#306: How to Get Customers to Drive to Your Rural Farm (Even With Cheaper Farms Nearby)

#306: How to Get Customers to Drive to Your Rural Farm (Even With Cheaper Farms Nearby)

Cheaper farm down the road sinking your sales? It's not your prices. It's a skill gap, and it's fixable. In the final episode of our 4-part farm marketing foundation series, Charlotte breaks down exactly how to get customers to drive out of their way to a rural farm, keep them coming back season after season, and stop fearing the cheaper competition. You'll hear how one client, Valerie in Pennsylvania, 10x'd her farm stand sales in six months, with five other farm stands, six weekly farmers markets, and cheaper butcher shops all surrounding her, and a farm building you can't even see from the road. Inside this episode: * Why relationship (not price) is what makes someone drive past five cheaper farms to get to yours * The real reason customers don't come back after the first sale * How to build your email list at community events, pop-ups, and partnerships * Off-season email strategy that keeps customers loyal year after year * How far in advance to market wedding flowers, CSAs, and seasonal products * The 5-day launch framework that has farmers selling out in one week This is the long-game foundation that has farmers in the Profitable Farmer program selling out, charging their worth, and serving customers for an average of five years. If you're a farmer wondering why people aren't finding you, or why they're not coming back, this is the episode that ties the whole marketing foundation together.

#305: Why Your Farm Sells Out But Still Doesn't Pay You

FREE Event: Farm Marketing Week - June 2026 Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] You loaded the truck before sunrise. You stood on your feet for eight hours smiling at every customer. You sold almost everything you brought. Then you sat down in the cab, did the math, and somehow it still didn't add up. If that's where you are right now, this episode is for you. In this episode, Charlotte breaks down why so many farmers are selling out but still not paying themselves - and it's not what you've been told. It's not your prices. It's not your photos. It's not the platform you're on. It's branding. And not the kind with logos and fonts. What you'll learn: * The real reason hard-working farmers still can't pay themselves * Why describing your farm and your practices is killing your sales * The shift that makes price stop being an argument * How to attract loyal customers who stay season after season * What changes (and what doesn't) once you figure out your brand Join Farm Marketing Week — FREE Starting Friday, June 12th, Charlotte is hosting a full week of free live trainings for farmers ready to finally pay themselves. Live website reviews, the Power of One exercise, Q&A with current students, and live coaching on the last day. Sign up free 👉 https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclasscharlottemsmith.com/masterclass [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] Can't make 10am Pacific? Days 1 and 2 are recorded. Days 3–5 are live only. About Charlotte Smith Charlotte works with about 300 farmers a year across all 50 states and 15 countries — flower growers, meat producers, dairies, cheese makers, vegetable farms, CSAs, agritourism operators, and more. She teaches farm marketing and, inside The Profitable Farmer, her team does the marketing for you. 🌐 charlottemsmith.com 🎓 charlottemsmith.com/masterclass [http://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] If this episode hit home, share it with another farmer who needs to hear it. And follow the show so you don't miss what's next.

#304: Why Your Farm Isn't Profitable (Even When You're Selling Out)

FREE Two Day Event: Farm Marketing Week - June 2026 Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] Click HERE and Let's Meet! [https://charlottemsmith.com/strategy] Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery. You sell out every market. Customers rave. So why can't you pay yourself? If you've built something real on your farm and the math still isn't adding up, this episode is for you. Farm marketing coach Charlotte Smith breaks down the single shift that separates farms that sell out and stay broke from farms that sell out and finally turn a profit. Spoiler: it's not your prices. It's not your photos. It's not "pasture-raised" or "organic" or your logo. It's branding — and not the kind you think. In this episode: * The real reason hardworking farms can't pay the farmer * Why labels and farm practices don't sell (and what does) * What branding actually means (it's not visual identity) * How to stop competing on price * The "Power of One" focus shift that fast-tracks profitability 🌱 FREE TRAINING Farm Marketing Week (free live online event): charlottemsmith.com/masterclass [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] 🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE APP Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere podcasts are streamed. 📩 STAY CONNECTED Website: charlottemsmith.com [https://charlottemsmith.com/]

#303: How Shari 7X'd Her Dahlia Tuber Sales in the Dahlia Capital of the U.S.

FREE Two Day Event: Farm Marketing Week - June 2026 Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] Click HERE and Let's Meet! [https://charlottemsmith.com/strategy] Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery. Shari Kruyswijk lost half her dahlias to a virus in 2024. She and her husband stared down 600+ tubers on their one-third acre in Lynden, Washington — the dahlia capital of the U.S., surrounded by competing farms — wondering how they were ever going to sell them. She joined my program in October. Her first launch in January 7X'd her previous year's sales. In this episode, Shari shares exactly what shifted: • Why she stopped trying to do weddings, classes, subscriptions AND tubers — and how focusing on one thing finally made her profitable • The mindset and calendaring work she didn't think she needed (and now can't stop using) • How she rewired her thinking around "too much competition" in a saturated market • The email-writing approach that turned her launch around • What it's like to run a farm with a less-stressed wife (in her husband's words) Shari is proof that you don't need the perfect location, the perfect website, or an empty market to build a profitable flower farm. You need the right skills and the willingness to learn them. 🌸 Want to learn the marketing approach Shari used? Sign up for my free masterclass: charlottemsmith.com/masterclass [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass]

#302: Why Your Farm Emails Aren't Selling – and How to Fix It

FREE Two Day Event: Farm Marketing Week - June 2026 Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] Does Email Marketing Actually Work for Farms — and Why Are My Emails Going to the Promotions Folder? Email marketing is the most powerful tool a farm has — when it's done right. This episode covers why email outperforms every other platform, why your emails might be sitting unread in the promotions folder, and exactly what to send your list once you have one. Why is email marketing more effective than social media for farms? Email marketing is estimated to be thousands of times more effective than other marketing platforms because subscribers have given explicit permission to be contacted, there's no algorithm filtering your message, and you own the list. Social media is where people scroll. Email is where people buy. When someone is ready to make a purchasing decision, they go to their inbox, because that's where trust lives. Why are my farm emails going to the promotions folder? Emails go to the promotions folder for two main reasons: deliverability problems (account setup, sending patterns, list hygiene) and weak subject lines that don't earn the open. Both are skill gaps, not signs that email marketing doesn't work. Subject lines are the single most fixable variable. They need to feel personal, specific, curious, or directly tied to a problem your reader has right now. Generic subject lines like "Farm Update" get ignored every time. How do you write farm email subject lines that actually get opened? Write subject lines that sound like a friend texting you, not a marketer broadcasting an announcement. Think about your own inbox: you open emails that feel personal, that hit on something you care about, or that promise to solve a real problem. Subject lines like "The 5:30 freezer moment" outperform "Farm Update" because they're specific to a real situation your customer experiences. How do you build a farm email list from scratch? Build your list through three channels: a lead magnet on your website, social media posts that funnel people to your list, and in-person opportunities like library workshops, garden clubs, and partnerships with local wellness businesses. A great example: Charlotte's student Cassie built "5 High-Protein Dinners to Simplify Your Life." Five recipes featuring her ground beef, with a meal plan and her phone number on the last page. Made in Canva in an afternoon. Other farmers asked her for the file before she finished showing it. What should farmers email their customers about? Email about things your customers actually care about: their lives, problems, and goals. Not just what's available this week. Pure transactional emails ("Eggs available, $6/dozen") feel like a stranger asking for money. Story-based emails build relationship. Charlotte once sold out of London broil she didn't know what to do with by sending one email with a recipe and the story of how she figured it out. Relationship comes first; the sale follows naturally. How often should farmers email their customers? More often than you think. At least weekly during selling seasons, and consistently year-round to stay top of mind. A cold list is hard to sell to. The goal is for customers to see your name in their inbox and feel something positive. Not every email is a pitch. Some are stories, some are tips, some are farm updates, and the rhythm matters more than the perfection. Can someone write farm marketing emails for me? Short answer: yes. For the June 2026 cohort of the Profitable Farmer Marketing program, full-pay students get a private 2.5-hour session with Charlotte's operations lead, Rebecca, who builds an entire year of marketing assets specifically for their farm. This includes the lead magnet, welcome sequence, weekly emails laid out across the year, seasonal launch emails, and matching social posts (all customized to your customer interview language). The first farmer who tested this cried when she saw it. This bonus is only available for full-pay June 2026 enrollment; the next opportunity is October. Resources mentioned in this episode: * Free email marketing course for farmers - charlottemsmith.com/free-email-course [https://courses.3cowmarketing.com/email-challenge] * Profitable Farmer Marketing program — June 2026 cohort opens with 'The Power of One' welcome workshop on Tuesday, June 23rd. Full-pay enrollment includes the done-for-you year-of-marketing-assets bonus. Sign up at charlottemsmith.com/masterclass [http://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] FAQ Q: What email platform should farmers use? Kit (formerly ConvertKit) and MailerLite both have free tiers under 1,000 subscribers and work well for farms. Pick one and learn it well rather than switching tools. Q: How long should a farm marketing email be? Long enough to tell the story, short enough that nothing extra survives. Most strong farm emails land between 200 and 500 words. Q: Will my customers unsubscribe if I email weekly? Some will, and that's fine — those weren't your customers anyway. The right people will look forward to your emails. Q: Do I need to write a year of emails before I start? No. Start with one email a week. The discipline matters more than the inventory. Q: How do I avoid sounding salesy in my emails? Read every email out loud before sending. If you wouldn't say it to a friend at your kitchen table, rewrite it. Connect with Charlotte Sign up for Farm Marketing Week at charlottemsmith.com/masterclass [http://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass]. Subscribe and Review Subscribe to The Profitable Mindset Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. And consider leaving a review. Your reviews help other farmers find this work. Click HERE and Let's Meet! [https://charlottemsmith.com/strategy] Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.