April 2019 | Rhea Freeman

Business, Equestrian Business, Equestrian Marketing, General Blog Posts, General Business, Small business, Social Media

How to promote your stand at an event…and how to help the brands you work with if you’re a brand ambassador

Rhea Freeman - Equestrian PR and marketing - business coach

When this podcast was launched, we were in the run up to Badminton Horse Trials, in fact, it was just a week away. With this in mind, I thought it sounded like a good time to dive into how to promote your company if you have a tradestand at an event. Whether it’s something as big as Badminton Horse Trials or a small local show. Also, in this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, I give tips for people who want to do but don’t yet have a tradestands, and also give some tips for brand ambassadors and sponsored riders, to help them support the brands who support them,

How to promote your stand at an event…and how to help the brands you work with if you’re a brand ambassador or sponsored rider

In this podcast, I focus firmly on how to promote your stand at an event. As all retailers and suppliers who attend shows and events know, tradestands aren’t cheap. Not only do you have the cost of the stand, but the staff and accommodation, let alone food and drink, needed to run a stand can cost a a lot of money. However, there’s no doubt that tradestands can reap huge rewards for companies too. So in this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, I’m going to try and help you give your stand every chance of success. I cover four main areas as detailed below….

Where are you going?

Tell people. If you want to promote that you’re at an event, you have to tell people. And not just once, more than once. And don’t stop when you’re at the show, you have to keep going if it’s longer than a one day show. I also talk about different ways to get this message across to your social media following without boring them. I talk about using different ‘products’ such as lives, videos, as well as newsletters, flyers, email signatures and so much more.

Why should they make the effort?

Why should they come and see you? It’s important to not just tell people you’re at an event, but give them a reason why a visit to your stand is a good idea. Maybe you have new products on your stand? Maybe you have on stand promotions? Maybe you have different offers for different groups (like Facebook, Instagram, newsletter, etc)? The latter can be a good way to see where your show traffic is coming from.

Of course, it’s not just free things that encourage people to come to the stand. You could run a giveaway with another brand to receive a sample tub of something, for example. It could be something as simple as telling people to that they can try before they buy. One of the limitations of buying online is that you have to be really confident in your sizing or else you can get involved with returns.

Offering an incentive, such as a bottle of water, prosecco, a gin bar like Fairfax & Favor, a sweet, a cake… or even a bowl of water for the dog can be really good.

Keep the promotion going….

At the the event. When you’re at the event, KEEP GOING. If you want to promote your stand at an event, go behind the scenes. Hiho Silver’s King of the Road often does videos where he walks the dogs on the parkland around these amazing events in the morning. I love it. It’s like a proper behind the scenes moment.

Another great use of things like Instagram and Facebook Stories and Lives can be to show people where your stand is at the event. Maybe you take people on the walk with you from a notable point, like the scoreboard.

An extra sneaky tip here would be to interview and chat to other brands as you make your way to your stand with the hope that these brands might share on their feeds (I mean, ask them to, that’s a solid place to start!). If you’re a non-conflicting company, it can only help you as you’re telling their fans and followers where you are in relation to them.

Brand ambassadors and sponsored riders

Don’t forget to use your brand ambassadors and sponsored riders. Tell them where you’re going and which events you’re attending, and ask if they might consider telling their fans and followers. Maybe you can promote your brand ambassadors in some way through having a meet and greet on your stand or something similar. If you’re a brand ambassador or a sponsored rider, helping brands promote their presence on their stand can be so valuable. Maybe you can do some content on their stand, or interview a founder (just email first as things get a bit manic on the stand!).

Where you’re getting this content from…

This year’s event (set up and when you’re there… also get pics for next year’s promotion)
Last year’s images that you’ve taken
If you get permission from the event and you’re able to do it, using one of the event’s maps can make great content with a big ‘we are here’ arrow.

Bonus tip – if you’re a retailer, use the events you go to as a great research exercise. Don’t make carbon copies of anyone else’s stands, that’s not good, but you can pick up tips and get ideas connected to small space designs, props and lots of other things too.

April 24, 2019/by Rhea Freeman

General Blog Posts

Questions to ask a potential brand ambassador (and what you’re hoping to find out!)

Have you been approached by riders from all corners of the globe offering to be your company’s brand ambassador? Across the various social media platforms I admin, I see this SO much. I see brand ambassador requests almost daily. And if it’s a really good week, I see the same DM pop into a number of different inboxes. Let’s. Not. Even. Go. There.

But sometimes there’s a promising DM or email with a really strong brand ambassador pitch and everything seems to align. Maybe they have a good Instagram following? Or they’re really strong on YouTube? Or their blogs make you think they could be a modern day Shakespeare (Ok, I’ve got carried away!)? What do you you next? What questions should you ask a potential brand ambassador, to give you the best chance of them being a good fit for you and your brand?

As this is a #takefive blog I’ve come up with just five questions to ask a potential brand ambassador. Use this as a guide and develop your own set of questions that you can keep on file and email across whenever you get a strong potential email. It’ll save you a whole lot of time and you’ll get to find out what’s really going on and whether or not this rider might be a good brand ambassador for you.

Questions to ask a potential brand ambassador…

Which of our products do you own?

This is SUCH a good one! A brand ambassador, in my opinion, should already be a fan of your brand. And by fan, I mean customer. How on earth do they know that they want to represent you if they don’t know how your product performs and integrates into their life? More to the point, your product might not even suit them or their horse. And then you’re asking them to tell their fans and followers about an amazing product they love… but never use? That’s a very confusing message for all concerned! I’m not necessarily saying they should own everything you make, but they need at least something… or else how do they know your brand?

And top tip here – have a quick look a their Instagram feed and see which products they’re actually using. If you make horse boots and you get approached, have a look at their feed and see which horse boots they use… are they yours? Or a competitor’s?

How many other brands are you an ambassador for?

Another good one. If a brand ambassador has a list as long as their arm, they might not be the best fit for you. Why? There are a few reasons. First up, if you have too many brands you’re an ambassador for, there will be overlaps, and that’s not good. But more than that, good brand ambassadors work with brands on campaigns and promotions. If your potential brand ambassador works with loads of companies, how on earth are they going to find the time to do everything well? They probably won’t…

What are you followings like and what’s your average engagement?

Numbers aren’t the be all and end all, but if someone wants you to send them free product, you need to make sure there’s a chance of it getting seen by people, don’t you? And that the people who are seeing it actually care about the content. How do you do this? First thing to look at is the number of followers, but next look at how often they post AND how engaged the following are. Do their posts get likes by genuine people? Does anyone comment? Does anyone share? Look at all of these (not just one) to help inform you decision.

What kind of support are you looking for?

What do they want from you? Generally, brand ambassadors in the equestrian industry tend to receive products over cash, but ask. You may find that their expectations and your budgets are nowhere near each other… or you might be very pleasantly surprised. But you won’t know if you don’t ask.

How can you help us?

Yep – the big one. If they have in mind what they want from you in their role as brand ambassador, they should have thought about why they’re going to give too. Now, a little word of advice here, having your logo on a lorry and tagging you in posts with all their other sponsors isn’t likely to generate you any real ROI on your investment. I mean – who cares, right? But if they have ideas to do how to’s, or include your products in their weekly vlog, or do any number of other things, then it could be a really interesting proposition. Pitches that grab my attention have something well through through and different in this area. Thing is, nothing delights a PR or a marketing manager more (well, in my opinion again!), when an ambassador emails and says ‘I’ve had this ides…’. To me, it shows you actually care about my brand and you’re thinking about it and how you can help me…

So there you have it, five questions to ask potential brand ambassadors, I really hope they helped you and made you think… did they?

If you liked this blog, you’re going to LOVE episode 16 of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, the Brand Ambassadors 101 for brands and influencers. This is the link to iTunes, but it’s also on Spotify, Google Play, and all the other places you’d expect to see a podcast!

April 18, 2019/by Rhea Freeman

Business, Equestrian Business, Small business

From pivotal moment to careers magazine for the equine industry with Sarah Watson

How did you end up doing the job you do now? Did you have an ambition to do it from when you were a child, or did you find your way there in a more convoluted fashion? Would you like to work in the equine industry or do you work there already but would like to side step into something different? Well, in this week’s episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast I talk to Sarah Watson, the lady behind the new careers magazine for the equine industry, called Equine Transition.

From pivotal moment to equine careers magazine Equine Transition with Sarah Watson

In this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast I talk to Sarah Watson, the lady behind Equine Transition Magazine. In this episode you’ll find out all about…

The pivotal moment that got Sarah excited about providing careers advice in a more formal and serious way.
Who Equine Transition is aimed at and how it can help people inside or outside the equestrian industry to find a job within the sector if that’s something they would like.
The scope of jobs inside the equine industry and how the magazine has been designed to bring together information from jobs in all different areas of the industry. Whether people are looking to side step within it, or people from the outside coming into it.
The different entry points into an equine career and how these are numerous – from yards to British Horse Society exams and the different pathways, colleges to universities, the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association scheme to the British Horse Racing Authority. We also talk about how skills you’ve developed outside the industry can be transferred.
Advice for 16-18 year olds leaving school – starting with getting really clear on what you want to do for your career. We talk about the value of listening to you gut and not taking other people’s thoughts and wishes on board during your thinking stage. We also discuss the value of getting lots of experience. Thinking about your key skills is also really important and these characteristics and attributes can really help you.
We talk about how to move from more hands on jobs in the equine industry to an office based job. These include getting a CV together and being very aware of your transferable skills. You need to be aware of the job you want so you can tailor your CV to what you want to get. Being able to align your skills with the jobs you want can also highlight areas you need to improve and up-skill in.
The value of researching companies you really want to work with and keeping a close eye on their website too.
We also talk about how to move from a completely non-horsey job into a job in the equestrian industry.
As I have mentioned a few times in this podcast, I have written an article for the latest issue of the magazine. Do check it out – it’s free to view too!

You can find more about Equine Transition through any of the links below.

www.equinetransition.com

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

April 17, 2019/by Rhea Freeman

Equestrian Business, Equestrian Marketing, General Blog Posts, Small business

5 ways to make your equine business more ethical and eco-friendly

Do you want to make your business more eco friendly? When I chatted to Zoe Kiff from Honest Riders in episode 25 of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, we chatted ethical and eco friendly businesses. It’s something that Zoe is particularly passionate about and has managed to make her business reflect these two elements. The thing that struck me, is that we can all make changes to make our equine businesses more ethical and eco-friendly. And some of these don’t even cost any extra.

Here’s a link to the ‘how to link your passions and beliefs in your business’ Small & Supercharged Podcast if you fancy a listen…

Ways to make your equine business more ethical and eco-friendly

Reduce your plastic. Shall we start with the obvious? Reducing the plastic you use at every stage of your business can make a real difference. This might mean that you change the packaging of your equine products, or you ask your suppliers to be more aware of what they’re sending your products in. The thing that’s really interesting is that it might not cost you much or any more to make this switch. And you can still deliver the products really beautifully without plastic. In fact, some of the eco-friendly alternatives actually give a more luxurious feel anyway.
Awareness. Being aware of the processes involved with the manufacture of the products you sell goes a long way to helping you make changes. When I spoke to Zoe, I was amazed at the fact that some animal products are… tested on animals. How is that right? I was genuinely amazed that this happened. However, in knowing more about the processes, you can then decide if you want to do anything about it. You might learn more about the people who make your products. Or you might want to look at alternative factories who give the people who work there a much better life, for example.
Working with a charity or a cause you’re passionate about. Some equine businesses give donations to charity on certain products, some donate time, services or something else to charity to help. Zoe is a great example as she donates to three different charities on different products, Fairfax & Favor did an amazing job with Breast Cancer Care, and Hiho Silver support a number of charities including Willberry Wonder Pony. You don’t have to give all your profits away. You still need to run a business. But you could look to give something to a charity you really believe in.
Reducing your waste. Yes, we all like a bit of recycling, but what if we could reduce our waste even further. Maybe not printing something because we don’t really need to? Streamlining our packaging (without impacting on the customer experience), even changing to more energy efficient lightbulbs in the office could make your equine business a little more eco-friendly.
Little changes. Little changes can really add up. Things like changing packaging can take a long time to switch over, but doing the research into new options before your current supply runs out can mean you’re in a great position for the next time.

Of course, not everyone will have making this business more eco-friendly or ethical on their list of ‘to-dos’, and I’m not here to preach at all – you do you. However, I think being aware of the choices we’re making and seeing if we can make better choices that align with our beliefs is something to look at. Before recording this podcast, I’d always assumed eco-friendly packaging would cost more. And that products for animals were… well, not tested on them! If you want to hear a bit more about how Honest Riders make it work for them, have a listen to the podcast here.

April 11, 2019/by Rhea Freeman

Social Media

Why you need Canva in your world for your social media graphics

Let’s talk about Canva – can we? If you’ve ever had any coaching with me or asked a question about graphics on social media, you will have heard me talk about Canva.

This episode even includes a freebie I’ve made, just for you! It’s called ‘Five steps to great social media graphics’ and it’s on my freebies page alongside the Instagram Stories freebie.

Before I go any further – I just want to be clear that this is something I have made on my own and it’s not in any way endorsed or sponsored by Canva. I’m sharing this free software and some ideas of how to use it because, to me, it’s been a game changer. And I get lots of comments from people who I recommend Canva to saying what a game changer it is. And it really is.

Why you need Canva for your social media graphics…

If you’re looking to create graphics such as quote graphics, top tips, testimonials or anything like that, Canva is going to become your new best friend. In this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, all about why you need Canva in your life, you will hear…

Why I use Canva and a quick tour of some of the different sizes available and when you might use them. I talk about a few of the common ones I use and how I use them.
How you can use Canva’s own templates for your social media graphic design, but how you can also design your own.
How you can learn more about Canva through the free resources on their website.
Why I don’t tend to use Canva’s templates- but how it’s really easy to create your own templates, either through choosing their sizes of artwork or setting one with your custom dimensions.
How I created my TEDx talk slides on Canva (I imported the slides into Powerpoint) because I wanted more control over the artwork, colours and fonts.
Why Canva allows you to really stay on brand – you can even pick the exact hex colour to match to yours.
We chat through headings, sub headings and text, and how you can then select fonts, sizes and colours.
Why I add boxes behind the text to make the words really pop out… and what might have happened when the elements disappear (and how to get them back).
How you can use your own images as the background, how Canva has a pretty extensive free library of images, and how you can use their ‘frames’ option to organise your images, display them in a frame, or a mix of the two.
Why you might want to add your logo to the downloads file, why getting a logo with a transparent background is a good idea, and that that’s called a png.
How to decide what kind of file to download as from Canva. This will depend on whether or not you’re printing the design or using it on social media.
Why I use Canva AND work with graphic designers. I am a huge advocate of using graphic designers for big jobs and for the ground work when the brand identity is formed. When you have your brand assets, with things like colours, fonts, etc organised, you can create quick graphics inside Canva using these guidelines. It might also be worth telling your graphic designer you plan to do this – they might be able to even create templates for you.
Don’t forget to download the freebie called ‘Five steps to great social media graphics’ – there are some examples of what I do inside the freebie too. As I’ve mentioned a few times, I am no graphic designer – neither do I pretend to be – but I wanted to share how I use it and how you might too.

If you have a go at Canva as a result of this podcast of the freebie, I’d love you to tag me – I’m @rheafreemanpr on Instagram and /rheafreeman on Facebook!

April 10, 2019/by Rhea Freeman

Social Media

#takefivethings and answer them on Instagram! Instagram Challenge

In my last ‘take five’ blog, I gave you five Instagram post ideas. Number one was to introduce yourself.

Have you done it yet?

Whether you have or you haven’t, I’m going to give you a teeny bit more help and, more than that, hope to start a fun little hashtag over on Instagram – I’m going to call it #takefivethings. And it’s simple. You just pick five things from the list below and write a caption giving us (that’s me and your Instagram following) the answers. Are you game?

Now, let me explain the method to this. Getting your face on your grid is REALLY important… but it’s the thing that most people seem to be the most uncomfortable with. And I get it. Introducing yourself is a very good reason to put your face up on your grid in all its glory. But when you’ve done that – what are you meant to do? Obviously you can introduce yourself on Instagram when you have a surge in new followers, or just when you fancy it. You can put your picture on your grid whenever you like – it’s YOUR grid, but if you’re struggling for a reason, I have one. This little challenge.

#takefivethings Instagram Challenge

You can use this list whenever you like – I’ll be checking and following the #takefivethings hashtag, but if you tag me too (@rheafreemanpr) I’ll do my best to comment and like in a timely fashion. Deal? So… #takefivethings

Are you a dog person or a cat person?
Why do you do what you do?
What’s your job?
Who are your role models?
If you could go back and start your journey, what would you tell your old self (good one @equissentialsdressage)
Last book you read
Best book you’ve read
Fictional character you most relate to
Horse you’d most like to own
Favorite quote
Describe yourself in no more than six words (another good one @equissentialsdressage)
Best clean joke
Dream dinner party guest list
Podcast you love to listen to
Tea or coffee
Favourite biscuit
Favourite cake
How did you get into your current career? (thank you @marthalilyphotog)
Badminton or Burghley?
Wine or gin
Night in or night out
What’s your hidden talent?
If you weren’t doing the job you do, what would you do instead?
Filter or no filter?
What’s in your handbag?
Dressage or cross country?
Showing or show jumping?
Heels or flats?
Vlogging or blogging?
YouTube or IGTV?
Facebook or Instagram?
Early bird or night owl?
Something your followers might not know about you?
Greatest achievement (to date!)
A goal for the next 12 months
Which James Bond?
What couldn’t you live without?
If you could take three things to a desert island, what would they be?
iOS or Android?
Mac or PC?

So there you go, the #takefivethings Instagram Challenge – just take five questions, write your caption, tag me on Instagram and voila!

April 4, 2019/by Rhea Freeman

Achive, Equestrian Business, General Blog Posts, Social Media

From making your own cross country colours to building Super X Country with Becci Harrold

I’m SO excited to share this episode with you! I’ve been working with Becci Harrold from Super X Country for quite a while now and continue to be inspired by her and what she does. In this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, I chat to Becci all about the rise of Super X Country. We chat about how the brand we know today started on Becci’s sewing machine after a disappointing trip to the tack shop. And how it’s grow and developed over the last nine years.

From making her own cross country colours to building Super X Country with Becci Harrold

In this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, Becci shares the inside story of brand, her passion for eventing, her love for work and so much more. Here are the show notes for episode 29 all about Super X Country. In this episode you will hear…

How the idea for Super X Country was formed after not being able to find nice cross country colours in tack shops.
The way that Becci took an idea and a passion for design and made it into a business… and how she even made her first website when she was at college.
About Becci’s roles at her business and how she’s had to employ a team to help her fulfil the orders that the website receives.
All about the huge range of customisable XC colours available – but also how if a customer is looking for a really specific purple, for example, Becci can source and find these materials and create one offs.
How the brand developed and the people that Becci worked with along the way to help to develop the Super X Country range, in terms of the cross country colours and more.
Why and how Becci went from making bespoke, made to order cross country colours to incorporating clothing into her offering.
How Becci felt winning ‘best’ with Horse & Hound – her Sportsline Gloves and Leggings both won the accolade.
What it’s like to have sell out products that you’ve designed, tried and tested.
Why it hasn’t been plain sailing with the breeches, how Becci lost a lot of money in the process, and also what she’s learnt from it and how she moved on.
The balance between working full time for the family business as a locksmith and running her business.
How she fits everything into the day.
Why she loves tradestands, what she gets from them, and why she absolutely loves going to the events and meeting her customers.
Looking back at first tradestands that she had to exhibiting at Badminton and some of the best events in the country.
How Becci has used every experience to grow and develop her business.
The feelings associated with doing so well at shows, and how she felt when she got back from her first Badminton .
Why Becci still loves packaging the orders and how not being able to pack up each order now she’s got so busy is one of the most things that has made her sad about getting so big.
We talk about Badminton, all the aspects that go into having a tradestand and how although it’s one of the huge highs of the business, it’s also associated with a lot of stress.
We talk about working with riders like Imogen Murray, the opportunities to work with five star riders, and exciting opportunities in the future.
How Super X Country has grown so much, and how social media is a huge part of this. We also talk about the buzz that Becci gets from seeing riders wearing her Super X Country colours at the events she attends and competes at.
The lowest point of running the business and how losing the money on a rogue supplier had a really horrible impact on her. We also talk about how having a negative issue at the start my have helped save her in the future.
We talk about top tips when it comes to launching your own business – from how to know if your idea is a good one and how to promote it using social media. Becci also talks about how she’s helped her friends grow their businesses and followings through social media.
Tips to post on social media including how scheduling apps can help you with posting, trying and testing new ideas, and we chat about the algorithm too.