Helping you navigate all the options
I’m sitting at a Starbucks in Bellingham between meetings and thinking of all the ways I can help my horse loving friends and advertisers. I think about how much “noise” there is out there from emails to Facebook and other social media. Where to advertise or get quality information has gotten way more complicated and for most of us a whole new skill set.
I never thought at this stage of my career I would be reinventing myself but I guess change is inevitable for all of us. Advertising principles are pretty much the same, it’s the platform you use that changes. Technology has made huge strides since I started publishing nearly 24 years ago. From pasting up to film, then going computer to plate, it’s been quite an evolution.
NWHS has always had a website. That has been quite an evolution as well. One thing I wish I had known when I started was how valuable long time relationships are. If I had stuck with the web programmer I have now I would have saved myself a lot of grief and money. I think long standing, stable relationships are what make the biggest differences in our business.
While print advertising is still a viable option I realize that more people are using social media, SEO, and other advertising methods. The challenge has always been the numerous options out there. I still have people coming to me with requests for a listing of boarding or training stables in the Northwest. With everyone setting up individual pages and groups it takes a great deal of time to scroll through pages, searches and apps to find the information you’re looking for.
What if the Northwest Horse Source could offer a large listing of stables, clubs and organizations as well as trainers….affordably? Would you still prefer a resource with a long-standing reputation in the horse industry? I would LOVE your thoughts. Send me feedback and we’ll see about creating a platform that’s easy to use and affordable. Meanwhile, start with a FREE listing with our online business directory. It’s easy, just register, and upload your image and information. We’ll start putting you out there through our channels.
Have an amazing weekend and thanks again for your years of support!
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
~ Henry Ford – 1863-1947 – American Industrialist
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.
