Instagram – you know how much I love this little app, but I realised that I don’t talk about the main grid all that much. Those little squares that reveal snippets of our lives that we then share with the world. I usually talk about Instagram Stories, but I thought I’d change in up a bit and give you five Instagram post ideas today – for when your inspiration is lacking a little. These Instagram post ideas will work for all businesses, whether you have an equine business, a country business, or whether you have a business completely unrelated. They’re broad in theme but should help you come up with some great posts…
Instagram post ideas – five to get you started
Introduce yourself. Making sure your followers know who the person behind the account really is can be a great way to increase engagement and, also, creates real connection with your followers. The great thing about Instagram is that your account will continue to grow and change, and this means that your audience will too. You can introduce yourself at regular intervals. Maybe when you’ve had a steep increase in followers or on special occasions. A simple ‘I wanted to say hello to all my lovely new followers, so here’s a little bit about me…’ will do (spoiler alert- next week’s Thursday post will be a little challenge all around this subject…)
Where are you working today? Whether you’re an influencer or a business, sharing your world with your followers is important. And one way to do this is showing the behind the scenes of your day to day life… and one of these could be where you’re working today.
Share a quote you love. Quotes are, usually, pretty popular on Instagram. If you follow me over there, you may have noticed I use them quite a lot. I create quotes on a couple of different apps and use a mixture of my own quotes, famous quotes, and podcast quotes too.
Awareness days. There are SO many awareness days, I can’t even tell you! If you have a Google or buy a media diary, you’ll be able to find them. These can help you connect to a popular theme or # and just give you a few more ideas. Things like Wear A Hat Day are a real thing… and there’s a load more of these days ranging from the really random to the oh so serious.
Testimonials. If you listened to episode 28 of the Small & Supercharged podcast, you will have heard me rave about the power of testimonials – and one place to use these is on your social media. You could publish an image of the person who left the testimonial, then add the copy to your caption, you can create a graphic and use bits of the testimonial on that, or maybe you could combine the two in some clever way? Testimonials can be great for your business or blog… but you have to promote them!
So there you have it, five Instagram post ideas that are super easy to implement and should, hopefully, give you some inspiration. If you need additional help, Sophie Callahan has created a full year’s worth of social media prompts that give you ideas for what to post each day of the year. It might be worth a look!
Testimonials. Do you feel icky at the mention of the word? Do you start sweating when you think of having to ask customers for them? In this episode of the Small & Supercharged podcast, all about testimonials, I tell you what they are, how to gather them, how to ask for them, why they’re valuable… and how to use them too.
I start off by talking about how I use testimonials in my business and why they’re of value. I have a number of them in my Testimonials tab. I have to say, even talking about the testimonials I have and reading a couple out (to show the nuggets that I wouldn’t be writing myself!) makes me feel weird. So I completely understand any negative feelings you have about doing this… OK? But trust me when I say that I wouldn’t feel weird if I was reading something about you… I think it’s something that only bothers us – the person they’re about!
How to ask for testimonials and why they could be huge for your business – Small & Supercharged Podcast
In this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, I talk all about testimonials. How to ask for testimonials and why they could be huge for your business. In this episode, I will…
Explain how testimonials show a different side to you and your business, and the value they can bring to potential customers.
Walk you through a couple I have and show the elements contained within them that are real gold when it comes to potential customers. I’ll share with you the nuggets in these testimonials that will really speak to your customers.
Talk about why testimonials can be really useful because they can uncover ‘pain points’ that potential customers might have… and the reason that they might be coming to you anyway.
Explore the other things that testimonials can also share about you… because it would feel like you were being cocky and arrogant if you said them yourself. Things like working as a team, increasing business, being dedicated, etc.
Explain how, from your point of you, they can be really valuable feedback. They can show you things that your customers really love about you and places you excel. You can then look to use these in your copy (in a non icky way!!), or put additional thought behind creating the content you do to promote what you’re doing.
Talk about how testimonials can help to reassure potential customers – yes, they address pain points, but if you have customers concerned about aspects of the business or product you sell, you can either ask customers to write testimonials around the subject or just hope that these come up.
Explain the difference between what a testimonial brings to the party vs. an about us page or a products or services page.
Talk about who to ask – and why if you pick the right people, you’ll be unlucky to meet a problem.
How to ask for testimonials and why it’s not a weird thing to ask. You can just explain why you’re looking to gather testimonials, the section you’re looking to grow online, and that you’d really welcome their input. You can also tell your customer that there’s no pressure for them to do it.
Discuss different ways to use testimonials – from a video testimonial to written, connecting to a blog about the client or extracting snippets for social media.
How you can use your email signature as a place to promote your latest testimonials, to help connect with your customers.
How you can use testimonials in printed material, like in catalogues, on flyers, etc.
How bloggers and vloggers should be using testimonials too. The influencer space is competitive, so if you can get feedback from businesses you have worked with, showing how well you’ve worked with them, it will help you.
How media packs connected to magazines often use testimonials to help promote their publication and ad rates. It brings a real life element to it all.
The importance of getting permission to use people’s words to promote yourself. Sending a message via email or DM saying a nice thing is lovely, but it doesn’t mean that you should use their words in a really public way without their say so.
And I finish by talking about why you should never, ever, ever fabricate a testimonial or endorsement.
https://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/how-to-ask-for-testimonials-and-why-they-could-be-huge-for-your-business-small-supercharged-podcast.png14001400Rhea Freemanhttps://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/logo-3-300x224.pngRhea Freeman2019-03-27 05:02:082026-07-10 18:45:12How to ask for testimonials and why they could be huge for your business - Small & Supercharged Podcast
You know when Facebook and Instagram crashed in March 2019? Yep – it was a rather stressful time for anyone who manages any social media platform. Well… stressful, might be the wrong word, frustrating as I know I didn’t know when it was coming back on (or what I’d then need to do with the posts that were scheduled to post but couldn’t!). However, the Facebook and Instagram crash, as I’m calling it, was actually a good thing. Why? Because it highlighted a few key things to business owners, and ones that we shouldn’t forget in a hurry as we should all be building on this…
Five reasons the Facebook and Instagram crash was a good thing…
1- It reminded us all that businesses that don’t have their own website are at risk. I know I’ve said this a million or so times, but if your whole business relies on a platform/s that you have zero control over whether they work or not, you’re exposed. And seriously exposed at that. Websites cost SO little nowadays that it’s madness not to have one if you have a business and you’re even remotely serious about it.
2- It made us remember that mailing lists are important. You may have lots of lovely fans and followers on Instagram and Facebook but they aren’t yours… and you can’t speak to them if the platforms stop working. Mailing lists, however, are quite different. GDPR scared people when it came to mailing lists but they can still be built and grown… and more than that, they should.
3- It nudged us to look for ways to grow our mailing lists. Connected to the point above, now’s the time to take mailing list growth seriously.
4- It reminded us to make real connections. Yes, social media is amazing on every possible level – I love it and use it for me and my clients each day, but use it to form real connections. You know I talk about engagement a lot? This is such an important part of making real connections. Use the amazing platforms to find people to work with and to make genuine connections with, not just gather likes to boost your ego.
5- For me, it confirmed that social media is really amazing. Didn’t expect that one, did you? Yes, the great Facebook and Instagram Crash reminded me how incredible social media is. Yes, it has its fair share of flaws and niggles and we like to moan about it – but actually, we shouldn’t. With over 2.2 billion people using Facebook each month and over 1 billion people using Instagram, social media provides us with the most amazing opportunities to grow our business for no or little cost. So let’s put the time into using it properly and well. Let’s not focus on cheating the algorithm, let’s work with it, shall we?
https://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/facebook-instagram-crash.png800800Rhea Freemanhttps://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/logo-3-300x224.pngRhea Freeman2019-03-21 05:48:012026-07-10 18:45:135 reasons the Facebook and Instagram crash was a good thing...
This is such a lovely episode – you’re in for a treat! In this episode of the Small & Supercharged podcast, I chat to independent equine nutritionist Donna Case. Donna talks about her journey into nutrition, childhood dreams and so much more. Donna is now known as The Horse Feed Guru but she’s been on a huge journey to get to where she is now. From starting her obsession with nutrition at school (when she used her money to get a copy of Your Horse and a chocolate bar!), remembering a Spillers advert from school days, and even writing about horses at school whenever she could, to now working with horse owners all over the world to help them feed their horses better. What a journey it’s been!
Turning childhood passions into self employment with The Horse Feed Guru
In this episode I talk to Donna Case all about how her brand, The Horse Feed Guru came to exist, what a day looks like, how she does what she does, tips and advice for others, and so much more. In episode 27 of the Small & Supercharged podcast, all about how to turn your childhood passions into self employment…
We talk about Donna’s journey to be an equine nutritionist, how she worked back through her GCSE options to pick the right subjects, went on to get a degree and then started to look for jobs.
How the first job Donna saw at the end of university was to work for Spillers, a brand she’d always loved and admired since getting her horse care certificate through them.
How Donna moved from feed line advisor up the ranks, to working with the British Team, and how this set her on her course for being an independent equine nutritionist because she needed to take into account all the other feeds that the horses were using on the team.
When on maternity leave, Donna became more and more aware of the incorrect feed advice being given out by people who weren’t professionals, so she put a post on her social media asking if anyone needed help and was completely overwhelmed.
How Donna is now doing her dream job, and how that allows her to fit her children around her work.
We talk about how Donna’s days look and how she provides her equine nutritionist service though face to face and remote consultations.
We talk about the challenges in Donna’s business and how as a small business she has to do a lot around her business, not just the actual work that she does. She also talks about how her business requires a big client list (due to the frequency of visits), but how more clients mean more work… but she still has to keep her marketing up.
How Donna promotes herself for free using social media. She also writes for magazines, sharing her knowledge.
What Donna really loves about her job, how it works, how she assesses horses and how she provides a lot more than just advice.
How to get advice around horse feeding – and how getting advice from social media is not always the best idea. There are plenty of free care lines out there you can call if you have a specific preference of brand, or work with an independent nutritionist if you want an overview.
What advice Donna would give for people looking to get involved in nutrition, how you really need to put the effort in, and how you need to think about what you can do to get the edge.
https://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Upstart-18.png14001400Rhea Freemanhttps://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/logo-3-300x224.pngRhea Freeman2019-03-20 06:05:112019-03-19 21:55:15Turning childhood passions into self employment with The Horse Feed Guru
Getting clients to buy your product or service shouldn’t be where the process ends. Nope. Not even a bit. If you want to go the extra mile, to help build a connection and loyalty , and really delight your clients like bigger businesses can’t and don’t… well, this blog is for you. It’s all about ways to show your clients that you love them… and most are free… good, hey!
Handwritten notes
Have you ever received a parcel with a handwritten note? Oh my – it’s something else. From a business point of view, there is clearly a time factor, and I’m not going to pretend that there isn’t, but the delight your customer experiences should, hopefully counter this. Huge businesses can’t really do this (I mean, they could, but they don’t!), but smaller businesses can. And it can be one really amazing way to shine out against the big boys. It’s seen SO many posts on Instagram particularly of handwritten notes people have received in their parcels. See it as a marketing and client retention expense. It’s a really easy way to show your customers you love them.
Free gifts
Gifts have to be in here- but if you have a customer who’s spending good money with you, why not send them a little thank you? It doesn’t have to be a huge thing – far from it – something thoughtful can be so much more valuable. Maybe a few Lindt balls to orders at different times of the year, a product, a notebook, the list goes on. Think about the customer, what they would like, and go from there. There are very few people who aren’t delighted when they receive a tasty something in a parcel when they didn’t expect it.
Say thank you
Oh- ground breaking. No, in all seriousness, saying thank you is so underrated. Whether you include a thank you on your handwritten note, you say thank you on your order confirmation, or you just say thank you in person, don’t forget it. Yes, you have provided a product, but your customer has chosen you, out of everyone else. Whether you sell a product or a service, it’s a competitive world out there, so say thank you – THEY CHOSE YOU!
Promoting them on social media
If you have clients who show your products or say nice things about you on social media – can you return the favour? On Instagram, reposting from grids or sharing to your Story are great ways to do this, or retweet on Twitter, or share in Facebook. If you’re reposting on Instagram, don’t forget to ask permission. It’s not just polite but the photographer (often your customer) owns the copyright so you do need permission. From a PR point of view, asking to use something that your client has created, and saying how lovely it is, can further strengthen a bond.
Engage
Yes, that old chestnut. When customers (and potential ones) comment on your social media, please, PLEASE do your best to engage back. If you have a crazy busy account, you might not have enough hours in the day to comment on each post… but you could definitely do some. It shows that you care and appreciate them and their support. And that isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s excellent for building relationships too.
As you’ll see, none of the ideas above are rock science – far from it – they’re really obvious, aren’t they? I think we all spend a lot of time being absorbed in tech, automation, software and cleverness… and this means that sometimes we overlook the obvious.
It’s also a well known fact that it costs you a LOT less to keep an existing customer happy and loyal than to find a new one. So how can you show your clients you love them? And what could that mean for them, for you, and your business.
https://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/5-ways-to-use-testimonials-38.png800800Rhea Freemanhttps://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/logo-3-300x224.pngRhea Freeman2019-03-14 06:07:392026-07-10 18:14:125 ways to show your clients you love them
When you hear the phrase ‘post natively’ – do you know what it means? In Small & Supercharged podcast episode 26, I’m talking all about what to ‘post natively’ means, the value of posting natively, and more.
However, I am a realist. So while, as you’ll realise, I’m VERY pro posting natively, I do also understand that if you’re juggling all the platforms yourself, you may need to do the odd hack here and there so you have time to do your actual work. And what about if you want to move people to a place outside of that platform? We cover that too…
Posting natively on social media platforms – going native
I’ve written about posting natively before in this blog all about if posting natively increases your reach… and I’ll no doubt write about it again too! However, in this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, you will hear all about….
The value of posting natively and how it increases reach and engagement.
A few examples of native and non-native content.
Why you might not be able to post natively, and hacks to help you drive the traffic where you want it to go.
Whether or not posting natively increases your reach.
Facebook and videos as a key example of why native posts work better.
Different ways to get your video onto Facebook, explaining the difference between native and non-native posting, the difference in how it works and the function. I also talk about the additional benefits that you can take advantage of if you post video natively – things like auto play and closed captions.
IFTTT and how this applet helps to make non-native content more native. It’s not ideal, but if it’s a platform you’re neglecting, it can be a good way to bridge the gap.
Why not all cross posting ideas are created equal, and why doing research here is a good idea.
The reason behind why I post portrait images on Instagram, and why picking the right images for the right platforms (and the right sizes), can maximise your chances.
How each of the different social media platforms has an optimal size of image.
When you might not want to post your natively. This is usually when you have your pillar content somewhere else where you want people to move to a specific location. In these examples, you might want to consider creating a small piece of native content to get people interested. This would then encourage them to click on the post to find out more.
How you can sometimes make content native after creation, like on IGTV, through editing.
Why it’s important to think about creating native content at the start of a project, so you can look at the ways you can create snippets to drive the traffic where you want it to be.
How you can use the individual characteristics of each platform when creating content too – rather than going back and having to do it post production.
A huge thank you for listening to today’s podcast all about posting natively on social media platforms- I hope it’s give you some good ideas…
https://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Upstart-17.png14001400Rhea Freemanhttps://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/logo-3-300x224.pngRhea Freeman2019-03-13 05:41:322019-03-13 20:53:27Going native - posting natively on social media platforms and why it matters
Today (well, if you read this on March 8th!) is International Women’s Day. I love the idea of a day to celebrate the incredible women in all of our lives… the thing I’m not sold on is that some take this to mean ‘because men are rubbish’. That’s not something I agree with at all. I know of many amazing women, and many amazing men too. And actually, a lot of the amazing women I know have equally amazing men in their lives, helping to support them and what they do. And visa versa too. Am I making any sense?!
So, this post is about the amazing woman I get to work with (and who said they were happy I share their pics!). It’s not a jab at men at all. But today is all about the girl bosses… so that’s what this post is all about.
Below you’ll find some of the ladies I get to spend time with – if you click on their name you’ll be whisked off to their website… enjoy!
International Women’s Day 2019
Hayley Files– the lady behind Equissentials Dressage. I have the privilege of having Hayley in my Mastermind group and this lady’s attitude is something else. Not only does she work incredibly hard but she’s also happy to try new things and really develop them. That’s why she’s achieving such great results.
Emma Warren – Queen Bee of Hiho Silver and someone I am lucky to spend a lot of time with! Emma’s brain is quite something – not only can she do sums quicker than I can get my fingers out to start counting, but she has this very strange ability to get to the root of an issue at lightning speed. She’s incredibly supportive, creative, and an absolute star to work with. There’s more about Emma here.
Becci Harrold – the brains behind Super X Country. This lady works a full time job and designs, tests, creates and everything else around her amazing brand. Her designs are incredible and her eye for detail is second to none. Her relationship with her customers is also superb – creating bespoke XC colours to suit their needs with a crazy fast turnaround time. Her range has expanded lots too. There’s more about about Becci here.
Melanie Clarihew – co founder of luxury British accessories brand Mackenzie & George. I work closely with Melanie and find her creativeness (is that even a word!) amazing. Not only that, but the attention to detail that goes into every design, the uncompromising stance of quality and materials, the level of customer service… and we’re usually laughing about something completely crazy too. Love her. And you can find out more about her here.
Sophie Callahan – if you’ve followed me for any time at all, you’ll know about Sophie. There aren’t many people I would willingly let take my picture… but she’s one! Sophie is an incredibly talented equine photographer but has also grown as an influencer, vlogger, blogger and personal brand. The way she views life and what it throws at her is a real example – she’s one of life’s good people. You can find out more about Sophie here.
Zoe Kiff – the lady behind Honest Riders (and recent podcast guest too!). I’ve loved Zoe’s brand since it launched but was so amazed and inspired by the development of the brand and every aspect of it. From the Fair Wear factories used to the commitment to reduce the use of plastics and SO much more, Zoe’s vision is inspiring without being preachy. Have a listen to the podcast – it’s a real eye opener.
Charlotte Miller – aka The Forelock Journal. I first met Charlotte at Hiho Silver’s event last year and was struck by what a genuinely lovely person she was! Since then she’s gone on to win Equestrian Blogger of the year and work so, so hard to grow a following that she’s so dedicated to supporting. She’s also a Hiho Silver ambassador and I love the way she manages to expertly handle the curve balls I throw in her direction. You can listen to a podcast with Charlotte here.
Ruth Chappell – the lady behind Dressage Anywhere. I work with Ruth but she’s also a great friend and tends to be my roomie at Hiho events too! Ruth’s knowledge of tech is incredible and she’s an organisational legend. She’s funny, kind and very very modest – she has no idea just how brilliant she is – but trust me, she’s incredible. You can find out more about her here.
Rachel Bragg – aka Sweet Images. Rachel is another one of those who has absolutely no idea how incredibly talented she is. She works with a number of my clients as a photographer and her work is always superb (and, let’s be honest, makes my life a lot easier!). She’s funny, insightful, and incredibly generous with her attitude to sharing knowledge. As you’ll here in this podcast…
Sarah Johnstone – aka Apt Cavalier. Sarah’s business has grown at the most incredible pace, despite her also having another job and event horses! Her determination to succeed as well as her design prowess and go-getter attitude are so inspiring. I can’t wait to see how her brand continues to grow. You can find out more about Sarah here.
Jane Pike – Jane is one of life’s really nice people – and uses her amazing mindset and psychology skills to help support riders in their confidence and performance. She is the lady behind Confident Rider and JoyRide but is also so kind and absolutely hilarious. She’s also in New Zealand and was a key part of my first TEDx talk (thanks for that!)! Find out more about Jane here.
Anna Rainbow – Anna is an equestrian photographer, a wedding photographer… and has her own PR business too! Anna is a really, really hard worker and puts so much time and effort into up-skilling and collaborations, it’s incredible. Continual learning and working with others are two areas I’m really passionate about too, so I really love these traits!
Victoria Bodey – the lady behind the most beautiful tack shop I’ve ever seen – Equiboodle. It’s worth going to Cirencester just to see it! Not only has Victoria got her business so, so well, the level of customer service she shows her customers is amazing. On top of this, she’s a really lovely person to spend time with and despite being seriously astute from a business point of view, has a real quest for improvement and knowledge.
Faye Harlequin – part of the team behind Horseshoe Hearts & Gifts. Faye is such a good egg and I can’t even vocalise how proud I am of her and how far she’s come over the last few months. I first met Faye in person at Hiho’s event at The Fish and loved her instantly. The products she and her partner make are exceptional, but the care and attention that goes into each aspect of the business is amazing. Honestly. She’s incredible.
Janine Kell – the lady behind The Golden Paste Company. Janine has been on such a huge journey with her business – from starting at home to having own premises and becoming part of a larger company. Her dedication to the product and her customers is incredible, as is her work ethic. She also has a lovely team of ladies that work with her who are absolute sweethearts. They’re a seriously lovely bunch.
Annie Belton-Green – Annie is part of team Albion and I have the privilege of working with her on Albion’s social media. Annie grew up with Albion (literally!) and is an absolute fountain of knowledge about the brand. More than that though, she’s the brand’s guardian and has worked tirelessly on its branding and positioning. She has a real eye for detail, which you can see in everything Albion do. She’s incredible and so inspiring and dedicated.
Lindsay Robertson – I’ve been working with Lindsay for quite a while now, but met her in person for the first time at Hiho & Co’s event. She’s a complete diamond. Hilarious and I don’t think I stopped laughing when we were chatting, but also crazy talented… and I mean CRAZY talented. She’s working on a project called Homelands at the moment which is mindblowing, and her images are exceptional.
Donna Case – aka The Horse Feed Guru. I love Donna. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Donna for a little while and she’s such a sweetie. She’s so knowledgeable, so dedicated, and so generous with her time and advice. She’s also far too modest… she’s incredible.
Charlotte Martin – aka Fruit Bat Textiles. I’ve only just started working with Charlotte through the Mastermind group, but I’ve been a huge admirer of her skills and products for a long time… and I love following her on Instagram. Charlotte has a seriously impressive skillset, and her range of textiles is simply beautiful.
Martha Lily Thompson – like Charlotte, I’ve only just started to get to know this lady, but I’ve already been in awe of her gorgeous images and her thirst for knowledge and desire to do things the right way. It makes my heart sing a little. And I can’t wait to see her and her business continue to grow and develop.
Amanda Marshall – the lady behind 3 Donkeys. I got to meeting Amanda at Hiho & Co and she’s someone I’ve just started to get to know better through Mastermind. Amanda makes a range of ladies overalls and I’ve seen these in action on the always lovely Lexi Wrench. I’m looking forward to seeing Amanda and 3 donkeys continue to grow.
Emma Batcheler – the lady behind Hooves & Love. I love the idea of the Hooves & Love business, but I’m also a big Emma fan. I met her at Your Horse Live and thought her stand design and attention to detail was incredible. She was also incredibly welcoming and lovely to talk to. I’ve been loving her videos too. It’s great watching her collection continue to expand too.
Kathryn Bell – aka Team Equestrian. Kathryn offers equestrians a great way to get clothing printed or embroidered. The idea behind the business is a great one as it allows teams to get personalised clothing using a different platform. I’m really looking forward to getting to know Kathryn better through Mastermind too.
Sharon Howe – aka Mulberry Tree Lifestyle. I met Sharon for the first time at Hiho & Co and was delighted when she joined Mastermind too. Sharon’s at a really exciting stage in her business and blog and I loved her attitude and excitement around her fab idea. I’m excited to watch this grow and develop over time too!
Today is World Book Day (well, if you read this on March 7th, it is!). With this in mind, I thought that to celebrate this fab event, I’d write about five books for equestrian business. These books are NOT equestrian. They won’t be able to teach you your fetlocks from your forelocks, but if you run an equestrian or equine business, you’ll know that anyway. These business books should help your business, your mindset, your marketing and more.
If you follow me on social media, you’ll know I’m a bit of a bookworm. Whether I’m reading a book or listening to one when I walk the dog, I like to learn as I go… but the subjects can be quite varied! Mostly, I listen to and read books about business and mindset. Sometimes a bit about branding and marketing too. But business is the general genre. So here, on World Book Day, I thought I’d share my five top books for equestrian business..
Here are my five top books for equestrian business…
Gary Vaynerchuk – Crushing It
In all honesty, this blog was always going to include at least one Gary Vee book. I went for Crushing It because it’s one I’ve listened to most recently (and is also the most recent of his books). Actually, not just listened to, I have the hardback book too! Crushing It is a kind of continuation from a previous book, Crush It, but can also be read and enjoyed alone. If ‘Crush It’ was a blueprint for how to achieve entrepreneurial success and leverage all you have, ‘Crushing It’ shows you using examples. Gary interviewed many entrepreneurs for this book, including lots I knew before (and many I’m pleased I know about now). It’s inspiring, interesting and packed full of ideas and real life examples that you can apply to your business too.
How to get to the top of Google – Tim Cameron-Kitchen & Exposure Ninja
If you’re even a little interested in Search Engine Optimisation, content marketing, and Google, have a read (or a listen!) to this. I downloaded this on Audible and have listened to it more than once. I love knowing how things work, and SEO is something that I have more than a passing interest in. To get an all in one, plain English, crash course appealed to me. I didn’t have hugely high hopes when I started. Part of me was concerned it would be too basic, and a larger part that it would be WAY too complicated… but it wasn’t either. The background was covered but more advanced ideas and strategies around SEO and getting to the top of Google were explained in a way that was really easy to understand and apply. As an extra perk of this book, you can actually have a free assessment of your website. I should say that I have the Audible version of this and I also found it really easy to listen to. A bit like a friend was chatting to me about SEO. It’s always important to listen to the voice of the narrator to make sure you gel with it. That sounds crazy, but trust me on this!
Chillpreneur – Denise Duffield – Thomas
If you haven’t read Denise’s other books (Lucky Bitch and Get Rich, Lucky Bitch) do… I feel that Chillpreneur is a great extension of this. You might think that these books revolve around money and being lazy – they don’t. To me, hearing a different view point from a self made multimillionaire was really interesting and something I enjoyed and took inspiration from. It’s more about stacking the odds in your favour – whatever form that takes – and making sure you’re leading a life that you really REALLY want. Not just going along with the tide and feeling rather unhappy about things. This is Denise’s latest book and one that I will be reading again very shortly.
Building a StoryBrand – Miller Donald
This book is seriously good. It explains the process businesses go through to build a story brand, where the client is always the hero and the business is always the guide. It’s a fascinating look at how all good stories, whether fictitious or real, are built around this brand story idea. The ones that succeed understand the pattern – the ones that don’t… not so much. Building a StoryBrand talks about the seven universal story points that all humans respond to. If you’re looking to improve your brand story, to guide your customers on the right journey for them, improve loyalty and a WHOLE lot more, this is for you!
Brand Brilliance – Fiona Humberstone
Not only is this book incredible to read, but it is a thing of beauty too. But you’d expect that from The Brand Stylist, wouldn’t you? This book is all about branding, colours, design, the way you position your brand, and how you stand out (for the right reasons!) is a busy world. This book is beautifully produced and although some of those topics might sound overwhelming, I promise you that the way they’re presented in this book makes them very accessible. Brand Brilliance will inspire you and get you thinking about your brand and what it stands for, but in a way that’s so, so useful!
So there are my five top books for equestrian business. To be honest I could have written a short book on books I recommend, but I do think these ones are really, really great! They cover different aspects of business, and would be a superb additions to your business library. What books would you recommend? What are your top books for equestrian business? Pop over to my Instagram and comment on the post with the image above!
https://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/5-top-books-for-equestrian-business.png800800Rhea Freemanhttps://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/logo-3-300x224.pngRhea Freeman2019-03-07 05:35:302019-03-06 15:55:445 top books for equestrian business
Have you ever wondered how to make your business a better reflection of your beliefs and passions? Or even if there’s any space for this in your business? What about how to link your passions and beliefs to your business? Well, you’re going to love this podcast! In this episode I talk to Zoe Kiff, the lady behind Honest Riders, about how she did just that and created an ethical brand that has a number of amazing USPs that reflect Zoe’s beliefs… and that of her customers too.
How to link your passions and beliefs to your business…
In this episode, we talk about how Honest Riders came to exist, but how the ground work was actually in place years before. We discuss the value of USPs, not going after the masses, staying true to your values, and balancing this with your desire to deliver a high end, luxury experience. Here are the show notes for episode 25 of the Small & Supercharged Podcast – how to link your passions and beliefs to your business with Zoe Kiff. In this episode we…
Talk about ‘ethicalness’ and how and why Zoe decided that having ethical credentials was so important to her.
Discuss how Zoe found out that not only are cosmetics still tested on animals, but also household products and even dog shampoo. She also became very aware of the chemicals that are included in the products we used in our home and on our animals.
Chat about how the lack of a one stop shop where Zoe could shop for natural products for her animals started the Honest Riders idea.
Explain what the ‘hidden gems’ range is and why Zoe felt it was important to sell tried and tested products rather than just products from catalogues. All the products available on Honest Riders have been tried and used by Zoe herself.
Discuss how human beauty is becoming more and more aware of the chemicals and ingredients in cosmetics. And how Zoe is using this information and filtering this into horses.
Talk about the Honest Riders collection and how the ethical credentials filter into this range too.
Explain how Zoe used her interest in fashion, her life long love of horses, and her desire to have clothing to go from yard to pub combined with ethical awareness and started Honest Riders.
Look at why Zoe picked the organic cotton, and a Fair Wear factory, to produce the Honest Riders collection.
Talk about why Honest Riders give back to charities as part of their business model.
Discuss Pablo’s Horse Sanctuary, Retraining Of Racehorses, and World Horse Welfare; the charities Honest Riders supports.
Talk through the range of five slogans t-shirts and sweatshirts and how Zoe came up with the slogans.
Debate how USPs can make it much easier to market a brand or product. And how Zoe worked these all into Honest Riders (and it wasn’t all deliberate!)
Discuss how niching down can feel like you’re going to alienate people, but how it actually makes your tribe more loyal and your customers more passionate.
Explain how Zoe uses her USPs in her business to help promote and market it.
Talk about how Zoe is using social media and content to help build a tribe of fans and followers who have a connection to the brand and the work that they do. This involves engaging with followers, sharing behind the scenes, and showing where the funds that are raised through the sales are going.
Discuss the benefits of talking to your customers and how this can help to ensure that customers actually want to buy products when they hit the market.
Talk about how Zoe came up with the name, where she took inspiration from and more.
Explain how Zoe worked with a graphic designer on the elements of the brand from the colours to the iconography.
Talk about how Honest Riders is using less plastic and how Zoe has managed to combine quality packaging, green credentials, luxury and branding.
Share Zoe’s top tips on how to make your business more ethically sound and what little changes to make. Even how to build a more ethical business from the ground up.
Talk about the possible benefits of working with a charity from an altruistic point of view as well as a marketing point of view. The key being that everyone wins.
Talk about the best bits of Honest Riders, and the worst things too. We talk about inspiration, juggling, the highs and the lows
https://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/how-to-link-your-passions-and-beliefs-to-your-business-with-zoe-kiff-from-honest-riders.png14001400Rhea Freemanhttps://rheafreemanpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/logo-3-300x224.pngRhea Freeman2019-03-06 17:34:352019-03-05 21:58:16How to link your passions and beliefs to your business with Zoe Kiff from Honest Riders
