My Digital Farmer Podcast

May 31, 2023 by Corinna Wondering why more people aren't buying your product?... Well, it could be many things. But maybe your customers are confused about how to start doing business with you. Imagine a brand new potential client finds about your brand. They're curious enough to go check out your website or store. They might even scan the website all the way to the bottom! But they don't take action because they can't figure out what exactly is going to happen when they click the BUY NOW button. This is a problem I see time and again on company websites and messaging. (I am guilty of it too!) As business owners, we aren't making the whole process clear. We are so close to our product that we assume everyone knows how it works! But what if they don't?... For example, a prospect sees your "SHOP ONLINE" button, but they don't understand how pickup works. Where or when are they picking up the product? Or do you deliver it? When do they select that option? So they don't click the button. People will not enter into a state of confusion. Our job as marketers is to eliminate confusion, and part of that means we need to proactively map out the journey for them BEFORE they even step into the call-to-action-button -- to help them see the critical milestones in the ENTIRE process from purchase to fulfillment. What does this look like? One popular method for communicating this information is to use something known as the "3-Step Plan." In today's podcast, I discuss what this plan can look like for a farm business, and I share some questions you can use to help you figure out your 3 steps. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Resources Mentioned In This Episode: I reference several examples of how the 3-Step Plan looks on actual websites. Check them out: SharedLegacyFarms.com/csa-membership WillowhavenFarm DallasOasis.com Seven Sons Farm Chamberlain Law Group Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Accelerator Group Coaching with Corinna -- get on the wait list for this 15-member group Mastermind and Farm Marketing School experience. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. Ten Common Farm Website Mistakes -- Use this PDF guide as a checklist to identify and troubleshoot common website messaging mistakes! Find my Facebook group for farmers! Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer

May 24, 2023 by Corinna In today's podcast, I interview Camilla Lombard, co-owner of SeaForager -- a community supported fishery located in the San Francisco Bay area. Camilla is doing a lot of things intrinsically right with her marketing. Her location is ideal for her product. As the author of a renowned seaforager's guide, her husband has authority in the fishing space which helps them attract new clients. And with a "fun" brand that includes singing sea shantys and leading seashore foraging tours, her weekly seafood membership is an obvious next step for her ideal clients. In this interview, we talk through her marketing funnel, what she's learned about her ideal customer, and how she nails her website messaging. No matter what kind of business you are, you'll see the classic marketing principles at play that you can apply to your own farm business! This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Who is Camilla Lombard? Camilla Lombard is the co-founder and executive Fishwife of Sea Forager, the community supported fishery (CSF) and coastal foraging tour business that she runs with her husband Kirk Lombard in the San Francisco Bay Area. They are sustainable fishmongers, educators, and champions of sustainable fisheries, and they partner with small-scale hook and line fishermen to provide sustainable and delicious seafood to passionate home cooks. Kirk is the author of The Sea Forager's Guide to the Northern California Coast (Heyday Press), and also leads coastal fishing and foraging walking tours in San Francisco and Half Moon Bay, helping people enjoy and conserve their local bounty. Camilla manages the operations, website, marketing, promotions, events, customer service, recipes, morale, and plays the accordion and hollers with their sea shanty band, The Fishwives. The seafood operation is based in Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, and they live and raise their two kids in Half Moon Bay, California. Visit the Seaforager website here Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Join the wait list for Accelerator -- my 3-month mastermind and small group coaching program for farm business owners, who are ready to build the marketing systems required for a strong farm business. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. Find my Facebook group for farmers! Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer Subscribe and Review in Apple Podcast I'd love for you to subscribe to my podcast! I don't want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe in Apple Podcasts!

Last month, I booked a massage with a new LMT that I found via Google. Thirty minutes before my appointment, I realized that she wasn't located in Oak Harbor, Ohio. She was located in Oak Harbor, WASHINGTON. Yeah. How did this happen? I'm still trying to figure out what I did wrong. Did I type something wrong into Google? Why would Google give me a search result for somewhere on the west coast? The experience DID give me a lot to think about when it comes to marketing, though. There were several moments along this journey where I "should have" noticed this LMT's location -- and that information was not easy to find. In today's episode, I share the funny story of my massage-appointment-gone-horribly-wrong. And I share a few tips for how YOU as a business can make sure you do everything in YOUR power to communicate your farm's location BEFORE they try to buy. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Accelerator Group Coaching with Corinna -- get on the wait list for this 15-member group Mastermind and Farm Marketing School experience. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. Find my Facebook group for farmers! Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer Subscribe and Review in Apple Podcast I'd love for you to subscribe to my podcast! I don't want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe in Apple Podcasts! Now if you're feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on Apple Podcast, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they're also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you! My hope is to feature guests periodically on the show. If you know someone who is innovating in the area of marketing as a farmer, please send me an email at [email protected].

Are customers experiencing success with your product? Or are they overwhelmed and confused once they get it in their kitchen? (Maybe they're not even using the product because they've given up on it!?) Yikes! As a marketer, our job is not just to get our customers to buy. We ALSO need to make sure they experience a "win" with the product! We want them to LOVE it, know how to use it, and feel like a winner! This "customer win" may not happen on its own, especially for things like bulk beef buys or CSA, which are confusing to understand and hard to do well at first. If you don't have a process for product "fulfillment" in your business -- aka helping your client achieve success with the product -- then it's quite possible that your customer is hitting a wall somewhere along the way and feeling like a failure. And if they are... your clients won't come back and buy again. Customer retention is the result of a strong system for product fulfillment. Have you built a system for this in your business? In today's podcast, I share what this system can look like for your farm business. I go through 4 key pieces of a fulfillment strategy, and I give LOTS of examples (and tools) for how this can look in various farm enterprises. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Accelerator Group Coaching with Corinna -- get on the wait list for this 15-member group Mastermind and Farm Marketing School experience. CSA Tips and Tricks for Success Ebook Canva Template - You and I know that the first year of CSA can be hard for rookies. This guide is a resource I created to help my new CSA members learn the ropes for how to succeed with CSA faster. It quickly summarizes the most important hacks and tips a new member should learn, and it's based on my research of my own CSA master members. You not only get the unbranded PDF version of this resource that you can download as-is, but you also get the Canva file, so you can customize the text and images to fit your farm. You can share this resource as part of your onboarding process through an email, use it as a lead magnet on your website, or as a bonus in your CSA offer. Either way, this template is a major shortcut to creating a very useful resource that will help your CSA members feel successful faster. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. A to Z Vegetable Storage Guide Canva Template -- one of the first problems your veggie clients needs to solve is how to STORE their veggies properly (so they last longer!). Help them learn this skill by giving them my A to Z Veggie Storage Guide. This 40 page guide includes a picture of every veggies, storage tips, and how to cook it. It's a great way to empower your members and make them feel like you have their backs! Make a great impression and look uber-generous. Grab the Canva template and customize the front page with your own branding. Use it as a lead magnet too! My Digital Farmer Podcast Episode 45 What My Air Fryer Can Teach You About Marketing- In this episode, I share an example of a "surprise and delight" moment. My Digital Farmer Podcast Episode 150 - Get my Bingo Board example that I mentioned in today's podcast Find my Facebook group for farmers! Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer

How important is it to inspire your customers with your business? In today's podcast, I dig into that question with flower farmer Lyndsay Biehl of Wildroot Flower Company. Over the last 6 years, she has slowly built an organic following of super-fans. And after our conversation, I have my suspicions that it's not just because her flowers are beautiful.... Listen to Lyndsay's messaging, and you'll hear phrases like: "I believe in you... you deserve it... slow down... admire the beauty around you... be present... connect with those you love." Lyndsay inspires people to believe transformation is possible. She is the "attractive character" everyone yearns to become. She speaks a word of hope into their existence. In today's episode, you'll not only hear tactical strategies Lyndsay is using to manage "all the marketing things" in her business. You'll be reminded to invite your customers into your deeper why and show them what's possible. What could your inspiring message be?... This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Who is Lyndsay Biehl? Lyndsay Biehl is the owner of Wildroot Flower Co in Marietta, OH, and a co-host of The Dirt on Flowers podcast. She has over 20 years of commercial growing experience and is a Landscape Horticulture graduate from The Ohio State University. Lyndsay caught the flower bug at a young age and created Wildroot Flower Co as a way to connect her community with flowers and themselves. Wildroot is in its seventh year of business and grows seasonal cut flowers from March-October. Their customers enjoy their flowers through a seasonal CSA, on-farm workshops, and a flower U-pick. Agritourism is the heart of her farm, and she loves sharing her infectious energy about flowers with her loyal flower community. Website: www.wildrootflowerco.com Instagram: @wildroot_flowerco Lyndsay's Podcast:The Dirt on Flowers Podcast Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. Find my Facebook group for farmers! Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer

How are you leveraging word of mouth? It is still by far the #1 way that people hear about your product. So are you building any mechanisms to encourage this to happen more? And what if I told you that around 60% of word of mouth marketing for your brand is happening in offline conversations? When specifically is your product or brand coming to mind for your customer, so that they think to talk about it with someone. In today's podcast, I'm sharing a recording of a Book Study I led with y Accelerator members on the book "Contagious" by Jonah Berger. This is a fascinating idea-sharing discussion of farmers trying to brainstorm specific actions they can take to get people to talk more about their brand. I hope you get some ideas from this mastermind! This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Contagious by Jonah Berger - this is the book we discuss in today's recording Accelerator Group Coaching with Corinna -- get on the wait list for this 15-member group Mastermind and Farm Marketing School experience. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1.

Do you have a product that isn't selling well in your online store? In today's episode, I share a strategy you can try that may change your low-seller to a best-seller. And it only takes 5 minutes. This idea was inspired by the breakfast buffet table at my women's Bible study last week.... Aren't you curious?... This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Chat GPT Challenge - subscribe to my 5 day challenge, delivered over email, which will teach you the many ways you can use ChatGPT to help you in your marketing. Each day, you'll get a different query to put into the tool. That's all you have to do! Read the response, and keep interacting if you want. My hope is that it will help you overcome your fear of trying something new, and show you the HUGE possibilities for improving your marketing. Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Accelerator Group Coaching with Corinna -- get on the wait list for this 15-member group Mastermind and Farm Marketing School experience. We open enrollment again in the fall. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. Find my Facebook group for farmers! Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer

A BONUS episode?! That's right. I don't do these very often. But recently, Local Line released some big news for their platform, which have some exciting possibilities for farmers using their platform. This news was so big, that I wanted to make sure farmers heard about it NOW before the season gets intense -- in case they want to jump on board. So I invited Local Line's founder, Cole Jones, to come onto the show to release the news in this bonus episode. So much of marketing is about removing friction at various stages of the customer journey and fulfillment process. With this announcement from Local Line, I see huge potential for farmers to be able to increase their sales, create valuable new relationships, and build profits. If you're a Local Line user, or if you're in the market for a new ecommerce solution, this is definitely a show you want to have in your ear buds... This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Join my free email list to get farm marketing tips! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Accelerator Group Coaching with Corinna -- get on the wait list for this 15-member group Mastermind and Farm Marketing School experience. We open enrollment twice a year. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. Find my Facebook group for CSA Marketing for farmers! Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer

April 12, 2023 by Corinna What makes a person decide to buy themselves a bouquet of flowers? Knowing the answer to this question may be the key to selling more of them. In today's podcast, I interview flower farmer Kendra Kennedy of Dogwood Flower Farm in Wisconsin. Her goal is to build her entire farm business around the love of flowers. We talk at length about the kind of person she is attracting to her business. What makes a person decide to buy this product? Are you really selling just the flowers themselves?... or is it something else? And if it IS something else, how can we lean into THAT message more in our marketing? It's a great discussion, and I hope it gets you thinking about YOUR product -- and the real WHY behind the buy. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Who is Kendra Kennedy? Kendra is the owner of Dogwood Farms -- a Wisconsin flower farmette. The farm is on its fourth season and is currently growing on 1/4 acre. Dogwood sells fresh flowers directly to customers and is looking to push more agritourism and community pop ups this season. Website: www.dogwoodfarmswi.com Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller -- Kendra mentioned this book several times, as a key resource that helped her understand the concept of making her customer the hero of her brand story. Accelerator Group Coaching with Corinna -- get on the wait list for this 15-member group Mastermind and Farm Marketing School experience. We open enrollment again in the fall. Why They Buy -- Want to the learn the psychological triggers that make a person ready to buy? Take my free class that will teach you the sales secrets many marketers rely on to move their products. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. Find my Facebook group for farmers! Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer

AI has now hit the marketing space. And if you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, I'm about to make a case that you should. In today's episode, I introduce you to "ChatGPT" -- a machine learning tool that is a cross between Google Search, Siri, and your own personal copywriter. I'm sharing how it works and walking through 10+ use cases where this tool can make the process of writing your marketing assets SO MUCH EASIER and faster. I also had a moment of inspiration while I was recording the show. I've created a 5-Day ChatGPT Challenge, delivered over email. This challenge will be a fun way to learn how to play in the sandbox of ChatGPT. Here's how it will work: Subscribe to the Challenge here. www.mydigitalfarmer.com/AI That will trigger a daily email for 5 days in a row. (The first email will also include a DEMO VIDEO of me using the tool.) Subscribe to ChatGPT here. (It's free!) Each day, I'll give you a specific question to put into the ChatGPT query box. You'll see what it generates. That's it. That's all you have to do. After 5 days, you'll have a pretty good idea of different prompts you can use. I PROMISE you... you'll immediately see the implications for how this can help you in your marketing. My daily email will also include a short paragraph highlighting the implications of how to use the response you see from ChatGPT in your marketing assets moving forward. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Chat GPT Challenge - subscribe to my 5 day challenge, delivered over email, which will teach you the many ways you can use ChatGPT to help you in your marketing. Each day, you'll get a different query to put into the tool. That's all you have to do! Read the response, and keep interacting if you want. My hope is that it will help you overcome your fear of trying something new, and show you the HUGE possibilities for improving your marketing. Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Accelerator Group Coaching with Corinna -- get on the wait list for this 15-member group Mastermind and Farm Marketing School experience. We open enrollment again in the fall. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. Find my Facebook group for farmers! Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer

What if someone could give you a roadmap of "what to do" in your first 2 years to build your CSA business? In today's episode, I interview Farmer Glen Young -- a 2-year farmer who is hell-bent on building his new farm business to be profitable by year 5. Glen has made all of the mistakes possible in his first two seasons of organic market gardening as he has built up to a 40 member CSA and a once-per-week Farmer's Market operation. He has "bet the farm" on making Cold Springs Organics environmentally and financially sustainable and he has a deep-rooted interest in seeing other new farmers do the same. Join him and Corinna as they discuss all the sales and marketing things that have worked and what he would do differently if he were to have a do-over for the first two years on the farm. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller -- Glen mentioned this book several times, as a key resource that helped him identify the framework for his farm's "brand script." Accelerator Group Coaching with Corinna -- get on the wait list for this 15-member group Mastermind and Farm Marketing School experience. A to Z Vegetable Storage Guide -- join the dozens of farmers who have purchased this Canva template to use as a lead-generating tool Glen offered his farm's business plan to our listeners. You can find it on his website here. ChatGPT -- an AI powered bot that will blow your mind with its creative writing potential. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. CSA Early Bird Launch Course -- Learn how to get your CSA members to renew their shares when you want them to, using the "launch" promotion technique in this online course CSA Quickstart -- Glen enrolled in this comprehensive course that teaches you how to start a CSA from scratch -- all the systems and production stuff -- in 60 days.

Glamping on the farm? Is it for you? Today on the show, I'm inviting Kasey Marshall of 350 Farms in Alberta, Canada. In 2022, they branched out and began a glamping in canvas tents along a private trails system on their farm. It's now turned into the leading enterprise of their business! If you've ever wanted to get the 411 on how glamping works as a farm enterprise, THIS IS THE PODCAST TO LISTEN TO! Kasey offers a deep-drive training -- from infrastructure needs, booking software, the ideal customer type for this enterprise, upkeep, onboarding procedures, the farm listing, and more. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Resources mentioned in this episode: Kasey's website: www.350farms.ca The website for her Glamping retreat: www.350farms.ca/glamping Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. Find my Facebook group for farmers! Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer

March 15, 2023 by Corinna How are you collecting new email subscribers? It's SO important as a business to grow your email list -- all year long. In today's episode, we're talking about one powerful strategy for doing this, called a "lead magnet." A lead magnet is some kind of value in advance that you offer for free in exchange for an email address. It could be "How to Fill Out a Cut List in 5 Easy Steps" or "6 Questions to Ask Before Joining a CSA." People trade their email (on a subscribe form), and your email provider sends this "lead magnet" content automatically. Once the person confirms their subscription, the lead magnet delivers to them. I've invited an expert in copywriting who has TONS of experience creating lead magnets for her clients. She shares best practices for coming up with topics, what to put in place on the other side of the lead magnet, and how to market them. I want you to listen to this episode and COMMIT to creating your first lead magnet this month! I've got some great resources down below to help you get started, including my 20+ Lead Magnet Ideas for Farms guide! This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline My Guest Today: Lynn Smargis Lynn Smargis is the owner of WriteforYou.com. As an author, ghostwriter, podcaster, and content marketing specialist, her passion is working with clients who want to be seen on the web. Whether that's through a refresh on website content, writing sales emails or blogs, or helping clients to build an engaging lead magnet, she prides herself on delivering high-quality content that speaks in her customer's voice. She understands that the business owner's narrative is an essential piece of the brand and should be written in their unique voice, with a style that represents you, your passion, and your company. She provides her clients with well-organized, timely, and inviting content that engages your demographic and converts lookers into buyers. Lynn also has a podcast called The Marketeers Mastermind. Resources Mentioned In This Episode: Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Free Webinar: How to Write Better Weekly Emails on March 20, from noon to 1:15 PM EST. Sign up here to get the Zoom link! ConvertKit - Both Lynne and I recommend Convertkit as an email service provider! Check out my affiliate link here to see what you think. Sign up for my free ConvertKit demo webinar, on March 27th at noon EST. One hour on Zoom, where I'll be sharing my screen and taking you behind the scenes to look inside my account and show you how to do some of the basics. Recording will be provided. Click here to sign up for the Zoom Link. Need ideas for Lead Magnets for your farm? I've got an amazing resource!! It's called "20+ Lead Magnet Ideas for Farms. You can download it here. Episode 174: What is a Redirect Link -- use this free tool to help you "redirect" people to your lead magnet subscribe link Need help designing a lead magnet so it's beautiful? Have you heard about the free graphic design tool called Canva? I created a free tutorial that will show you behind the scenes in my Canva account. I walk you through the process of designing PDFs, social images, or whatever you need!. Click here to watch my free Canva demo class. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. Find my Facebook group for farmers! Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer

What if you were just starting out your pastured meat business in a small town where there's no current market for it? How do you convince a new community to accept you, believe in you, and support you? Today, I interview my guest Kayla Gibbons from Sugar Butte Farms, who decided in 2019 to start their farm in the small town of Lowell, Ohio. Kayla harnessed the power of social media and some popular farm swag to get the word out about her farm. As you'll hear, she had to do a LOT of pre-education in the early years. Kayla shares what the strategy looks like to move through this early start-up phase of your farm business. You'll hear how she uses monthly "themes" to guide her promotions in her email copy, her social, and her Facebook community. Kayla is also a member of my Accelerator small group coaching community! This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Visit Kayla's farm website: www.sugarbuttefarms.com Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1.

This winter, I decided I wanted to learn how to speak Spanish. I subscribed to the language app called Duolingo, and every day, I get a new lesson that builds on the last. They started with the basics like "how to say hello." Then I learned how to introduce myself to someone and tell them where I was from. Now I'm learning how to order coffee, ask for directions, or buy clothes from the store. The only way to master a language is to focus on the fundamentals first, then build on that. Today, in honor of my 200th episode, I thought it would be fitting to review the "fundamentals" of marketing and sales. These are my top 10 principles and lessons that I've taught since the start of this podcast. I know I've shared a lot of "shiny" strategies and ideas on this show over the years. But if we had to go back to the fundamentals, what are the elements we need to "master" that truly drive results? Here is a quick list of marketing fundamentals I discuss in this episode: Every product has an ideal customer. Figure out what yours is. Tell people where and how to start working with you. Start building an email list, and learn how to write a great weekly email (so you can eventually pitch offers) The goal of social media is to attract your ideal customer and get them onto your email list. Create posts that cause this to happen. Keep your eye on the ultimate target: the Lifetime Customer Value $$. Your customers want to buy more things from you. So make more products so you can pitch them. Focus more time and money on helping your customers experience success with your product. This has a huge ROI, and solves the retention problem. You are selling a transformation. Your product is just a catalyst for this greater transformation. Yes lives in the land of no. You must not be afraid of getting "no's" when you pitch your offer. It is just part of the gig. Learn different ways to build an offer. There are lots of ways to pitch and package your products to get people to want them. Learn this skill. Study it. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Episode 37 How to Research Your Ideal Customer Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller -- GET THIS BOOK! Episode 18 Top Tips for Writing Better Emails ConvertKit -- I recommend this email service provider over Mailchimp by far. This is my affiliate link, so if you sign up with this link, I will get a small commission. Zapier.com -- this is a tool that automates workflows between different software apps Episode 50: Three Ways to Increase Revenue Sign up for my CSA Academy -- try out your first month for only $1 -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. (After that, it's $19/month) CSA Tips and Tricks Success Guide -- grab my Canva template for this beautiful onboarding resource for your new CSA members. It teaches the most important skills they need to know to be successful as a new CSA member. Easy to skim in 10 minutes. Covers the "secrets" of my CSA masters. It's ready to use as-is -- but you can go in and customize it for how your CSA is set up.

I love interviewing other farms to see how they're finding new customers and cultivating them into super-fans. This week, I interview Katie Farrar from Farrar Family Farms. Katie shares some of her marketing mojo that's moving major product in her business -- including (my favorite) email marketing as well as some creative use of "category names" in her online store that help funnel her clients to the right products. I hope you get some fun tips from Katie that you can apply to your marketing strategy! This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1 Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better.

Do you struggle with asking people to buy your product because you're afraid of coming off as too sales-y? If so, you are not alone. I used to have it really bad. I worried about getting the "no." I would make it mean something really negative about ME in my head. "I'm not good enough. No one will buy this. You're an amateur. You don't belong here." Over time (and with some experience and coaching), I've learned that this is all made up in my head. However, I still feel it every now and then -- like when I need to release a new, untested product, when I'm exhausted or stretchd thin and balls start dropping, and I begin to feel unconfident in my product fulfillment. Or when I hear a negative comment from a client. I immediately jump back to all those negative beliefs that make me shrink and sell from a place of fear. Here's the thing: when it comes to the fear of being sales-y, you really have to constantly work on it.... because your ability to create revenue in your business depends on your willingness and ability to make offers. So how do we get over this fear? (Is it even possible?) What do the great sales-people know about tackling the fear of rejection and not taking it so personally? In today's episode, I share my own journey into the Land of "No" and what I've learned along the way to help me push past my insecurities. It's all in your mind. I'm hoping this conversation will give you some new thoughts to run through your mind when you start to feel the scarcity mindset creeping in, and remember your value. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Episode 196 (My Digital Farmer Podcast) How to Create A Compelling CSA Membership Offer & Product Description Join my email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1. CSA Innovation Network - Learn how to download your free CSA Week Promo Packet and participate in National CSA Week Feb. 20-25, 2023.

Have you ever wanted to build your own butcher shop in your local area -- to vertically integrate your business and stop the meat processing bottlenecks? Liz Brownlee of Nightfall Farm did. But she wasn't sure if it was financially viable. So what did she do? She wrote a SARE grant for a feasibility study, got the funding, and then paid herself to research the idea. In the process, she found the information she needed to make her decision. I first met Liz at a CSA conference in Indiana, where she presented her SARE project findings. I thought it was so good, I asked her to come onto my podcast to talk about SARE and how you can use it to fund innovative ideas for your business. Plus I KNOW there are other farmers out there who could use her SARE project to help them take the next step in their DIY Butcher Shop. In this episode, Liz shares what she learned, what SARE is, how you can use her SARE resource for your business, how to apply for a SARE grant (so you get funded), and how she's making her meat CSA profitable. Check out her SARE project results and resources in my show notes at www.mydigitalfarmer.com/197 Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1 This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline

Take my 5-Day CSA Startup Challenge - Are you looking for help setting up your first season of CSA? Then join my CSA Starter Challenge. Over the course of 5 days, I walk you through the first 5 key decisions you need to make as you set up the groundwork of your CSA. Each day you receive an email with a teaching video and a small bite-size homework assignment that gets you started on your CSA creation journey! A few months ago, I booked a room on AirBnB for a vacation home in Washington D.C. I was struck by how powerful the product listing was in helping me make my decision on which home to book. It occurred to me that these home owners created an "offer" in their listing, and I was looking for certain information over others to help me make my choice. We can learn a lot about how to create compelling offers from AirBnB... If you're a CSA farmer having trouble selling your CSA shares to new customers, perhaps the issue is that you haven't created a compelling enough offer. Building a clear and irresistible CSA membership package is tough at first! What do you talk about? What features do you bring up? In today's episode, I share a recording of one of my workshops from the 5-Day CSA Startup Challenge I ran in January, 2023. This training taught what elements to include in your CSA package, and what to talk about in your CSA's product description of your store. It was so good and densely packed with value, that I decided to repurpose it on this podcast. If you're a brand-new CSA farmer, use this training to help you write out your CSA description and map out what's included in the CSA membership package. If you're NOT a CSA farmer, you can use this content to help you optimize your product listing for your other products. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Register for my webinar called "The 3 Mistakes CSA Rookie Farmers Make (And How to Avoid Them)." You can register at www.mydigitalfarmer.com/rmasterclass — and select from the time options available each week. This is a free webinar, designed to help "new" CSA farmers learn the framework for a profitable and resilient CSA.

Need help starting a vegetable CSA? Register for my free CSA webinar "The Three Mistakes Rookie CSA Farmers Make (And How to Avoid Them)" at www.mydigitalfarmer.com/masterclass When you're a brand-new farm business, it's hard to break into the market. You can't just throw your product onto a website and hope people will buy it. First, you have to make people aware you exist, get them to take a second look, build a relationship so they trust you, get them on your email list, and finally serve them up an initial offer that's compelling enough. So how do you make people aware you exist? Today's guest is a long-time farmer who is making the switch from wholesale to direct-to-consumer markets, and he is working through ALL the things a "new" business goes through trying to establish brand awareness. This podcast is part interview/ part consulting call, where you get to listen behind the scenes as we talk around this question: How do you get the word out to the world that you exist? This podcast brings up so many good marketing points -- especially if you're a new business. My guest also shares a couple of gems that I've never explored that could be REALLY effective in your marketing. Tyler mentions a tool called Bonjoro, which allows you embed video testimonials into your website. (VERY COOL IDEA!) Check out all the show notes at www.mydigitalfarmer.com/195

A website header is the first thing that visitors see when they visit a site, and it appears on every page of the site. How does yours look? I liken the header to the front page of a newspaper. Customers will make split-second decisions about whether to keep researching your business, based on the information in your header. Clients are often looking for key information in your header. We want to make it easy for them to find this stuff so they don't abandon your site (and you lose the sale). In today's episode, I share the 8 key elements that help website headers convert. Many of these are simple tweaks. I want you to tune in, and do a quick audit of your own website, to see how you score. Then, later today, go to your website and make ONE change based on what you heard today. Join my free 5-Day CSA Startup Challenge. Running live January 16-22, 2023, I'm sharing a different CSA startup concept each day, coaching you through what key decisions you need to make on the front end, to set you up for success. Use this challenge to get you unlocked, and start your first CSA the right way! This challenge will be something you can join ANYTIME -- not just during the live launch. When you subscribe, you'll get an email every day for 5 days, to drip out the recording of the training and homework challenge assignment. Join my CSA Academy membership - For $19 a month, you get access to all the digital resources, cheatsheets, and tools I share with my CSA members to help them become "masters" fast. You can download the guides and use them as your own for as long as you're a paying member. Try out your first month for $1 using the coupon code TRIAL.

Fresh cut flowers and meat? It's an interesting product mix for a farm business! In today's episode, I introduce you to Farmer Anna Hankins of Over the Moon Flowers, who shares how she targets these two distinct buyers into her sales funnel, and gets them to buy. We cover what marketing channel gives her the most punch, how she uses Shopify to sell her products, as well as her excellent website messaging. She's got LOADS of marketing ideas you can apply to your own farm business -- whether you're doing flowers, meat, or veggies.

With all the ideas you hear from this podcast and other marketing gurus, you may be feeling overwhelmed as you try to find time to build your own marketing system. You might be thinking: "There's no way I can do that!" If you're not careful, you can easily start to feel like a failure when your strategy seems insufficient or imperfect compared to what you hear "other people" doing. But what if imperfect and incomplete is "good enough?" I share with you the concept of "minimal viable marketing." Is there such a thing? How can you stop the comparison trap and find your "good enough"? Are you a rookie CSA farmer looking for wisdom to set up your first CSA the right way? Register for my free webinar "The 3 Mistakes Rookie CSA Farms Make And How to Avoid Them" this week! There are time options every day, and a replay if you miss it! Register here.

This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: DIGITALFARMER2022. Head to this special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline It's the end of the year, and that means it's time for the end of year evaluation and goal setting retreat! Crickets. Wait... you don't DO an end-of-year evaluation or goal setting?.... LOL. If not, I SO get it. Don't beat yourself up. But today, I'm going to inspire you to give it another try. I used to avoid this process too -- partly because I didn't have a good process that worked for me. That all changed when I found these evaluation questions. And in today's podcast, I'm going to share them with you. I basically use a series of 12 questions. (I share 9 of them with you today). I spend two separate days journaling on them for about two hours each time. That's a total of 4 hours. (Don't worry... if journaling isn't your thing, I suggest another way to do it in the show). In this episode, I walk you through 9 questions and flesh out examples of what kinds of answers you're looking for. By the time you've really worked through these, I PROMISE YOU that the answers to question #7 "What are your goals for next year" will be pretty clear to you. I love how these questions bring up so many discoveries, limiting beliefs, desires, direction, and clarity for me. I hope it works for you too. I encourage you to listen to my episode in its entirety. Then book some time this week to work through the questions -- make the process your own. See what comes up for you. Then tell me what you came up with! I'd love to hear one idea... email me or shoot me a DM @mydigitalfarmer on Instagram. Here are the questions I journal through: PART 1 - do these on day one (2 hours) List everything that has happened to you in the last 12 months related to your business? What are the lessons from those experiences that you can take into next year? What do you want to do more of? What do you want to do less of? What are you still holding onto from last year that is taking up space? And what will there be room for when you let that go? (Think physically, relationally, feelings, possessions, time sucks, mindsets and limiting beliefs) What are your 5% revenue generating activities? PART 2 -- do these on day two (2 hours) What do you want? (Think outside your business. What else do you want for your life?) What are your goals for next year? What results do you want to produce? (This could include elements of your personal life too). What specific measure will you use to know that your objective has been realized? What new habits will you have to adopt to win your game? (Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Quarterly?) Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better. Register for my webinar called "The 3 Mistakes CSA Rookie Farmers Make (And How to Avoid Them)." You can register at www.mydigitalfarmer.com/rookie — and select from the time options available each week. This is a free webinar, designed to help "new" CSA farmers learn the framework for a profitable and resilient CSA. My Accelerator Coaching program -- join my small group of farmers and entrepreneurs as we build one marketing asset for your business each month together, and coach each other to greatness! Includes a group coaching and mastermind element! I mention some podcasts that I like to listen to. Here they are: GrazeCast Mind Your Business Podcast with James Wedmore Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield The Life Coach School with Brooke Castillo Find my Facebook group for farmers! Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer Subscribe and Review in Apple Podcast I'd love for you to subscribe to my podcast! I don't want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe in Apple Podcasts! Now if you're feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on Apple Podcast, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they're also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you! My hope is to feature guests periodically on the show. If you know someone who is innovating in the area of marketing as a farmer, please send me an email at [email protected].

Ever wonder how to incorporate text messaging into your farm business? This question comes up a LOT from farmers who are trying to find a way to attract new clients AND get them to buy from their store on a regular basis. With open rates of text messages being so high, an SMS app can be a great investment for your marketing budget. In today's episode, I interview Aubrey Seiler from BetterTogetherFarm.com. She shares exactly how she attracts new customers to her business using an SMS texting app called Community. You'll hear examples of the kinds of messages she sends to connect with her clients and get them to buy within an hour each week. She also breaks down her website messaging, as well as her e-commerce platform features that matter most. Who is Aubrey Seiler? Aubrey helps run the family farm business started by her younger brother 10 years ago. BetterTogetherFarm.com is located in south-central Oklahoma. They grow around 30 vegetable varieties on 3 acres using intensive growing practices, and are certified organic. Their farm provides produce for families in their local communities and wholesale accounts in Oklahoma City. Community Texting App -- Aubrey uses this SMS texting app to manage her customers. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: DIGITALFARMER2022. Head to this special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline

In this week's episode, I wanted to share a very cool Thanksgiving project we did last year called "Feed the Need" bags. It served as a way for us to donate our produce to people in need, but USE OUR CUSTOMERS as the vehicle to do so. We found that this initiative created so much momentum and positive goodwill in our community. We were going to give the food away anyway.... but to invite our customers to be the ones who personally gave it away, and to see them get energized and generous -- that was powerful! It actually ended up creating a lot of revenue for us too -- although that was not the goal. It drove people to the store to claim a bag. Then while they were there, they ended up buying other things. I was reminded of the principle that when you are generous, the blessing comes back to you ten-fold. This was definitely the case. Take a listen to hear how it works, and I challenge you to find a way to use this idea in our own business. Multiply your generosity by channeling the power of your customers! This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: DIGITALFARMER2022. Head to this special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline This podcast was sponsored by my free CSA webinar called "The 3 Mistakes CSA Rookie Farmers Make (And How to Avoid Them)."You can register at www.mydigitalfarmer.com/rookie — and select from multiple time options available each week. This is a free webinar, designed to help "new" CSA farmers learn the framework for a profitable and resilient CSA.

So many farms fail to be profitable simply because they don't have a good handle on their finances. To be a profitable business, you need to know how to build a budget, keep track of your numbers, and be able to pivot your business to meet your revenue goals. But what numbers matter? Oftentimes, a new farmer has no idea how to make sense of a financial report. What benchmarks should we be aiming for when it comes to expenses? What percentages are industry standards? How do I know if I'm way off "the norm"? Today's podcast guest is Taylor Bridges from Bridging the Gap Financial Services. She helps farmers with the overwhelming task of book-keeping. I ask her the powerful money questions we're all wanting to know -- like how to read financial reports, what data to be measuring, and how to make the numbers show a profit. She answers questions like, "What percent of your farm budget should be going towards rent/mortgage?" What common mistakes are farmers making when setting up their books and financials? How can we get rid of the financial anxiety of "not knowing our numbers" that leads to bad business decision? This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: DIGITALFARMER2022. Head to this special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline

How do you get someone to buy your product? Well, it all starts with a "good offer." What does that mean? "Crafting the offer" gets its own module in marketing school, because it's THAT important. There are strategies for what goes into an offer that makes people convert. And in today's episode, we dissect those elements in details. My guest is Michael Kilpatrick, host of the Thriving Farmer podcast, and he is a MASTER at creating offers. He's interviewed hundreds of farmers and consulted with dozens of farms in his lifetime -- he's seen so many examples of irresistible offers at work. He's also in the process of building out his own micro-enterprises on his own new-ish farm, Farm on Central. I ask him to break down his marketing strategy, and you'll learn a lot of cutting-edge ideas he's using right now to grow his own new farm business to $1 million in revenue. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: DIGITALFARMER2022. Head to this special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Join me December 1-4, for Thriving Farmer's FREE annual Online Farm Summit. Every year, Michael Kilpatrick's team at GrowingFarmers.com puts together an awesome lineup of guests for a 3-day summit. This year's topic focus is all about "Adding Income to your Farm" -- creative ways to bring in more revenue -- including a focus on Value-Added products. You'll learn from 37+ different speakers innovative ways of working less and profiting more from your farm enterprise! This virtual conference is free, as long as you watch it live. (You'll be given a chance to pre-purchase an all-access pass which gives you "forever access" to the recording of the whole event for a low price!) Reserve your free pass to this virtual event here: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/summit

Every year, I run an "early renewal" promotion to my CSA members, to try and get as many of them as possible to sign up for next summer's CSA season. Getting them locked in early gives me a sense of security and peace of mind -- not to mention enough cash flow for the spring. But how do I do it? In this week's podcast, I perform an audit of this year's CSA Early Renewal Campaign that I launched this fall. It ran for 8 days from October 15-22, 2022, and got 85% of my members to renew (and pay) for 2023. I'm sharing the marketing principles that were at play in making this one of my most successful promotions to date. You'll learn why I'm now so confident that I can generate these sales -- even with an $80 price increase! Whether you're a CSA farmer or not, there are some gems hiding inside this episode, that can help you get your customer to buy when you want them to. This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: DIGITALFARMER2022. Head to this special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline

A few months ago, I made a HUGE leap and decided to invest in a leadership coach. I had gotten to a point in my business where I felt like what was holding me back most was my mindset. I kept hearing my mentors say things like, "Mindset is everything." But how do you find a life coach who will actually get results, when I'm not even sure what results I want? Enter Rebekah Zimmerman. Rebekah is the coach at TrailBlazersgrowth.com. I got on a discovery call with her, and 2 days later, I hired her. In the last 4 months since I started working with her, I have manifested so many impossible goals. I'm now a big believer in "mindset coaching." In this episode today, you get to be a fly on the wall and listen in on one of my coaching sessions with Rebekah. If you've ever wondered what goes on in a coaching call, this is your chance to see one in action. You'll see what fears I struggle with in a real-life scenario I am working on in my business. Afterwards, I also interview Rebekah, and we talk through what coaching is, how it's structured, and how the coach-client relationship works to get results. Learn more about Rebekah or book a discovery call at www.trailblazersgrowth.com Listen to Rebekah's podcast: Trailblazing Growth This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: DIGITALFARMER2022. Head to this special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline

Here's a powerful marketing principle: The more you say something, the more likely your customer will remember it (and believe it). For example: What is GEICO known for?... If you've ever seen one of their commercials, you know the answer: it's car insurance. But interestingly, GEICO also sells all kinds of other insurance too. But it only promotes the car insurance messaging. It keeps things simple and clear. And it beats that drum so we associate them with car insurance. The next time I'm shopping for car insurance, I'll think of GEICO... and that's the goal. Repetition is a very popular (and powerful) marketing technique. Brands use it all the time because it's based on psychology and brain science, and because it works. In today's episode, we're going to talk about how to use repetitive messages to guide your customer to where you want them to go and what you want them to believe. What if it's just as simple as being a broken record for a few key messages?... What would yours be?

Does your website need a makeover? Or maybe you don't have one at all?! Then this episode is for you! If you own a farm business, you need a website. But many farmers feel overwhelmed when it comes to building one from scratch. What do you need to think about before you start the process of writing, rewriting or restructuring the messaging and look? Where do you start? My guest today is Tricia Phelps from Taste the Local Difference. She is the CEO of a marketing agency for farmers, and her staff builds websites all the time. She is sharing her 3 best tips for building a better website. How do you choose the platform? Should you do it yourself? How much does it cost if you outsource it? What elements should be on your website? How do you write the words on the page? What do you say? How do you make it beautiful? And how do you keep the tech from overwhelming you? We cover these questions in more! Take a listen!

I love interviewing other CSA farmers and learning their sales secrets. Today I introduce you to Karin Velez from Wolf Creek Family Farm. Karin has been farming for 15 years as a CSA farm, and she somehow manages to keep her members coming back over and over -- so much so that she doesn't even offer open enrollment anymore. You can only get in if you're on a wait list. What are her secrets to finding these kinds of loyal clients and making them superfans? Her story is inspiring, and you'll hear tried-and-true principles that you can use for your own business. What if we're making our marketing more complicated than it needs to be? Tune in for her wisdom!

In this episode, I announce the release of my new Small Group Coaching program for farmers called Acclerator. Think of it like "marketing school meets group coaching." I'm taking 5-15 growth-mindset farmers who are ready to build their marketing assets one by one, one month at a time. This experience will last for 3 months this winter (Nov, Jan, Feb). It's made up of virtual teaching workshops, group coaching hot seats, resource drops, incredible farmers, and mastermind sessions... I made this podcast to explain how it works, so I can send future interested parties here. If you want to join this incredible group of farmers and work closely with me this winter to upgrade your marketing assets, listen to this episode. I walk through it ALL. Enroll now at www.mydigitalfarmer.com/coaching -- while there's still room. Enrollment closes October 15.

I get this question a lot from farmers... "What should I focus on first in my marketing strategy?" After 15 years of running a farm business (and learning this stuff the hard way), I feel like I can offer a pretty solid "list" of the marketing "assets" that pack the biggest punch. In this episode, I share what they are. It's not a short list. The goal of this episode is not to intimidate you or overwhelm you. (I didn't make all these in one year either!) But having the checklist will give you clarity and direction! You'll know what things to start working on. Remember: Slow and steady wins the race. Build these a few at a time, and one day you'll wake up and notice that your sales system is humming like a well-oiled machine. I share a LOT of links to past episodes in this podcast too, so you can follow up on the marketing asset of your choice and go dive in deep. Get your checklist and marching order in this episode! Ready?... Let's go!

What if there were a Farm Marketing "Bible" that spelled out all the best practices to help market to your customers online? Farmers are expected to know everything about how to run a business - including sales and marketing. But knowing where to start can be overwhelming -- especially if you're not trained in this skill set. Enter Nina Galle from Local Line. In her role as the Content Creator at the leading e-commerce platform for farmers, she began to see common themes among the 'successful' farm accounts using their software system. She began to ask the question, "What if I could take the lessons from these successful farms and put them into a marketing handbook?" The result was an amazing new book called Ready Farmer One -- a comprehensive A to Z guide on how farmers should market to their customers. I call it the Farm Marketing Bible. In this podcast, I interview the co-author of Ready Farmer One: The Farmer's Guide to create, Design, and Market an Online Farm Store. This is a resource that farmers can pick up any time to learn the different key marketing elements that need to be optimized in your farm marketing machine. Rather than reading it from front to back, it's actually designed to be more of a "pick and choose" guide. Need help on how to master email marketing?... find the chapter about how to do email marketing the right way. The best part of the book are the transcripts of actual interviews with the farmers that were interviewed during the research phase. These stories will inspire you to see how you can take the principles of the book and put them into practice in a real-world business. I HIGHLY recommend this book for every farmer doing direct marketing. Grab it here!

What is the secret behind my CSA's incredibly loyal fan base? How are we scoring a 93% retention rate every year? What if it's not about the vegetables? In today's episode, I interview my MVP, Cadie Jardin. Cadie is a member of my farm team. We call her our "CSA Coach," and her job is to make sure my CSA members feel supported in their quest to become successful foodies and local eaters. She also manages our CSA's private Facebook group, and creates weekly video training content for my tribe, as well as recipes. In this interview, we peel back the layers of customer support in our CSA. We talk through the challenges that new CSA rookies face and how we guide them through the 3-year journey to mastery. We talk about the power of the membership community in helping them along. And we give specifics on what kind of content will move the needle forward for your customers. This conversation will give you a new perspective on what your customer is thinking, what they NEED, and what they actually WANT from you. Want some help building your CSA Early Renewal Sign-Up Promotion so that your members renew their share when you want them to?... Sign up for my online course: "CSA Early Bird Campaigns that Convert" I'll teach you how to build an irresistible offer for your members that gets them running to the online store to renew their membership when you want them to....

Somebody buys your product. Then what happens?... Many business owners think that the work of sales and marketing is now over. The customer bought the product, and now we're done. Wrong. In today's episode, I talk about the VERY important phase of the sales process called "product fulfillment." I share lots of examples of what this can look like, and why spending just a few hours optimizing your workflow in this area can lead to WAY more profits. Sometimes it can take a while for your product to deliver its promise. You need to be there guiding the way, to make sure it happens. If your product consistently delivers quality results, your customers will come back again and again... AND they'll refer new clients to you. That translates to more profits. Sometimes the fastest way to grow your revenue is just to make sure you're delivering a quality result every time. This episode will help you think through this process. WORTH EVERY SECOND. Listen now.

Before your potential new client decides to buy your stuff, they're looking for ONE thing... Proof. You need to show that you're the real deal -- your product delivers results! Customers often don't even realize they're looking for this, but they are. That's why it's important for you to build these "credibility moments" into your buying process somewhere. In today's episode, we talk about 10 different ways brands can show authority and give their potential clients the social proof they need to feel ready to buy. See how many of these you already use in your business! And maybe add on a few more to your pipeline. Often, it's THIS element that unlocks the floodgates of sales. Can you say "Quick win"?...

As an entrepreneur and small business owner, I am constantly chasing "the next big thing." I set ambitious goals. I build execution plans to get there. And I base my sense of success and value on whether or not I hit them. The problem is, I almost NEVER hit them exactly the way I planned. Or I compare myself to other businesses, Instagram accounts, and parents -- some made-up ideal that I think I "should be" -- and I come up short. I end up feeling like I'm "not good enough." Not successful enough. All I see is the gap. In today's episode, I want to walk around the dark side of goal-setting. I want to offer another way of looking at your progress, so that you stop seeing the gap, appreciate your gains, and redefine "what is success." I share lots of examples from my own life to help you see how easy it is to fall into this trap. What if crossing your horizon line isn't the way to define success? What if there's INCREDIBLE value in the journey itself. What if you're right where you are supposed to be? And how can we learn to be present in the moment and appreciate all the value of what has come before?

Tired of trying to share long, ugly URL links with leads and customers in your marketing channels? There's another way. They're called "redirects," and when I first discovered them, I was ecstatic. I use them ALL the time. This is like bitly link shorteners, but where you get to decide what the actual link itself will say. The formula is always: yourwebsiteurl.com/shortcutword Using redirects gives you the ability to share things like: popular product pages your favorite lead magnets YouTube videos and hotsted PDF resources website pages you always reference your online store link In this episode, I give you some case studies of where I use redirects the most, how they work, and how to set them up. You can even go watch a demo of me making a "pretty link" here on YouTube. Ditch the bitly links and start using these easy-to-set up shortcut links through redirects! You're gonna love this quick tip!

Every now and then, I run into a fantastic sales funnel example in the real world in another industry. When it happens, I take notes, so I can share it with you. This week, I'm breaking down the sales funnel of my son's orthodontist. You see, in a matter of 7 days, Kurt and I decided to write a big fat check for $6000 to this Downey Orthodontics in Bowling Green. How did he pull that off so fast? That's no small feat! Looking back, I can see SO MANY small steps that were engineered by their sales team. They had a PROCESS they were executing like a machine! I was impressed. So even though the example I'm sharing today isn't a farming product, I think this story will have massive impact as it shows you how a small business can take a marketing framework and turn it into practical steps. You'll see what attraction strategy they relied on, how they used SEO to their advantage, how they set up their offer to get me to convert, how they coached testimonials and reviews for social proof, how they overcame my objections and questions, and what they did to surprise and delight me. I also share application questions along the way, to help you take this sales funnel and apply it to YOUR business. Sales funnels are necessary if you want to move clients through a high-ticket offer like a CSA. Sometimes the best way to learn the framework is to see it in action in another business!

Vacation in July for a farmer? Is it possible? What if it were?... In today's episode, I share my story of how Kurt and I successfully planned and executed a 5-day vacation to Oshkosh, Wisconsin in the middle of July. How did our farm survive without us? What did we have to do to make it happen? And was it worth it? In this episode, I share some observations and take-aways from this experiment that will be helpful if you want to make this dream a reality. It is possible. It all starts in your mind.

Writing the weekly CSA Newsletter.... do you love it? Or hate it? This used to feel like a CHORE! In my early years, I would start from scratch every week, and it felt like I was back in Yearbook class -- not only trying to write engaging "newspaper-style" articles, but worrying about layout and images so it all fit!! It would take me around 6-7 hours every weekend. Ugh. After 14 years, I've learned a few things about how to make this important resource a whole lot faster (and better!) In this episode, I share 5 time-saving hacks I use now that help me knock this out in about 3 hours a week. So when the well runs dry... you have some back-up systems that keep you moving forward. You can check out my latest CSA newsletter here: www.sharedlegacyfarms.com/blog.

Subscribe to my free 5-Day Instagram Reels Challenge here. You'll get a daily video tutorial on Reels and a quick homework assignment to practice the skill you learned. Each day builds on the next, as you experiment and play in the sandbox. By the end of the challenge, you'll know your way around the Reels platform and know how to take it deeper if you want! Do you need to be doing Instagram Reels? And if you ARE ready to take the dive, where do you get started? Well, in today's episode, I walk you through some of my "beginner's tips" for getting started with Reels. At first, I was overwhelmed and intimidated by all the professional-looking, high production value Reel videos in my feed. So I avoided it for the longest time. But then I began researching IG Reels back in early 2022 -- experimenting, following other accounts, trying to figure out the mechanics of how to do it. Finally, I decided to take the plunge and play in the platform -- "just as an experiment." Along the way, I became more confident, and every month I feel myself getting better. In this podcast, I share some of my take-aways for "Reels-Rookies" or "Reels-Wanna-be's" for what to expect when you get started, what to keep in mind as you develop your skills, and shortcut hacks that helped me overcome my imposter syndrome. I also talk about how you can take my free Instagram Reels Challenge with me this August! In this challenge, I teach you the mechanics of how to make your first reels confidently, so you can take this platform and run with it! NO MORE FEAR. Subscribe to my free 5-Day Instagram Reels Challenge here. You'll get a daily video tutorial on Reels and a quick homework assignment to practice the skill you learned. Each day builds on the next, as you experiment and play in the sandbox. By the end of the challenge, you'll know your way around the Reels platform and know how to take it deeper if you want! I wish someone had shared the ropes of reels with me like this when I was trying to learn the platform.

Check out my workshop "How to Optimize your Google Business Profile" here. Are you using the power of search engines to help you find new customers? Here's the truth: people are going to Google to find your farm. What is Google showing them? Are you showing up in the #1 position? And if not, what can you do to get there? In this episode, I invite local SEO expert Jesse Dolan from LocalSeoTactics.com onto the show, to share his short checklist for how to create a basic SEO strategy for your business, so you can get found online. Jesse is an expert at LOCAL SEO, and has helped hundreds of businesses increase their visibility and revenue.

What is it that your product actually delivers to your customer? I'm not talking about the thing itself. I'm talking about the long-term life transformation? How does their life get better because of your vegetable box or grass-fed beef?... What is the product's promise? If you want to sell more of your products, you MUST know how to answer this question. In this episode, I talk about how to find this information, why it's so powerful, and how to talk about it in more your marketing.

Do you track any sales or marketing metrics for your farm?... Because here's a fact: You can't manage what you aren't measuring. And for the first 9 years of my business, I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't track ANY of these numbers. I was just "doing farm sales" and asking people to buy every week, hoping the numbers would work out. I wonder sometimes if this is one of the reasons we were treading water all those years. In today's episode, I talk about the importance of knowing your sales and marketing data, so you can be strategic and get your business to actually scale. What information should you be tracking? What stats matter the most when it comes to building strategy for your business? Once you start measuring the right data, you can set goals and track progress towards greater revenue. This is a good episode.

Get my new weekly marketing roadmap when you subscribe to my email newsletter. I LOVE interviewing other farmers who are GREAT at marketing. Sometimes, the best way to grow our own marketing strategy is to see what other farms are doing. Today's guest is Melissa Ballard of Bluegrass Beef in Kentucky. She has managed to build a growing, profitable farm business by attracting the right kind of client, telling her farm story, building a compelling offer, and turning them into repeat buyers. She also had a moment in her journey where she changed her mindset and claimed some ownership in her business' success -- one of the strongest parts of this interview. Whether you're a beef producer or a vegetable farm, there's lots of advice hiding in this episode about how to market and sell your product like a boss.

What happens to a person after they subscribe to your email list for the first time? Do they fall into the "black hole"? I've long encouraged you to build something called a "nurture email sequence" in your marketing funnel. This pre-written, automated email sequence drips out amazing, helpful content to your new subscribers to warm them up to your brand. And once it's written, it remains as a permanent tool in your business. But writing these can feel overwhelming. In this episode, I share a hack for how to build this "evergreen" (everlasting) nurture sequence fast. You probably have the emails to populate it already! You'll LOVE this idea that makes building your email sequene so much easier!