By: Laura Mushrush, assistant editor, Drovers CattleNetwork
So, you thought all you had to do was breed quality genetics? Wrong. You have to market them, too.
Advertising medias available for cattle producers trying to market their genetics are seemingly endless. But what is going to give you the most bang for your buck? How do you make your operation stand out from the crowd in a sea of seedstock operations? How do you reach your target customers?
To help sort this out, we caught up with Eric Grant, president and general manager of Angus Productions Inc., to get his unique perspective as a buyer and seller of advertising. The journalist-turned-public-relations-maven has learned a trick or two in his years of managing the media branch for the country’s largest breed association, consulting breeders on anything from sale books to marketing campaigns.
Step 1: Professional website
Grant says the first order of business is have a professional, interactive website.
“In the old days, and I’m talking even in 2010, we looked at websites for cattle operations like a brochure,” he says. “Once it was set, it was set. But the reality is technology is so fast, we can no longer take that approach.”
First impressions are a huge factor in the success of a website, with a professional looking, clean and easy-to-navigate format a necessity to keep people interested. Equally as important is the content itself, which Grant suggests be centered on what seedstock producers have to offer their customers, and how buyers can benefit from their genetic program.
“The biggest problem I see with cattle websites are producers often make it about themselves instead of what they have to sell,” he says.
“About Us,” “History” and “Philosophy” sections are okay, but Grant says front and center needs to be what you actually offer the customer.
Read more on CattleNetwork.com.
