Monday Quick Tip – Best In Horsebiz Social Media Continues – Listen Live Today For ESMA Wrap-Up on Horse Radio Network

The 2012 PagePlay Equestrian Social Media Awards winners have been announced, but tune in THIS morning for an entertaining wrap-up and a ‘morning radio show’ just for horsefolk.

If you’re using social networking and social media for your horsebiz, you’ll find out what’s considered ‘the best of the best’ when it comes to equine industry social media use, hear from some of the winners, AND get your week started with a few laughs.

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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 – #49 Innovate Or Die? Why Horsebiz Change Is Natural, And Needed

52 Fridays is a year-long series for equestrian professionals and equine business owners and managers, with marketing and public relations information, ideas, tips, & resources shared here each Friday throughout 2011.

Image courtesy NASA

A recent show I saw on the Science Channel made an interesting point about ‘survival innovations’ by the human race in the face of Earth’s natural (and sometimes sudden) cycles of climate change. These conceived adaptations have been in response to externally imposed circumstances, but have given us the world we know today, including agriculture, science, art, and all the conveniences of modern life.

I think we forget that the horse world is also one subject to change and innovation. Many say ‘we have to use this tack/gear/hat/clothing because it’s always been that way.’ But really, it hasn’t. So when it comes to horsebiz, doesn’t it make sense to embrace change in response to changes in the world around us, rather than resist it? For some examples of the good that can come from embracing change, here are some equestrian adaptations that weren’t in existence even a few years ago.

52 Fridays – #31 Some Final Words On Finding Media Outlets For Horsebiz News

52 Fridays is a year-long series for equestrian professionals and equine business owners and managers, with marketing and public relations information, ideas, tips, & resources shared here each Friday. New EMAIL blog subscribers receive a ’52 Fridays’ PDF when they sign up; existing subscribers and new RSS FEED & WORDPRESS subscribers can send a request for their own PDF here.

Rounding out the 52 Fridays section on media, I wanted to add in a few final recommendations about locating media outlets.

To find outlets for equestrian news and stories requires research in addition to the effort needed in building relationships with them, understanding their audiences and what they want so you can craft a good story angle, etc. It can be both time and labor intensive. That’s one part of why businesses hire PR people, we either have or can build the infrastructure for your news efficiently and effectively, with a strong chance to get that desirable third-party publicity for your horsebiz.

But if you want to DIY, it can be done. Start local, keep good contact records, put out solidly-written and strategic press releases, and do all the things I recommend here in the No Biz Like Horsebiz blog! If you missed any of the 52 Fridays posts about media, you can find them in the Sort Posts By Topic dropdown menu in the panel to the right.

As for some specific equestrian media resources, here are two I like and recommend:

• One option I recommend to my clients is the American Horse Publications (AHP) Newsgroup. I’ve been a member for something like 6+ years already; AHP celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2010, and has been making organizational changes to take into account the evolution of, and challenges facing, publishing and other types of media. With a reasonably-priced AHP membership, one of the perks is that you can send up to two press releases per month. The Newsgroup not only goes to all other members (including equestrian media editors, publishers, writers, and corporate members, among others), news releases are also housed online where they’re accessible by the general public and will frequently attract additional attention, postings by bloggers, etc. Of course all the ‘dos & don’ts’ of press release writing apply – be sure to also include a link back to an online version of your news release at YOUR site!

• I also love the folks over at Horse Radio Network (HRN) and all the cool and fun things they’re doing in terms of Internet radio and equestrian programming. HRN founder and ‘America’s Horse Husband’ Glenn ‘the Geek’ Hebert says they’re always looking for guests, so you can get in touch with Jennifer Hebert (jennifer(at-sign)horseradionetwork.com), Glenn’s ‘better half’ and the network’s producer and ‘chaos control officer’ if you’ve got something interesting going on you want to share with the world. HRN is on Twitter, where you can follow them via @HorseRadio, and they live-Facebook during the weekday morning Horses In The Morning show.

Handling horsebiz public relations and media strategy responsibly and effectively can be a complex recipe, requiring some trial and error before you’ve got the hang of it. AHP and HRN are but two more resources in the marketing toolbox…but if you sign up for AHP membership or contact HRN about being a guest, be sure to tell them Lisa Kemp sent you!

Did you enjoy this article or find it useful? Please take 5 seconds and scroll up to the top to give this article a score, from Very Poor (hope it’s not at that end of the scale!) to Excellent, via the new Rate This tool right under the title (hint, look for the rating ‘stars’ – if you don’t see ’em, click on the blog post title to go directly to the page for this post, where the stars will then show up!).

Share your 52 Fridays-inspired success stories or marketing tactics via the Leave a Comment link below. See you here next Friday for 52 Fridays #32!

Read other posts by clicking on the Sort Posts By Topic dropdown menu to the right and selecting a category, or you can select 52 Fridays to read posts #1 through #30.

This article and the site contents are copyright Lisa Kemp and Kemp Equine, all rights reserved. Content may be linked to from your site or social media, but not copied, in whole or in part, without prior permission. It’s also good karma, and good ethics, to give source credit. Thanks.

Monday Morning Quickie – ‘Horse World Gives Back’ Radiothon Today

Last Monday featured the PR campaign for the Horse World Gives Back radiothon & Retailer Day to benefit horsebiz owners affected by the recent flooding and tornado disasters throughout the U.S.; tonight is the radiothon, and tomorrow (June 7) is the Retailer Day. I hope you’ll tune in and consider a donation, no matter how large or small. Horse Radio Network founder and radiothon host ‘Glenn the Geek’ Hebert says have the Kleenex ready.

Here are a few tips to add to last week’s post about the PR campaign:

• Social Media Avatar Images: If you have images or logos available for the media to use, add in a square-shaped image or two that folks can use as their social media avatar. I used the Horse World Gives Back logo and it worked fine, but it did cut a bit off the top and bottom. Consider it another way to ‘get the word out’ about your campaign, by giving supporters a way to show that support.

• Live Social Media Messaging: Myself and Jackie Baker from the Regarding Horses blog will be live-messaging during the radiothon, both via the Horse World Gives Back Facbook page and Twitter account, and I’ll also be live tweeting via my own @KempEquine account. Remember that the official Twitter hashtag for the event is #horserelief, but you can also use #HorseWorldGivesBack; including one of those in your tweet turns it into a searchable active link. The #horserelief hashtag is also shown on the Horse World Gives Back website Twitter timeline. Live messaging via social media is a way to engage people in the moment, and share the experience across your social media community.

• Giving Thanks: Pulling together and promoting any event takes a lot of time, effort, and people. Be sure to build in a place to give acknowledgement to those that helped you along the way. Keep a running list so you don’t forget anyone! I’d also include their contact information, so that you have it all in one place and don’t have to dig for information you thought you had.

You’ll be able to listen live via the Horse World Gives Back radiothon internet player – please join in to make a difference for all the folks who lost so much in the recent disasters.

Disclosure note: I’ve been helping Horse Radio Network with some promotion for this event on a pro bono basis. In case you were wondering.