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Savvy Equestrian - Horse Blog
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February 13, 2007 - 7:43 PM
When you pick up and move yourself to attend a 10 week event it takes a moment to land. Savvy is here reporting from Wellington Florida, winter home of many world class equestrians.
I've overhear conversdations regarding the HVI outbreak and the effect on the community of Wellington. I've seen wonderful displays of horsemanship in the few days I've attended shows.
I've felt the sorrow of learning of a great horse's demise and look forward to the unknown events that lay ahead.
There is nothing like the lifestyle of the horseman/woman. Others don't seem to understand. And in the end, there is no choice for those who are drawn to it. It is all consuming and the source of joy and sorrow, wealth, and more often, not so wealthy, Still, there is no replacement and we wouldn't change it for the world.
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January 29, 2007 - 4:01 PM
Is it worth it to go to big [or small] events to get face-to-face time with your clients and associates? That's a question I had to ask myself recently and came back with a resounding YES!
You do have to qualify this with the importance of the event, the number of events you're going to in a certain time frame and your resources. I had planned to spend a few weeks in Florida for the Winter Equestrian Festival when I was there last year [for one short week]. This year I wanted to attend for at least 4 weeks and had to juggle a bit to make it work. I leave on Monday.
So what’s the big deal? For 10 weeks its horses, horses, horses. And vendors [we do love products] and media. It’s the perfect place to be and the bonus is it’s warm and sunny.
For me, as publisher of Savvy Equestrian, it's important to make contact and get the word out about the site. We're a young site, so we need the exposure.
How about you? Do you have horses for sale? A breeding stallion? A product or service? It's important to get in front of your clients. It's important to feel a part of the community and to participate.
In the case of sales horses or stallions, showing is almost required, unless your horse already has a proved performance record. With so many to choose from, letting potential clients see for themselves often makes the difference. If your horse has presence, get it out there and show it off. The warm up ring is almost as good as the showring.
If you’re going to campaign, be sure to have up to date literature to hand out. Take full advantage of the opportunity, and remember the show photos. It’s a perfect opportunity to have professional work done without the cost of a farm call.
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January 18, 2007 - 5:21 PM
Hello and Best Wishes to Everyone
This new year seems to be taking off like a rocket and I have several clients gearing up to promote themselves in bigger and better ways.
One of the most important assets for any marketing campaign is photographic or video images. I would say this goes double for those dealing with horses. Horses often evoke an emotional response from people, so presenting them in the best light [figuratively and literally] can be a great advantage. On the other hand, a poorly focused or light photo or one with an unsightly background can turn people off. Bang, you’ve lost your advantage.
It's winter and in many places that means it's nearly impossible to get a good photo. If you're in a place with snow and evergreen trees, a nice winter scene could work. I wouldn't use it all year necessarily, but for now, it could work. If you are fortunate enough to be in a place that remains green this time of year - or it is the only green time of year - then take advantage of it and get some new shots. Digital cameras give you the option of checking to see if you have what you need as you go along.
Portraits and actions shots both have their place and more choices are certainly a good idea in this case. With that in mind, do your best to shoot some photos both vertically and horizontally. You never know what you may need, so plan for a variety of cases. If you're not very good with a camera - and you know if you are or not - get a professional [if at all possible] or a friend who has the knack. If you have to pay, it will be worth the money in the long run.
For advertising in equine publications, I would say definitely use a professional photo from a show or a farm shoot. I’ll give shoot day recommendations next time.
Thanks to Iron Spring Farm for permission to use this photo of Winand 405.
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January 3, 2007 - 6:16 PM
Happy New Year! This is such a special week. We are usually filled with relief that the holiday season is over and filled with anticipation for the coming year. It's a perfect time to reach out to your clients and business associates to remind them of your connection and invite future business.
What to do? You can run a special offer for orders arriving by a certain date [breedings or other items for sale]. Introduce a new product or service. Announce a new policy or procedure. It's always good to tap those you care for in business - as in your personal life - on the shoulder from time to time and acknowledge how important we are to each other.
If you do this with a true spirit of friendship and cooperation, it will be received well. At Savvy Equestrian we are not quite a year old, yet we have many people to recognize and appreciate for participating in the realization of our vision - I'll take this opportunity to do so publicly. If I forget someone important [and you'll know who you are] please forgive and know I'll catch up soon. Life is good!
Connie Wyatt - our Product Manger
Anydy Wyatt, blogger, photographer and supporter
Dave and Ariel – content contributors and supporters
Diana LaSalle – advisor and contributor
Mary Alice Malone - product reviews, recommendations
Christine de Herara - PR
Katherine Churchill - content contributor
Angie Sasso - content editor
Jane Savoiie - content contributor
Kathy Beck - retail advisor
Beezie, John and George - Master Equestrian Reviewers
John Madden - reviewer and supporter
Ron and Cogneato - site development
Meghan De Garay – supporter and advisor
Terri Miller – contributor
Pollyrich Farms - supporter
Mark Anglin - supporter
Paul Wahl and Tack n Togs - support and advice
Product Manufacturers - your participation is invaluable
Savvy site visitors - without you, it's nothing.
We hope that all your wishes come true and you and your horse and human families enjoy happiness, health and prosperity. So it is.
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December 1, 2006 - 12:00 AM
I'm going to spend a few moments on an unpleasant topic, SPAM. It's become such a huge problem that we've all had to accept the extra time and hassle to some extent. Here are a few tips that may help relieve the amount of spam you receive and where.
First of all, always have a separate account for signing up on sites or for newsletters and things like that. Use one of the free services like yahoo, hotmail or gmail. They have good spam filters.
Second never put your email address in an email or on a site unprotected. What does that mean? Use masking on your website and in emails you can separate the email address in a variety of ways.
myemail@
hotmail.com
myemail at hotmail.com
Masking an email address on a site is not too difficult but you may need your web specialist to do it for you. It takes some special coding that jumbles that address.
There are some extremely dedicated spammers out there, mostly from foreign countries collecting emails in any number of ways so they can sell unsuspecting targets penny stocks or bogus pharmaceuticals. I don't think it's any more nefarious than that, but still, it can ruin your day if you have the type of email that doesn't filter very much.
The third tip is to change your email address occasionally. If it's been around awhile it's bound to have been picked up one way or another.
If you have any questions, please ask and I'll do my best to answer.
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November 17, 2006 - 1:50 PM
It's that time of year again, and if you have a stallion to promote you should have your website up to date with show and inspection results.
Remember to post photos of offspring and any offspring results that you can round up. If you have trouble getting your web team to post these, pester them. It's time sensitive material and needs to be taken care of.
If you would like a consultation about a new or redesigned website or promoting your business you can contact Beckie at Energize.info.
Links:
[ Energize.info website ]
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November 11, 2006 - 9:49 AM
Of course your business should be online! But should you? This is a tough question and quite individual.
Without a doubt someone representing your business should be online daily. People should be able to email you and receive a reply within 2day - and that's the maximum. Ideally, that day or the next. If you do have to stretch it to 2 days - be sure to note that on your contact page so people don't think they're being ignored.
As for you. Let's say you’re from a generation that was more familiar with a typewriter or written letter and you haven't have the opportunities or necessity or even the desire to learn about all this computer stuff. You're busy and certainly all that time you spend in the barn, leaves little for the like of the glowing screen.
For you, I would say, learning email, for family and necessary communications is advised but only if it's not going to be a major trauma for you. Also, know that if you do have a personal email account - unlike your business concern - it really is up to you how often you use it. You never have to feel a slave to it. You are in control. If you do have the desire to learn, understand that it takes time and repetition and be gentle with yourself. It’s not nano technology, but it may take a few tries and a cheat sheet.
When all of this started 10 years ago I worked with the most accomplished people in their fields and saw them become frustrated beyond belief because they couldn't get it right away. It was new and different. Same for you today, and it's going to take a minute. We are not our children or our grandchildren who are practically born hard wired to understand.
So, I encourage everyone to at least give email a shot. If it keeps you up all night, leave it for someone else. Weigh your individual situation and go from there.
I do have to say though, there's a whole other world out there on the Internet. Personally, It's a resource and entertainment I would not want to be without. For business, your company MUST be present and you should research your market and take advantage of the resources. Your competitors are, you can be assured of that.
Ciao,
Beckie
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November 10, 2006 - 4:33 PM
The point is to use this blog to talk about marketing topics and things that are happening day to day in my business that may be interesting. Today I was in a moment of being overwhelmed by so many things on my TO DO list. It happens. I'm sure you can relate.
This applies to the marketing topic because we all have the best intentions and often get overwhelmed or bogged down and don't get things done. Worse, we feel bad about the fact and that eats up precious time and energy. Beating one’s self up is not something you'll hear me advocate. I say, do your best, there's a lot to do and I bet you're doing a great job.
That said, on those O days, here's what I do for myself. I write down 5 things I will absolutely accomplish. The things that just can't be let go or are most important to me. Other TO DOs I put on a different list and know they'll get done. I'm not going to worry about them or spend a bunch of energy on them today. Probably, by simply writing them down, things will come to me or sort themselves out anyway. It works that way.
Be sure to keep up with your marketing tasks, and also know that things will get done. Not everything has to be done today.
Have a great weekend. Take some time to enjoy everything you've accomplished so far. look forward to a good time going forward and watching your efforts bare fruit!
Ciao,
Beckie
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November 7, 2006 - 8:06 AM
One of the most important things about having a website [or a blog or a news section on a site] is to keep it fresh. You know that feeling of going to a site and it looks exactly the same as it did 2 years ago? Or it has the exact same content on the home page or news section that was there 6 months ago? You feel like you’ve come to visit someone and they’re not home. And not expected any time soon.
I definitely know how difficult it can be to keep content up to date, but it’s important in 80% of the cases. What about the other 20 %? These are simply brochure sites and can live for long periods of time without care. They don’t do much but may be exactly what is needed in certain circumstances, such as a local store to post hours and directions. A sampling of products lines sold. Perhaps the kind of things that really don’t change much. But do they ever have a sale? Some educational information to pass along? A bit of exciting news or an event? Even the most static of sites can freshen up if they give it a little thought.
I know you’re next question. What if I can’t get my site updated easily. Don’t you think I’d LIKE to have my site fresh?! Ok, I know there can be issues. I have to admit to delinquency at times myself, but that doesn’t mean you don’t aim for the ideal. In the beginning of your site building experience, be sure you know how the update procedure works. You’ll hopefully have a system that allows you to edit specified sections so you can add pics, news, sales horses, or whatever. Aside from that, that you have a development team that is responsive and will do your updates in a timely manner. The word timely is directly related to how busy they are and what update agreement you have, so plan ahead. Handing things of in an 'I need it yesterday' manner can be a real problem.
Launching your site with editable sections is the best way to go if you can afford it and, you will see in short time that any money you spend for this feature is well worth it. Being flexible, taking advantage of opportunities and making timely announcements, ‘We Won Grand Champion Stallion!”, can go a long way to up your credibility and bottom line.
Give me you ideas on this. We’ll bat them around.
Ciao,
Beckie
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November 4, 2006 - 2:29 PM
This installment has two purposes. One to discuss ways to build traffic on your website and the other to tell you how to win prizes on SavvyEquestrian.com. You're witnessing a test drive right here, so it's a learn-and-earn scenario, if you choose to participate.
During our proof of concept phase we talked with people in different parts of the country from different parts of the horse industry. We found that most people were excited about what Savvy Equestrian was proposing to create. Manufacturers have been especially excited to learn that we gathered an independent test team of credible, experiences horse people to provide unbiased reviews and rating for their products. Consumers said they look forward to the product reviews and some simply wanted to hear what Beezie, John or George have to say. The idea seemed solid and off we went, making the investment in time and money to get Savvy off the ground six months ago.
The Challenge
Getting the word out and building up a data base that enables us to stay in touch with our visitors is the biggest challenge. One of the first things anyone will ask you, when talking about e-marketing is 'do you have an email data base for your clients?' The importance of starting and maintaining this list can't be over stated and you certainly know that you want quality addresses, people that really are interested in what you have to say.
On the Savvy site, one way we're working to build our data base is to give prizes for people posting comments on the reviews and articles. This helps because you have to be a member [membership is free] in order to post. So we then have you in our data base.
We also offer our reviews in email form so you can get the latest without having to remember to come to the site. A new icon is being developed to make that service more obvious on the home page.
Learn From Our Mistakes
We originally built a signup page with a form that isn't very user friendly. I'm a little embarrassed about that, but it happens to the most experienced of us when they're working on many projects at once. Something important can slip through the cracks. Now that it has my attention, I'll streamline the form so it's extra easy to sign up and still give us what we need to help build traffic.
So
If you like what you’re seeing on Savvy, please sign up for membership and comment. Our team will do our best to give you interesting, valuable information on a regular basis. Let me know if there's anything else we can do - as I said before, I'm always open to learn something new and hear other's opinions.
Next we can talk about other ways to build traffic on your site.
Ciao,
Beckie
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November 2, 2006 - 9:39 AM
I had a call the other day from a man who owns a small horse farm. He has a couple of mares and breeds them each year to champion stallions. He'd like to promote his farm, the horses for sale and the farm's boarding services. He asked how to get started. He said he found me through the Iron Spring Farm website, that he liked it but didn’t need anything that elaborate. I said not many do, what did he have in mind.
My first question was what type of site is he interested in? “Do you see it as a brochure type of site - one that gives the basic information and isn't updated very much. Those usually only have a few pages and are the most economical.” He asked how much. In the neighborhood of $1500, which includes advice from an expert in the field.
He said that he wanted to have a photo gallery that he could upload images to and a news page that could be kept current. Well, that's a different story and a better site. Of course, it will cost more in time, energy and money to produce. What price range are we talking about? Probably starting around $4000.
Next I asked him to send a list of the pages or information areas he has in mind and what content he'd like to edit. Oh, and send a list of sites that you like too. Let's see what your preference is for look and feel while we're at it.
Once I have that information [this also let's me know it's a serious prospect] I'll go farther with the interview, helping to focus the goals for the site and determine what we have to work with. Photos are always at the top of the list. If you have them great, if you don't, you need to get some. When I receive the reply, I'll let you know and explain the next steps in the process.
If you had made this call would you have wanted different or more information? What would you have asked?
Ciao,
Beckie
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November 1, 2006 - 3:32 PM
Welcome to the first installment of my blog dedicated to Internet marketing and promotion. Most of what I'll talk about is valid for any business, but will often be in the context of business in the horse industry.
I chose to study marketing and art in college and ever since then I've been working in both fields and loving it. I started working with Iron Spring Farm, my most notable client, in 1985 and have a long list of clients in the horse industry as well as other industries. I started with the Internet practically the minute it hit the street in San Francisco in 1996.
You'll benefit from my years of expereince in technology and the horse world and I expect to hear questions and comments and learn from you as much as you'll learn from me.
It's a new adventure, you have a free pass to join me whenever you can AND you can even earn a prize by posting comments. That's the latest Savvy Equestrian promotion and the more you post, the better your chances are to win.
Please let me hear from you and what you'd like to know.
Warm Regards,
Beckie
Links:
[ Building a Website ]
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