Designs For Equines - Tips for developing a marketing plan for your equine business

Print Ad Marketing

26 Nov 2008 9:53 pm

Print ads come in several forms, from simple business cards to information packages about your business, to magazine ads. You should consider several different aspects when planning a print ad campaign for your business. You need to determine your specific market base, make sure you print material will appeal to your base, and carefully consider timing. Who are your preferred clientele? Think about the people you need to reach with your advertising and ask yourself several questions: Read More...

Improving Business Opportunities

26 Nov 2008 4:50 pm

Do you wonder why it always seems as if "the other guy" is getting all the business meant for you? You have quality products or services, but for some reason you can't seem to get your piece of the proverbial pie? There could be several reasons for this - location, quantity, networking, and perhaps the most important, advertising. If you want to increase your client base, it is important to address these factors to help level the playing field and increase your share of the market. Click here to read more...

Business Cards

27 Nov 2008 12:25 pm

Do not overlook the importance or convenience of using business cards to promote your equine business. This neat, perfectly sized index of information about your farm or business zeros in on your business, what it offers, and how to contact you. They are easy to carry with you so you can whip one out every time you talk to a potential client. They can also be tacked onto a bulletin board at local shops or stacked near the cash register for any interested party to pick up and take home. They can be slipped into Christmas cards and any correspondence you have with others. They can be passed along from someone who picked them up to friends of theirs. Get into the habit of carrying your business cards with you and give them away generously. Each card represents a potential new client for your business. And best of all, business cards are a very inexpensive form of effective advertising. Click here to read more...

Websites As Advertising

27 Nov 2008 2:21 pm

If you do not have a website and your business needs to reach clientele outside of a 50 miles radius, you need a website. Actually, even if your business draws from a local client base, you still need a website. Websites offer so many advantages because they allow your customers to contact you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Yes, you might not be available to answer questions immediately, but if your website is well designed, most questions can be answered by simply typing in your domain address. The information is always current, unlike ads you might have placed in magazines issues years ago. Websites never get lost like business cards or other print material. Your website can reach millions of people across the globe. And websites are very inexpensive, which means you get a lot of "bang" for your advertising buck. Click here to read more...

A Full Page Design

27 Nov 2008 9:14 pm

If you are thinking about investing some of your profits into print advertising, a full page design is a good option. You can use it not only for flyers, but also magazine ads. Flyers stand alone and can be mailed or distributed locally, and they can also be included in a farm packet to hand out to perspective and current clients. Click here to read more...

Beat The Cost of National Publication Advertising

29 Nov 2008 1:08 pm

Have you priced a full page advertisement in any of the well known horse publications lately? A full color, one page ad can range in price from $1400 to $4500. Wow, I don't know about you, but that was always too pricey for my small breeding farm. Although the ads are beautiful and do reach thousands of readers already interested in the horse industry, I could not justify the price of selling a trained horse for just one ad in one magazine. So what is a small breeding or training facility to do? Easy - form an advertising Co-Op with other small breeding and training facilities. As a matter of fact, it worked so well for a group of Missouri Fox Trotter enthusiasts that even their registry got in on the act and formed a second co-op to help defer the costs of national advertising for the breed. It is a simple idea, costs little to nothing to organize, and yields huge benefits for the breed and the individuals who participate. All you need is a leader to organize the promotion event. Click here to read more...

Owning a Horse Business Means Winter Planning

11 Dec 2008 10:41 pm

Winter is here and that means show season is over, mares are already bred, foaling season is months away, and less outside activities are planned. The winter season is a time for horse business owners to rest, reflect, and start planning for the next year. When making your plans, you might want to consider your advertising plan and how effective it has been over the past year. Read more...

RSS Feeds and E-Newsletters

26 Dec 2008 10:41 pm

Why do major retail stores bombard you with flyers and catalogs in the mail and in newspapers? They are costly to mail, even at bulk rates, when sending to thousands and thousands of potential customers. They blanket the areas near a store with tempting sales, new products, and great photography of their items with cute kids and pretty models showing the items off in the best possible light. I can tell you it isn’t to brag about their goods for sale. Although some of the items are very nice, the major retail stores aren’t spending their dollars so you will have something to view. They know that properly displayed items and updated information sells. Period. Read more...

Client Demographics

31 Jan 2009 10:05 pm

Client demographic? Huh? I know what you are thinking: “I just have a small horse business and only want to sell a few horses, horse related items, or train a few horses a year. How does client demographic affect me? What is client demographic? I haven’t know what it is this long so why should I consider it now? “ But I suspect you have also pondered: “Why are some horse businesses so successful? How do they get those high prices for their horses and services? What was the buyer thinking when he bought that horse for twice what I am asking for the same or even higher quality horse? “ One of the reasons is most probably that the successful horse business knows it’s client demographic and markets accordingly. And with that said, it certainly doesn’t hurt to learn a little bit about client demographic and find out what yours is. Read more...

Website Design - Do It Yourself or Use A Service

28 Feb 2009 10:41 pm

Horse business owners need a website. Whether you sell trained trail horses, show horses, horse jewelry, foals, horse property, or your talents as a trainer or farrier, you need a website. Today, most everyone searches the Internet for items and services they want or need and your presence needs to be there so these clients can find you. If you are not located on the Web, you are losing thousands of potential clients who are looking for businesses just like yours. If you don’t do anything else to market your business, get your website on the Internet. To accomplish this, you can either build a site yourself or you can hire someone to do it for you. Read More...

That Special Photograph

01 Mar 2009 12:06 am

I can’t stress enough how important it is to have high quality photographs of your horses to use in your marketing campaign. No matter how skilled the designer might be, your flyers, website, stallion ads, or farm ads cannot show your business in the best possible professional way without good photographs. If you can afford to invest in a professional photographer, I suggest you schedule an appointment. Clean up your horses and pick the most beautiful spot possible as a backdrop and you will be astonished at the quality of photographs you will receive, and in turn, the stunning design work you will see on your print and Internet advertisements. But if you cannot afford to hire a professional or do not have access to one, you can still have beautiful photographs of your horses if you follow the steps outlined in this article. Read More...