advertising on the sales board

[yankee_minis]

I LOVE looking almost every day and try to catch up the next day to make sure I've seen them all. There are a ton of horses I would LOVE to have. But usually I can't afford them or the timing is wrong or I hear my husband's voice in my head asking whether I really need another such-and-such? (The answer to that is always: DUH! Of course I do! lol)

I've been advertising on the sales board for several years. My ads usually get a lot of lookers, but no one ever contacts me from this board. My market is mostly my little corner of the US. Advertising on this board for me is kind of like a message in a bottle on the ocean... I hope it will eventually reach a human, but I'll probably never, ever really know...

So I'd like to bring up two points for discussion.

1) As a shopper on the forum, what do you require in an ad to be satisfying? What kind of ad works for you? What grabs your attention? What irks you? What makes you say, "what the heck were they thinking?!"

and

2) Do you ever think of telling the advertiser that you like their horses but can't buy now? Just to be nice? Just to throw the poor soul a bone? lol Well, you know what I mean.

 

[Chaos Ranch]

There are several things I like to see in an ad, and several things I do not like to see.

I like to see a good photo.... or two or three photos if it's a pinto or appaloosa. (want to see both sides). I like to see a price, a working email address... and honestly, if I click "Details" and I don't see a website url at the bottom, I close out the ad and just move on. I want to be able to go to their site and see their other horses. I like a clean, well worded (but not dazzled with fancy words) and honest in their description.

I do not like to see ads that are 5 miles long. Or ads that have words in all different colors, or an ad with no photos. Something that really bothers me is a long ad with several horses for sale, and three or four of them will say "SOLD" ... why not take that part of the ad out if they are sold? lol...

Could just be me being picky... but that's what I like and don't like.

 

[K Sera]

Kim C

I agree with you ... Just the facts, keep it simple, easy to read, with good current photos.

I tend to look closer at locations nearer to me, reasonable driving distance, or a price that could justify the addition of shipping for me to consider, if my interest is high enough to buy across the country.

 

[Reble]

Picture is worth a thousand words.

Do not like to have to read read read, all about their show winnings.

Do want to know bloodlines, registration, age, height and for sure price.

 

[Alex]

Short and sweet, but enough info to keep the reader reading. I also HATE when it says "sold" after the horses name!

 

[Mona]

So I'd like to bring up two points for discussion.

1) As a shopper on the forum, what do you require in an ad to be satisfying? What kind of ad works for you? What grabs your attention? What irks you? What makes you say, "what the heck were they thinking?!"

and

2) Do you ever think of telling the advertiser that you like their horses but can't buy now? Just to be nice? Just to throw the poor soul a bone? lol Well, you know what I mean.

What I like to see in an ad is a current photo of the horse, and a full body view, not just a head shot. I like a little information on their current ACTUAL height, (not what is listed on their papers), how they are registered, a little info about them, and I also like to know about their temperament. And PRICES are a MUST! Then if I like what I see and have read thus far, I can email to ask for more pics and information.

Yes, I will sometimes email the other party to let them know I think their horses are beautiful, even if I cannot afford them, and actually just did this, within the last week or so.

Nothing wrong with letting people know they have beautiful horses!

 

[Buckskin gal]

I like to see simple ads with basic information along with price. I pass on the real long ads. I don't like it when the advertiser puts a picture up that is not the one for sale...show me the picture of what is for sale or send me to a website where I can see it.

An ad without a price is not even considered because I want to know before going any further in asking about the horse. Plain black writing is best for me to read...colors are a pain on my eyes. thanks for asking, Mary

 

[lvponies]

Honestly, the very first thing I look at is the location of the horse. I totally skip ads in CA or TX. Yes, there are beautiful horses in those states, but there is no way I could afford the horse plus transporting it to the east coast. I also skip ads that are too lengthy or have lots of different colors in the ad. Those types of ads get on my nerves!! I just want the basics....good clear pictures, height, price, registration. If I am interested, I will contact the seller to request additional info. I too will close out of ads with no web site and move on. No price listed or private treaty.....I'm off to another ad.

 

[Elsa]

I want to see a good picture with no weird angles

Price listed is a must! If I don't see a price I assume the seller wants an amount that would scare people away, or else why not list it in the ad?!

and it's nice when there's a link to the farm included.

 

[CrescentMinis]

My Flabys mare was a response to an ad on this site, although I'd been watching her on the breeder's website since early summer. The price had come down a lot in the ad posted on here, and I couldn't pass her up.

I too like the ads that give you at least a photo; website is a definite plus, and the price is very important so I know if it fits the budget

 

[Minimor]

I like to see a nice picture in the header of the ad. It doesn't matter if it's a head picture, a side view or an action picture...doesn't even matter if it's the horse for sale, or it's sire, or a sibling, as long as it's a good picture that makes the horse look good. If I like the looks of that photo I'll look at the rest of the ad & open it to see more pictures--it's nice if there are more photos in the ad, but if there aren't, there better be a website where I can see more photos of the horse for sale. And out of those photos--whether in the body of the ad or on a website--I want to see at least one side view picture where I can see conformation.

Price doesn't have to be listed--it's nice if it's there, but if I'm seriously shopping I have no problem at all in e-mailing or calling to ask for the price. If there's no price listed and the ad says "serious inquiries only" I may not inquire--after all, if there's no price listed I can't say for sure if I'm serious or not about the horse. If you want "serious inquiries only" I figure the price should be listed so we can know just how serious we are!!

Ads should be short & sweet--brief & to the point. Some of those long ads I've noticed lately--wall to wall words, line after line after line--oh my, what are they thinking? That's just too much reading for an ad! I always wonder if anyone reads all through those ads? I sure don't--when I see ads like that I just skip right over them, no matter how many photos are showing up in the ad. If I were shopping in person & a seller was talking like some of those ads are written, I'm afraid I would just tune the person right out--you know, the glazed eyes, the fixed smile, the nodding head & saying every so often "Ah" and "I see" and all the while not paying a bit of attention. same thing with wordy ads--I tune them out!

And yes, I have e-mailed a seller & complimented them on a lovely horse, even though I wasn't able to buy that horse at the moment. It never hurts to pay someone a compliment.

 

[Katiean]

I never pass up an add because someone does not have a web site. A web site is a plus but, That is not most important. I want to know bloodlines, age, size, conformation and price. I want to see clear side shots and it does help if the horse is cleaned up a bit and not just jerked out of the pasture. That helps me see the refinement of the animal. However, we did just buy a really nice mare with soso pictures but I really liked her bloodlines and her price didn't hurt either. I bought her off of another sale board though I was told she was on this one. Location was also a big factor.

 

[maestoso]

A GOOD picture is a must! And if you don't have a good picture don't think that a bad one will do. When I see a fuzzy, dirty, awkwardly standing horse in a picture I move on. The horse could be perfect but all I have is the picture so don't blow it by putting a bad one.

I also hate adds without prices. I know that many sellers like the words "private treaty" or "call for price." I think they lose A LOT of potential buyers this way. Private Treaty also usually means that the animal is priced very high, or there is a "catch" so I don't pay much attention to those either. The seller who argues this will say "well if you are that interested then you will inquire" or "it is my special baby and this is how I chose to sell it" in other words, they act like they are doing YOU a favor by putting their horse up for sale. This is crazy! There are a lot more horses out there then there are buyers. There are a lot more NICE horses that are priced fairly then there are buyers who are willing to pay for nice horses. I am a strong believer that the horse and owner should make a good match, and that you should care about where your horse is going, but if you start being too ridiculous and snooty then you will never sell your horse. It's a buyers market, not a sellers.

 

[nootka]

I have sold most of my horses through this site over the last 8 years. Not all, but most.

Here is what I like to see, as a buyer:

GOOD photos. NOT an aerial view of a horse grazing in full winter, wet, grubby coat, or a distant view of a blurred, running blob.

Clear, concise description. No extended pedigree. Sire and dam are plenty.

A price is good, and when I go to the site to continue my search, I dislike all the frilly little graphics like dancing ponies, sparkling stars, flowers, songs that play ad nauseum with no obvious way to disable.

I like professional pictures, but also am just fine with decent quality amateur photos as long as the horse is stood up fairly square and groomed to where I can see its conformation.

Recently updated sites keep my attention, as well as those that list the pertinent information: height, price, sire/dam, etc.

I try to offer these same things when I post an ad. I've gotten dozens more email and phone inquiries on horses I have either already sold or we determined in the long run that they were not suitable to the buyer.

Great place to sell and browse to buy.

Liz

 

[REO]

Ads are posted with a list of horses for sale. As I look over the sale board again, I'll notice some of those horses LATER marked SOLD. To me I think it is nice of the seller to go back and mark them sold so people will know and not waste their time emailing about those any more. They did not start out as sold but were sold from that ad and so marked later to let people know.

I scroll past ones ALL IN CAPS, with crazy colors, and if the ad is really really long. I love to see prices. I don't mind a short bit about that horse's show wins, but I skip it if I have to read about the horse's half siblings, great grandsires etc show winnings. Not in the initial ad but If I contact about the horse, then those things are welcome.

Short & sweet

 

[Jill]

I like short ads with the basic "features" laid out and a good current picture. If there are noteworthy bloodlines, I like to hear about that, about the show record of the horse or parents, which registry/registries it is in, expected adult height, etc.

I do not like LOOOONG ads, ads with horses where they are grazing or otherwise not presented well for evaluation, and ads with pictures of a yearling when the horse for sale is now an adult.

 

[dmkrieg]

I am glad you posted this. I look at the sale board everyday and the thing I HATE most about when people are selling horses. When they don't list a price or when you go to their website there are no prices listed. which just tells me I can't afford it so I keep going. You never know what the person selling the horse thinks their horse is worth and I don't like really bartering...If you have something for sale, I want to see clear pictures of that animal. A nice shot or two that shows their conformation and color on both sides if its a pinto or app.

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

I love pictures and hate to read an entire page of lists of so many horses it makes my head swim. Too pale colors like pale yellow are harder to read, lots of different colored words are distracting.

Picky picky I guess.

But I AM ADDICTED to the sale board , I like to know whats out there for sale and like to keep up with the prices, I read it and the forum several times a day when I am off.

Robin

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

For me the donts are

1. Dont post a weanling or yearling picture of a 2yr old or older horse I want to see what it looks like now

2. Dont post a picture of a horse with its head down eating in the grass

3. Dont post a picture of a horse in a large group of other horses and make me guess which one it is

4. Dont post a picture of a horse running thru the arena or pasture I cant tell anything from that.

5. Dont tell me how this horse has never placed less then 3rd in a class without informing me that the horse has never been in a class with more then 3 horses- if you say you showed it show records are looked up I am not the only one who checks how many were in the class and at the show.

6. dont say must reduce herd- no hay, no money no job whatever and then in the next sentence say you have 45 foals coming in 2 months and need room. It makes you look less trustworthy from the get go (perhaps wrongly so but nonetheless.)

The do's

1. Do make sure once you post your horse for sale you have other pictures available like legs, teeth a few profile shots

2. Make your add short and to the point - just the important info

3. Do include a bit about the horse as in wild -barely been touched even the vet cant control to pull a coggins- or horse is handled daily and kids can be around. It might turn some initial interest off but also saves everyone some time as they will know if this is the right horse personality wise for them

4. Do make sure you have all the paperwork needed for the horse to load up with the transporter- nothing worse then getting a call from the shipper saying I cant take your horse they dont have all the needed health papers.

All that said I love the sale board and with the horses I have and have ever had I can say I bought 95 percent if not more either from THIS saleboard or from Sellers who I went back to after already purchsaing from this salebard

 

[River1018]

Short and sweet and to the point...one color. no fancy fonts

I like to see prices ~ if I don't I usually don't bother to look further

I must see a nice photo of the horse to even catch my eye in the first place....

Pet Peeves are photos of the horses yards away...or their heads are down grazing....their butts are facing the camera...they are laying down......or its a side photo of the horse and the horse has its head turned and is looking at the camera....makes it look like they have no neck at all.

I hate to read....the sale price on this horse will only last for one more week....that is very tacky to me....

Websites are a plus...I hate music and some sites have so many colors and graphics going on its distracting and I won't look any further usually.

Fist impression is just that... a first impresson...