Will it Become a Must to Tell Your Farm Story?
Does your operation have any social media accounts? Leah Halverson, CEO and founder of Ten Acre Marketing, says it should.
As you sit in your combine or tractor cab this harvest, consider what passersbys are thinking about your work.
Do you want them to draw their own conclusions about what farming practices are carried out on your operation, or do you want to be the one telling the story?
Be Proactive
Halverson told Andrew McCrea, Farming the Countryside host, this concept is what brought her into the marketing business.
“I remember when I first told my dad and brother that we need to get on social media,” Halverson said in an episode of Farming the Countryside. “My dad said, ‘But then everybody’s going to know what we’re doing!’ This led to what we call a drive by—we decided if you can drive by and see what we’re doing on the farm, then we should be able to talk about it.”
Guiding producers farm narrative through this drive by concept is what Halverson does each day at her business. However, she says not all producers are keen on every marketing idea her team proposes.
Ten Acre Marketing helps growers who do and don’t like the idea of communicating their farm’s story to the world of social media. Halverson says even the farmers who don’t want a social presence still have avenues to share information.
“Like with anything, if you don’t like a task and don’t want to do it, doing nothing is better than doing it poorly,” she says.
Halverson says making the decision to share your story and establishing boundaries for the platforms you’re willing to use to share your farm's story should be step one of your marketing plan.
Have a Gameplan
Deciding your operation should have a social media presence is one hurdle but putting it into action is another. According to Halverson, producers have to ask themselves one question: what am I trying to do?
“Ask yourself what you’re looking for—more land, new labor, hopes to solidify relationships with your lenders or your equipment and chemical guys,” she says.
After you’ve established your big objective, it’s time to think about money. Halverson suggests producers consider what time, money and resources they want to invest and then carefully begin playing the chess pieces.
“You can put random content out and hope for the best, but I don’t think farmers have time to do this stuff for fun,” Halverson says. "It has to be more thought out than that."
Meaningful Marketing Moves
Halverson says, despite popular opinion, consumers do care about a farm's story because that helps them to understand where their food comes from. And, it gives producers a chance to help affect change.
The execution is what can make or break an operation, which is why the Ten Acre team suggests you consider your words carefully, or hire a professional to write them out for you.
“Farm stories can get a little too technical. If we back up and start from the basics of this is what we do, why we do it, why we love it, show our family and tell an authentic story, that will set a strong foundation for trust and lead to other conversations,” says Halverson.
Get Ahead While You Can
While these marketing stories are optional now, some, including Halverson, speculate telling your farm story will one day be “the price of poker.”
“I don’t think you should be worried about getting asked about your operation’s practices, but I think you should be expecting that it’ll be part of your checklist each year in the future,” she says. “If that time comes, we have to make sure we have messaging and branding in place, and that we’re following through with it.”
Even with marketing plans in place, unexpected events can upend any operation, and its marketing roadmap.
Halverson says farmers are used to being flexible when plans change in the office and field, and they’ll have to be ready to use that same flexibility when marketing the farm's story. However, she says producers don’t have to do it alone.
“Go to your local associations, read publications and go online. There’s a wealth of information available to anyone looking to do this,” says Halverson. “Find your favorite neighbor or grower, see what tactics they’re using for a website or social media and talk with them about it."
The bottom line, according to Halverson: Don’t be bashful in your quest to finding the answers, learning new skills, and working to build up your operation—it just might pay off.
More from Andrew McCrea:
The Story of Old Ben: The Biggest Beef Ever
American Countryside: A Woolen Mill Comeback
Meet the Farm Kid Who Became the Youngest Green Beret on a Daring U.S. Military Mission
