Beef Cattle Advertising

Beef Cattle Advertising is all about how to go about Marketing and Advertising your Registered Beef Cattle Breed.

• Do you have the right product?
• Is it what the buyers are asking for?
• Is your story believable?
• Is it the real thing?
• Do you have the right attitude about your cattle?
• How are your Public Relations?
• Do you have an adequate advertising program?

     The first step in Beef Cattle Advertising is building the right product with a breed that you like and enjoy working with. One that will work in your environment with proper use of all tools available to you. In the beef cattle seedstock business I believe by far the most important first step is to get the product right. Your cattle must have the genetics and other characteristics that the buyers are looking for. Cattle that will solve problems and make money.

     The results of your beef cattle advertising will begin to show once you develop the kind of cattle that are in demand, do not try to sell a prospective buyer what you think he should buy and tell him it is the same as what he asked for. Sell him what he wants! You will need to always look into the future to stay ahead of the pack in this area, it is and always will be an ongoing thing.

     Make your story believable, do not try to tell the world that you have the absolute best, even if it might be true. Very few would believe such a story. Be more modest and play up the good things your beef cattle genetics will do for the buyer.

     Be sure you have the right thing. Do not try to sell seedstock animals claiming them to be super beef producing animals if their identity can be associated with a breed not known for good beef producing traits. Be honest with your customer. In the current climate there are a lot of newcomers to the beef cattle business.

     Not only must you have the right product, a successful breeder must have the right attitude and understand the true mission or purpose. Successful breeders understand from the start, or soon learn, that you are not in the business of just selling cattle, you are in the business of satisfying people.

     Good public relations are a must in successful marketing or selling seedstock. It can do things that are nearly impossible or very difficult to accomplish with just beef cattle advertising. Public relations will personalize you and your cattle business in a noncommercial way with someone else telling your story. Good public relations involve knowing and gaining the respect of the industry leaders in your area who can help influence a cattle producers buying decisions. Get to know and gain the respect of people like livestock extension specialists, feed and equipment dealers, youth leaders, bankers etc.

     Make sure that local newspaper, radio and television reporters and editors know about you and your business, and then give them something positive to report on.  Your new bull, your participation in a beef cattle convention or meeting etc. Host field days and other events that bring people to your place to learn about your cattle and breeding program. Be active in local and regional beef cattle organizations. Use every public relations medium available to establish your reputation as a solid businessperson, a serious cattle breeder, and one who is willing to help.

     How many times have you read about a new model car, tractor, farm machinery or veterinary health products, before you see them advertised? Once a product has been developed for a particular customer base, and the industry has been informed through public relations, then proper and adequate advertising is the next step to successfully sell it.

     This is especially true in the seedstock cattle business where the time between when a potential customer first hears about a product and then purchases it, can be months or even longer. For instance most bull customers will probably only buy once a year, so keeping them informed, and maintaining top-of-the-mind awareness, requires a sustained beef cattle advertising program. Consistent advertising is also essential for developing top of the mind awareness in producers who are not regular customers and those who have never purchased from you.

     Successful beef cattle advertising has nothing to do with exaggeration and everything to do with communicating your message in a believable and effective way. You may not want to position your business as humorous, but you sure want to be seen as human and approachable. Someone people would like to do business with. If more people in the seedstock business understood this, the value of their advertising would increase substantially.

     When breeders advertise that they have the best bull in the breed or a bull that does it all they can be assured that many people will not believe it, even if it is true. Any buyers that do believe the claim are likely to be disappointed because they expect too much. Advertising that same bull with more modest claims that highlight benefits will produce more satisfied customers and usually produce more sales.

     Never lose sight of the fact that techniques used by the most successful companies can be applied with equal success to even the most modest registered beef cattle operation. Seek them out and you will be equally successful.