Am I passionate about equestrian business? OH YES! I love business and I get plenty of opportunity to work with some of the most incredible equestrian businesses out there. In this section of my blog, I write about tips for equestrian businesses, speak to people behind the brands that we all know and love in the equestrian world, and get to help equestrian businesses thrive on their social media, in terms of their content… and these ideas can help them succeed from a profit point of view too.

The equestrian business tag is added to quite a bit of content – whether I am talking about tips and skills to help support your business, or I’m talking about businesses and sharing their story.

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Ask A Masterminder- stand out experiences on social media

This article was first published in Absolute Horse Magazine– to read this issue and any of the others, go to the Absolute Horse website

stand out experiences on social media

Ask a Masterminder – stand out experiences on social media

Small & Supercharged Mastermind is an online group supporting small equestrian and rural businesses and, as such, is bursting with amazingly knowledgeable people with lots to share. In each issue of Absolute Horse, we’ll be asking them a question and members will be sharing their top tips… this issue’s question is…

‘We ask the Masterminders – explain one amazing stand-out experience that you have had with equestrian social media’

Dr Diane Adamson aka All The Kings Horses

Like it or loathe it, it’s here to stay. I’ve found it’s an amazing platform for education. I use lives and my Rider Clinic to help equestrians deal with all sorts from describing your fall when you arrive at hospital, specialist equestrian physio, basic life support refreshers, inspiring guests, and so much more.

Social media is also fabulous for networking, and it’s helped to raise my profile in the equestrian space, which has led to me becoming the Chief  Medical Officer of BETA, meaning I’m now in a position to make our sport as safe as possible in both the equestrian and medical spaces.

Be brave, you never know what opportunities or friends may come your way. www.facebook.com/medicalmare

 

Ruth Chappell, Dressage Anywhere

My social stand out moment is a video of Alice Oppenheimer, International Grand Prix Dressage Rider, ‘riding’ a Grand Prix dressage test with a hobby horse! It was to promote our Hobby Horse Online Dressage Competition, which went on to raise £4k for charity but the video itself had just under 80,000 views and really helped to raise awareness.

www.dressageanywhere.com/

 

Amanda Marshall, 3 Donkeys Clothing

I have had the pleasure of meeting some amazing ladies through equestrian social media. Many have gone onto become friends and this in turn has opened many doors for my own business, especially our lovely sponsored rider. Had it not been for equestrian social media I would not have had this opportunity.

www.3donkeys.co.uk/

 

Eleanor Lelliott, SpiceMule

100% the best thing about social media is the connections you get, ones that just don’t happen in real life. In what world can you get a like minded bunch together, and most amazingly working together. The most exciting thing that’s happened to SpiceMule is our recent collaboration with Emily Cole. Not only am I a massive fan of her work, but it’s just fab when two business have products that are just meant to be together. I mean decadent mug cakes and beautiful mugs. DREAM TEAM. I just need her to bring out a full range of crockery so we can work together with our Simple Suppers range too!

www.spicemule.co.uk

 

Donna Case, The Horse Feed Guru

My biggest stand out was being booked to travel to the USA as a result of social media. Not only was my airfare paid for, but my accommodation and food etc for the whole time I was there. My client had never commented on my social media posts, but apparently had been following me for months.

www.thehorsefeedguru.com/

 

Zoe Kiff, Honest Riders

I think the ongoing thing for me is when someone messaged us and tells us they’ve changed something to be more sustainable as a result of one of our posts. Or have been promoted to make bigger changes. That’s always lovely.

www.honestriders.co.uk

 

Emily Cole, Emily Cole Illustrations

I owe most of my business to the power of social media. One of the most exciting opportunities has been teaming up with Equiboodle to design a bespoke Emily Cole edition vixen. Seeing customers wearing something with my design on never ceases to be surreal!

www.emily-cole.com

 

To find out more about the Small & Supercharged Mastermind group, see that page on the website.

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Ask a Masterminder- pandemic business and life lessons

This article was first published in Absolute Horse Magazine– to read this issue and any of the others, go to the Absolute Horse website

Ask a Masterminder- pandemic business and life lessons

pandemic business and life lessons

Small & Supercharged Mastermind is an online group supporting small equestrian and rural businesses and, as such, is bursting with amazingly knowledgeable people with lots to share. In each issue of Absolute Horse, we’ll be asking them a question and members will be sharing their top tips… this issue’s question is…

What’s been your biggest life/business lesson over the last year (i.e since the start of the pandemic)?

Kelly Baddeley – Knights of Middle England

The biggest business lesson I have learned through this last year is that you need to be willing and able to adapt to survive! We had to create new products and services that worked within restrictions and we got online as much as we could! Without adapting there is no way we would still be going and feeding our horses throughout this winter!

www.knightsofmiddleengland.com

Amy Pridige – Muddy Mare Clothing

Personally this year has taught me, like many others, to appreciate the small things in life. Business wise launching my brand five months before the pandemic started has meant I do not know my full potential and so it has made me more determined to succeed.

www.muddymare.co.uk

Tracey Cole- Tracey Cole NLP

Being able to run my coaching and trainings 100% remotely has been an eye-opener. It’s been super convenient for everyone. Clients and trainees have mentioned that having greater flexibility in scheduling sessions, no travel to think about and no need to leave their horses has helped them immensely.

www.traceycolenlp.com

Carly O’Brien – COB’s Equine Shop & Services

Bring a freelance groom and instructor, my business has been affected with the COVID-19 pandemic.  Being furloughed from the riding school and some of my holiday freelance work cancelled, I found I had spare time on my hands.

With this I spent time doing some online training. I completed mini courses on the British Groom Association website, an online horse management course and attended webinars about growing social media.

It has made me realise that I don’t need to be running around trying to get to all clients and being in a rush. I can work successfully without the hectic schedule. Work smarter not harder.

www.facebook.com/cobsequineshopservices

Ruth Chappell- Dressage Anywhere

In 2020 I started and completed the Couch to 5K programme and what it taught me is that consistency pays off. Just getting up and showing up when I really didn’t feel like it meant a positive step in the right direction towards my goal. I apply this thinking to everything I do now.

www.dressageanywhere.com

Jane Brindley- Horse Riding With Confidence Scotland

My biggest lesson during this period has been the need to be on my guard for any self limiting beliefs and to challenge them in order to fully thrive in challenging circumstances.  Continue to develop, seek help and support where needed and then get on and give it a go!

www.horseridingwithconfidencescottland.co.uk

Emma Halliday- Paddock Apparel

Seize the moment, life is short! Quite quickly into the pandemic I realised that this would be like nothing I had ever experienced and that the world as we know it would be changed forever. So, after years of deliberation I launched Paddock Apparel, an equestrian clothing brand with a conscious.

www.paddockapparel.co.uk

Amanda Marshall – 3 Donkeys

Adapt and evolve have been my ‘Go To’ words for the last year. With a positive mindset and a tweak here and there, it has been possible to keep focused. As a community we are stronger together, support and kindness has been and essential factor during these turbulent times.

www.3donkeys.co.uk

 

To find out more about the Small & Supercharged Mastermind group, have a look at the Mastermind page!

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Influencers behaving badly

This article – Influencers behaving badly- first appeared in Absolute Horse Magazine – view this fabulous publication online and all previous issues of Absolute Horse on the website- and they’re all FREE to view too!

Influencers behaving badly

For many riders, it’s a dream to bag themselves a sponsor. Being aligned with brands that you love working with, whose products you adore, who can help support you in your equestrian dreams is huge. But that’s really just the start. Bagging yourself a sponsor isn’t the easy bit as such, but with it comes a responsibility to promote the brand correctly and well, ensure that you remain the kind of person that brand wants to be associated with, and so much more. So here we are going to look at a few things NOT to do if you want to keep the brands you’re working with happy…

Absolute Horse Equestrian Influencers

  1. Promote other conflicting brands. There are few brands that would expect you to only talk about them, because most brands tend to specialise in one area. But, let’s say your sponsor sells supplements, it wouldn’t be a great idea to actively promote a product from a competitor of theirs when they do an equivalent. If, for whatever reason, you need/want/are advised to use a product that could be a conflict, SPEAK TO THE BRAND. They may understand, they may ask you not to actively promote it on your socials, they may suggest their version and give you a good reason why.
  2. Disregard what they have asked for. If you’re sponsored or even working with someone on a one off basis, you’ll know what they expect from you in terms of what kind of coverage that are hoping to gain. If you’re not sure, ask. But when you know, please deliver on what has been agreed. If you’re struggling to do this for whatever reason, speak to them. Explain the situation and work on a solution.
  3. Prevent them using your content. Let’s say you’ve taken a pic of you in their kit, looking amazing, and posted it on your social. The brand asks to use it. You say no. Now, if you had the image taken by a professional photographer, you will need to get their permission of course, but unless there’s a good reason, I would advise being as obliging as you can be. Quality imagery that brands can use has a real value, and this can help to make you even more valuable as a brand ambassador or sponsored rider.
  4. Have no knowledge of their products. It’s worth doing the work and making sure you really do understand what makes their products special. You don’t need to be an expert, but knowing enough so you can produce valuable content will really help.
  5. Don’t communicate with them, don’t think of any ideas around the promotion of the brand or products. Keep in touch. Think of things you can do that help them and will appeal to your audience.
  6. Start swearing, being rude, breaking the law, and behaving in a way that’s very different to how you were when you started working together. Now, if you were swearing before, don’t worry too much(!), but when brands assess brand ambassadors, they usually look to see how that ambassador will fit with their audience, brand ethos, and a lot of other values too. If you’ve gone from quiet and collected to swearing and drunken vomiting in ditches overnight, that will (quite rightly!) unnerve a brand.
  7. Be controversial, just because. If you believe in something wholeheartedly, then that’s different, but if you’re a bit bored one day and decide to pick a fight with someone on social, be aware that this could really backfire.
  8. Don’t label things. It is REALLY important that you label any sponsored content correctly so you don’t mislead your audience. The ASA and CMA have rules around this (search ASA Influencer Guidelines for more on this). It’s important for you and the brand.

Of course, there are other ways you can upset a brand(!), but communication is key, in all things, to ensure you’re happy, the brand is happy, and that the audience is too. You’ve got this!

Read the article and see Absolute Horse Magazine here.

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The massive value of behind the scenes on social media

The value of behind the scenes on social mediaDo you let people ‘in’ on social media? Behind the scenes and related content can make a huge difference to your social media. Not only is it a limitless source of unique content gold, but it’s also a great way to connect with your fans and followers in a really relatable way.

Do you share your behind the scenes?

When I was working on my social media course for riders, behind the scenes was always going to be a key part.

Why? Because it’s THE place to create unique content. And more than that, you don’t need to stage it or plan it – it just happens while you’re going on with your life. Which means that behind the scenes is the most perfect way to implement Gary Vaynerchuk’s amazing mantra of ‘document, don’t create’.

I’m amazed at how many people don’t use this really simple idea, especially when many struggle to create content for their social media. But when these things happen you need to dig a tiny bit and find out why, don’t you? And the answer was really interesting…

Because people don’t think they’re that interesting… and that their followers won’t care.

But they’re wrong…

Behind the scenes shows the real you, makes you more relatable, and allows you to share so much.

There’s a massive drive on social media towards authenticity – I mean people have been talking about being authentic for years – but luckily REAL authenticity seems to be on the increase. And if behind the scenes isn’t authentic, I’m not sure what is. As a rider, this might be getting ready for a show. Being SO hot after a training session that you’re the colour of a strawberry and look like you’ve been under the hosepipe. It’s your dog ‘helping’ you do the feeds by running off with feed buckets. It’s the music you sing along to at the top of your lungs when you’re on the way to a show. It’s the nerves before cross country. It’s how you remember a dressage test. It’s the stuff that no one sees.

For brands, it might be all of these too (if you’re horsey and that’s a key part of your brand), but it could also be getting ready for an event and trying to tetris everything into the trailer? Building the stand, designing new products, going to shows, packing orders, speaking to customers, finding inspiration when you’re walking the dog, getting excited about a new delivery, opening a parcel containing all your new packaging, your excitement when you see yourself in print. This is behind the scenes.

What if people don’t care?

What if they don’t? Your true fans – the ones who will support you and want to be part of your journey will lap it up. And I mean LAP IT UP. And the others? They might. They might not. It doesn’t actually matter because you’re not worried about the others. You’re serving your true fans. The people who will enhance and enrich your life as much as you enhance and enrich theirs. Don’t worry about everyone. You can’t please everyone all the time and neither should you try. The ones who are firmly on your side will love this new insight into your life/day/world.

Social Supercharge: Riders

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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.

Subscribe to the Small & Supercharged podcast on iTunes
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5 ways to make your equine business more ethical and eco-friendly

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

Subscribe to the Small & Supercharged podcast on iTunes
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5 Tips For Your Black Friday Promotion

5 Tips for your Black Friday Promotion

Black Friday – great, isn’t it? Or is it? I think that for many businesses, Black Friday can be bittersweet. It’s a day when you hope to make some serious sales, but it’s also a day that can become rather chaotic, and if you offer serious discounts, you might be making MUCH less money per sale.

But I don’t want to be negative about Black Friday and Cyber Weekend. It can be great for

black friday promotion

businesses who are set up for it, can handle the level of orders, that are comfortable with what they’ll make per item/service. It’s a good way to get rid of slow moving lines and get money in the bank. And it can really help to set you up pre Christmas.

This doesn’t mean that everyone should take part. Here are my five top things to think about for your Black Friday Promotion…

  1. Do you want to do it? If it doesn’t make financial sense, then I’d really urge you to consider whether it’s a good idea. It isn’t for everyone. You want to be pleased when you make a sale not think ‘well, I’m making 3p on that before I pay for the envelope’. So just make sure you’re happy with it.
  2. Make it clear. If you’re running a Black Friday offer, make sure it’s really clear. Not just the discount, but also how to claim, when it expires, etc etc. If you’re not sure if it’s as easy as you’d like, ask a friend to check it and see if they get it!
  3. Promote it. If you decide you’re going for it, then really go for it! Make sure you promote it on your website, your social media, your newsletter… and then promote it again. Not everyone sees everything you would like them to on first posting and you don’t want them to miss it.
  4. Work together. There are a number of blog posts, Facebook groups and online features out there listing some of the best offers. Find these and email the people. If you get featured in some of these places it could really give you Black Friday a boost!
  5. Get your ambassadors and sponsored riders on side. Tell them about your offer and ask them if they’d consider telling their followings about it. Simple but could be really effective.

If you’re feeling a little more motivated about Black Friday, pop over on to my Facebook page and see my video mini series all about how to promote your Black Friday promotion.

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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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Running an online only business with Ruth Chappell- Small & Supercharged Podcast

You’re in for a treat today! On this episode of the Small & Supercharged podcast we catch up with Ruth Chappell, the lady behind Dressage Anywhere. In addition to being a huge part of Dressage Anywhere, Ruth has a lot of strings to her bow. She’s an absolute superstar and is also a ‘tech wizard’. In this episode, we chat about how Ruth got to this point, the difficulties with running a digital, online equestrian business and more.

Let’s talk about online equestrian businesses and how to create a digital business, with Ruth Chappell – Dressage Anywhere

Show notes for the Small & Supercharged Podcast – Episode 8 – online only equestrian businesses, how to deal with competition, cyber security and making a connection with customers…

  • Ruth talks about how she came to Dressage Anywhere, the online dressage platform
  • We talk about competition and how to deal with being the only online dressage company to how it is now.
  • We spoke about where the idea for Dressage Anywhere came from.
  • The benefits of an online business, the international appeal and global reach the business has.
  • How Dressage Anywhere actually works.
  • The limitations of being an online/digital business and how this can be quite challenging.
  • The opportunities that social media has presented for digital businesses.
  • Particular highlights including the Riding for the Disabled Association.
  • Some of the tools that Ruth uses to help run Dressage Anywhere effectively.
  • Social media content for digital businesses and how this can be used to help promote connection and business.
  • Finding friends and amazing connections through social media.
  • We talk about cyber security and data protection, and how that even a small business needs to be aware of this and understand the responsibilities connected to it.
  • And we talk about user experience, customer journey, automation, and balancing tech with usability… because they have to work together.

It was an absolute joy chatting to Ruth – not only do I love Dressage Anywhere, but I am a huge Ruth fan. She is a fountain of knowledge on ‘techy’ things and has helped me out on more than one occasion when I’ve had a tech based ‘why does everything hate me’ meltdown. OK. That happens quite a lot!

To find Ruth and Dressage Anywhere online, follow the links below…

Dressage Anywhere website

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Beautiful image provided by Karen Bennett Photography

Subscribe to the Small & Supercharged podcast on iTunes

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Equestrian business – 5 reasons to be your own equestrian PR

be your own equestrian PRI get asked a lot if people can do their own PR for their equestrian business. You want to know my answer? Without fail? It’s YES. Not only CAN you do your own PR but, initially at least, I think you should. You might think I’m poacher turned gamekeeper here. But trust me, I’m not. The way that marketing has moved over the last few years means that your PR and marketing budget needs to be spent in more areas than every before. It used to be that PR and marketing were the only ways to get your equestrian business out there. That’s no longer the case. In fact, some people don’t invest a penny in ‘old school’ equestrian PR and still do really well because they’re leveraging everything else available to them. So here I’m going to give you five reasons to be your own equestrian PR… it’s not as hard as you think…

5 reasons to be your own equestrian PR

 

Reason 1 – It’s not that difficult

Some people would have you believe that writing a press release is the same as brain surgery. It isn’t. Press releases should be short and to the point, contain newsworthy information, cover a handful of key points and be well written. This applies to all businesses, not just equestrian businesses. Obviously an equestrian PR should do more than just write press releases but this is one key thing that they should do. The truth is if you have a bit of time and a good command of the English language, you can do it.

Reason 2 – YOU build the contacts

If you undertake your own equestrian PR, it means that when you start you’ll have no contacts to send your press release to. Oh no. Game over. Well no. When I started my equestrian PR business I had a list like yours… and you know what I did? I just started contacting editors of magazines and websites, forming contacts and building a press list. My press list. A press list that I can contact with news and exciting things whenever I like. Without a gate keeper. More than this, a number of the contacts I made as an equestrian PR have become great friends, so that’s a win too. If you do this yourself for your equestrian business, the same will happen for you.

Reason 3 – You can nurture relationships

Press releases aren’t the only thing to be aware of when it comes to equestrian PR, there’s a few other facets to this… but all are infinitely easier if you have good relationships. I’ve managed to secure a number of regular monthly columns for a number of my clients – why? Well, they’re exceptional at what they do, first up, but secondly I have built the relationships with the press to say ‘Hello – I have this idea – what do you think?’. You can do this for yourself. You can nurture the relationships for your business yourself. You can start to work with and help magazines under your own steam.

Reason 4 – You’ll understand the process a lot more

Equestrian PR is a long game. You do get some results overnight thanks to the digital age we live it, but many magazine lead times are long so it can be months before you make it in. It’s important to understand this process. It’s important to understand that quality images matter, that when someone says they want 50 words – they mean it, and lots more too. This means that if you do decide to work with an equestrian PR, you will understand what they have to work with.

Reason 5 – money, money, money

If you undertake your own equestrian PR you will save money. You might decide you’d rather pay for someone to manage this side of your business for you, and that’s fine. Conversely, you might be able to use that money on a professional shoot, or a Facebook ad campaign, or a trade show. I’m not saying that PR isn’t worth spending money on – good PR certainly is an great investment – but you might find that YOU can perform many of these tasks yourself, allowing you to pay for help in other areas, or spend your money on other things.

Other blogs you might like…

Five things to look for in an equestrian PR agency

What is equestrian PR?

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