72: Farm Marketing & Mindset with Charlotte Smith

Click here to learn more and register for the upcoming workshop with Charlotte Smith. 

 

Charlotte Smith swore she would never return to farming after a very difficult family farm bankruptcy while growing up. Spoiler: After some time working in the corporate world, she started a farm in 2009. She found that the time management, hiring, and interpersonal skills she had learned also really benefited her farm business. Others noticed too, and in 2013 she started teaching marketing to fellow farmers.

 

According to Smith, the longest-standing principle of marketing is connecting in person. Digital marketing is not a substitute, although it is a very valuable tool that she helps farmers learn to use productively. Challenging a common farmer belief of "I don't like people, that's why I became a farmer!", she believes that as farmers build relationships and connect in person with others, they start thinking about people and their farm product differently, and they start showing up better. Sales follow.

 

If you like what you learn in this episode, you may want to join our upcoming workshop! Learn more and register for the April 18, 2024 workshop with Charlotte Smith in St. Joseph, Minnesota: https://sfa-mn.org/events/three-crucial-steps-to-build-your-profitable-farm-with-charlotte-smith/

 

Charlotte's recommendations:

Mailchimp

Mailer Lite

Flodesk

Squarespace

Wix

Square

CharlotteMSmith.com

 

Charlotte Smith

Jonathan Kilpatrick, SFA Farmer Education Director

The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.

Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.

If you enjoy Dirt Rich, consider supporting our work by becoming a member of SFA or donating at www.sfa-mn.org.