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Marketing Series :: Checklist

Friday, October 11, 2019

Buyer Helpful Resources & Blog Posts Industry News Seller Helpful Resources & Blog Posts Showpig News Showpig.com Marketing Series

As we wrap up our Marketing Series, we’ve put together a checklist for you. Below are all the things to consider when putting together your own marketing plan!

  1. What is your Brand?

Why do you do what you do? What purpose does your operation have? What do you want people to know about you? Before anything else, you need to determine your WHY. You want people to understand your brand and why you’ve made the choices you have. Who do you want to target? This is another part of laying the foundation to building your brand. Consider the following things:

  • Demographics (who, where, why, age, 4/H, FFA, show pigs, registered, commercial, etc.)
  • What motivates your customers?
  • What are their goals?

Everyone has a story as to how their operation or farm got it’s start. Did you start it? Did a family member? How long have you been in operation? How did you get to where you are today? These are all important questions to not only answer, but to relay to your customers!

2. Building your Logo

In the world of livestock, we often land on using our own name to build our brand, and that is great! Your name is something you can stand on and hopefully transfer to future generations! If you choose not to use a family name, build your name and brand around something that has meaning to you and has that “story” behind it. Just remember, less is more! When creating ideas for a logo, after you have landed on a name, colors are key! They need to compliment each other while also standing for the feelings you would like to evoke in your customers.

3. Launching a Website

Websites are still a vital component to a successful brand. Your website is something that can be accessed by almost every demographic, providing key information and your story, to potential customers. Not every customer or potential buyer will have a social media account, despite how shocking that may sound to most. Having a website allows you to tap into a multifaceted marketing approach, hitting everyone that may end up as a future customer.

4. Don’t overlook Online Marketing!

E-blasts are a great way to advertise and engage with your customers, especially if you have an upcoming online sale or live event, new product or service, or just want to educate potential customers about your brand and what you have to offer. Now we understand that creating an email blast yourself can be challenging, but that is where we come in! The number of showpig.com email subscribers is BIG, and we have the ability to advertise for you to a VERY LARGE audience! Over 20,000 swine only emails!

On your daily showpig.com web search, looking into the online sales for the day, do you notice the banner ads at the top of the page? We bet you do! Whether it is advertising your upcoming sale, a new boar, or whatever it may be, BANNER ADS WORK!

5. Lets build a Facebook!

Establishing social media pages for your livestock operation is almost a must in today’s day and age. Let’s talk about launching your business Facebook page. Your brand/logo should be used as your profile picture. It will be the first thing people associate with your Facebook page and the image that resonates the strongest with them! After that, determining what to place as a cover photo can be challenging. This image will be the first large branding piece that people see when visiting your page. Initially, having a graphic with names, contact information and even your website url, maybe helpful in letting people know who you are or how to learn more about your brand.

6. Consider having other Social Media Platforms

Most everyone utilizes Facebook, establishing a page for your business, and using it as a marketing tool, but have you ever considered using other forms of social media to promote your business? You are missing key areas of marketing if you only have a Facebook page! It is time to consider launching an Instagram or Twitter, posting some Snapchat stories, and even listing your operation on LinkedIn!

7. Put it in Print!

In a world where social media reigns king, how important are print advertisements anymore? Even in today’s digital world, print advertisement is a key area of marketing that will make your marketing strategies well rounded. In the livestock world, print advertisement will never go out of style. Print ads are Tangible, Credible and Reach EVERYONE!

Need help starting your well rounded marketing plan? We are here to facilitate you in every step of the process! Let showpig.com help! Contact the Showpig.com team and let us help you get started with an all inclusive marketing plan!

Katey Brattain 765-720-2769

Stacey Watje 209-604-2542

Emily Miller 419-575-5999

Taylor Miller 419-822-1796