how to tell our organic story.

1. How to Tell Our Organic Story:
Communications & Marketing Training
Nathalie Landry
Echo Actions Communications
www.echoactions.ca

2. • How to respond using key messages to common
questions asked by customers.
• How to use key messages to tell your farm’s story.
• Some ideas on how to integrate key messages in
promotional tools for your farm.
IN THIS WORKSHOP,
YOU WILL LEARN

3. ECHO ACTIONS COMMUNICATIONS
Echo Actions Communications offers communications
capacity building consulting services for small businesses,
community leaders and not-for-profit organizations who want
to help shape a more just, sustainable and healthy world.
Target market:
² Non profits
² Community groups and community leaders
² Small businesses

4. MY STORY…

5. MY STORY…

6. MY STORY…

7. COMMON COMMUNICATION
CHALLENGES YOU MAY FACE…
o Not enough resources
($$$, manpower, knowledge/training, time)
o Public bombarded by mass media/advertising
North American culture = Too much emphasis on low
prices, not on quality of product. How do you reach
consumers?

8. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Communications = essential to survive
(Get products/services better known)
• Creative messaging
You can use the tools learned in this workshop as well as the
national Think Before You Eat campaign to talk more effectively
about your product and tell your own farm’s story.
#ThinkCanadaOrganic - thinkcanadaorganic.ca
• Collaborative public relations/promotions
Partnerships with other farmers or through ACORN. Use the
campaign materials at your disposal. Join other producers or
co-ops to create websites and other promo materials.

9. Part 1
Common questions about
organic farming and how
to answer them

10. WHAT IS ORGANIC?
IS THIS ORGANIC?

11. WHAT IS ORGANIC? / IS THIS ORGANIC?
• It’s the safest and cleanest food that you and your
family can eat.
• It is certified to meet strict national standards so
you know it’s produced without harmful pesticides,
antibiotics, hormones or genetically modified
organisms.
• We only use methods that are healthy for our soil,
plants and animals.

12. #THINKCANADAORGANIC

13. ARE YOU CERTIFIED?
WHAT DOES CERTIFIED
ORGANIC MEAN?

14. ARE YOU CERTIFIED?
WHAT DOES CERTIFIED ORGANIC MEAN?
• Yes, my farm is certified organic. We are inspected each
year to make sure we are following strict national standards.
• We keep detailed records on how we produce our products
and manage our farm.
• This ensures that we are producing foods that are healthy
and safe for you and your family and that our farming
methods are good for the environment.

15. WHY CERTIFY ?

16. WHY CERTIFY?
• You know us and trust us. By certifying, we provide you with
an additional guarantee that we have produced this food with
your health and the environment as our priority.
• “Organic” is a regulated term (nationally and provincially). By
certifying, my farm gets the recognition of using very high
quality production standards. I can use the “Organic” logo/label
when I promote my farm and my products.

17. WHY CERTIFY?
• There are farmers like me all across the country
who produce good food according to the
same organic standards. By certifying,
we stand together for a healthier
and more sustainable food system.
• Certifying gives my farm more credibility and gives my
customers peace of mind. Many producers might say they are
organic, but only those who certify are inspected and regulated
so that they meet the highest national standards.
What is your reason?

18. WHY BUY LOCAL
ORGANIC?

19. WHY BUY LOCAL ORGANIC?
• Buying local organic food is the best of both worlds.
You can feel good about where it came from AND how it was
produced.
• Buying from local organic producers supports
our local economy, our community, and our environment.
Plus it tastes better and is more nutritious because it’s so
fresh!

20. DO YOU SPRAY
PESTICIDES?

21. DO YOU SPRAY PESTICIDES?
• We’re certified organic, so we don’t use any chemicals.
OR
• We’re certified organic, so we only use
natural pest controls when we
absolutely have to.

22. WHAT DO YOU FEED
YOUR ANIMALS?

23. WHAT DO YOU FEED YOUR ANIMALS?
• Our livestock is fed an organic diet. This means absolutely no
hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified organisms and
animal by-products.
How do you feed your animals?
Explain to your customers.
Ex: I feed my cows/chickens…

24. Part 2
Telling your farm’s story

25. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FARM…
• Incorporate the word “certified organic” into your
response if you are certified.
Ex: We are a certified small organic farm near Sackville.
• Tell your customers about your history.
Ex: We’ve been a family-owned business since 1960.
• Tell your customer about what you produce and offer.
Ex: We sell a variety of vegetables year-round at our
farm, at the market and through our community
supported agriculture food box program.

26. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FARM
• Tell your customer about your values and why you do
the work you do.
Ex: We’re passionate about growing organic produce.
We’re committed to using good environmental practices
and we’re proud to feed families in our community
delicious, healthy and nutritious food.

27. • Use your core values to
describe your farm’s story or
to talk about a certain product
in particular – using
clear and concise sentences.
• What image or message do
you want to portray to the
world? It’s important to set
your message.
GROUP ACTIVITY: HOW TO DEVELOP
KEY MESSAGES ABOUT YOUR FARM

29. PART 3
TOP 5 RECOMMENDED PROMOTIONAL
TOOLS TO HAVE FOR YOUR FARM
HINT: DON’T FORGET TO USE YOUR KEY
MESSAGES ABOUT ORGANIC FARMING IN
THESE TOOLS!

30. TOP 5 TOOLS
• Integrate the Canada Organic logo in all your signage (at your
farmer’s market kiosk and at your farm). You can also display it on
your product labels as well as in any brochure or promotional
pamphlet that you give to customers.

31. TOP 5 TOOLS
• Get a nice business card.
• Have on your business card:
– Canada Organic logo
– Full contact details; and
– Links to your website and/or Facebook page.
Don’t know where to start?
-Staples.ca
-Vistaprint.ca
-Moo.com

32. TOP 5 TOOLS
• Have the national Think Before You Eat campaign materials
(postcard, brochures, stickers, etc.) handy at your farmer’s market
kiosk as well as at your farm to give out to customers who want
more information on organic. You can also ask ACORN for copies of
any informative brochures and materials that they may have.

33. TOP 5 TOOLS
• Set up a simple website for your farm.
Menu items:
– “About Us” (Tell your farm’s story – use the creative key
messaging exercise to write a few short paragraphs about your
farm);
– “Our Products” (List all the products you produce/offer);
– “Contact Us” (Have full contact details, including address and
even a Google Map).
Feature the Canada Organic logo right on your homepage.
Personalize it with a few nice photographs of the farm, your
products as well as you/your family and employees.

34. TOP 5 TOOLS
• Don’t know where to start?
– Wix.com
– Yola.ca
– Wordpress.com
– Godaddy.com
– Weebly.com
All these sites let you pick gorgeous ready-made website
templates which you can personalise to your own taste with
texts and photos from your farm. Fees are around $5 to $35
per month and include web hosting.

35. TOP 5 TOOLS

38. TOP 5 TOOLS
• Set-up and start posting photos, videos and interesting
articles on a Facebook page for your farm.
According to the recent studies, 41% of Internet users
trust the information published on Facebook. If the
information is posted by a friend the level of trust
grows up to 64%.

41. TOP 5 TOOLS
What should I put on my Facebook page?
– Showcase your fresh produce with photos.
– Remind people about start/end or seasons.
– Remind people about farm visiting hours.
– Post photos of you tending to the animals, working around the
farm and showcasing your organic farming environmental
practices.
– Provide links to interesting eco-living/healthy organic eating tips
from websites you trust and use.
– Provide links to your favourite recipes and ask customers to
share their recipes as well.
– Show your involvement with the community.
– Etc.
How else can you use Social Media?

42. THANK YOU!
Questions?
www.echoactions.ca