A Facebook page has become an extension of many equestrian businesses, but business owners fear they are losing the reach they once had on this platform.
“We do a lot of our marketing on Facebook, but tighter regulations on advertising animals for sale has restricted how we use it to attract clients.”
Mark Bosanko - Horse Trader
Many other equestrian businesses, from breeders to equestrian facility owners, are facing the same conundrum. They often resort to driving traffic to their own website, ironically through sharing links to their website on their Facebook page.
However, a Sprout Social report has shown that the average organic reach of a Facebook post in 2019 is 6.4% of its page likes. These latest findings come as a reminder that while a Facebook page is ‘yours’, you are only renting the space and the audience. Do you want people to visit your page, do you want more reach and post engagements? Sure, but you will need to pay the landlord for those ‘utilities’.
Businesses are facing the reality that while the internet may be available to everyone, not everyone has an equal share. Larger businesses are able to purchase more internet space, be it via Facebook ads or even more elusive, Mobile Apps. Where does this leave the rest of us?
“I wanted to give equestrian business owners the power to control their own market, who they reach, when they reach them, and how often.”
Paul Sher - founder of Hoofpick Apps
77% of the UK adult population use a smartphone and Mobile Apps multiple times a day. Sprout Social has also found that more people catch up on news, business and lifestyle stories through mobile notifications than by email.
Hoofpick Apps afford equestrian businesses their own Mobile App at 10% of the cost of developing an app independently. The apps include all their business services, events, news, sales, memberships and more. They can even manage events and take bookings. Best of all, business owners can notify their app users of anything newsie with a ‘ping’ straight to their smartphones.
The apps are tailored for each equestrian business from the tiny favicon to the custom content. But the real innovation is in the way the business owner can easily update their app content in real-time through a user-friendly interface.
“We saw the ability to update content regularly as a crucial aspect of equestrian marketing and communication,” explains Sher. “Not only does the equestrian business owner need a platform to keep up with their business, but one that keeps up with today’s technology and people’s habits. This does both.”
