Online Class Helps With Marketing

2024 - Volume #48, Issue #3, Page #09

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If you want to be a better marketer of your farm produce, Corinna Beach may be a good place to start. Beach and her husband run a 400-member CSA. She’s an advocate, practitioner, and instructor in online marketing. She remembers struggling to get members for their CSA.
“In 2016, I discovered the world of online marketing and began adapting the principles to our CSA,” says Beach. “In 2017, our customer retention climbed from 66 percent to 78 percent in 3 weeks. Two weeks later, I had filled our CSA to within 95 percent.”
Beach’s success attracted other CSA operators, and she shared what she’d learned and applied. She continues to share her knowledge, but now to an increasingly broad audience.
“When I started the MyDigitalFarmer podcast, I focused primarily on helping CSA vegetable growers with marketing strategy,” says Beach. “Over the past 2 years, I’ve noticed that more and more of my audience are other farmers—meat producers, flower farmers, market gardeners. I even have non-farmer business owners learning from me. As a result, my content has pivoted to marketing in general for all kinds of retail farmers.”
Beach was recommended as a source of marketing knowledge in response to a query in the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA) members-only forum. Her website introduces several for-pay products, including a pre-recorded online Farm Marketing School with nine monthly projects, Accelerator Small Group Coaching (live) with 15 members working on three monthly projects, and CSA Quickstart for vegetable growers wanting to start a CSA. CSA Membership Academy for CSA Farmers is a monthly membership giving farmers access to Beach’s library of CSA resources. She also offers several one-stop programs.
At no cost, visitors to the website can access Beach’s MyDigitalFarmer podcasts. It serves as an introduction to Beach and her marketing expertise.
Beach includes a list of digital marketing resources she recommends and uses in her own CSA marketing. They include several books and links to services she uses for digital communications and marketing. They range from online store services and email and website support to CSA Innovation Network.
Throughout the website, the courses offered, and the resources recommended, Beach is clear about her purpose. “It’s not enough to grow a great product,” she states. “You’ve got to know how to sell it too.”
Beach also moderates a private Facebook group for her client community, as well as a public one. The latter includes a number of videos of Beach talking about digital marketing and client relations.
She promises to show farmer retailers “…how to build online marketing systems that fill your pipeline with leads, convert them to customers, and create a tribe of local superfans.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, MyDigitalFarmer, 3701 S. Schultz-Portage Rd., Elmore, Ohio 43416
(mydigitalfarmers@gmail.com; www.mydigitalfarmer.com).

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Online Class Helps With Marketing COMPUTERS If you want to be a better marketer of your farm produce Corinna Beach may be a good place to start Beach and her husband run a 400-member CSA She’s an advocate practitioner and instructor in online marketing She remembers struggling to get members for their CSA “In 2016 I discovered the world of online marketing and began adapting the principles to our CSA ” says Beach “In 2017 our customer retention climbed from 66 percent to 78 percent in 3 weeks Two weeks later I had filled our CSA to within 95 percent ” Beach’s success attracted other CSA operators and she shared what she’d learned and applied She continues to share her knowledge but now to an increasingly broad audience “When I started the MyDigitalFarmer podcast I focused primarily on helping CSA vegetable growers with marketing strategy ” says Beach “Over the past 2 years I’ve noticed that more and more of my audience are other farmers—meat producers flower farmers market gardeners I even have non-farmer business owners learning from me As a result my content has pivoted to marketing in general for all kinds of retail farmers ” Beach was recommended as a source of marketing knowledge in response to a query in the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association APPPA members-only forum Her website introduces several for-pay products including a pre-recorded online Farm Marketing School with nine monthly projects Accelerator Small Group Coaching live with 15 members working on three monthly projects and CSA Quickstart for vegetable growers wanting to start a CSA CSA Membership Academy for CSA Farmers is a monthly membership giving farmers access to Beach’s library of CSA resources She also offers several one-stop programs At no cost visitors to the website can access Beach’s MyDigitalFarmer podcasts It serves as an introduction to Beach and her marketing expertise Beach includes a list of digital marketing resources she recommends and uses in her own CSA marketing They include several books and links to services she uses for digital communications and marketing They range from online store services and email and website support to CSA Innovation Network Throughout the website the courses offered and the resources recommended Beach is clear about her purpose “It’s not enough to grow a great product ” she states “You’ve got to know how to sell it too ” Beach also moderates a private Facebook group for her client community as well as a public one The latter includes a number of videos of Beach talking about digital marketing and client relations She promises to show farmer retailers “…how to build online marketing systems that fill your pipeline with leads convert them to customers and create a tribe of local superfans ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup MyDigitalFarmer 3701 S Schultz-Portage Rd Elmore Ohio 43416 mydigitalfarmers@gmail com; www mydigitalfarmer com

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