Every business owner wants to attract customers to his store. It is not any different if you have a horse related business. Whether you own a farm, boarding stable, train horses for the public, have a feed and tack store or any of the other business that depends on the horse owning public.
Some think that if you have a WEB site, that is all you have to do. They have the assumption that the public will find you eventually and your business will prosper. Most find out that it takes more time than you have to make your business profitable.
Your advertising should include all available forms of the media. Print, TV spots, sponsorships of classes at horse shows, press releases, WEB sites, etc.
Print media are magazines, newspapers, directories, posters, and flyers among other forms of printed matter. Your advertising budget should include this form of advertising as a priority. You can use print to advertise your WEB site, upcoming events that you will be participating in, what your horses and owners are doing, open houses and other happenings at your place of business. You can advertise your horse for sale, special offerings of items or services, tack, and a multitude of other things that are horse related.
Most magazines have special rates for 3-6-12 month advertising. It does not have to be the same size each month. In fact, some magazines will let you carry a business card ad as part of your contract and give you the reduced rate. Always ask the sales representative what is the best rate they have available and what it consists of. How many photos, type of print, special promotions, (stallion issue, foal issue, etc.), that may be of help to you in advertising your business.
If you use a logo or catch phrase to describe your operation, use it consistently in every piece of advertising you do. This includes printed matter but your Internet site, TV ads, sponsorships, etc. Plan your advertising in advance. You should determine what your budget is for the year, what media you will use, and the size of each ad.
Showing or exhibiting your horses can be a form of advertising. Stallion auctions can be used as an advertising tool. Futurities can be useful in exhibiting your foals especially if you own the stallion and the foals are excellent representatives of your breeding program. If you are a trainer, showing the results of your training programs can be helpful in securing new customers and securing sponsorships from feed, tack and trailer manufacturers.
TV spots are available on your local cable provider at a very reasonable cost. They show programs that are suitable to their area’s viewing audience. In order to recover some of the cost of doing so they sell spots to local advertisers. These spots are dispersed throughout the program in place of the national advertising. You can pick the programs that you want your ads to appear in and reach a larger audience that is interested in horses and the industry as a whole. The cable provider probably has their own production company to film your ad but if they don’t, ask your local TV station if they have someone who does it for them. The money you pay for this service may seem high but you own the ad and it is professionally done. Home video does not work unless you are a very talented amateur. Hire a good announcer to do your voice over on your ad. Nothing turns people away like a poorly produced video.
A very useful piece of advertising is not really advertising. It is the use of press releases to your local newspaper and TV station about things happening at your business. I learned when I first got started and money was tight, that I could call the local newspaper and ask them if they would be interested in a story about what was going on in my barn. I only did this when something was going on that was news worthy. There is a difference between being news and just bragging. A World champion is news, selling a horse for a zillion dollars is news, having a new foal is news if it is a slow week or day. Talking about how many horses you have or how you beat the competition at a schooling show is just bragging. If you know the difference and only call the news editor or director when it is pertinent or people oriented, in time they will call you to see if you have something going on that is news.
WEB sites are just another tool of advertising. They should not be the only tool. Most of us are capable of building a web site using one of the software products available and our ISP’s web server. Take time to analyze what your site is to look like and what content you want it to have. In a time, where imitation is rampant, make yours look original. If you use the free sites, you may as well use your time doing something more useful. There are millions of them that do not receive many hits if any.
If you do not feel that you can produce a suitable site, contract with a reputable person who has sites that are running. Look at the sites, ask the owners if they are satisfied with their site and ask for references. There are many people advertising themselves as WEB designers who have only produced one site, their own. Find out what search engines they use and how to get your site on as many search engines as possible at a reasonable cost.
Use of print media such as magazines who have an Internet site can work in your favor. For a small fee, they will post your ad on their site and post a link to your WEB site. So you not only get print coverage and WEB coverage, you get potential customers to your homepage.
Open houses or clinics held by you at your farm, barn or stable is another form of publicity that entices the potential client to your business. To have a successful open house or clinic, one must utilize all of your advertising resources. Advertise your event well in advance of the date it is to be held. Ads should appear in print, press releases to the local newspapers, TV and your WEB site. If you have door prizes or special offers put them in your ads. What you want to happen is to entice people who have never seen your business to come and shop. You should have someone, who is familiar with your operation, greet them when they come in. If they have questions, answer them honestly and as quickly as possible. Your barn should be clean and in good shape. Broken fences, dirty stalls and poorly lit arenas will diminish the impression that you are trying to present.
Above all, be consistent with your advertising. It will pay off as you grow your horse business. Repetition makes an impression on prospective customers so that the next time they want to buy, board, breed or have a horse trained, they will think of you.
M. R. Bain has been a horseman all his life and a professional trainer since 1955. He is an owner and breeder and has been employed as a breeding and stable manager. His intent on writing these articles is to educate horse people on how to operate a successful horse business. You may contact him at MRBAIN@msn.com with your questions and comments. Also, look for his upcoming book, The Business of Horses--Creating A Successful Horse Business Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ralph_Bain |
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