Made in collaboration with Mieko Ozeki of Radiance Studios LLC and Taylor Katz of Free Verse Studio.
How have you been? Were you able to apply a few of the things we learned in the 2 previous articles of this “What is e-farming marketing” series?
If you remember, we first learned how to build your brand identity and e-farming marketing strategy, then moved on to the planning and creation of a website for your farming business.
Now, you might have a website, but if nobody says anything about it, does it exist?
That’s why, this week, our last destination on the “e-farming marketing” train is dedicated to optimizing the visibility and engagement of your farming business.
We have many stops to make: Google profile, SEO, social media, content planning and so more! So stretch up, hop on and we’ll be on our way to becoming pros of e-farming marketing!
Boost your visibility on Google
You can find everything on Google. But it’s exactly because you can find anything that your website may be overshadowed by others. Here are 2 steps you can take to maximize your chances without overcomplicating things.
Create a Google profile for your farm
Creating a Google Business profile is both free and essential for businesses. It serves as crucial real estate on search engines, alongside having a website, allowing you to claim your presence and reach potential customers effectively.
This profile not only showcases your farming business information but also provides a platform for customers to read and leave reviews. By claiming your business on Google and creating a comprehensive profile, you can enhance your online visibility and make a positive impression on potential customers.
Find out how you can sign up for a Google Business profile right here!
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization (SEO) is essentially the process of improving your website through various actions to increase visibility in search engines like Google or Ecosia.
The better you are at SEO, the higher you’ll pop up on search engines.
A simple tactic you can use to improve your SEO is to encourage as many people as possible to click on and review your website and related content links. Positive reviews and increased traffic both signal to search engines that your website is valuable and trustworthy.
Additionally, it's crucial to ensure that the content on your website incorporates the top search terms and keywords relevant to your farming business.
Some websites like Ahrefs, SEMrush or Moz allow you to search terms and groups of words to see which would perform better.
You can add these keywords to different sections of your website, pictures and video description and even blog articles. By strategically including these keywords in your website's content, you improve its visibility and make it more likely to appear in search results.
You can also check out completely free tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest and Answer the Public, but keep in mind that they’re less versatile in their features.
Overall, implementing effective SEO techniques can significantly enhance your online presence and attract more potential customers to your farming business.
Social media and digital marketing content
I want to be transparent with you: planning and creating content demands time! That’s why you have to choose wisely where you’ll put in the effort.
Some people won’t have any problem juggling multiple social media platforms, but you should never spread yourself thin. You should focus on 1 social media platform where you’ll be willing to create and maintain content and engage. After a while, if you have the time and energy, you can add another one.
You can pick one of these popular social media platforms:
Facebook - The "Yellow Pages" of social;
Instagram;
Tik Tok;
Twitter.
Creating content for your website and your social media profile(s) is crucial to your e-farming marketing strategy and is a never-ending work in progress.
That’s why you must always put aside a bit of time to:
Create new visual and textual content that tells the story of your farming business or organization indirectly;
Collect content created by others that comments on or reflects on your business or organization;
Curate and select collected content that relates to your farm and share it.
Investing time in creating and scheduling content can lead to a more organized, impactful, and successful social media presence.
Popular tools like Later and Buffer streamline the scheduling process, making it easier to plan and execute your social media strategy effectively. Some tools can even provide insights into optimal posting times and suggested hashtags, helping you maximize your reach and engagement.
Additionally, scheduling allows you to efficiently manage your time by dedicating specific periods for content creation. By reviewing analytics on impressions and engagement, you can gauge the effectiveness of your content or Call to Action (CTA) and make informed decisions on future content strategies.
Plan content based on your business activities
Working as a farmer or market gardener is a very demanding job, especially during the high season. That’s why Mieko Ozki and Taylor Katz, who taught me all of this during the previous NOFA-VT winter event, suggest that you should always plan your content according to your business activities.
Here’s what they came up with.
Q1: Jan - March
You actually have time to think!
Re-introduce your farming business, its products, services and purpose.
Share your plans for the season ahead - changes, improvements, etc. Get chatty.
Sell your CSA/summer offerings.
Post about hiring.
Draft content for summer and fall months.
Q2: April-June
Time starts feeling crunched!
Let customers know if CSAs/other preorders are still open, also what you are offering now, when your farmstand is opening, etc.
Updates on what to expect from your business this growing season.
Flesh-out drafted content for summer and fall months (not including photos).
Q3: July-Sept
You have zero time to do marketing, let alone sit down to eat or talk to your loved ones!
Pull up drafted emails, and fill in some short details about harvests, haying updates, animal updates, etc.
Add recent photos, add recipes, and tell a tiny recent story.
Share about events/markets, etc.
Q4: Oct-Dec
The pace slows a little, but still so much to do outside before the snow flies!
Utilize drafted emails with up-to-date photos.
Offer a few seasonal wrap-up thoughts: wins, losses, laughs.
Educate about holiday offerings, and what is going on for the business as the year ends.
Successful content themes you can use
By the way, here are a few content themes you can use to get started or if you ever run out of ideas!
What’s your agricultural process?
Tell something about your products or services! Present the classics, the most popular, the newest addition, the most underrated, etc.
Tell a story about your farm, your team or yourself!
Do you have any collaborations going on right now? If yes, shine a light on them!
Inform your customers about any contests or giveaways you’re doing.
Create engagement for your farming business
One way to create engagement for your business is to directly engage with your customers via video posts - like reels, stories, Livestream, posts, etc. - or messages (DMs) and comments on posts.
Being responsive is another great way to engage with your customers. Make sure, as much as possible, to respond within a couple of hours to messages or comments.
The more efficient you are at managing your farming business’ reputation, the more likely you are to create a strong bond and engagement with your customers. To successfully do so, you should:
Keep your website and content up to date.
Utilize social media to amplify the content on your website.
ALWAYS have a link to your website in the press, email signature, newsletters, etc.
Monitor your Google, Yelp, Facebook, and Trip Advisor reviews.
My friend, here we are, at the end of our journey on the e-farming marketing train.
You are now more equipped with knowledge than you could ever have fathomed at the start, but there’s still so much to do and see!
As a wise person once said, the end of a journey is the beginning of another.
If you still have questions or need guidance for the rest of your e-farming marketing adventure, don’t hesitate to write in the comments section and I’ll be here for you.
Until we meet again! If you liked this blog series, subscribe to our newsletter for more content like this!
