I designed a survey for the readers of the Profitable Horseman about their horse businesses a few months ago. One of the survey questions asked the readers what area of their horse businesses they would like to improve the most. Forty percent responded that they would like to improve their marketing more than any other part of their business.
Marketing is an area which professional horsemen, as well as other business owners, should devote much of their energy. Even if you have a good supply of customers and clients today, there is no guarantee they will be your customers for life.
A wise man once remarked, “the time to dig a well is when its raining, not during a drought when it’s too late.”
I’ve talked to many small business owners who have felt secure with their customer base and let marketing efforts take a vacation. Sadly, they found out later when income had slipped that they were busy trying to dig a well during a drought. Marketing is so important, even when times are good, that I include Marketing Methodically as one of the key strategies for operating a successful business.
Simply defined, marketing is an ongoing process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service.
Of course advertising is one of the pieces of the marketing pie, but advertising alone will seldom make your business successful. Customers and clients consistently buy from professional horseman because a relationship has been built by the professional in which the customer has had the opportunity to know, like and trust him.
I saw a good example of marketing of this type this past weekend at a local Horseman’s Fair put together by an ambitious horse trainer. He and his wife saw the value of a marketing event that would help not only their business, but the businesses of their strategic business alliances. They created a first time event that included four speakers (of course the trainer was one of the speakers) and a “trade show” of about 35 vendors including: feed dealers, farriers, veterinarians, barn builders, tractor dealers, insurance agents, fencing contractors and boarding, lesson, training farms. I was there also with a table for Profitable Horseman.
This event creating a fantastic localized marketing buzz for the local horse related business people who met new people and renewed contact with old acquaintances. It was the perfect opportunity to work on the know, like and trust formula for marketing. That formula says that prospects have to know, like and trust you to do business with you.
The couple that put the Horse Fair together is Tom and Debbie Pinkowski. You can click here for Tom’s website.
Get out there and create a marketing buzz about yourself and your business!