This article, written by Archer Creative, was also published in Chaff Chat.
Want to fast track successful marketing for your horse business? It’s time to get back to basics with a simple marketing plan, so you can drive more sales and acquire more customers.
When it comes to effective equestrian marketing, let’s get one thing straight: you don’t need a large team or a big budget, you need a simple, results-driven and straightforward approach.
A successful marketing plan must be scalable. From large international companies to family-run businesses, effective marketing is the key cornerstone to making sales. And making sales means your equine business is growing.
So, where do you start?
Part One of this four-part series explained how you can create your own marketing plan by understanding your market position, listing your marketing objectives and crafting your key messaging. Now, we’re delving into print, online and event marketing for your equine business.
Print Advertising Channels
Before you begin researching possible advertising channels, it’s important you determine how much you can afford to spend on advertising per month. As your sales increase, so too should your marketing budget, but begin with a realistic figure you feel comfortable with.
Using something as simple as an Excel spreadsheet, you can create a 12 month planner for your print advertising. This planner should outline the publications, their distribution and readership, your campaign overview, your target audience and the estimated total cost.
As you research print publications, you need to review who your customers are. What publications are they reading, what type of advertising will they respond best to and how can you incentivise them to buy your product or service?
Online Advertising Channels
Your online advertising strategy may encompass several very different channels – from search engine optimisation (SEO) to social media. However, having a strong online presence is crucial for every horse business, as more and more customers turn to the internet to research, purchase and review.
Again, use a spreadsheet to help you plan out your activities in advance. Create new tabs for each type of online channel and be mindful of your budget as you develop any paid campaigns. You can also use a spreadsheet to start creating content, such as Facebook posts for the holidays.
In addition, you should outline how you plan to manage your website. Will you be collecting contact information via an opt-in form or adding a new blog post every month? Every website should be updated regularly for two reasons – to ensure your content is kept up-to-date for prospective customers and to help your website rank higher in search engines.
Events and Sponsorships
Finally, events offer an unparalleled opportunity to maximise ‘face time’ with your prospects and customers. What events will you be attending or sponsoring over the next 12 months and, more importantly, what do you hope to achieve by doing so?
When planning your event marketing, you need to begin by evaluating which events will be of most benefit to your equine business. If you’re located in a specific area or service a particular niche, then you need to find the events that cater for those types of customers.
Want to read more? Stay tuned for Part Three on content marketing, promotions and giveaways, and your marketing materials. We’ll show you how these marketing staples are crucial in building long-term relationships with your customers and increasing customer loyalty.
Looking for some outside support? Don’t wait for success, create it — with the experts in equine marketing, Archer Creative. To learn more about how we can help you exceed your growth goals, call us on 1300 077 126 or visit www.archercreative.net.au.
