- Breeding
- The Missing Equine Link: How the Modern Horse Came to Be
- Should You Go Into Horse Breeding?
- The History of Horse Breeding
- Buying a Horse
- Top 3 Ways Using Horse Classifieds Can Save You Money
- Do you need insurance for horses?
- The Top 4 Places to Find Horses for Sale
- General Horse Articles
- Miniature Horses: Do Good Things Always Come in Small Packages?
- Riding Tree: Balance
- Riding Tree: Following the Motion
- Horse Feeding
- A Look at Horse Feed
- 5 Horse Feeding "Don'ts"
- You’ve Got the Right Feed, Now What?: Proper Feeding Practices
- Horse Grooming
- An Overview of Horse Grooming
- Mane Saving Ideas
- Keeping Your Horse Beautiful with Horse Products
- Horse Health Issues
- Sleep and Your Horse’s Health
- How to Care for Your Horse in the Winter
- The Winning Horse
- Horse Training
- Training Mythunderstandings: Green Horse Lessons: Adding the Lead Rope
- Did you Buy The Right Saddle?
- Training Mythunderstandings: Groundwork: From Basics to Games
- Horses & History
- Top 5 Strange and Unusual Horses
- Horses in Art: An Abridged History
- Horsing around the Sierra Madre - 1974 Style.
- Horses & Sports
- Halter Horse Show
- In Defense of Horses in Sport
- How to Prepare for Your First Equestrian Competition
Social Media, User Generated Content, and the Equestrian Industry
03/30/2009
Everyone knows that the internet has transformed the equestrian industry. But the equestrian industry—like many businesses today—is still figuring out how to use social media in the best way.
Watching a race, buying equipment, selling a horse—it’s all easier than ever. But the equestrian industry—like many businesses today—is still figuring out how to use social media in the best way. A large part of the equestrian industry still isn’t sure what social media is, or why it should be important in the first place. At the same time, others in and out of the equestrian industry argue that social media is a waste of resources. The truth, I think, is somewhere in between.
Social Media and User Generated Content are the two things that are responsible for what’s called Web 2.0. Social Media is a website constructed for the purpose of socializing, whether socializing by sharing pictures or putting up personal profiles. User Generated Content (UGC) means the pictures, diary entries, movies, songs, and rants that people upload onto websites (especially Social Media websites). Members of the equestrian industry have been using Social Media and UGC for a long time—but as individuals, not as businesses. A person in the equestrian industry—say a trainer—probably has a Facebook page with a few pictures of her and her horse. She shares these photos with a few of her friends in the equestrian industry. She’s taking part in Social Media, she’s created UGC, but she isn’t using it for marketing. It’s just for socializing.
Right now, the equestrian industry has really embraced the idea of UGC. Clubs and organizations within the equestrian industry have uploaded videos to their websites. Equestrian industry TV channels like horseTV.com post original content as well as famous races and competitions. It seems like almost every branch of the equestrian industry is represented on Twitter, and there are more than enough equestrian-industry-related podcasts, online magazines, and YouTube videos. What the equestrian industry has not embraced, however, is the idea of using Social Media and UGC for marketing purposes.
There are two ways that companies can currently use Social Media and UGC to advertise and market themselves. One is to advertise using Social Media, the other is to monitor social media. It’s much like the difference between talking and listening: members of the equestrian industry who want to advertise with Social Media create UGC that promotes their product, then they post in on a Social Media site. The best example of this doesn’t come from the equestrian industry, but rather the kitchen appliance industry. About a year ago, a company named Blendtec started creating YouTube videos that showcased the amazing power of their new blender. The video series, called “Will it Blend?” centered around the company CEO blending everything from marbles to iphones. The videos became an instant sensation, and drove up sales of the Blendtec blenders astronomically—with little to no investment in advertising. The equestrian industry could use podcasts to drive traffic to their sites, or use Twitter to advertise a sale. They could upload clever videos that advertised equestrian industry products. The options are endless, and very low in cost—all it takes is creativity.
Another way the equestrian industry can use Social Media for advertising is by building buzz. Maintaining a Facebook, a blog, a Twitter account—this allows other friends in the equestrian industry to follow what you’re doing, and get a sense of your company’s personality. By connecting with you on a personal level, you become more than just another equestrian industry business. You build a name for yourself. This keeps you in the public’s mind, and makes it easier for those friends or fans of the equestrian industry to contact you.
The other way the equestrian industry could market with Social Media and UGC is buzz monitoring. By looking for your name in Twitter feeds, you can see what other members of the equestrian industry are saying about you. If someone had a bad experience with a lesson or an employee at your facility, you can contact the person immediately and make things right. By monitoring blogs and chat rooms, you can see what your reputation is in the equestrian industry, and change your tactics to accommodate the criticism.
The downside to having a strong Social Media presence is that all of these applications take time, a commodity most members of the equestrian industry lack. But that isn’t to say you need to do everything. Start with small steps—maybe adding a blog to your website, or setting up a professional Facebook page. Whatever you do—be sure to have fun and connect. That’s what Social Media is all about.
