Best Practices

Whether you’re a food buyer, seller, distributor or associated you probably joined FoodHub to get a piece of the action in local food. If you didn’t, you probably wouldn’t have joined! But we know that the term “local” means different things to different people. That’s why we’ve made the Member Directory – the complete list of FoodHub Members – searchable in so many ways including by distance. Use the Member Directory to proactively search for businesses that may be good potential partners for you by clicking on [Member Directory] in the main navigation bar from any FoodHub page. From there, filter and sort the list of all Members according to Member type, business type, distance, or Members that work with a particular distributor or association. You can also search for a specific member by entering their business name into the member search bar. Want a visual of where other Members are in relation to you? Just select the Map View and you will see the FoodHub Members you searched for clustered on the map.

Satisfied with your search? Save it for later and reuse it to look for Members that fall into the categories or distances you’re looking for. New buyer, sellers, distributors and associates are joining every day so take a couple minutes each morning to see if there’s anyone new to meet in your area! To save a search, click [Save the search] and give it a descriptive title.

Need a little help? Watch a tutorial video on using the Member Directory, or get in touch: meet@food-hub.org or call toll free at 855-FOODHUB.

Using FoodHub to increase your business connections is easy. Here are five simple steps you can take to maximize your chance of success on FoodHub.

1.       Upload a Photo: Uploading a photo to your profile personalizes your information. Use a photo of yourself, your operation or your logo.

2.       Be specific: Be specific about your selling/buying protocols so that people know how to do business with you. Check out Cascade School District’s profile to see a great descriptive paragraph about how to do business with them.

3.       Tell your story: Telling your story gives a personal touch to your profile – letting people know who you are, what your values are and why they should do business with you. Check out Hummingbird Wholesale’s profile for a great example of a personal story.

4.       Update Your Product List: Complete a product list and update it as seasons and availability change. If you’ve listed all your products on your profile, people will find you when they search for that product. SELLERS: If you haven’t listed all the products you sell on your profile via the “My Products” tab, you WILL NOT SHOW UP in search results. If you haven’t created a product list, check out Barking Moon Farm’s impressive product list.

5.       Check and respond to your FoodHub Messages! People may be contacting you to do business with you! Many of these messages are time sensitive; don’t let a business opportunity pass you by.

WOW! Check out the Davidson Commodities profile. (Hit ‘Browse’ and sort by ‘D’ or search for one of their great products, like lentils, and they’ll pop right up.)

Don’t you love the way they describe their business, their practices, their philosophy on partnerships, their willingness to send samples? I feel like I now know enough about them to know I want to know more!

Does your profile do all it can to market your business?

FoodHub sellers, see that SEARCH box in the upper right hand side of the site? The one that says really clearly, “search for products“?

Type in a product you sell and hit the blue search button. Does your record come up in the search results? What? NO!?

Assuming you actually want interested buyers to find you, you might want to spend some time making sure your listing comes up in FoodHub’s search results. FoodHub’s search feature is entirely based on products. To make the most of your FoodHub membership, you’ll want to be sure that you’ve spent some time with the ‘My Products’ tab and that you’ve detailed all the products you sell.

FoodHub buyers, are there products you really want but can never seem to find or get enough of? Use the ‘My Products’ feature and list those products in your profile so that when potential suppliers go looking for buyers that might be interested, your listing shows up.

And remember, we are here to help. We’re improving and streamlining the ‘My Products’ tab right now (see previous post on this topic). In the meantime, don’t hesitate to send us your product lists or give us a call if you need any assistance.

Susan Wilch, Member Services Manager (503.467.0816 or meet@food-hub.org)

As FoodHub’s Member Services Manager I’ve been thoroughly enjoying getting to know our members by reading the member profiles. Oftentimes people ask me for help in making sure their profile is as effective as possible. One of the best recommendations I can make is for you to use the “Marketplace” section to your advantage. You want your profile to be inviting and full of great information about you and your business. Make sure you list the products you buy and/or sell by using the “My Products” tab.

And then remember, the “Marketplace” is visible to every single FoodHub member upon login. Use the Marketplace section to shout about time sensitive things you have to sell or to alert the FoodHub community when you have something very specific you want to buy.

You should always, always, always check the Marketplace section; it changes frequently.

FoodHub member Herman Hemke of Quality Acres included information and a nice description about his soft white spring wheat flour on his profile (as well he should). I suggested that he post information about this specialty product in the Marketplace section too. Herman reported that once he posted his flour in the “Marketplace”, he had two potential buyers contact him the next day!

Now that’s a connection! Remember, I’m here to help. Don’t hesitate to contact me at 503.467.0816 or meet@food-hub.org. I’m happy to review your profile or offer suggestions to maximize your FoodHub experience.