7 Common Advertising Mistakes

...Stallion & Sale Horse Owners Make

Looking through the typical equine magazines, it's amazing at how many ads are literally a waste of space. Considering that a full page color ad in Horse Illustrated will take over $10,000 out of your bank account and a small ¼ page grayscale ad is $1500+ in American Cowboy Magazine, you'd think advertisers would spend their money wisely. That certainly isn't the case some of the time!

Below I've listed some common themes in poor ads. If you're planning to run any size ad in the future, be sure to read up.

1. Not Having a Plan or a Goal

Before spending a bunch of money, there needs to be some sort of plan or a goal in mind. Because advertising without a goal is like walking aimlessly in the desert without a compass. There's no point... You need to ask yourself these questions: Who are my ideal clients? Where do they live, work, play? What interests them? How much money do they have to spend? Then decide how to make a series of ads or a marketing campaign suited for the answers.

Next, ask yourself what you want the ad to accomplish. Do you just want people to learn your farm / stallion / horse name? Do you wish for more people to book their mares to your stud? Want to sell your top weanling or show horse? Figure out what you want the ad to do, then combine that with the knowledge about your preferred clients, and you've formed a solid foundation on which to base your ad.


2. Only Running One Ad

So many of my clients have told me that advertising just doesn't work - everything they've tried in the past has just been a waste of money. I say it must, otherwise they couldn't get away with charging thousands for magazine ads and millions for TV spots. Advertising works when it's done correctly, but does take some knowledge beforehand and a little trial-and-error.

Research has proven an ad needs to be seen at least 7-10 times or more before consumers really take notice. Direct mail marketing needs to be seen at least 3 times. So that's why postcard campaigns work, but one mailing won't really do a thing. And why you're better off running a small grayscale ad or business card monthly then blowing your whole advertising budget on one 4-page spread. You need to be there when people want to find you.


3. Not Using a Professional Graphic Designer

As a horse owner, you wouldn't hire any guy off the street to provide veterinary care for them. Or as a home owner, hire your friend's cousin who knows a bit about plumbing to finish piping your new house. Or let Uncle Lou take out your gallbladder... While using poor design in your ads may not be a life and death matter, it could be for your business or farm.

It doesn't take much for people to build up a negative image, but takes a LOT of effort to erase that. Think about any food scares at your favorite restaurants. It was awhile before you went back, huh? Anything really horrific is hard to forget. Don't let your ads be one of those!

Most designers are much more affordable than one might think. If you need references to fantastic designers that won't demand your first born or right arm as payment, contact me.


4. Using Poor Quality Photographs

Just like the design, great images are just as important, if not more important to your ad's success, and your business. Even if you have the most lovely stallion (weanling, show horse for sale, etc.), if your images don't show them off at their best, you'll likely be disappointed in the results. And horrible photos will ruin your horse's and farm's reputation faster than you could imagine.

Like hiring a professional designer, a pro equine photographer's pricing is usually quite the deal when looking at the big picture (no pun intended). This is especially true if you have a barn full of horses to sell or otherwise promote. Considering how much revenue a superb image of your stallion or top show horse can bring in, it's amazing how many people skip this hugely important step.


5. Typos or Misinformation

People don't want to admit it, but many of us are turned off by grammar and spelling errors, type-o's, the excessive use of CAPS LOCK or !!! exclamation points!, Randomly capitalizing Words In your Sentence, or long-winded monologues that have absolutely nothing to do with the subject at hand. If you're really looking to impress, copywriters are relatively inexpensive to hire. Otherwise, just have as many people proofread your text as possible.

Another thing that will kill an ad is misinformation. Saying the horse is over 17h tall when it's obvious the thing is 15.3 standing on its tip-toes will never serve one well. Or using cover-up spray to *fix* that blemish you don't want anyone to see. Retouching of conformation, action, or markings is also a huge no-no. Adding a mile long fake tail to your Appy stallion doesn't go over well either. Sooner or later the truth always come out.

We're all human, and all make mistakes. But it's when they add up that things get ugly. :)


6. Not Enough Information or Details

On the other side of excess, as above, there's always those who don't share nearly enough information. Looking at Equine.com ads, it amazes me how many people leave the comments section blank. Sure, a picture speaks a thousand words, but c'mon now, give us something!

If the training level is green, does that mean it's been sat on once, or is walk, trot, canter each direction? Is the horse OK for the farrier, vet, etc.? Does it trailer and tie? Any vices, blemishes, or unsoundness we should know about now? Like misinformation, simply not mentioning something will come back to bite you in the bum.

Don't tell us about every cute thing Buster ever did, or award he's ever won, but at least give us the basics we care about. Same goes for stallions. And of course, don't forget your contact info, such as your email, cell and home phone, fax, website address, etc.


7. No Call to Action

Tell your readers and potential clients what you want them to do. Call to book your stallion? Request an information packet? See more images or videos of your sale horses? Come out and take a test ride? See the '08 babies? Back when you were planning your ad campaign, you had one or two goals in mind. Keep it simple and just steer them in the direction you want them to take.

I come across so many ads that don't do this, it's just astounding. Yeah, yeah, you have a handsome stallion or gorgeous show horse, woo hoo... Don't just waste the space, make your ad DO something! Without a call to action, that's not likely to happen.