By now, you probably know that outreach is one of BioZyme’s four values, along with research, innovation and inspiration. Although outreach is continual, with the summer shows, events and leadership events that are focused on youth in livestock projects, now is a great time to prepare for approaching outreach opportunities.
So, how can you get involved? As dealers, you have so many great opportunities to reach the youth in your community at a local level. However, you don’t have to stop at just the community or county levels. There are great chances to take action at the state and national levels, too.
The obvious and probably easiest way to get involved with youth in livestock and horse projects is to sponsor shows and events in your community. Seeing the Sure Champ® or Vitalize® banners with your dealership name is a great way to build awareness. If you are sponsoring these events, be present, wear a shirt or cap that identifies you and have products available to sell that would be most useful at a show, such as gels and liquids.
Colorado dealer Riley Faris with Rockin’ R Show Feeds & Supplies, LLC, sponsors a jackpot show each June for cattle, lamb and goat exhibitors. She wants to give the youth an added chance to exhibit their animals, make memories and learn more about Sure Champ.
Tyson Basore with Basore Cattle in Missouri is also passionate about the young people in his community. He typically purchases livestock through the premium auction at the county fair, as a way to support the youth. He also sponsors his son’s baseball team, The HEAT.
Think Outside the Box
This is the second year that Basore has sponsored the local baseball team and equipped them with jerseys with the familiar HEAT technology logo. Not only does this get some further brand recognition out there, but he is promoting a product that many of his customers use. And those customers’ kids are on that ball field.
In an area rich with livestock producers, not everyone will participate in the county fair, but Basore knows that some prefer the ball diamond to the show ring. He was looking for a way to use the logo in a way last summer and still market the product that is popular in fescue country. It’s a win-win.
“Our industry is primarily made up of the older generation. We have to keep the young people involved and interested in agriculture to show them it can be a rewarding industry, too,” said long-time BioZyme dealer.
Other Ways to Get Involved
Being a premium sale supporter or show sponsor are great ways to get involved, but there are other opportunities to engage with youth.
Provide Education
Sometimes just providing some basic knowledge about their animals’ feed and care is a great place to start. Regardless of whether you are a store or on-farm dealer, make sure you are well-informed about our products and the benefits they provide. Request sell sheets from the SAMM Center or complete the Master Dealer Program to become the most familiar with the product lines.
You can provide education in a few different ways, depending on your own comfort level and experiences. Offer to set up a Sure Champ Camp where you and others talk about feeding, fitting and showing the various species. Depending on your demographics, this could be a county or multi-county event. Some tubes of gel are inexpensive door prizes and a good gateway product to gain a new customer.
Faris, who is more accustomed to livestock, recently stepped out of her comfort zone, and recently set up a Vitalize educational table at the statewide 4-H horse clinic in Pueblo County. She was stocked with brochures and literature as well as products and prepared to talk to potential customers about the benefits of the Vitalize products.
“I was surprised by the number of people who had never heard of Vitalize, but it was fun to visit with them about the product line and the benefits that Amaferm offers. I gained several new customers and sent out a whole box of Vitalize gel the following Monday to someone I met there,” Faris said.
Volunteer
Faris is passionate about the youth livestock program, an area that enriched her life as a young person. She works in the livestock office at the Colorado State Fair, which is in her hometown and helps her ASM Jenette Masarie with the BioZyme booth when she can.
“It’s important to give back because growing up, I received a lot of help and support from others outside of 4-H. We have to help the industry grow and increase the interest in agriculture, so it is not lost,” she said.
Rely on BioZyme® to Help
Whether you decide to provide back numbers for a state breed show with the Sure Champ logo, conduct a fitting and feeding clinic or simply hang a sponsorship sign at the state fair, we know that action opportunities will help you grow your business.
Be sure to utilize the SAMM Center, submit a timely marketing request and talk to your ASM. BioZyme has several resources available to you.
ASMs see many different promotional and marketing opportunities in their travels across their territories. Likewise, the Marketing Team has created many different projects, and they can give you some great advice if you have an idea, but are just not quite sure how to implement it.
Creating outreach opportunities build relationships and build brand awareness. When you do these things, you take actions that will grow your business.