1 - Market research!
If you've ever listened to my podcast (if not, you totally should!) you'll know I don't shut up about market research, but for a good reason.
Market Research is the foundation of everything you do in marketing and it should go a lot deeper than how old your audience is and where they live.
Your market research should tell you about how your audience is feeling, what their goals are, what kind of language they use, what's keeping them up at night and what their insecurities are!
It's a lot easier to create content that connects with your ideal client when you understand them inside and out!
I don't just know my client is struggling with her confidence, I understand that it's manifesting different problems in her life, such as feeling uncomfortable at the stables because people are gossiping about her not riding her horse, making her feel like she should sell her horse, Prince and it’s making her feel guilty for "wasting" him.
I know that her and her husband are having some disagreements about “the cost of keeping a horse she doesn’t ride!” with her husband.
I know this because of my market research!
But aren't these examples too specific? Won't it mean I'm making my audience smaller?
Yes, these examples are super specific. That's why they work.
The more specific you are, the deeper the connection you build with someone.
The more they feel understood, included and the more they trust you.
This increases the likelihood of them buying from you. You can either market to 100,000 people with bland marketing that won't convert anyone or you can fine-tune your message and market to 100 people who'll actually buy from you because they relate to what you're saying. I know which makes the most sense!
2 - Build your brand
A strong brand helps customers recognise and remember your business, making it more likely that they will choose you over competitors. Branding means trust and credibility with customers, making them more likely to purchase from you and recommend your business to others. We buy brands, not just things. Honestly, Samsung could make an identical replica of the iPhone, but because I love the Apple brand, I'd still choose the iPhone every single time. It's the same reason we buy Le Mieux saddle pads and base layers. A brand is your identity, your voice. Building a brand (or a personal brand if you're a service provider) will be one of the most important things you do in business.
Now building a brand isn't the most complex thing you've ever done, but it does require some thought and you need to be intentional with your brand and choosing what it stands for, the brand's values and how you want it to be perceived.
3 - Content marketing
Content marketing is where your content does the selling for you. This content can be social media posts, blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos and any other content you can think of. We spend an absurd amount of time-consuming content.
According to statistics, your ideal client searches Google at least 4x per day (I know I'm closer to 15x per day!) and spends around 2-6 hours on social media every single day.
We listen to podcasts while we walk or drive to work.
We watch Youtube videos while we're on the treadmill in the gym.
Content consumes our lives and content marketing is one of the best assets you can have in business! Content marketing also allows you to position yourself as a trusted expert and build authority online. Be intentional about what you post on social media and refer back to market search often.
4 - Social media
We're more likely to search on social media than for a website in 2024. So having a social media presence is essential!
Your market research should tell you which platforms your ICA (ideal client avatar) is most likely to hang out on. There's no point you posting 30 TikTok's a week if your clients aren't on TikTok and prefer to use Facebook or LinkedIn. Be prepared to be consistent with your social media marketing, you can’t post for a week or even a month then wonder why you're not getting results.
To see any kind of tangible results from social media, you're going to need to apply consistent effort for at least 3-6 months!
5 - Lead magnets and email lists
A lead is a potential customer, a lead magnet, as the name implies is something that attracts leads. If you're an equine bodyworker a lead magnet could be a "Free Top line Building Kit" that contains some cheap horse treats and some stretching exercises. If you're a riding instructor it could be a PDF download on "How to level up to affiliated dressage"
You might be an equestrian personal shopper and you might offer a free download of outfit inspiration. It could be a free webinar.
Anything that relates to your ideal client, that they will be interested in. In order to get the “free gift” (the lead magnet) they need to give you some kind of contact details like an email address, a Telegram/WhatsApp number etc. This means you can then send them marketing information and encourage them to pay you. Offering freebies and free gifts is a great way to build trust and authority too!
Grow your business authentically and easily!
If you're an equestrian business owner, growing your business can be daunting and trying to take your experience, expertise and knowledge and turn it into marketing content that is interesting to your ideal client can be a a huge challenge.
Do any of these sound familiar?
You feel overwhelmed with marketing, you don't have lots of ideas, you don't feel hugely creative and you don't know what to post to make sales
You have days where you feel really inspired and motivated, followed by days where you consider closing down your business because you just can't seem to make it work
You don't feel confident talking about the ways people can work with you, or you think your audience will get bored of you repeating yourself if you keep mentioning your offers.
You compare yourself to others in your industry this could be positive or negative. You might "I have way more qualifications than her, how come she has loads of clients and I don't?!" or the opposite where you think "I'm no one compared to her, she's got loads of followers and she'd been trading for years, I can't compete with her!"
You don't think anyone will see you as a professional or an expert because you don't have "X" number of followers, or likes or they won't see you as an expert because you don't look like an "influencer" or a "professional"
This is why I created Fully Bucked! I created Fully Bucked to empower fellow businesswomen in the equestrian industry. I've seen firsthand the challenges many businesses face in attracting clients and building a strong online presence.
My mission is to provide the tools, knowledge, and support you need to succeed.
Fully Bucked is designed for equestrian service providers, including riding instructors, livery yards, equine therapists, and other businesses that offer direct services to horse owners.
This course will equip you with the strategies and tools to attract more clients, build a strong brand, and achieve your business goals.
I know you still have questions. "What do I say to get people to buy from me"
“How to I manage mindset doubts in my business?
"What type of content should I create to market my equestrian business?"
"How do I sell on video and feel confident?"
"How am I going to find the time to create all this marketing content?"
Your reality AFTER my marketing training:
You become seen as THE go-to authority, even with a small audience or not being active in your business for a while
You get messages from ideal clients after posting, asking how they can work with you,
You don’t need to convince them to work with you.
You have an audience who are excited to see your social media updates, and hear about your knowledge and your offers, they don’t feel pressured or put off by your selling
You know what content to post to get results.
You know how to reply in messages and DMs to convert leads into paying customers
You don’t feel overwhelmed with marketing or social media and know how to confidently promote your services
You become a marketing pro!
Ready to become a marketing pro?
Fully Bucked - the re-launch is coming soon!
Comments