(I originally wrote this for a client team that had been through a massive project and needed a laugh. Enjoy!) A primer for non-marketers This is a general reminder for anyone who works with, alongside or a pay grade above the team that is slogging through the...
I am one of “those people.” Those people who make marketing tracking and CX difficult. I am a DuckDuckGo user. And I always decline the cookie popup you added so hopefully to your website. I’m sure it’s a character flaw, being slightly difficult. Or not. But...
While working with the Media In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, time and money are two crucial factors that can make or break a campaign. Full Gallop Communications understands the importance of efficiency and cost-effectiveness when it comes to liaising...
This past week was Full Gallop Communications‘ 8th Anniversary Eight. Years. Of my dream job. Of calling the shots. Of having calendar flexibility. Of loving my boss 😉 This called for cake. And candles. And maybe a reservation to celebrate some more this...
This year has just been galloping on, hasn’t it? Some wonderful projects and clients have been added to our list. Take a peek at what we have accomplished so far… J. Morgan Levy Firm This attorney practice is all about advocating for their clients. We have...
Why it’s important for your company. “We are booked solid, we don’t need to market.” Sound familiar? Then something shifts and you quickly realize that you should have been doing more all along. I’m guilty as hell for doing the same, but I’m a one-person show...
Boost sales when you use excellent product photography When working with engineering concepts or manufactured products, using professional images can also be an effective tool to reposition a brand or lift the perception of the quality of your offering. With the Webb...
Life is funny. Sometimes you get the cosmic “sit down” without warning. I’m in the middle of week three of my medical leave of absence from my business. It’s something that I’ve afforded myself to regroup and regain strength after surgery. Partially because I couldn’t...
Good, quality leads are hard to come by for most businesses, but fortunately, there are plenty of ways to find people interested in what you offer. This article digs into some real talk about the best lead generation ideas for small or manufacturing (b2b) businesses....
The biggest misconception is that marketing in a B2B environment is different from a B2C approach. It isn’t. A brand connection is essential for your buyers, no matter if they are a large distributor, small shop, or end-user. B2B commerce is the norm in the...
Congratulations on your decision to create a new business! Once the initial excitement wears off, you’ll need to figure out your plan to promote what you can do! This article will give you some beneficial ideas and things to consider. Sort Out Your Target...
As someone that sees a lot of manufacturing websites, it’s immediately apparent which ones are geared for their users from a complete and straightforward content POV. From keyword selection and implementation to help buyers make a purchase decision (and stay on your...
What is a brand book and why is it important? For any company, the main reasons are to establish how your brand looks to a customer, but also to maintain all visual consistency and build trust and stickiness over time. Professional marketers use these books when...
You may have heard the phrase, “building brand trust” tossed around here and there, but many businesses don’t take the time to stop and consider what that really means. Frequently we send out signals as personal brands and as companies that we are worthy of someone’s...
Trends for Growth and Where to Begin Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have their own set of challenges when going to market. Most businesses of this size need a specific mix of marketing tactics and someone to manage it. If you are the owner or manager of a company...
How often can you say that your play influences your work? Or even your marketing? In a recent social media thread, my dressage instructor Bobbi Rockow started a conversation around the many hilarious and laser-pointed teaching vocabulary of her mentor, Raul de...
As our winter continues to turn into a virtual event-scape for the optics & photonics market, I’m seeing many options to participate and lots of unfamiliarity and hesitation among exhibitors and attendees. I’ve sorted through some of the details to...
There has been a very recent shift from “on the floor” trade shows to virtual halls. This format has been around for years, but never really took off as a need until the recent pandemic. So does marketing at shows grind to a standstill now? I don’t think so; we need to give the hosts time to pivot and organize what to offer with a pricing structure.
While everyone is working hard to keep the doors open and the lights on, we are still here working from home to be sure our clients are able to share updated information quickly with their customers.If you have not yet thought about communicating with your customers...
Why marketing is important – especially when business is good. Why add fuel to your car? Because after a few miles you aren’t going to be headed anyplace. The same applies to a business, whether it’s a B2B model or an online store. After a good trade...
What makes a good website? Before you begin searching for someone to build your site, fully understanding this type of workflow will help you to keep the project on course and manage expectations for a beautiful and functional website. If this is your first foray into...
Contrary to popular belief, email marketing strategy is not dead. It is still one of the best ways to reach and grow a targeted audience within a content marketing campaign. It’s easy to manage, schedule, and monitor for success. It keeps your target audience...
Can you relate? Your inbox has the sound of the wind in a canyon; your social channels are likely getting more attention than before, but the doorbell is (definitely) not dinging. Your business probably has some built-in slow times, but these patterns have been...
This question came from a client the other day – why aren’t our digital banner ads for our equestrian brands performing better? A great question, as some retail saddlery and apparel brands invest heavily in this area for their advertising. Let’s start with what is...
I am a fan of shopping in-person at any local tack shop. When I travel, I seek them out and see what people are buying in that area of the country. I also like to fondle the leather (ok, I may have a teensy problem, haha), try things on, and have a chat with the...
What is graphic design used for? A graphic designer is a professional who creates and assembles images, typography, or video with the aim of improving the aesthetic appeal of your brand. They can make your brand stand out in a crowded market, make it appear more...
There is a bit of panic right now on the part of businesses that utilize email marketing regarding GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) changes to require companies to protect the personal data and privacy of consumers that do business in Europe and the UK. As...
The dynamic marketing branding and strategy services from Full Gallop Communications are now officially available for the photonics industry and manufacturing community. The marketing consultancy announced today that it has expanded into supporting the optics &...
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) offers both a wide net and a local net approach. If you pull from the local population for the majority of your business, you will want to consider adding some additional profile work and listings to ensure that local people can find...
Email marketing best practices Email is the perfect accessory to the well-heeled marketing plan. The success of your marketing plan can be determined quickly by answering this question, do you know if your emails kick butt? Email is nearly 40x better than Facebook and...
Anyone who has spent time in a horse barn will tell you, there are plenty of men and women in the 50+ age group who are riding and caring for their horses. Some of them are just getting started on a childhood dream. Many of them are highly regarded instructors, coaches, and competitors, yet it is still uncommon to see this group directly marketed towards as a consumer group. Marketing to baby boomers is often overlooked. In this article, we look at why all types of businesses should really target baby boomers in their marketing strategy.
A short why and how to avoid the embarrassment of copyright infringement.
Your brand. It literally puts your mark on the world. It is the subconscious recognition of what your company stands for. There are some indicators that help when determining when it’s time for a brand refresh, and should occur when you notice one or more of the...
Marketing waits for no man (or woman), especially when it comes to time management. Carving time out of your schedule is a challenge, even for the most organized gal. When you juggle a job, kiddos, riding, and time for your important relationships, it’s easy to let...
Landing pages are often overlooked in a digital tactical plan. This type of web page is an important part of your buyer funnel for both b2b and b2c companies and is normally a sub-page containing very specific information. It may or may not be listed in your...
Brand champions can help push your business to a new level. The thoughts below pertain to a smaller business, however all of the strategy listed scales well for any sized company that wants to continue to create passion and loyalty for what they do. The larger the...
Marketing Funnel Metrics Explained – Part 2 The first article in our series focused on the funnel stages. There is so much available data now for measuring marketing data, it can be overwhelming. Knowing what to focus on (as well as what not to) will save you...
There tends to be some mystery around where and how customers find and interact with your brand. There also tends to be some mystery around how customers make buying decisions and how that impacts your sales. For fun, we’ve broken this down into horse terms...
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) offers both a wide net and a local net approach. If you pull from the local population for the majority of your business, you will want to consider adding some additional profile work and listings to ensure that local people can find...
More and more equestrians are turning to apps to track training progress, equine health and business details than ever before. When most people picture “equestrian,” they normally picture traditional leather tack and rolling hills and barns, but recently there has...
How to improve your customer experience to encourage new people to enter your world. It seems like this should in many ways be common sense, but the topic becomes really interesting when you see a company that does not understand the ramifications. We all know the...
We explore internal marketing examples and the most common myths behind it in this article. Internal Branding is the way that companies explain the how and why they do business to their own. Internal branding rolls up key ingredients like Alignment and Core Values....
What is Marketing Strategy? There always seems to be quite a bit of confusion around what marketing strategy is and isn’t, so we’re going to give you the in’s and out’s of the process. If you are a business owner and haven’t had this conversation with a marketing...
What is a value proposition, why do you need one, and does yours hold up? Your value proposition is your main positioning statement. Aside from the “business school speak,” your Value Prop is THE defining statement regarding who you are and what you offer to the...
So many equestrian business owners I speak with still do not understand what SEO is and the critical impact on website success. Your website is one of your most powerful marketing tools, and bad SEO is like hitching a pair of cowpony hobbles on it. It’s just not going...
Are you considering partnering with a brand ambassador this year? Entering into an agreement with someone in your industry to represent you can be a huge boost for visibility. In order to make this work for both parties, let’s break this down a little more. Select...
Your brand identity strategy. So you’ve pulled the trigger on meetings to upgrade and transition your old and tired brand identity. You wade through drafts and revisions of fonts, colors, wireframes, and logos to find the ideal, on-point brand that will...
… and you should too! The “content is king” sentiment has been around for a while now, and for good reason. There are all types of materials that can be considered “content.” Articles, white papers, case studies, newsletters, press releases, blogs and stories are all...
I’ve been contemplating a bit on milestones and trusting your path quite a bit lately. As with any start-up effort, there is some agita to break the inertia and get things rolling, as well as some necessary learning of new things like business bookkeeping and...
Yes, you want to grow your audience and be visible to more people. Yes, you want followers to respond to your carefully crafted and witty posts. When you take a moment to define social media end goals, you’ll find that your strategy works better, and your blog gains...
You spend time on your social media strategy, crafting relevant posts, and eye-catching graphics to reach your target audience and buyers. Don’t waste precious time by avoiding these rookie social media mistakes. Social media is not about you. It’s about your...
Customer care can make or break your company. A few years back, I was working with an OEM company that had a reputation for being difficult. They did produce high-end, phenomenal work, but the sales team didn’t follow up with people; there was a bit of an attitude...
These days writing any type of marketing content to help inform and educate readers and search engines is a must. Just putting words out there is not enough, the copy should also follow a protocol. Say you run a feed manufacturing company that caters to owners of...
I’ve been talking a lot lately about professional equine photography, and there’s a reason. I’ve partnered with my friend Megan Smits again to write this week’s post on WHY you should be using professional photography if you are serious about building your equine...
Be better prepared for your next event with this article that covers understanding trade show ROI and goal setting. As an equine business, how do you sort and measure if an event is worth it? This week, I’m releasing Part 1 of a two-part series with Nina Richards,...
Making sense of customer experience marketing You all have visited a tack shop like this. Overflowing in every corner like Ollivander’s wand shop. Towers of saddles, rows of boots, jumbles of bridle parts, odd sizes, or one random piece. Dusty bottles that make you...
How to Start Marketing – New marketing tools have upped the variety you have at your fingertips, but also have made it more confusing than ever for someone just wading in at the shallow end. You may have dabbled a bit, but are still not certain about where to spend...
Target audience age groups appropriately to see higher sales. There is hot competition in the horse world for new customers, so marketing to the 40 and over equestrian group should be a targeted audience. This group is booming when it comes to sales. When coming back...
How to create a marketing budget for the first time. I’ve worked in a few different industries, big and small, for-profit and not-for-profit, and all of them take marketing spending seriously. I’m also confident that you are no different in this case, no matter the...
Your reputation precedes you in your field of business. Brand management is important to every type and size of company. Are you hard to contact, chronically grouchy or late for teaching? Or easy going, a good communicator, and flexible when situations call for it?...
I end up educating clients on this more often than not, so I’m just going to break this down in a few bite-sized chunks. Your logo should represent what you do at a glance.Your logo should avoid cheap Photoshopping tricks. Those only convey cheap to your...
Do you know what’s going on behind the scenes of your website metrics? I’ve run into some people recently that have no idea what’s going on behind the red curtain. This is a step-by-step breakdown of how to get started looking at your website so you can at least make...
Veterinary practices are seriously busy places. Like human health care practices, they deal with emergencies, patients who need extra TLC, and put in very long hours. Also, veterinary offices need to stay top of mind and easy to find when your horse colics at 10 pm or...
Not using a strategy for ecommerce? You are giving away sales. If you search on Amazon under equestrian sports, over 17,000 items are listed for sale. You can find halters, saddle pads, grooming supplies, saddles, and harnesses. Believe it or not, you can even click...
Customer feedback can be a cringe-worthy conversation for some companies. If you already know that people are unhappy with your products or services, then you have a vast opportunity to remedy this issue. Today, we are talking about the companies that think they have...
Using each to your best advantage. The terms marketing, advertising, and branding are used interchangeably fairly frequently if you are not a marketer, but they are actually different parts of the process that work together to give your company the best exposure....
In the first part of this series, we covered the basics of sorting out your return on investment for a trade show or significant event. This is key when your financial people need to understand why you need to do more shows and how to prove which shows are better when...
So many metrics, so little time. Confused about measuring your marketing performance? No worries. This article covers some of the most important areas that require metrics and where to begin. Some of these are more important if you have a wholesale or large volume...