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The Language You Need to Be Using in Your Marketing

You’re Not Selling What You Think You’re Selling…

Most farmers think they sell grass-fed beef, or raw milk, organic chicken or fresh flowers.

But when it comes to marketing, that language won’t help you stand out.

It looks just like your competitor!

What you’re selling is a solution to your customer’s problems.

You’re selling ‘that thing’ your product does for your customers — the reason they buy it.

For Example….

If I Google “Grass-fed beef near me” I find things like this:

“Beef — 100% grass fed and grass finished. Versatile Dexter breed. Call to purchase”

…or, “We raise our cattle on pasture that’s been fortified with minerals that most soil is lacking. The cows are rotated to fresh grass every 24 hours and they are never fed any grain.”

Unless you’re a farmer and you know this lingo, your eyes have glazed over and you’re ready to click on Facebook for something more entertaining.

But you stumble on my farm’s website and read through everything, finally landing on my Products Page where I describe what I sell.

You read, “Ground Beef: Easily the most versatile product we provide — you should always have plenty to spare for those nights you feel totally and completely uninspired and have no intention of getting there. Grill it, loaf it, fry it up with some kale and sweet potatoes for the ultimate Paleo dinner without much effort.”

And then, “Pastured Chicken: The ultimate in buying bulk, one of our chickens will feed your family for two nights with the effort of only one.  Roasted chicken the first night, lettuce wraps, enchiladas, or soup the next.  You’ll have enough time on the “leftovers” day to schedule that pedicure your toes are desperate for.  And the family still eats!”

In this case, I’m NOT selling Ground Beef and Pastured Chicken.

I’m selling the solution my product offers: quick, easy, healthy meals that any busy mom can make.

How do I know what my product does for people?  

I ask them!

When I ask you what you sell, I don’t want to hear that you sell grass-fed beef. I can run down the street to my local grocery store and find grass fed beef, so there’s no reason to drive out of my way to buy from you.

But if you sell a way to get a super healthy dinner on the table fast…or a way to feed their adopted baby formula when they can’t nurse… you are selling so much more than the products you raise.

You are selling a solution your customers are desperate for!

Since this may be a new concept for you, I’ve created an email template for you with the exact questions you can ask your customers to help you discover what your products do for them. Once they respond, you can use their words to market your product to all your other ideal customers.

You can download the email template here. You’ll also find a video I did about how other farmers are using this knowledge and language in their marketing and how they’re attracting new customers because of it. The video is only available for a limited time, so if you’re interested be sure to head on over!

In today’s world, where everyone is looking online for solutions to their struggles and help reaching their goals, you need to make sure your words on your website, your Facebook page, and your Instagram posts, are all connecting with your potential customers in this way.

So, if you’re ready to stand out from every other farmer, grocery store and home delivery meal service, check out the email template and video, and let’s get started.

As always, thanks for being here

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Charlotte Smith
Charlotte Smithhttp://www.3cowmarketing.com
Charlotte Smith farms in Oregon and is the founder of 3CowMarketing.com, an online marketing training company helping farmers across the nation learn relationship-based online marketing techniques to grow a successful, profitable farm business. Additionally, she hosts “The Profitable Farm with Charlotte Smith” private Facebook group, a community of farmers focused on connecting with others to learn, share and gain support. Due to her dedication to improving the soil, animals and the people who eat their products, In 2016 Charlotte was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Women in the World in Food and Agriculture by the non-profit, Food Tank. Charlotte is also the proud mother of a United States Marine, lives in St. Paul, Oregon on the farm with her husband, Marc, (a teacher) and her 2 daughters. You can visit Charlotte at 3CowMarketing.com or inside “The Profitable Farm with Charlotte Smith” Facebook Group.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Hi, Jamie –

    You’re so right – car salesman for sure – and the example I love to use is a Papa Murphy’s radio commercial. They nailed it!

    Most people know the “what” as you pointed out. Farmers interested in turning their sales upward will totally appreciate the “how” – it’s fun to see it in action.

  2. It’s called “Feature Benefit Selling” and it’s been a mainstay of professional salesmanship for many decades. People buy what the product does for them, not its specifications. Just listen to a car salesman sometime. Nothing new here, just its application, but congratulations on rediscovering it.

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