion

What are your goals and how do you set them?

Always think strategically Plan ahead, but be flexible: adopt the

basic structure of a good business and/or marketing plan

Everything telescopes from your mission

Identify 3-5 main objectives Think about strategies to meet those

objectives Develop 30-90 day action plans Your calendar is key Understand the seasonal rhythm of

your community

Common marketing pitfalls and challenges

Trying to be all things to all people

Trying to do everything all at once

Too many rogue identities Underestimating the

importance of aesthetics Failing to teach the link to

customer service

Be present – nurture relationships, one at a time

Aim for a balance of courtesy, knowledge, friendliness

Curate your brand aesthetics Collect and edit your stories Train: everyone on staff is

important to the brand

“There’s no such thing as a marketing emergency.”

~ Jeanne Lakso

Bummer! Learn from the marketing mistakes you and others have made

Develop a best practices approach

Study the best practices of successful co-ops

Aim for good internal communication

Try not to duplicate efforts Know what differentiates you

Local, organic, fresh, bulk, sustainable, healthful, whole Community, co-op

Consistency of information Service orientation with respect

to your community Dignity and respect for all

individuals Public relations can lead your

advertising strategy Understand the value you bring

to your community Focus on quality of experience Partner with your consumers no

matter where they are on their health and wellness journey(or their co-op journey)

Co-op marketing resources Food Co-op Initiative Cooperative Grocer Magazine Other co-ops and their

websites: MIX – Twin Cities Food Co-ops

CGIN: Cooperative Grocers Information Network

NCGA’s public face: new consumer website, Eat Local, America!, My Co-op Rocks websites

Cooperative Development Centers: CooperationWorks!

Cooperative Development Services (CDS)

Farmers markets Growers guilds Local First organizations National food activism sites:

Cornucopia, Fair Food Fight, Growing Power, Farm to School

Build out from board member linkage to other community collaborators

Your own backgrounds: establish your reputation as a trusted source of information

Marketing, graphic design, and grocery industry resources

Look at the branding done by businesses you champion: Organic Valley, Equal Exchange, Newman’s Own, Eden Foods

14 marketing strategies for co-op start ups1. Remember that everything you do is your brand2. Think about differences between identity and image

identity: who you [think you] areimage: who they [think you] are)

3. Build a customer-focused orientation4. Create a storytelling platform to move

beyond marketing clichés (use the Story Plotter)5. Store cleanliness speaks volumes:

brand = look and feel6. Allow those with expertise to

influence and shape decisions7. Identify champions and

common stakeholders –connect with farmers

14 marketing strategies for co-op start ups continued

8. Respect, understand and usebasic good design principles

9. Build initiatives on a solidstrategic foundation: set 30-90 day goals and focus on specific projects

10. Cultivate creativity and collaboration: honor your wordsmiths, artists, and musicians

11. Audit and evaluate all the time12. Think wide and shallow, narrow and deep13. Learn to listen and to draw out differing points of view,

respecting diversity of opinion: move from debate to deliberation14. Rise to the occasion: You are creating something great!

Feel free to contact me for more conversation as your co-op developsits marketing strategies

Ellen Michel ellen@bloomingfoods.coop812-339-4442x105

Thank you!