So excited to have Kristen guest posting on the blog today. Farming isn’t just about farming anymore. Sometimes a farmer ( especially if they are a small family run business) has to not only be a farmer but also a marketing director, head of accounting, human resource director, chemist ( when dealing with fertilizers and such), worker, accountant, CEO, director of operations, accounts payable and receivable, Payroll, errand runner and more. This is on top of their other jobs like being a wife/husband, mom/dad, daughter/son, chef, housekeeping, mechanic ( gotta keep the equipment running) and so much more. So I thought it would be great to have Kristen come to share her knowledge to give you a brief overview of Marketing 101 for Farmers. (PS These were the workshops I wrote about yesterday.)
Hi, everyone! Kristen Taber here from Tabletop Media Group. I’m super excited to be a guest on Melissa’s blog today. We’ve known each other for a while now and have explored many farms together!
I founded Tabletop Media Group after working at the NC Department of Agriculture and Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series. I had the pleasure of collaborating with so many unique farmers and artisans from all over our great state, many who told me they valued marketing but just didn’t know the ins and outs. I’m here to tell you, you only need a few minutes per day to start promoting your farm on social media and the web! Check out my top tips and tricks.
Tip 1: Secure Social Media Pages
If you don’t have a social media presence yet, don’t fret! Start small: pick 1 or 2 social media outlets that you want to post on regularly. Ensure that your social media “handle” is short and sweet, and the same across all platforms that you select. For example, our handle is @tabletopmediagp on all outlets. You want your name to be easy to find as well; avoid lots of underscores or abbreviations at the beginning of your handles.
Tip 2: Set Up a Posting Plan!
Set up a posting plan where you commit to sharing something on social media at least 2 to 3 times per week, and then start increasing your posts once you’re feeling comfortable. Perhaps you make an effort to post every Saturday and Wednesday because those are your “slower” days. Pro tip: Facebook makes it super easy now and has a scheduling platform built in! Plus, there are many other tools out there like Hootsuite and Later to help you schedule your posts. Maybe you only have a 30-minute window to sit down and plan your posts, so scheduling platforms come in handy so you can use that time to plan and create all of your posts for the week.
Tip 3: Post with a Purpose
People get tired of hearing you toot your own horn or selling something over and over again. Showcase interesting parts about your farm. Some fun ideas include behind-the-scenes shots like what it takes to make fresh goat cheese, harvest sweet potatoes, or set up for a huge agritourism event on your farm. You could also share beautiful photos and videos of a sunrise on your farm, highlight a terrific team member, share information about a future expansion or event, and so much more.
Tip 4: Set Up a Basic Website
Once you’re all set up on social media and have been regularly posting, ensure that you can easily be found on the web too. Create a template-based website on a service like Squarespace, Weebly, or Wix. They are easy to use and many offer support services or chat functions if you need help. You can upload your own content, logos, videos, and photos to make your new website customized for your agriculture business.
Tip 5: Claim Your Google My Business Page
Something that often gets overlooked in the hustle and bustle of work life is securing a Google My Business Page. Simply go to business.google.com to get started. Google will walk you through the steps to get everything set up appropriately. Claiming your business page via Google will automatically help your rankings on the web. Plus, customers can easily get directions to your farm or business, call your business and view what others have posted about your business.