Every horse business has a customer journey. The key is to make it unforgettable so your customers will keep coming back and even bring their friends with them. Here's how.
Welcome to the show notes! Remember, this is a brief summary from the How to Market Your Horse Business podcast. You'll want to listen to the entire episode for all the good stuff!
Oftentimes, in the marketing process, horse business owners jump right to the sale.
From in-person conversations at events and expos to social media posts, ads, and more, the big question becomes, why aren’t people buying?
That’s what marketing is, right? Getting sales?
But they often fail to remember the purchase is just one piece of the larger puzzle for their customers.
If you want to build a sustainable equine business, you need to remember there’s an entire journey customers will go through as they work with you.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Difference between a customer journey and buyer’s journey
3 phases of every customer journey
3 tips for creating an unforgettable customer journey
3 steps to craft an unforgettable customer journey for your horse business
Let’s dive in.
Customer Journey vs. Buyer Journey
In Episode 123 (Get More Sales on Social Media When You Create Content Like This) LINK I walked you through the buyer’s journey and how to create content that takes people from follower to customer.
The buyer journey is the process they go through from first hearing about you until becoming a client or customer. It is important to understand it if you want to make more sales.
Yet the buyer's journey is just the beginning of their journey with you as a customer.
Sustainable equine businesses are focused on the lifetime value of customers, not just the one-and-done sale.
That’s where the customer journey comes in.
3 Phases of the Customer Journey for Your Horse Business
Pre-purchase
Everything that happens before they buy.
Elements to consider …
Lead generation
Traffic sources
Social media content
Email newsletter
Youtube videos
Print articles (local or national)
Time spent in your store
Time spent on your website
Consumption
This is the buying process.
Elements to consider …
Quality product
Easy to access
Easy to navigate
Lots of buttons, forms, clicks?
Experience with your team
Delivery of materials
Communication with you (service provider)
Post-Purchase
Everything that happens after they buy.
Elements to consider ...
Ongoing communication (i.e. newsletter)
Check-ins
Ask for reviews
Feedback Questionnaire
Connection and conversations and events or online (social media, FB groups, etc.)
Larger community aspect (they’re now in your inner circle, community)
3 Tips To Create An Unforgettable Customer Journey For Your Horse Business
Live out your business’s core values.
The first element of my Take the Rein coaching program is narrowing down your audience. Front here, we identify the vision, mission, tagline, and core values for your horse business.
From there, we have a filter for decision-making and a guide to direct every step of the marketing process.
If you don’t have core values, do not skip this step!
Write down the 3 words you want to be known for in your business. These words ideally will come from the heart of who you are as a business. They’re the drivers for the experience you want people to have with your business throughout every phase of their customer journey.
Important reminder: As you grow, make sure you're training everyone in your business to live out these values as they interact with your customers and represent your business.
Prioritize people.
As a prior guest once said, “You’re in the people business because horses don’t write the checks.” This is true whether you’re a horse trainer, bodyworker, farrier, or any other professional in the equine industry.
“You’re not just selling someone a service, you’re serving a person. That changes the way you do the work.” – Unreasonable Hospitality author Will Guidara
This is good news for those of you who tell me you hate to sell. He also said, “Success in business comes when you make the choice to pursue relationships.”
Get creative.
Unforgettable doesn’t have to mean a lot of money – it just means it makes an impression and stands out in their mind.
Here’s a non-horse example to consider. In Missouri (where I’m from), we have a restaurant that literally throws you hot rolls before and as you’re eating. They’re known as “the home of throwed rolls” and have built a brand around it. Talk about unforgettable!
For you, it might mean a handwritten note – we all know those seem to be all but forgotten. Or, maybe it’s a call to your customer a week or two after their appointment just to check in and see how the horse is doing.
Remember: Creativity doesn’t usually just happen. You have to give yourself space and intention to come up with new ideas. And invite your team to join you!
Which brings me to the free resource I’ve created for you. It’s simple yet powerful because it does exactly that – gives you the space and intention to review your current customer journey and look for ways you can make it unforgettable.
✨ GET YOUR FREE CUSTOMER JOURNEY WORKSHEET HERE ✨
3 Steps To Create An Unforgettable Customer Journey For Your Horse Business
Before you jump in, make two copies of the FREE Customer Journey Worksheet.
Step 1 →
Outline the current journey for your customers. (It’s okay to just write bullets here. We’re not looking for full sentences.)
Step 2 →
Outline the journey you want your customers to experience. Think BIG. Think creatively. Give yourself permission to think outside the box.
Step 3 →
Identify one thing you can do now that will make your customer journey unforgettable. In other words, what’s one step you can take to go from the existing customer journey to the dream customer journey.
Then, make it happen. Remember, the magic is in taking action.
After that, put it in your calendar that you’ll do regular customer journey check-ins and keep making incremental changes to go from the existing journey to the dream scenario.
Of course, you'll want to listen to the full episode to dig into each of the insights shared and discover how you can apply each one in your horse business!
Ready to set your equine business up for long-term success? Take the Reins 1:1 Coaching will give you a step-by-step roadmap to get there.
Links Mentioned In This Episode
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