142 Tips for Choosing the Right CSA Software for Your Farm
January 12, 2022 by Corinna
When is it time to get a CSA Management software? And how do you decide which one is best for you?
There are SO many options to choose from nowadays, and the it can feel overwhelming! Do you go with a CSA Customer Management System? Or do you just stick with an e-commerce platform?
I’ve noticed this is a roadblock for SO many farmers, and it keeps many of you from scaling your business.
In this episode, we cover the big questions you should mull over as you navigate this territory. I give you advice from many years of experience, AND I share some awesome resources to help you get started.
You can do this. Begin the journey.
Hit play and let’s get started!
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Some of the resources mentioned in this episode:
What are the different platforms to choose from? Check out these resources to help you shop:
- Farmer’s Guide to Direct Sales Software Platforms from the National Young Farmers Coalition
- Farmer to Farmer Exchange: E-commerce Platforms – a companion piece to the resource above offered by the CSA Innovation Network
- Grab my free resource: Choosing the Best CSA E-commerce Platform for Your Farm: the Complete List of Questions to Ask Before You Buy it will do exactly what it suggests! I’ve collected ALL the questions I could think of to help you decide which platform would be best for you. Print it out and circle the questions that matter to you.
Try Local Line – We use Local Line as our e-commerce platform. I am an affiliate for this awesome service. If you use my link, you’ll get one premium feature for FREE!
I mentioned my email service provider — ConvertKit. I LOVE this email provider, and Local Line now has an integration with it!! If you want to check it out, I am an affiliate for this product. Use my link here to try it out!
Head to my Facebook group CSA Marketing Discussion Group and do a search for the ecommerce platforms you’re considering by name. YOu’ll find all kinds of feedback from farmers like you!
Find my Facebook group for farmers! Next month in January, I’ll be running a special Facebook Live video series, called “Interviews with a CSA Farmer” where I interview 3 different successful CSA farmers from around the country. I’ll ask them to reveal the secrets to their success, what mistakes they made in their CSA careers, and what advice they would give to a rookie CSA farmer.
Register for my webinar “The 3 Mistakes Rookie CSA Farmers Make (And How to Avoid Them)” scheduled for Jan. 28, 12:00 PM EST. This is a free webinar, designed to help “new” CSA farmers learn the framework for a profitable and resilient CSA. At the end of the webinar, you’ll be invited to join my signature course “CSA Quickstart” designed for farmers who want to start a CSA from scratch and need a roadmap to get it fully implemented in 60 days.
If you’re a “new” CSA farmer, and you’re looking for help with how to build your CSA box plan, grab my Perfect Box Planner Guide.” This 13 page PDF will give you the formula for how to build your perfect box plan for next year’s season. Use this to guide your crop production plan this winter! Grab it here.
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My hope is to feature guests periodically on the show. If you know someone who is innovating in the area of marketing as a farmer, please send me an email at mydigitalfarmers@gmail.com.
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