Keep it Simple, Sunshine
Hi everyone, and welcome to the first blog post in my new “Striding into Social” series, presented by STRIDER™ in partnership with KTB Creative Group.
For more about Kim and KTB Creative Group visit, ktbcreativegroup.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram
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I’d like to start off with a brief intro on who I am, what I do, and all of that good stuff (blah, blah blah), so you have a better feel as to why I’m coming at you with this #truth about the fast-paced world of social media and digital marketing.
Each month I’ll touch on a social subject, leave you with a tip or trick to help you up your game when it comes to your social strategy, and highlight some of my favorite social accounts out there today.
If you like what you read and want MORE, you can join my email list through the subscribe link below, or follow along with me on my own social handles for some inspiration.Â
Who IS this Lady!?
Anyway, background time: I’m Kim, the founder and creator of the equestrian focused à la carte media and marketing company, KTB Creative Group.
After graduating from high school with the unofficial title of “weird horse girl,” I headed to Cazenovia, New York, where I attended Cazenovia College for four years. As I set out on a path to acquire a Bachelor’s degree in Equestrian Business Management, I was lucky enough to learn from an abundance of top professionals throughout the equine industry. After graduation, I accepted an internship at Dressage Today Magazine, where I worked and created editorial content, and it was there that my first creative articles were published.
As the summer at Dressage Today drew to a close, I knew that I wanted to continue on in the equestrian world, but also wanted to be up-close and personal with the action of the horse show industry. Shortly after the conclusion of my internship, I was offered another internship opportunity, this time with the incredible Jennifer Wood. Just before January of 2017, I packed my bags and headed to the horse show capital of the world, Wellington, Florida.
With Jennifer Wood Media Inc. steering me in the right direction, I dove head first into managing the media center and PR at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival, which was a surreal learning opportunity for me! From there I developed connections with the company that owns AGDF, and went to work full time for the Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC marketing team.
There I was able to gain experience at several venues and events, including the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival, the Winter Equestrian Festival, the International Polo Club, Gladiator Polo, Tryon International Equestrian Center, and The Colorado Horse Park, as well as at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018, and the Rolex Central Park Horse Show.
What am I doing now? Through KTB Creative Group I work and manage marketing and social media for several international athletes and equestrian businesses, and contract out to a variety of organizations to help with their social media, photography, and PR at equestrian events and competitions. I’m also the National Press and Marketing Officer for the Intercollegiate Dressage Association, which is a national organization comprised of nine regions across the United States and Canada that facilitates the opportunity for college students to participate in organized Intercollegiate Dressage competitions.
Though I realize that the above does not follow my “KISS” blog theme, I think it’s important for you to know where my experience comes from, before I give you advice. And that advice is? Keep It Simple, Sunshine! Social media was NOT designed to be the be-all-end-all of your business. It’s not your website, it’s a platform designed for you to… What? To be SOCIAL! Social media is still very up and coming in the equestrian world, as it’s a known fact that all of us crazy horse people are usually 10 years behind on all “things” world wide web.
So why should you care?
I’ll give you four reasons. Keeping it simple, remember?
- The numbers don’t lie. There are millions of people frequenting social media daily, and the numbers keep growing. No matter who you are, or what you do, you CAN reach your target market if you utilize your social platforms in a strategic way.
2. You WANT your customers or potential customers to like you and to relate to you. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news; but if people don’t like you, they probably won’t want to pay you. How do you get people to like you? You show them how relatable you are. Are you going to post about your not-so-perfect ride or your obsession with coffee all over your website? Probably not! But are those things that mere mortals can relate to? Absolutely! Â
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- Social Media allows you to create stronger trust between your brand and its customers.
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    2. Social Media helps you build your brand, and create a voice and an image  for it.
    3. Social media helps you control your reputation and what people are saying about you.
3. It’s a cheap, yet effective way to reach the masses. Ok, so nothing is free, not even social media if you want it to work the right way. But, it does cost a heck of a lot less than other marketing options, like advertising in magazines or sponsoring horse shows. Plus, it SHOWS you the ROI, unlike other forms of marketing that aren’t able to keep track of exact numbers and customer insights.
4. Social media helps you generate website and email traffic. I always like to remind people not to build their entire business platform around social media. For me, social media is a way to tell my clients’ stories with photo, video, and written content. But, I could take those mediums and utilize them anywhere, not just on social media.
I recommend creating an email list, because that is a tangible resource that can be used even if all social media was to go dark today (Ahhh!! The horror!) and own your own website domain name, too. If you hold onto these, social media can be a great tool to strengthen both
There is an entire rabbit hole that we can and will jump down in the coming months. Fortunately, social media is always evolving and it’s not going anywhere,  so we have a lot to talk about! If you’re interested in creating a strategic social plan to help you up your social game, want someone to completely take over and do the work for you, or want to learn more about social media and how it can help your business, visit ktbcreativegroup.com. Â
Tip of the Month
KISS: Keep It Simple, Sunshine! Social Media is NOT rocket science, unless you’re working for NASA, I guess.
Try starting slow, plan 2-3 quality posts that you can focus on creating each week. Remember it’s quality over quantity!
Who to Follow
Dressage Queen of Memes is getting a lot of PR this month, so I’ll give her more. If you’re a dressage rider (or not) and want a good laugh at the expense of your peers, head over to Instagram and follow @dressagequeen_of_memes
Looking for equestrian business & social media tips?
Subscribe to the KTB Creative Group Newsletter
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For more about Kim and KTB Creative Group visit, ktbcreativegroup.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram