Your Input Helps Us Change With the Times
by Karen Pickering, NWHS Publisher
When was the last time you went to a Sears store to shop? After 125 years in business, Sears is closing their doors because they were unwilling, unable, or unprepared to change with the times.
Over the past few years, the way our horse community accesses information and products has changed. There has been a decline in the number of feed and tack stores that carry the Northwest Horse Source—the largest outlet for distribution of our magazine. While distribution is still robust, we are watching the trend toward online searches and purchasing. For many, the desire for instant information and to save time and money directs their searches and purchases.
Along with the trend toward online searches and purchasing, more people are spending time on social media. It’s possible to stay in touch and consume information in small, easily digested bites. This method of communication offers a ready solution to our increasingly busy lives.
In order for a business to be effective on social media platforms such as Facebook, it’s important to consistently engage with followers by posting photos and sharing stories and information in small but highly relational bits. Social media is a great tool for today’s consumers, but it takes a considerable amount of time and skill to engage those consumers effectively. While many social media platforms started out free, exposure is limited unless the advertiser is willing to invest to increase the audience.
Here are two things thoughtful consumers can do in this period of change:
1. Make a commitment to buy local. Loyalty has often been set aside in the quest for the best deal without thought for the outcome locally. How important is that local presence in the community?
2. Consider your commitment to local equestrian organizations that have relied on the support local businesses provide for shows, events, 4-H, and other clubs. As local merchants disappear, so does their sponsorship and donation of prizes and for shows and events. Your donation of goods or time may make the difference in communities where business support of equestrian activity is on the decline.
At The Northwest Horse Source, we are committed to being your best resource for meaningful content, Northwest news, and information as we celebrate the wealth of talented trainers, veterinarians, and businesses that serve our Northwest community.
We are standing at the intersection of online and print platforms as we consider how we will dispense and consume information in the future. While we see the need to change with the times, we are committed to listening to our readers and advertisers as we seek the path forward in a way that builds on the values and heart of the horse community.
Some ideas we’re considering:
1. Help our current readers make better use of our website and move toward offering only a digital edition of the magazine.
2. Conduct a subscription drive to support those wishing to receive print copies of the magazine.
3. Offer social media management services to our advertisers.
4. Make more than 22 years of content from Northwest trainers, veterinarians, and local contributors easier to access on our website.
5. Continue to be the best source for information and advertising for the Northwest horse community.
You can be part of meaningful change. We value your ideas and suggestions and want to make it as easy as possible for you to respond.
Please take time today to respond in one or both of these ways:
1. Take our brief reader survey online or print and fill out the paper version HERE and return by mail to: The Northwest Horse Source, 7661 McLaughlin Rd/# 574
Falcon, CO 80831. If you prefer, email survey answers to [email protected].
2. Email your thoughts about any of the five considerations above plus any additional suggestions to [email protected], or if you prefer, call us at 360-332-5579.
Thanks in advance for helping shape the future of The Northwest Horse Source!
Published in February 2019 Issue
Owner/Publisher Karen’s lifelong love of horses began at a very early age when she wore out a couple of rocking horses before convincing her parents to get her the real thing. That ill-tempered bay gelding, Brandy, was a challenge for the young horsewoman, but it drove her ambition to become a horse trainer. After attending Canyonview Equestrian College’s Horsemanship Program, Karen realized she needed work that was a little more lucrative than training, so she took a job with Customs Brokerage to pay the bills. There, she discovered an affinity for computers and a talent for creating informative, entertaining newsletters. The Northwest Horse Source began as such a letter in December 1995, with a distribution of 1000 copies for its 12 black and white pages. Now 29 years later, it’s an online magazine and website with a reach of over 10,000 per month and growing! Not bad for the results of one woman’s dream to work with horses!
Today, Karen remains involved with every aspect of the magazine and treasures the community of thousands who share a common passion.
