The Farmer’s Best Friend: Digital Content

Tractors. Fertilizer. A digital camera. 

What do these things have in common? 

They’re all tools farmers need to be successful in 2020. 

Everyone is a potential influencer in our always-on, social media-driven era — even the guy who is mucking out stalls in the morning and pulling weeds in the afternoon. Increasingly, content has become a new revenue stream for farmers — in some cases, the only revenue stream — allowing small farms to thrive in tough economic times. 

The New York Times reported one duck farmer in Vermont rakes in around $2,500 to $4,000 a month through advertising on his YouTube channel — “about eight times what he earns from selling farm products.” Others sell their expertise instead of their products. Of course, not every farmer can be an influencer — spending more time editing videos than they do in their fields, but if you’re in the business of selling products direct to consumers, you need content!  (John Deere has known this for decades.)

Back in 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that “7,398 farms in the United States sold products directly to consumers through a community supported agriculture (CSA) arrangement. CSA's accounted for $226 million (or 7 percent) of the $3 billion in direct-to-consumer sales by farms.” In some areas — ahem, we’re looking at you New England — farmer’s markets and local CSAs are easy to come by. In rural areas, consumers are often spoiled for choice when it comes to fresh organic vegetables, local free-range eggs, and delicious, delicious chevre. 

So if you want to stand out from the rest of the herd, it’s time to get your social media and content game on point!

Farms are fertile ground for content

Farms are fascinating. Whether you’re raising animals, vegetables, or minerals (just go with me on this one!), I guarantee your farm is filled with exciting stories that your customers want to hear. Whether it’s a step-by-step guide on how you make your goat cheese (I’d call that series “From Teat to Table” if I were you) or a how-to on combatting striped cucumber beetle with organic methods, I guarantee you have knowledge to share and stories to tell. 

Let’s imagine for a moment a tale of two farms. They’re located a few miles away from each other in a relatively well off community that likes to support local farmers. They both sell organic fruits and vegetables. One maintains an active social media presence — regularly posting pictures of the day’s harvest, telling cute stories about the hens who lay the eggs they slightly overcharge customers for, and gives consumers a behind-the-scenes look at life on a farm. The other… well… doesn’t. Which farm do you think will reach more new customers? Which farm do you think will enjoy a more loyal following?

Increasingly, consumers want to have personal relationships with the brands they support. If that’s true of shoe and car companies, you can bet it goes double for small businesses where customers are putting a premium on the value of personalized service. And people who are willing to pay extra to support their local farmers and the farm-to-table movement will value getting to know the hens that lay their eggs.

Finding time for content creation

But, I get it, you didn’t get into farming to spend your days behind a computer or clicking around on your phone. And if you’re operating a profitable farm, we aren’t suggesting you need to devote hours a week to cultivating your online presence. But we are advising you to find a way to spend at least a little bit of time to make sure the competition isn’t drowning out your voice.

If you’re lucky enough to have a teenager around, it probably won’t be too hard to convince them to run your social media. But if you don’t have a family member who is glued to their smartphone, then there are other options out there.

Here at Quiet Corner Communications, we love farmers — literally. Our significant others are farmers, and we enjoy nothing more than spending a little time wandering in the fields, checking on the chickens, and figuring out what to do with all the squash and tomatoes they bring home. So we’d also love to help you find your voice, boost your signal, and bring your farm’s story to the masses. 

Drop us a note to tell us a little about your farm (please send pics)!