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**It looks like I made a “draft saving” mistake when I posted this yesterday and somehow we ended up with the wrong opening paragraph … I guess I’m still a beginning blogger too 😉
When it comes to a direct-to-consumer farm one of the most important “hats” that you will wear is that of farm communicator. You can’t just build your farm and then expect people to show up, because this isn’t “The Field of Dreams”. We are always working to communicate with our farm friends … talking about our story, sharing some of the benefits of our products, comparing notes on great recipes, and so much more. In the 21st century there are many great ways to communicate through technology (we take advantage of as many as possible), but at the end of the day I don’t know if there is anything better than a good face-to-face conversation. On today’s episode I share some of the ways that we communicate and what we are talking about when we do communicate!
How We Communicate With Our Farm Friends
- Blogging :: One of the few things I did right as we started this farming journey was the starting the blog. This is a great way to practice telling your story and to share the journey.
- Farm Website :: It doesn’t have to be fancy, it doesn’t have to be the best one on the block, but it sure is nice to have one to share with people when they ask about your story or how to purchase your products.
- Facebook Page :: This one is a given in 2014, but it is very important that you make use of it in the best way possible. We’ve found that pictures, questions, and posts that allow your farm friends to interact are much better than posts that are just advertisements.
- E-Mail List :: This is one of the most important pieces of “online communication” we have because the people that sign-up for the e-mail list are folks that really want to hear from us. We use this to share recipe ideas, farm news, and opportunities to purchase our products.
- Face-to-Face Communication :: Nothing beats a good old fashioned conversation when it comes to sharing the story of your farm. But, even more important is the opportunity to listen to your customers and learn what matters to them.
Don’t forget about the upcoming Practical Farmers of Iowa Farminar featuring “The Beginning Farmer,” Ethan Book.
Tuesday, February 18th 7:00 – 8:30 PM CST
“Making Niche Pork Work for You at Any Scale”
As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I’m thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don’t forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!
I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with “The Beginning Farmer” and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links …
Hey E – looks like you had a copy/paste fail on today’s post! The first paragraph is the same as last week’s about land acquisition. 🙂 Maybe a topic for a “Hard Lessons Learned” segment sometime!