BF 205: Social Media & Online Marketing

Attract More Customers with a Strategic Farm Presence Online

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Attract More Customers with a Strategic Farm Presence Online

Are webpages still useful? Does Facebook drive sales in real life? What do hashtags do? What kinds of photos do customers respond to? What are good strategies for low-cost online sales/marketing? What is Square and should I be using it? If you’ve been struggling with questions like these for your farm, this course is a great starting place for you. Taught by farmers and other ag professionals, you’ll get real-life, practical ideas and explanations to help you build a successful online presence, grow your customer base, and sell more product.

Target Audience

This course is for aspiring, new, or experienced farmers, but it assumes participants will be beginner to intermediate social media/online marketing users who are interested in polishing and expanding their skills for increased social media traffic and online marketing for farm businesses. Students should have basic digital proficiency, including use of email, internet searches, and may already have some personal and/or business social media accounts set up, including Facebook, Instagram, etc. The course is not geared to advanced online marketing users and/or those who anticipate the majority of their farm sales to come from online sources.

Course Objectives

The course is designed to improve your understanding of social media, online marketing ideas and tools that may increase sales and increase awareness about your business. From experienced farmers and farm service providers, you will learn:

  • Some of the more common tools and strategies to attract followers online,
  • How to drive customers to sales locations (online or real-life)
  • Marketing planning activities, including distribution, pricing, customer demographics and sales region.
  • Tips for improving photos, videos, graphics, memes, and more.

Webinar Activities & Topics

This five-week class will include content by instructor/s, including marketing planning, photography, and more. The classes will feature three farmers who will share experiences in building a farm business and how they use social media/online marketing in business. Two to three agri-service professionals will provide overviews of social media, online marketing, digital sales tools and strategies.

Webinar Schedule

Live instruction for the 2021-2022 season will begin on Thurs. Jan 13, 2022 from 6-7:30pm Eastern time, and continue for 6 weeks, with the final webinar on Thurs. Feb 17. While we encourage live attendance so you have the opportunity to engage with the presenters and ask questions, all webinars we will be posted in our online classroom for students to watch anytime.


Your Instructor


Rebecca Schuelke Staehr
Rebecca Schuelke Staehr

Rebecca Schuelke Staehr owns and operates Cayuga Pumpkin Barn, a seasonal vegetable farm and roadside stand in Springport, Cayuga County, NY. Rebecca and her husband Ed own an operate a grain crop farm, Staehr Family Farm. Corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa and more and grown using conventional farming practices, certified organic, and certified non-GMO farming.

She has worked for Cornell Cooperative Extension and the NY Farm Viability Institute. She is a past chair of CADE, the Center for Agricultural Development & Entrepreneurship. Rebecca serves on the board of Cayuga County Farm Bureau. She has taught classes in business planning, time management for beginning farmers, starting a farmstead cheese/dairy value-added operation, and more.


Course Curriculum


  General Course Resources
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  Week One: Getting Started: Sites & Tools for Online & Social Media Promotion and Sales
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  Week Two: Marketing Planning: Defining My Customer, Sales Region, Producing Pricing and more
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  Week Three: Lookin' Good: Creating Engaging Posts, Photos, & Graphics
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  Week Four: Social Media Posts for Profits & Ag-vocacy
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  Week Five: Online Sales & Creating a Road Map: Developing a Plan for Your Farm's Online Marketing Goals and Timeline
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Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course officially starts on the date given above, when the instructor gets involved and begins hosting live weekly webinars. If you are registering after the webinars have concluded for the year, you will have immediate access to all the course materials, and will be able to participate in the next year's webinars if you choose to.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 7 days and we will give you a full refund.

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