How to make a livery ad stand out?

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impala

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Does anyone have any creative suggestions on how to make an advert for a livery yard stand out from the crowd? In our area the recession has started to hit in the last 6 months and many yards have empty boxes so competition is fierce. If you were looking at an advert is there anything in particular that would make you think I must go and have a look at that place? Where do you look at adverts? The way our stables are designed the stables are situated in blocks of 4 with their own tack room. So in an ideal world what I would love is someone with 4 horses who would like their own independent unit. Maybe someone like a trainer or competition rider. Any idea on how I could find and target these people?

How are the rest of you finding the livery business?
 
if you were my area and i saw an ad stating that your stables are in blocks of 4 then i would take more interest. that would be the starting point for me, i have 4 horses!

i also look at the cost and what you get for it. i've seen yards advertised for £30pw diy, but for that you get absolutely nothing included except field and stable. then i see another yard for the same price but includes hay.

a friendly yard that has an arena or good hacking with the option of only my horses being together in a field instead of shared fields is also a plus for me.

in this current economic climate i'm not being too fussy or picky but it has to be near by if completely DIY or i'd pay a bit more if morning turnout was available.

also i've seen ads saying diy only for £45 but when you phone up they include turnout, morning feed and rug changes so you don't actually know what's on offer until you phone but most won't phone if it's diy at that price!
 
Clear breakdown of costs like mentioned above helps and if hay/bedding available and at what cost. In the current climate I would be more attracted to a yard with hay/ haylage included to help budgeting..
 
Thanks Riding High. That's really useful. How important/attractive would it be to you if the yard supplies (at a charge) it's own grown haylage so no need to worry about this year's shortages or extortionate costs? Also sell shavings and feed to clients don't have to waste time trekking off to their nearest feed store. Also don't have to fork out lots of money upfront. Just buy what they need, as they need it. We are BHS Approved. How important do you think this is to people?
 
i'm on a yard that includes straw/hay/turnout/morning feed. when i say how much it is it sounds expensive and because i had to look at other options i did my sums a fair bit!

once i broke down the amounts i found it cheaper to stay where i was and less stressful. to go completely DIY at (for example) £25 pw i'd have to add in the following

hay at around £3 per bale (would need between 6 and 10 bales a week)
straw at around £3 per bale and needing around 8 bales a week
the petrol to go and buy all that
the petrol to go down twice a day rather than going down once and spending hours there
and then you have the stress of storing everything and if on some yards people either pinch the hay/straw or they get mixed up and you end up losing everything.

for me it is definately cheaper where i am and less hassle as i don't have to worry about getting things in and storing it, the YO does all that and has worked out what will be needed for the winter so we won't run out.

i've got 3 horses and possibly my 4th one coming back off loan.

as for the BHS approval i'm not sure if that would matter to me, i've seen one place that was approved but was a really bad yard, won't go into details. i've seen lots of places that aren't approved but better or at least equal to the ones that are.
it's not a priority to me but if everything else fell into place with the yard then it would be a bonus.
 
We definitely aim to make everything as easy as possible for the owners. Horses are expensive and time consuming enough without having to organise things such as feed and haylage. By us organising that it also means there is no risk of people's feed, haylage, etc going missing!
 
Hi, I don't know where abouts you are but I'm in lancs and I have just spent today going round tack shops and getting my ads on google adwords (they sent me a free £75 voucher).
Up until this year I have had a waiting list but now how 3 boxes empty and really need to fill them before winter. I offer all year turn out, indoor school, full, part or DIY, friendly :) adults only and I live on and I am qualified. Not sure what else I could put really!!
Good luck :)
 
Another thought! (wee brain starting to hurt now!). A number of our clients are in the police force. Have been known to turn up at the yard in a patrol car and/or in uniform to briefly visit their horse. Means that anyone 'casing' the yard may well see the police presence and move on to an easier target! Could this be a selling point or is this just likely to freak people out?
 
Hey I would think this is a selling point. Anyone who it freaks out would not be welcome on my yard as it probably would mean there was a reason for it!! Adwords voucher came in the post this morning. :)
 
My most important requirement is 'Can I trust my horses to be left on this yard' unfortunatley thats word of mouth and usually the one that thats hardest to get. Im on DIY £30 a week nothing included.I get individual turnout - lovely grazing, hacking and a 20x60 on a private yard. I wouldnt change for the world, I totally trust the YO. I get my own supplies - a faf but I prefer it as I get cheaper than marked up supplies offered by yards. im not bothered about BHS approved, some are good some are bad but I suppose its a starting point.
You could to get peoples attention the ad say its FREE:D:D:D I know false advertising, but I bet youd get some interest
 
Well a few points. If I owned 3-4 horses (eventers) I would probably own my own land and stables and employ a groom. But you could target friends who like their sort of own yard between them. I would certainly have gone for that if I'd been looking. Also if you grow your own hay/straw and Haylage then include in the price as this way owner doesn't have to keep thinking well I've got to add on so much for this so much for that!! When I was on a DIY yard were the farmer grew his own it was hay & straw included (No Haylage) water lights indoor stables £20 per week. No Menage though but we had a small paddock to exercise in or we could ride round any and all the land.

A friend owns a brilliant yard and is almost full most of the year. She also has exclusive stables for which there is a wash box, drying box, clipping exercising or adjusted to fit requirements for the people who work long hours and need to just come and ride but have their horse cared for while they are working away etc.
 
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