2018 Michigan Horse Expo By Shelby Agnew, Saddle Up! Magazine Reporter At Large The second day of the annual Michigan Horse Expo at the Michigan State University Pavilion started bright and early. I was immediately hit with the sweet aroma of roasted almonds wafting through the air near the doors, tempting the people with a sweet tooth. The cost of entrance seemed to deter some people at $15.00, since they had to pay money to go spend more money at the numerous vendors. Though the price did not stop many from attending. The crowd grew larger as the day went on, people eager to listen to their favorite clinicians and watch compelling presentations with a large amount of shopping in between. The first seminar I attended was presented by Christy Landwehr about current uses of social media. She is the Chief Executive Officer for the Certified Horsemanship Association, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to promote excellence in safety throughout the equine industry. Landwehr rides and has shown in a range of disciplines and has a vast amount of marketing experience. She began the seminar by discussing that equine websites can now include “.horse” in their URLs to prevent the site from being confused with unrelated organizations that may use .com, .org, etc. Landwehr mentioned that the entire equine industry has a $122 billion economic impact (as of 2015) on the United States. That includes purchasing horses, tack, feed, trailers, airline tickets, hotel rooms – everything! She added that baby boomers make up most of the equine industry, while 80% of people involved in this industry are women. Furthermore, recreational equestrians such as trail and 4-H riders, are the base of the pyramid of the equine industry, with riders competing at the highest levels such as FEI on top. Landwehr then described that people’s mind sets have changed over time. Riders have been learning and focusing more about the importance of safety, resulting in a greater number of people choosing to wear helmets and become certified in specific areas. Landwehr soon changed gears to discuss business topics. She began with emphasizing that people should not market a product or service until the product or service is the best it can be. Bad news travels faster than good news and unhappy customers are the ones that write those poor reviews and help ensure that no one else buys from that company or person again. After the product or service is at its best possible quality, the business should establish a “Why Statement” to supplement the mission and purpose statements. This should answer the big question of “Why are you doing this?” The next step is the marketing plan that includes branding. This entails the fonts and colors that are part of the business aesthetic. This helps people remember the brand, it should be distinguishable from everyone else’s brand. Landwehr advised that about ten percent of the desired monthly gross should go back into marketing. Businesses should also have open communications with current and potential customers, as well as set goals and commit money with the objective of improving the business. One of the most significant points is that businesses should know their competition to be able to find their own point of difference or what sets them apart from others. To target customers, businesses should determine their demographics, psychographics, and customer profile. Demographics ©2018 C & C PUBLISHING, INC. • APRIL 2018
include age, race, gender, etc. of buyers; psycho-graphics entail the buyer’s thoughts, attitudes, and values; customer profiles are essentially a description of the buyer. Landwehr stressed that in today's world, an online presence is vital for marketing a business. There should be a professional website that is regularly updated and searchable. When a potential client wants to learn more about a business, the first thing he/she does is Google it, so the website should be one of the first results to pop up with a strong quality of design. Landwehr remarked that seventy seven percent of website visitors will NOT scroll very far, which means that the most important or recent information needs to be at the top of the main page. In addition, businesses should keep up to date on social media, such as YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. Since there are many different types of social media, businesses should focus on only a few of them and add their links to the homepage of the website. While Facebook can help market events, YouTube is an easy site to access videos – for example sale ads – that do not even need professional equipment. The following topic Landwehr detailed was advertising. This can involve putting up flyers at shows and stores, attending trade shows, placing print advertising on websites and in magazines, or creating classified and display ads. One of the most invaluable types of advertising is word of mouth, which is free and can spread quickly, but make sure it is only good news. Some businesses should also consider a modern form of advertising, QR (Quick Response) codes and Groupon. A QR code is a code of black and white squares that could be found on a flyer used for storing URLs or other information that smart phone cameras can read and later view. This is beneficial for marketing events that may have further information and can be easily accessible online. Groupon is an online marketplace that connects subscribers with local businesses that offer activities, goods, or services. This can be suitable for trainers looking to connect with potential clients. To enhance advertising, Landwehr closed with explaining many ways to promote a business through events, clinics, shows, giveaways, silent auctions, raffles, newsletters, fund-raisers, customer service, press releases, sponsorships, merchandise/clothing, and discounts for happy returning customers. Although Landwehr's seminar included information about marketing, rather than just social media, it was still highly educational for anyone searching for ways to improve their business in the equine industry. Later in the day, I attended Landwehr’s other seminar about equine industry trends. She introduced her presentation by describing each generation most prevalent today. Starting with Baby Boomers, those born from 1946-1964, grew up during a time of affluence (62)
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