Our industry is rich with many trade publications and information outlets at work on our behalf. We deeply value the relationships that we have with several of our industry’s most reputable publications, and we highly encourage all produce companies in this space to get to know the writers and editors that bring publications like The Packer, Produce Business, Produce News, and And Now U Know to life. But with so many publications available to work with, it’s easy to overlook several that are great resources for our industry. Although many of you may already be familiar with the publications below, we’ve identified 3 resources that we believe offer new and fresh opportunities for fresh produce growers to consider in 2015:
Although not focused solely on the produce industry, this news outlet could be a great resource for fresh produce companies looking to claim a seat at the food marketing table and “out-think” the consumer packaged goods (CPG) competition. Regularly reading this publication will help produce marketers to consume information about other food marketers and companies, painting a picture of the full landscape that our products are competing in. It would also be great to see more FRESH brands displayed in prominence throughout this publication, drawing attention to the great things that are happening in the agriculture spectrum.
This one may not necessarily be “lesser-known,” but fresh produce companies may not always have this publication at the forefront of their minds when considering releasing news, placing advertisements and even reading regularly. If our goal is to reach more retail buyers and customers, keeping a pulse on one of their industry’s largest publications is a great place to start. Consider creative ways to advertise with retailer publications like Grocery Headquarters in 2015, offering helpful advertorial content about merchandising your products that will cement positive associations with your brand.
Growing Produce is a newer player to our industry publication club, but we’re welcoming them with open arms! This digital resource has already proven to us and our clients that they can be a driver of referral traffic to our websites. At DMA, we place a great deal of importance on publications’ ability to send traffic to our website from our public relations and advertising efforts, so when a resource like Growing Produce is able to do this quickly, it doesn’t go unnoticed. We will certainly be keeping an eye on this publication in 2015 to see how they grow!
No matter what your plans are for your 2015 trade advertising and public relations efforts, I will leave you with a few things to consider before you set your goals:
- Who is the target audience for your message and/or ad?
- Which trade publication is going to be the most effective at reaching that audience?
- Has the publication you are considering advertising with been able to send you referral traffic in the past? (Hint: check your web analytics!)
- Does the amount of referral traffic and leads the publication supplied justify the price of the advertisement? We’re not just talking impressions here – we’re talking about actual sales leads!
If you’re in need of help with advertising design and development for an upcoming campaign, DMA Solutions is offering a discount on this and other marketing services through January 31. Click here to learn how you can take advantage of this offer!
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