Projects

The Bricks-To-Clicks® program receives grant funding from various sources to conduct applied research in Mississippi. The purpose of this page is to highlight those projects. 

Project #1

Marketing Mississippi's Farmers' Markets Using Facebook and Other Social Media Platforms (Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, 2017)

 This project examines the use of social media by farmers' markets in Mississippi. A statewide directory of online platforms in social media that are being used by farmers' markets will be developed. Each Facebook page used by a farmers' market will be evaluated across a set of performance metrics. Recommendations on how to improve each Facebook page will be provided. Some 55 farmers' markets in Mississippi use Facebook to market their products to consumers. However, Mississippi has 94 farmers' markets. Part of the project will also be to offer training opportunities for those farmers' markets that want to launch their own Facebook page or other social media. By March 2018, all 55 farmers' market Facebook scorecards will be made available online and accessible by simply clicking on the map on this page

Project #2

Online Marketing of Extension and Extension Local Foods Educational Programs: A Review of Online Practices Across the Southern Region

The purpose of this project was to analyze social media and website data for Extension Services across the Southern Region. The objectives included: 1) Determine how Facebook and Twitter marketing messages promote Extension and Extension local foods educational programs; 2) Determine how Extension websites promoted Extension local foods educational programs, and 3) Make recommendations for improving online marketing of Extension and Extension local foods programs across the Southern Region. 

Barnes, J. and G. Langdon. (2018). "Marketing Cooperative Extension Organizations and Extension Local Foods Educational Programs: A Review of Online Practices Across the South", Southern Rural Development Center, Mississippi State University. (webinar) (pdf notes)