260 The TLCF Marketing Formula for Farms
My Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
Release Date: 05/01/2024
My Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
You don’t have a marketing problem. You have a hesitation problem. I see it all the time. Farmers build the offer. They may even grow the list. They do the marketing prep work. And when it’s time to promote?... They pull back. The question is why? This episode aims to uncover those beliefs quietly running your marketing. If you’ve ever thought: “I don’t want to be annoying.” “If they didn’t buy, maybe it’s me.” “Good products should just sell themselves.” You’re not alone. We dig into the three mindset blocks that keep farmers from selling confidently. We...
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(formerly ConvertKit.com) -- it is easy to use, powerful, and getting better every year. It also integrates with most e-commerce providers and tools. Ep 236 – How to Raise Your Prices (and Make More $) Using Price Anchoring Ep 334 – The Anatomy of a Great Email Offer — An Audit -- this is the monthly health membership I joined that allows me to get 2 sets of comprehensive blood tests per year (the ones that most doctors don't check for, but are really significant! It's been an empowering step for me!) The cost is $399/year, and covers the tests! Use this affiliate link...
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The other day I found the perfect desk on Facebook Marketplace. Great photos. Fair price. Only ten minutes away from my house. But I didn’t buy it. Why? Because one simple piece of information was missing — the dimensions. Without that one detail, I couldn’t tell if it would fit our space… so I moved on. And it made me realize something. Farm customers do this all the time. They want to buy… but a small unanswered question stops them from moving forward. If customers are interested in your farm but not actually buying, the problem might not be your product -- it might be the...
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I thought the goal of my recent promotion was simple: sell 40 prepaid online store credit memberships. That was it. 40 spots. Hit the revenue goal. Move on. But as I was building the emails, teasing it on social media, and checking my stats inside (my email service provider), I noticed something unexpected… My email list had jumped a LOT. And it wasn’t random. It was happening because of how I positioned the promotion before it ever opened. That’s when it clicked! Every promotion has a second goal. And most farmers completely miss it. Yes, promotions are meant to...
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Ever sit down to write your weekly email… Cursor blinking. Brain dead. And you’re thinking: “I KNOW I should email my list… but what on earth do I say this week?” In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on how I actually find ideas when I feel stuck! Most great emails don’t start with “content ideas” at all! They start with stories hiding in plain sight. If writing your weekly email feels harder than it should, chances are you’re looking in the wrong place for ideas. In this episode, I walk you through how to identify the central story of an email, and why...
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A few months ago, I opened my mailbox to find a beautifully packaged starter box of goat milk soap from Allan Laird of Hooves and Feathers. Allan is a Farm Marketing School student… and he was proudly showing me his homework. 😊 Inside the box were thoughtfully chosen products, a clear “try-this-first” experience, and a sense that this wasn’t just soap — it was a brand with intention. I remember thinking, This is what happens when someone applies simple marketing frameworks with consistency. So I called Allan and said, “You need to come on the podcast and walk us through what...
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Have you ever stared at your farm’s website homepage and thought… what am I even supposed to put here? Your website is the source of truth for your brand. It’s where people go to learn more, double-check you, and decide if they want to buy. And if your homepage is unclear or overwhelming, most people won’t stick around. In today’s episode, I’m breaking down a simple framework for what actually belongs on your farm’s website homepage—so it’s clear, strategic, and helps turn visitors into customers. We’re talking about the specific messaging blocks every strong farm...
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What if your farm didn’t have to “scale up” to be successful? What if it could stay small, seasonal, creative — and still feel deeply worth it? In this conversation, I sit down with a farmer who has intentionally chosen a different path: one rooted in values, flexibility, and creativity — and who’s built a beautiful business around it. This episode is a quietly powerful case study. Claire and I talk about: Running a farm while not being a full-time farmer Letting creativity lead your product development Using one strong “gateway...
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What if I told you I recently ran a 7-day CSA Chicken + Pork Share promotion on my farm, using only email, a private Facebook group, and a simple promotion framework? It went REALLY well, exceeding my sales predictions. If you’ve ever thought about launching a monthly meat share — or already have one and want to sell it more consistently — this episode is your behind-the-scenes look at how I design, organize, and execute a high-performing farm promotion from scratch. I walk you through: How I structured the product How I worked with my partner farm How I decided pricing, timing,...
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Last summer, I got invited to be on TV. Exciting, right? Then they asked a simple follow-up question: “Can you send over your media kit?” And I froze. I didn’t have one. I wasn’t even totally sure what should be in one. Fast forward to this winter, as I start doing more speaking, partnerships, and visibility work for both my farm and My Digital Farmer -- I realized this was a gap I needed to close. So I invited someone back on the show who lives and breathes this stuff. On today’s episode, I’m joined again by Erika Tebbens from Taste the Local Difference. If Erika sounds familiar,...
info_outlineWhen I first started learning about farm marketing years ago, there was SO MUCH. I felt overwhelmed. I really wanted a framework to help me stitch it all together and give it a rhyme and a reason. Then, one of my mentors shared an acronym that I found really helpful.
That acronym was: TLC. Here's what it stands for:
T = Traffic
L = Leads
C = Conversion
I later added the letter "F" for Fulfillment, because I found that this element was one of the key drivers behind customer retention.
Today, I'm going to teach you this TLCF method. The goal is to build a mechanism or system in your farm business for EACH of these areas. When you do, your ideal customers will stream right through and turn into super buyers.
In this episode, I define each of these elements and give you suggested steps for what you should be doing this spring in each area, so that you have them all covered. You can optionally decide to use Farm Marketing School to help you build some of these systems this summer too in my 30 Day project builds.
This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, my preferred e-commerce platform for farmers. Are you looking for a new solution for your farm? I can't recommend it enough. Easy to use inventory management, great customer service, continuous improvement, and a culture dedicated to equipping farmers with marketing expertise, Local Line should definitely be one of the e-commerce solutions you consider as you switch. 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: MDF2024. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline
This podcast was sponsored by Farm Marketing School - my monthly online marketing school membership just for farmers. Farm Marketing School is an on-demand library of marketing workshops and project plans that will help you build some of the most important marketing elements in your farm business like: building a promotion calendar, setting up your Google Business Profile, auditing your sales funnel, updating your home page of your website, building your first email nurture sequence, and practicing different types of offers. You get to chose what you want to study and build each month. These projects are designed to be completed in under 30 days, so that you slowly build your marketing system piece by piece. Use the step by step project planner and resource folder to help you jumpstart your work. Take advantage of my new marketing crash course inside, watch my new Email Marketing Course, or take the onboarding assessment tool to help you identify where your funnel is broken and what project to do first. To see what courses are currently inside of FMS, or to try out Farm Marketing School for a month at mydigitalfarmer.com/fms Start and cancel your membership anytime.
Some of the resources mentioned in this episode:
Join my free email list! I have a great "Crash Course in farm marketing" 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. Subscribe at https://www.mydigitalfarmer.com/subscribe
Webinar: Maximizing E-Commerce Success: Crafting Offers to Boost Farm Sales -- Join Corinna Bench from My Digital Farmer and Nina Galle from Local Line on March 25 at 12:00 PM EST/9:00 AM PST as they explore the elements of defining a great offer. Topics include: - Why offers are crucial for your sales strategy, acting as a powerful lure to lead potential customers to the point of sale - Corinna's comprehensive framework on building offers - How to seamlessly integrate offers into your e-commerce platform - And, five impactful examples you can experiment with this season!
Join my CSA Academy and learn how to support your CSA members Use my resources!! Try it out for the first month for $1 using coupon code TRIAL. (After that, the price increases to $19/month). Go to www.mydigitalfarmer.com/academy to see what’s included with the monthly membership. You’ll get access to the ENTIRE resource library I use to help support my CSA members and get them to CSA mastery fast! Use the templates inside to help you build your own customer onboarding and/or training curriculum this summer. This is a MAJOR shortcut to figuring out your onboarding process!! So valuable! Cancel your membership anytime. https://www.mydigitalfarmer.com/academy
Beginner's Guide to CSA Guide -- Use my Canva template and share it with your CSA members in your fulfillment process. This quick read guide shares the quick tips from my CSA master members, for how to be successful as a new CSA member. https://www.mydigitalfarmer.com/csasuccess
Get my A to Z Vegetable Storage Guide and use it as a lead magnet -- This is my MOST successful lead magnet ever. I've used it for 5 years. I'm sharing the Canva template with you, and you have full rights to use it as-is, or change it for your farm. https://www.mydigitalfarmer.com/atozguide
Find my marketing Facebook group for CSA farmers!
Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer