A month or two out from the bull sale day Kenny Hinkle, Hinkle’s Prime Cut Angus, used to start worrying about how to get people to there.
“For years I didn’t think about marketing around the clock. But it is, I mean [now] we just don't stop it,” says Hinkle, who raises cattle near Nevada, Mo., with his wife, Janyce, and their family.
He recently joined fellow breeder Smitty Lamb on The Angus Conversation to talk about lessons they learned the hard way. “Is Having Great Cattle Enough? How Service, Family Relationships Sell Bulls,” dropped on all major podcast platforms today.
Lamb and his cousin Clint Smith, along with their families, operate Ogeechee Farms near Wadley, Ga.
“I don’t think we realized how important marketing was. Just, ‘Build it and they will come.’ That's not really how this works,” Lamb says. “You’ve got to breed good cattle, but you’ve got to promote them and you’ve got to be authentic with that.”
Both have drawn on the experience of the Angus Media team in recent years to build a year-round marketing plan, use a multi-media approach and attract new customers while retaining repeat buyers.
“I mean if I could start over, I would’ve probably hired professional help sooner in my marketing efforts because I just wasn't very good at telling my story,” Lamb admits.
But it’s more than just a good plan. It’s about customer service and relationships, and being good for your word, Hinkle adds.
To hear the whole discussion, listen to the most recent episode of The Angus Conversation.