How To Successfully Advertise Equestrian Events /
Equine marketing is specialized. Because equestrian athletics are in a niched-down industry, there is substantial growth potential when targeting your market properly and at opportune times.
Equestrian events are the best place to meet your ideal customer right where you would expect them to be. Below, we have provided a comprehensive guide to equine marketing to help guide your advertising endeavours.
Advertising at Equestrian Sporting Events
Accuracy in marketing is just as important as knowing your audience. As a niche of a market the equine audience is, niching down further is critical. Understanding your target audience clarifies what events you should advertise at. Knowledge of audience pain points, income, family size, and whether they read horse magazines or frequent equine internet forums are small and crucial details.
Getting in your customer's head is the guidebook to spending your marketing dollars and leveraging your time.
Does your ideal customer attend horse shows? Do they prefer a specific division of the show? Dressage, show jumping, hunter jumping? Knowing the disciplines of interest of your audience is imperative to a good return on investment.
Ask yourself questions like these:
Does your customer need a horse groomer or stable for a stall rental?
Is your customer the parent of a youth horse rider?
Do they own young horses that need ground manner training and bonding exercises?
Clarity about the problem you’re solving and using the appropriate language to capture their attention matters. How would they talk about equine events with their friends and family?
Taking advantage of equine events is straightforward when you’re clear on the events your audience is likely to attend. Advertising in the show’s event magazine is one way to be seen. Sponsoring a horse show is also an option if it’s within your budget (seeking new and smaller shows is an alternative); it places your business logo and mission on the show website and throughout the event, visible to all eyes. Sponsorship packages come with booths, guaranteed business promotion, such as PA announcements, and other perks. Take advantage of the networking opportunities to rub shoulders with the individuals you want as loyal customers. Keep a tablet on hand to capture emails and other contact details and let them know you’ll add them to your newsletter blast.
Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing
Digital marketing comes in several forms, e.g., email marketing, newsletters, videos/vlogs, podcast/radio spots, etc. Additionally, running ads on reputable social media websites with plug-and-play audience data and codes like Facebook Pixel means you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to target your customers.
The global reach of social media enables you to touch markets on any continent. The limitlessness of your reach is unstoppable, but with all marketing, whether digital or traditional, your marketing goals cannot be overstated.
Marketing Goals:
Website Traffic
Increase sales on your online store
Engagement with your social media profiles (likes, comments, follows)
Website blog post readers
Foot traffic in your brick and mortar
Email opens
Traditional Marketing
Finally, traditional word of mouth never gets old. Long before the internet, successful businesses with intergenerational influence made their mark on their consumers. The opportunity for organic growth exists in equine marketing too. Flyering, bulletin boards at local coffee shops, overdelivering and underpromising, and finding intriguing ways to garner attention makes consumers want to talk about your brand.
We want to help you stand out and build your equine brand visibility for your customers nationally and abroad. Connect with us, and be a part of our inner circle.
