We do know that with good management, good advertising and outreach -- and of course you have to have good attractions -- that you can increase visitor traffic to various degrees, and you can increase farm revenues.

Rural experiences are a key part of the therapy people need as an urban escape. They want to take their kids to see goats and llamas. They themselves went to go out and learn to weave wool or pick vegetables or fruit. That's where the guides and maps come in.

Every year we have new ones. Agricultural tourism is growing. The object is to maximize direct sales. You do that by getting people coming through your front door or your front gate. Potentially it can make a big difference in profits or losses.

More and more marketers are on a quest to prove that marketing is more than advertising. Senior management has often grown up with traditional communications and has to be shown the value of promotion and integrated marketing.

For your business to stand out and succeed, you have to put a primary focus on the social media space, go in big (halfway will not do), and do it better than most, right from the start.

Brands that will survive and thrive from now on are those with C-level executives that understand the incredible opportunity new media offers them and commit to excellence in managing their social media presence.