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Are you ready for Christmas? Getting your brand ready for the festive season

Are you ready for Christmas

 

Are you ready for Christmas? I’ll level with you, for my ‘life’, I’m not even remotely ready – I don’t know what anyone is getting or what we’re doing on the run up to it. But for my business? My Christmas content is coming on quite nicely. Actually, I started planning it and recording it over a month ago… I know it sounds dull but being that little bit more organised than normal has helped me massively… and there’s is still plenty of time for you to get ahead of the curve too! In this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, I talk you through some ways to flip Christmas content on its head, whether you’re a brand or an influencer, to help your content really shine in what will be a very busy ‘loud’ time on social.

Are you ready for Christmas? Getting your brand ready for the festive season

As I’m writing this, it’s the end of October, and while it might feel like a long way off, Christmas really isn’t. And if you want to create killer content for your Christmas ‘campaign’ this year, now’s the time.

And when I say Christmas campaign, this isn’t just exclusive for brands, it’s for bloggers and influencers too. Because producing great content, helpful content, inspiring content, that can delight your fans and followers and make their Christmas stresses a whole lot less is a campaign indeed.

Tune in, listen to the episode, and start brainstorming your Christmas ideas. Because whether you’re ready or not, it’s coming, and NOW is the time to capitalise on the opportunity… GO GO!

If you liked this episode, please screenshot, share and tag me on social media… I’d love to see what you’re plotting and planning after tuning in!

Subscribe to the Small & Supercharged podcast on iTunes

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Hiho Silver’s Sterling Silver Fob Bracelet With Equestrian Charms – Christmas Giveaway

We’re now on day two of the first week of my 2018 Christmas Giveaway. And today it’s all about Hiho Silver. Well, Hiho Silver and the Fob Bracelet with Equestrian Charms, to be precise.

sterling-silver-fob-bracelet-with-equestrian-charms-equestrian-jewelleryWhat’s the Fob Bracelet with Equestrian Charms

It’s so, so lovely! But there’s a bit more to it than just loveliness!

This is a sterling silver bracelet which is made from a sturdy chain that really will take you from mucking out to going out! It has a circular link on one end and a t-bar fastening at the other, which makes it easy to put on and take off, and secure when in place. At the circular end, things get a lot more horsey, as that’s where the equestrian charms are. On this bracelet, you’ll find three of them: a hat, a boot, and a stirrup, all hand cast. These little charms are SO cute and have all the detail you’d expect from Hiho too.

This is part of Hiho’s Equestrian Collection and has been on sale for a number of years, and still continues to be a best seller. And it’s not surprising when you see the quality and beauty of it. I still can’t believe how detailed the little charms are. They’re ‘properly’ horsey and can be identified at at least 50 paces by anyone who’s equestrian!

For the competition, I have one of these gorgeous Fob Bracelets with Equestrian Charms to giveaway from Hiho Silver.

How do you win?

Well, that’s all down to luck, but you do need to enter to stand a fighting chance!

As per the blog yesterday, all about the Fairfax & Favor Chatham Purse, this year’s festive giveaways have been grouped, meaning that five products make up the prize for week one. Week two also has a festive bundle made up of a different five products.

For this competition, I’ve added a video to my Rhea Freeman PR Facebook page and this shows the Fob Bracelet is all its glory – it is SO pretty. In addition, there’s a pinned post which is where you need to enter.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is…

  • Go to my Rhea Freeman PR Facebook page
  • Find the pinned post at the top of the page
  • Like and comment on the pinned post, and make sure you like my page too
  • Do this all before midnight on Sunday 2nd December 2018!

And if you would like to share the competition or the videos (I’m making five for each week!) then please do – I’d be really grateful.

To enter the competition, you can find my Rhea Freeman PR Facebook page here.

Thank you Hiho Silver

If you follow me on any social media platforms, you’ll know I have the pleasure of working with Hiho Silver, and have for a number of years. Not only are ‘Team Hiho’ absolutely lovely and then some, but the jewellery. OH MY, the jewellery. I’ve been a fan of the brand for a long time – long before I started working for them. Their brand story, how they design the jewellery, the brand ethos and more have always appealed to me, and I know all the above ticks many boxes for others too.

I wear my Hiho all the time – I don’t even take it off to go to sleep. I know I shouldn’t admit that in public but, hey, I’ve done it now! I’m a very proud brand ambassador for Hiho too. I LOVE the pieces… and if you haven’t met them yet, you will soon!

Visit my Rhea Freeman PR Facebook Page to enter

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Fairfax & Favor’s Chatham Purse – Christmas Giveaway

Fairfax and Favor Chatham PurseWelcome to day 1 of my 2018 Christmas Giveaway! I know it’s still November, but this year’s is a bit different. And this year’s starts with a bang with Fairfax & Favor who have kindly given a Chatham Purse.

What’s a Chatham Purse?

Maybe the cutest coin purse you’ve ever seen, that’s what! The Chatham is a small but perfectly formed leather coin purse that’s oozing with Fairfax & Favor DNA. It comes in a gorgeous box and has its own dust cover, so the scene is already set! The purse itself is made from sumptuous fine grain leather, has a tactile suede lining, and has the gold coloured hardware associated with Fairfax & Favor. From the shield shaped cut out on the zip pull to the golden shield on the actual purse, you can see this beauty’s pedigree!

For the competition, I have one Chatham Purse in tan, which is a best selling colour, to give away, but you can see all the colours of the Chatham Purse by visiting the website.

How do you win?

Well, that’s the fun bit! This year, instead of giving away one product a day, I’m grouping five products together for week one to make one amazing prize, doing the same for week two, and then for week three I’m doing something completely different. But more about that later.

For this competition, I’ve added a video to my Rhea Freeman PR Facebook page that gives you a guided tour of the prize, and for this week, you’ll find the competition post pinned to the top of my Facebook page. This shows the five stunning products up for grabs this week. To be in with a chance to win, it’s really simple…

  • Go to my Rhea Freeman PR Facebook page
  • Find the pinned post
  • Like and comment on the pinned post, and make sure you like my page too
  • Do this all before midnight on Sunday 2nd December 2018!

And if you would like to share the competition or the videos (I’m making five for each week!) then please do – I’d be really grateful.

To enter the competition, you can find my Rhea Freeman PR Facebook page here.

Thank you Fairfax & Favor

Before I leave you for today, I wanted to say a quick thank you to Fairfax & Favor. If you follow me on any social media platform, you know I love the brand. And I love all the products – boots and bags are very much my thing it seems!

But more than just creating products that are ‘needed’, not just wanted, the team are one of the loveliest around. If you get chance to see them at a show, do -you’ll be assured of a warm welcome, probably a drink, and the chance to inhale the leather perfume that comes from the boots and bags. And if you can’t make it to the show, the website is fab and the returns policy is amazing.

I wanted to say a big thank you to Fairfax & Favor – I’m very grateful to have their support with this – and I know that the winner will be delighted with their very own Chatham!

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Equestrian social media – 5 ways to promote your equestrian business on social media this Christmas

Five ways to promote your equestrian business on social media this ChristmasAre you getting in the festive spirit? Have you got your Christmas stock in and raring to go? Have you planned your social media for the next few weeks on the lead up to Christmas? The thing is, now is most definitely the time to be harnessing social media for your equestrian business… and it’s definitely worth a bit of thought. From the really obvious posts that drive a sale to something a little more thoughtful, here are five ways to promote your equestrian business on social media at Christmas. And, spoiler alert, none of them are advertising…

Five ways to promote your equestrian business on social media at Christmas

  1. Collaborate – I love a collaboration, and there’s no better time than Christmas. Collaborating with businesses that complement yours can be a great way to get in front of potential customers who might not know about you. One of the key points to remember when you’re plotting your collaboration is that a collaboration should benefit all parties. Your equestrian business, the other equestrian business… and your customers too. It shouldn’t be all ‘me, me, me’, quite the opposite actually!
  2. Shoppable links – have you seen that Instagram has now added shoppable links to Stories? I let out a little squeal when this happened a few months ago. If you have a Facebook shop connected and working, this means you can now add shoppable links to Facebook, Instagram and Instagram Stories. It might be simple, but we need to do all we can to make it easy for people to shop. If they need to remember a complicated website address and type that in to their computer/phone before they get anywhere near your business. Well, it’s just not good, is it?
  3. Behind the scenes – and if you’re so inclined you could have some fun with this too. There’s no better time to show what goes in behind the scenes of your business. How are you making sure that people get their orders on time? How are you harnessing the Christmas spirit in what you do? Has the office dog also donned his antlers to get involved? SHOW US!
  4. Competition – competitions can be a great way to raise the profile of your equestrian business. You can either do this on your own or as part of a collaboration with a sponsored rider or maybe another business. Please, PLEASE make sure you competition is easy to enter, complies with all relevant Ts and Cs depending on the platform you are promoting/hosting it on though. Please. For me. And sharing or tagging on Facebook don’t comply. See the Pages Promotion Guidelines.
  5. New products – tell the world about the new equestrian products you have in store ready to delight and excite them. Maybe you can help to show how these new products work together (and even how they work)? What about who they would be good for? Help people. We all need some help at Christmas time and your equestrian business, if promoted well, could be that beacon of fairy lights for all those tired horsey shoppers.

These are five easy ways to promote your equestrian business through social media at Christmas, but there are plenty more too. What’s more, these ideas aren’t JUST for Christmas, oh no, they’ll work all the time. So yes, they might help you promote your equestrian business this Christmas, but take them into the New Year too!

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The Equestrian and Country Advent Calendar Competition… starting on 1st December

Robin Roadnight Hanging HeartI can’t contain my advent calendar based excitement any longer… because my Equestrian and Country Advent Calendar Competition launches on Friday, 1st December. And yes, I’m pretty flipping excited. As with a lot of what I do, I wanted to explain why I’ve done it the way I have, as well as the kind of things you’re likely to find in there.

What’s the idea behind the Equestrian and Country Advent Calendar Competition?

There are a few reasons why I decided to do an Equestrian and Country Advent Calendar Competition. The first reason is that by creating video content around some great products from my clients and friends, I get to introduce them to you in a more personal way. Every product I am giving away I genuinely love and have a connection with in some way. I’m very, very lucky in that I’ve had a lot of the prizes donated, but I have also bought some too. The ones I have bought are generally connected to the business side of what I do, so books I rate and have talked about, a bit of stationery and the like. I have also bought some of the other products, and I will explain this aspect in the blog that accompanies each day of the calendar. Because I like to give people credit when they go above and beyond. And it’s only fair that people who have been kind enough to gift prizes to you, my lovely followers, get that recognition.

Sophie Callahan Equestrian CalendarHow will the Equestrian and Country Advent Calendar Competition work?

Each day I will be giving away one lovely prize over on my Facebook page. I did think a lot about the best way to do this and keeping it on one platform just seemed a lot more clean cut and a lot easier to manage. So, each day, a short video will appear on my Facebook page with the prize I’m giving for that day, and the entry mechanism will be a simple ‘Like & Comment’. Of course, I’d be very grateful for any shares, but that’s not part of the entry criteria. Each video will also have an accompanying blog that will explain more about the prize. It’s a simple competition, because I like to keep things simple… especially at this time of year!!

What kind of things can you expect to find in the Equestrian Advent Calendar Competition?

You’re in for a treat! There are books from some people I find hugely inspiring, products from Hiho Silver, Annabel Brocks, Sophie Callahan Photography, Sweet Images Photography, Hoofprints, Noble Outfitters, Robin Roadnight… the list goes on. I hope you love taking part as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. The first one launches on Friday!

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How to promote your equestrian and country business this Christmas

How to promote your equestrian and country business this ChristmasToday’s #wisdomwednesday post is all about how to promote your equestrian and country business this Christmas. Now, not only will you see some top tips written below, there’s also a podcast, created in conjunction with Haynet, that I put together about it. Now, one point to note, when I recorded this I did have a cold, so the husky voice isn’t here to stay, but I needed to get this podcast and these tips out into the world. So please excuse that!!

How to promote your equestrian and country business this Christmas – the podcast

The actual podcast is called How Can You Make Your Rural Business Standout This Christmas – and you can listen to the Haynet Podcast on their website. If you’re reading this and thinking ‘God no, I’ve left it too late – all is lost’. Just breathe. It’s fine. I’m going to help you. Ok? 

How to promote your equestrian and country business this ChristmasNow you’ve had a listen to the podcast, I wanted to just cover a few key points here, so you can crack on NOW and get started in promoting your business and your products on the run up to Christmas. Are you ready? Well we will begin…

  • Make sure you know your last posting days – these are your real deadlines. It’s not over until it’s over – by which I mean don’t throw in the towel until it’s time to stop. When you can do no more. If you sell a physical product, get your last posting dates sorted and have that as your new deadline. That’s not to say leave everything until then. DO NOT DO THIS. Get cracking straight away. I’m just saying that all is not lost until the end.
  • Use your social media… and use it well. If you have a promotion or a visual or a competition, make sure it is native to the platform. These always do better. So don’t ask people to share on Instagram. You can’t. You can repost, but you share on Facebook.
  • If an idea you have will work really well on one platform and not any others THAT IS FINE. Use the other platforms to promote what’s going on on the one platform. Not everything needs to work everywhere. That’s fine.
  • Put time into your visuals. Put energy into your images. While Instagram is all about the visual, Facebook and Twitter posts perform better too when accompanied by a good pic.
  • You can advertise – yep – on social media. The targeting is incredible. Make sure your content is good first though, and your visual and message are strong, otherwise it’s a waste of money.
  • Make sure you tell your database about what you’re doing. These people have engaged with your before, so why not give them the chance to engage with you again? Don’t SPAM them, but do keep them informed. It helps.
  • Get on video. Get on video. So that would be GET ON VIDEO. Talk people through your products and get this content on your social media, on your website, in you newsletters.
  • Add value. Write a note. Offer gift wrap. Add value and help your customers out. This will help your user generated content and is also something nice you can talk about.
  • Collaborate. Look to collaborate with brands that could help you. I’m currently working on a mega equestrian prize collaboration, and I can see how well it’s working. You can find out how collaborations work here.

So there you go, some additional information about how to promote your equestrian and country business this Christmas.

And don’t forget to have a listen to the other Haynet podcasts. I alternate these with Sam, founder of this fab platform, and there’s LOADS of information there you can tap in to. Enjoy!

 

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Tis the season

First of all, I must apologise for the gap between this blog and the two previous ones…I blame Christmas. Entirely.

What does Christmas have to do with it?

In the world of PR, Christmas starts in about August, you know, when you’re sat in shorts (OK, I don’t wear shorts, but let’s say t-shirt), you’re sporting a shade of lobster and the ground resembles concrete. The issue is, it doesn’t end until, well, about now for the most part, and Christmas Eve for the bits and bobs…just as the actual Christmas arrives, when you have to be sociable to people you avoid all year long and the stress about what to buy for who/realise you haven’t bought anything for anyone but you have festive attire for the dogs, takes over. Print media does work ahead, of course it does, but with digital becoming stronger and stronger all the time, it’s not over until there’s a fat, jolly bloke trying to squeeze himself down your chimney, to steal your sherry, mince pies and carrots. It’s not a relaxing time of year, but it is an exciting one in our world – when campaigns you’ve been plotting start to pay off for all concerned…a lot of work goes into Christmas, it’s the key time of the year for so many businesses, and people are foolish to ignore this. I’ve seen some corking campaigns this season and been involved in a few too – you don’t need to give the contents of your shop to get somewhere – just think about your fans and what you think they’d like- what would appeal to them? And, until Christmas Eve, it’s not too late to try something on social media or online…seize the moment. Embrace your inner child and try your very best to embrace Christmas…it could pay dividends.

I’ve been posting some Christmas Crackers on my Facebook page if you’re lacking festive inspiration. There’s more to come too, so do like the page…

Now, before I leave you for a little while, I wanted to draw your attention to something I’m involved with – when I say involved with, I mean that I’ve donated something towards…I can’t (and won’t) take any credit for the organisational aspect because that’s been a mammoth task that Alexis and Nikki need a big pat on the back for (well, a big drink for, but ‘pat on the back’ is a more accepted term). What am I talking about? The End of Season Event silent auction. The auction is raising money for Friends of Picu, the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit in Southampton Hospital. It’s a cause that’s very close to the hearts of the organisers of the ball, and I was pleased to be able to help. I’ve donated an hour’s Skype consultation, ideal for riders looking at how to manage their own promotion and small businesses too. There are lots of great lots – you can buy Ben Hobday (well, I think you can…don’t quote me on that!), win lessons with Olympians, get a signed Mirrors for Training Stable Mirror…there are 44 lots in total – so get bidding! Find out more here.

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