Monday Quick Tip – 2012 ESMA Week Is Here, Honoring The Best In Horsebiz Social Media

ESMA Week is here!

The 2012 Equestrian Social Media Awards winners will be announced this week via their ‘virtual awards show.’ A different awards video is posted each day, announcing winners from the 30 different awards categories this year.

We’ve got the links to watch the videos AND listen to the Horse Radio Network wrap-up next Monday, March 12th. If you’re using social networking and social media for your horsebiz, tune in to find out what’s considered ‘the best of the best’ when it comes to horse industry social media use.

52 Fridays 2012 – #7 Do You Know What Google Is Doing With Your Online Horsebiz History?

52 Fridays is an ongoing series for equestrian professionals and equine business owners and managers, with marketing and public relations stories, ideas, tips, and resources shared here each Friday.

On March 1st, Google changed their online privacy policy, consolidating the data collected via their various products (60 of ’em!) into a ‘profile’ they report will allow more customized search engine results.

Some say it’s a way for marketers to get their product or service in front of a consumer through highly targeted online ads; others call this move by Google a massive privacy invasion. There are ways to minimize the data collected, but thus far Google’s not given users a way to opt out entirely. Is this legal? That’s still being debated.

If you have a Google account, use Gmail/YouTube/Google+/Picasa/Google Maps, search the Internet using Google, or have an Android phone that requires a Google account and login, here’s what you should know about the data being collected regarding you and your horsebiz.

Monday Quick Tip – Create On-The-Fly PDFs For Your Horsebiz With These Mobile Apps

With a smorgasbord of mobile devices at our fingertips, having documents that work on the majority of them is a challenge for any horsebiz owner. The Portable Document Format or PDF file is among the best options, and it’s something you can embrace for everything from sharing content on your website and social media outlets to putting together resources for customers.

Since mobile use is on the upswing and the ‘I need it now’ mindset is everywhere, the handy-dandy PDF can be a trusty sidekick when it comes to sharing your information. Here are several ways to create and send PDFs on the go, using your own mobile device.

52 Fridays 2012 – #6 Despite No Oscar For WAR HORSE, It Was Still A ‘Knight’ Of Horsebiz Success

52 Fridays is an ongoing series for equestrian professionals and equine business owners and managers, with marketing and public relations stories, ideas, tips, and resources shared here each Friday.

Image courtesy oscars.org

Equestrian Oscar nominee WAR HORSE lost out on taking home even a single statuette despite a respectable six nominations for the Steven Spielberg film.

However, the evening wasn’t a total loss for the horse world, since horses were featured on not one, but TWO major American networks that night.

Monday Quick Tip – Riot Gear For Chicago Police Horses Is Example Of Timely Horsebiz News In Mainstream Media

It’s catch-up time at No Biz Like Horsebiz! Thankfully we’re almost there, and many thanks for your patience! 

Logo courtesy suntimes.com

One important factor in public relations is knowing what’s making the news, and how your own story or message ties in with current events. With the upcoming NATO/G8 summits in Chicago (May 19-21, 2012), the media is featuring stories about the City’s preparations, including recent coverage about 3,000+ sealing face shields purchased for officers that might be blinded by bags of urine (yuk) and other liquids thrown by hardcore demonstrators.

While horses don’t often make frontpage or televised news in Chi-town (except for another story this week about some reportedly stolen horses that were later found down the road), the story about riot gear for the mounted unit’s 30 horses made it to both morning TV news and the Chicago Sun-Times, and perhaps more. If your horsebiz is trying to get either mainstream or equine media coverage, this is a great example that illustrates the art of the tie-in.