Coming to the country life

Welcome! Thanks for logging on and finding out more about me and the "parallel universe" I tend to inhabit, agriculture. How did I get here? Telling you that seems the natural place to start.

I'm a communicator--a talker, connector and social educator. My story has all the elements of a good summer novel: misunderstood heroes, a rescue, passion, pride and love.

I started my career in design--the only thing other than talking that I was really good at. Who knew I wouldn't love it for the rest of my life?  :)

In 1998, I was rescued-- yes, I really do believe that's the right word--from a nightmare job by my good friend Mike Danna, director of public relations for the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation. Didn't know what it was, didn't know what they did, and for damn sure didn't know anything about agriculture. But I made the jump and wound up falling in love. Hard.  No, not with Mike, bless his heart--but with farming, ranching and a lifestyle that is at best seen as anachronistic and misunderstood, and at worst is mocked and devalued.

My first trip out to a sugarcane field in south Louisiana, about a week into the job, the producer I was to interview looked at me about two minutes after I got out of the car and said, "Darlin', you don't know anything about farming, do you?"  Busted.  Then and there I realized: there's no getting over on a farmer. They're smart people, and they've got your number, Slick.

"No sir, I don't," I said. "But I know how to tell stories, and if you'll tell me about what you do, I'll tell your story the best I know how," and that seemed to satisfy him. 

Telling those stories satisfied me, too. For 10 years until I moved to Atlanta, I worked with the farmers and ranchers of Louisiana and their families. I learned enough about agriculture to be dangerous. I also learned a tremendous amount about the people of rural communities who are very different from the folks "in town." I learned about life, death, the extraordinary dangers that come with farming and that, if you come to a producer's house for an interview, you'd better expect to sit down to a huge home-cooked meal before you go or you'll insult his wife or mama. I gained about 15 pounds my first year at Farm Bureau.

I have become a passionate advocate for the rural communities and citizens of our nation. They are some of the finest, kindest, most honorable people in the world  who, every day, do a job every one of us depends on to live. These people feed and clothe us, and provide shelter to protect our bodies. yet even today the perception of farming is negative and, if you think of farmers at all, you likely imagine an old man in overalls on a small tractor. That couldn't be further from the truth, and that's the story I make my living telling. Keep coming back and you'll learn something every time (I hope), whether it's thought-provoking, funny or weird. You might also learn more about my family or work--for me, anything and everything is up for discussion. Glad you came to visit--stop on by again soon!


Tuesday, November 11, 2008

It ain't sexy, but you've gotta do it

Since the beginning of the year, I've been working with my friend and client, Karen Schumacher, on reintroducing her pure soy candles to the public. Defining a strategy, users, a new look--even a new name, Heirloom Candles--was fun and sexy and exciting, and we are SO PROUD of the outcome. It was a blast working on the redesign and messaging. Except...now we have to sell some luxury candles, in an economy that's pretty much tanked, using PR instead of advertising because there just isn't a budget for advertising.

Now, I don't know anyone who loves cold-calling prospective clients. And I don't know anyone who loves a rejection letter--thankfully we've only gotten a couple of those.  But the fact of the matter is: once the sexy stuff is done, the grunt work of marketing begins.
Prior to redesigning Karen's candles, we spent a LOT of time on messaging: who are we targeting with this product? How and where do we hope to sell it? What makes Heirloom Candles different? How do we price them? What is our budget? If you haven't figured out your messaging fundamentals, get busy. You can't get "there" without a plan.
Once you've figured out fundamental messaging and goals, you need to reach out to the right people in the right places.
Considerable time must be spent on developing lists: store buyer lists,  media lists, "expert" lists...lists of every type for every occasion. And because one-size-fits all letters look like just that, you also need to spend some time tailoring your communications to the appropriate audience. "To Whom It May Concern" just doesn't cut it when the whole Internet is out there to help you find the specific contact information you need.
Then, when your communications are prepped and your lists have been vetted, it's time to get on the phone, write those notes and reach out to the folks you want to know you and your product. There's no easy solution--pitching a product or service requires two things: time and perseverance. And maybe patience! The payoff comes when you reach someone who says "we were just talking about that! I'd LOVE to see and hear more!" While it's no guarantee they'll stock you, it certainly puts a little wind in your sails and encourages you to dial that phone again. Because marketing and sales are fundamentally numbers games. The more you call, the more folks become likely to take a look at you and  your product.  Grunt work isn't sexy, but it's what makes things happen for you and your company. So take a deep breath and dive in...business is better when you do.

at 7:54 AM

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