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The massive value of behind the scenes on social media

The value of behind the scenes on social mediaDo you let people ‘in’ on social media? Behind the scenes and related content can make a huge difference to your social media. Not only is it a limitless source of unique content gold, but it’s also a great way to connect with your fans and followers in a really relatable way.

Do you share your behind the scenes?

When I was working on my social media course for riders, behind the scenes was always going to be a key part.

Why? Because it’s THE place to create unique content. And more than that, you don’t need to stage it or plan it – it just happens while you’re going on with your life. Which means that behind the scenes is the most perfect way to implement Gary Vaynerchuk’s amazing mantra of ‘document, don’t create’.

I’m amazed at how many people don’t use this really simple idea, especially when many struggle to create content for their social media. But when these things happen you need to dig a tiny bit and find out why, don’t you? And the answer was really interesting…

Because people don’t think they’re that interesting… and that their followers won’t care.

But they’re wrong…

Behind the scenes shows the real you, makes you more relatable, and allows you to share so much.

There’s a massive drive on social media towards authenticity – I mean people have been talking about being authentic for years – but luckily REAL authenticity seems to be on the increase. And if behind the scenes isn’t authentic, I’m not sure what is. As a rider, this might be getting ready for a show. Being SO hot after a training session that you’re the colour of a strawberry and look like you’ve been under the hosepipe. It’s your dog ‘helping’ you do the feeds by running off with feed buckets. It’s the music you sing along to at the top of your lungs when you’re on the way to a show. It’s the nerves before cross country. It’s how you remember a dressage test. It’s the stuff that no one sees.

For brands, it might be all of these too (if you’re horsey and that’s a key part of your brand), but it could also be getting ready for an event and trying to tetris everything into the trailer? Building the stand, designing new products, going to shows, packing orders, speaking to customers, finding inspiration when you’re walking the dog, getting excited about a new delivery, opening a parcel containing all your new packaging, your excitement when you see yourself in print. This is behind the scenes.

What if people don’t care?

What if they don’t? Your true fans – the ones who will support you and want to be part of your journey will lap it up. And I mean LAP IT UP. And the others? They might. They might not. It doesn’t actually matter because you’re not worried about the others. You’re serving your true fans. The people who will enhance and enrich your life as much as you enhance and enrich theirs. Don’t worry about everyone. You can’t please everyone all the time and neither should you try. The ones who are firmly on your side will love this new insight into your life/day/world.

Social Supercharge: Riders

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5 ways to make your equine business more ethical and eco-friendly

5 ways to make your equine business more ethical and eco-friendly

Do you want to make your business more eco friendly? When I chatted to Zoe Kiff from Honest Riders in episode 25 of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, we chatted ethical and eco friendly businesses. It’s something that Zoe is particularly passionate about and has managed to make her business reflect these two elements. The thing that struck me, is that we can all make changes to make our equine businesses more ethical and eco-friendly. And some of these don’t even cost any extra.

Here’s a link to the ‘how to link your passions and beliefs in your business’ Small & Supercharged Podcast if you fancy a listen…

Ways to make your equine business more ethical and eco-friendly

  1. Reduce your plastic. Shall we start with the obvious? Reducing the plastic you use at every stage of your business can make a real difference. This might mean that you change the packaging of your equine products, or you ask your suppliers to be more aware of what they’re sending your products in. The thing that’s really interesting is that it might not cost you much or any more to make this switch. And you can still deliver the products really beautifully without plastic. In fact, some of the eco-friendly alternatives actually give a more luxurious feel anyway.
  2. Awareness. Being aware of the processes involved with the manufacture of the products you sell goes a long way to helping you make changes. When I spoke to Zoe, I was amazed at the fact that some animal products are… tested on animals. How is that right? I was genuinely amazed that this happened. However, in knowing more about the processes, you can then decide if you want to do anything about it. You might learn more about the people who make your products. Or you might want to look at alternative factories who give the people who work there a much better life, for example.
  3. Working with a charity or a cause you’re passionate about. Some equine businesses give donations to charity on certain products, some donate time, services or something else to charity to help. Zoe is a great example as she donates to three different charities on different products, Fairfax & Favor did an amazing job with Breast Cancer Care, and Hiho Silver support a number of charities including Willberry Wonder Pony. You don’t have to give all your profits away. You still need to run a business. But you could look to give something to a charity you really believe in.
  4. Reducing your waste. Yes, we all like a bit of recycling, but what if we could reduce our waste even further. Maybe not printing something because we don’t really need to? Streamlining our packaging (without impacting on the customer experience), even changing to more energy efficient lightbulbs in the office could make your equine business a little more eco-friendly.
  5. Little changes. Little changes can really add up. Things like changing packaging can take a long time to switch over, but doing the research into new options before your current supply runs out can mean you’re in a great position for the next time.

Of course, not everyone will have making this business more eco-friendly or ethical on their list of ‘to-dos’, and I’m not here to preach at all – you do you. However, I think being aware of the choices we’re making and seeing if we can make better choices that align with our beliefs is something to look at. Before recording this podcast, I’d always assumed eco-friendly packaging would cost more. And that products for animals were… well, not tested on them! If you want to hear a bit more about how Honest Riders make it work for them, have a listen to the podcast here.

Subscribe to the Small & Supercharged podcast on iTunes
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How to use social media to grow your equestrian business

social media to grow equestrian business

Do you use social media to grow your equestrian business? I mean, do you really USE it? Or do you have pages and accounts on various social media platforms and post randomly? Or only about you and your products? Don’t worry- whatever the answer to the above, I’m here to help you use social media to grow your equestrian business. Because it can be a hugely valuable marketing tool… or a massive time suck. And we always want the former!

How to use social media to grow your equestrian business

In this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, we talk about how to use social media to grow your equestrian business (and why you might not have hit the sweet spot in terms on this so far). In this episode…

  • We talk about the amount of time that social media takes, and why we need to make sure we’re all using it properly to help grow our equestrian businesses.
  • The difference between what it used to be like pre-social media, and how lucky we are to have this free resource that we can use.
  • The importance of putting in consistent effort when it comes to your social media if you want it to grow to support your business.
  • Why you need to USE social media if you want it to work. And when I say work, I don’t mean just putting one post on a week, I mean why you need
  • How to really USE a platform. And by this, I mean more than just posting. In order to get to know a platform, you need to use it. You need to get under its skin, engage with people, and find out how it works.
  • We talk about hashtag research – something particularly valuable for Instagram and Twitter where hashtags are best used.
  • How it’s important to not underestimate the value you’ll gain from properly using a platform.
  • The value of high quality images on all social media platforms- and what out of focus and low quality images say about your brand.
  • How you can get involved with professional photographers to help increase the quality of your images, but also how investing time in up-skilling yourself is a good idea.
  • The value of getting yourself in front of the camera, but also being aware that it’s not all about you. Your social media should be about your fans and followers. Telling people you’re amazing won’t work people get bored.
  • I give a real life example of the value of getting yourself out there… even when it feels a bit icky.
  • We talk about creating value in your social media content. Don’t just use it as a platform to sell from. Think of Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook (that Gary Vee!)… what can you give before taking?
  • Why you should consider using video on your social media… and why even if you’re anti video, you need to address that and get on that train! We also chat about the kind of simple videos you can create on your phone.
  • The value of collaborations and competitions when you’re looking to use social media to grow your equestrian business. I also talk about how to make sure everyone wins if you do it properly.

So there you have it – how to use social media to grow your equestrian business. I really think that it’s so important to make sure the time we put into things pays us back… and by following the steps above, you can do this.

What’s Small & Supercharged Mastermind?

In the podcast you might have heard about Small & Supercharged Mastermind, my membership group where members get access to a new knowledge bundle each month, a live training each week, opportunities, free images and lots more. Read more about the Small & Supercharged Mastermind here.

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