As a niche marketing agency, we’ve seen all different types of fresh produce marketers. Some of you are analytical thinkers, carefully dissecting ideas and thinking through strategy, while others are “big idea” thinkers, always conjuring up the next big thing to turn the dial on fresh produce marketing. And while it takes all types to keep momentum moving forward, we have found that effective produce marketers all share a few of the same qualities whether they are analytical, creative, detailed or big-idea oriented.

Listed below are 7 sings that we believe effective fresh produce marketers possess today.

1. You Have Marketing Goals
It may seem like a cliché, but in our experience the way to be most effective as a fresh produce marketer is to establish and measure your goals. No matter when you measure whether daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually, keeping track of your goals helps you to measure your marketing effectiveness at any point during a season, promotion or time of year.

2. You have a Plan
Planning is everything. From content to visual assets, planning is essential in effective marketing strategies. A good rule of thumb is to stay about 30 to 60 days ahead (at a minimum) of your next big project in an effort to stay on track with the launch and execution plan.

3. People Respond to Your Work
From “LIKES” on Facebook to buyers opening your latest e-newsletter, you know you’re effectively marketing when people are consuming your work. This is a definite sign that you understand what your target audiences are seeking from you and that you are delivering it and making it easy for them to come back for more.

4. You Show Up
Being available is half the battle in being an effective marketer. Whether people are searching for your products online or are looking for your booth at an industry tradeshow, being present and available will help you to directly address the needs of the information seeker when you are present to answer their question.

5. You Keep an Eye on the Competition
Keeping an eye on the competition is a good way to ensure that your marketing is in line with other marketers that sell similar products in your suite. Whether they are climbing the charts with community engagement on Facebook or ranking higher in Website optimization for your keywords and search terms, knowing what “the other guy” is doing, will help you stay competitive and at the top of your marketing game.

6. You Own Your Weaknesses
Conducting a SWOT analysis can not only help you identify the areas where you’re really blowing it out of the water, but also helps to identify weaknesses that can help you set the course for improvement over a certain period of time. For example, if you know that a small-ish budget is holding you back from being an effective marketer, owning that fact will help you focus on really pumping up the marketing tactics that are more affordable to us today like digital marketing and social media.

7. You Never Stop Learning
Developing your marketing and professional acumen is a great way to improve your marketing effectiveness, simply by aiding you in being more aware of the capabilities available to marketers like us. One easy way to do this is to subscribe to and consume content from marketing blogs within and outside of the fresh produce industry (wink). Alternatively, attending events surrounding topics that you’d like to know more about is a great (but more expensive) way to stay in tune with what’s hot.

Staying effective in the ever changing marketing environment is both a challenge and a blessing as we gain more and more opportunities to improve our methods. Acknowledging that you have a chance to improve upon any of the signs above is the first step towards becoming a truly effective marketer.