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Blog - Online Selling Tips

Get Social! Share your Bigeq.com Ad!

March 4, 2016

Here at Bigeq.com, we're always keeping up with buying and selling trends for quality hunter/jumper sale horses. Right now selling via Facebook groups and sharing via social media is hot, but as anyone who has used these groups and social sites can attest, they can be effective, if a bit chaotic, cluttered and clunky to use. Sometimes shared listings don't have price info, location or other key descriptive items. For sellers, presenting a horse for sale may require a lot of copy/pasting and repetitive action to share across multiple groups, and social media doesn't often allow for showing all of your horse's photos and videos in one place.

That's where we can help! Let us help you promote your horse on social media! Our ads are optimized for sharing on a variety of websites and social media platforms and allow other social media users to learn everything about your horse in one place with just one click to your Bigeq.com ad.

Plus, not only are our ads posted automatically to our Facebook group and Twitter, but we also post selected listings on our Instagram account. Us sharing your horse's information on our social media pages is only one avenue of action - and you can take it to the next level!

Each ad is optimized for social media sharing. After you've posted your ad, simply visit its page and scroll to the bottom. There you will see five share buttons:


Clicking the "Like" button will open a popup window and ask you to login to Facebook if you haven't already. Once you're logged in, you'll see your ad photo and/or text for your ad (your primary photo will automatically be posted with the ad - some browsers show this photo during the share process, others don't show it until you've actually shared it to FB). Now you just need to decide where to share it - on your timeline, your business page, or a group:

 

Once you've posted your ad to Facebook, your friends and other connections will receive a notification and see it. The shared image and link go directly back to your Bigeq.com ad. Now with one click, they can see all of your horse's sale information, photos and videos. We're the ultimate and perfect organization tool for your hunter/jumper sales horses and ponies - whether it's your short stirrup pony or a grand prix jumper, working hunter and everything in between.

The other social media buttons work similarly:

Share - allows you to share on other platforms, Facebook and beyond.

Pin - share to a Pinterest board

Tweet - get that ad posted to Twitter

Email - send directly to your email list, sales list or friends

 

It's straightforward, organized and simple and helps cut through the clutter and chaos of the social media world - and we're here to help you every step of the way. As always if you need assistance, feel free to contact us with questions.

Happy (social) selling!

-Bigeq.com

 

Posted in Bigeq Online Selling Tips ,


Selling Tips: What Shoppers Want

March 14, 2013

 

Some common sense suggestions for our sellers - if you're looking to improve your horse's chances of selling on Bigeq, we recommend the following:

 

• VIDEOS SELL - if a horse does not have a video at all, or the video quality is poor (no zoom, shaky, annoying music, etc.), users tend to just close the video and move on to another horse. This happens even when the horse has gorgeous photos. That video is GOLD if it's good. Take the time to either make or purchase a high quality video of your horse.

• PHOTOS ARE ATTENTION-GETTERS - make sure you take or purchase a quality photo. DO NOT use proofs, we will ask you to remove them, and frankly it makes you look dishonest and cheap (even if you've purchased a non-proofed version of the photo - no one knows that but you). Select the primary photo carefully - remember your horse is being compared to the ones directly above and below it. Don't be the one with the ugly or otherwise boring photo. If you don't have a nice jumping shot, clean up your horse on a sunny day and take a conformation picture against a plain background. Avoid headshots or casual candids around the barn.

• CHECK YOUR MESSAGES - Make sure you're receiving inquiries through our message system. Sometimes sellers do not respond to inquiries; as a buyer it's frustrating and as a seller you're losing a possible sale. If you're selling a horse on Bigeq, absolutely make sure our email address is in your address book. Otherwise, all those inquiries might be going to your spam box. If you're not getting any emails from us, log in to your account on Bigeq.com and check whether you've received any messages (the messages link is at the very top of the page when you log on).

• INQUIRE - if you put "INQUIRE" you might get fewer inquiries, especially if your horse is under $50,000. Typically, the word 'inquire' when associated with horse ads means it's very pricey. Don't scare away potential buyers. We always recommend that sellers show the price range or the actual price, and allow the 'inquire' option as a courtesy to those who truly want the price hidden.

• SPREAD THE WORD - if you use Bigeq.com to buy or sell, tell your friends about it. We've got a great community of buyers and sellers here, but there are still people who don't know about us. The more you get out the word, the more people use the site, and the more we can help connect buyers and sellers with the right horses. It's win-win for everyone!

Shoppers, if you have any other suggestions, drop us an email and we'll share it with our sellers!

Happy buying and selling all those beautiful hunter/jumper horses and ponies.

 

Posted in Bigeq Online Selling Tips ,


"Latest Listings" Newsfeed on Facebook

Dec. 6, 2012

Hey y'all!

If you want to get an update every time a horse is listed on Bigeq.com, you can now "like" our new Facebook page: "Latest Listings". You will get new horses for sale directly to your Facebook newsfeed, including the name, height, price and photo.

You can go directly to the page here:

http://www.facebook.com/latestlistings

Happy horse shopping! Enjoy!

 

Posted in Bigeq Online Selling Tips ,


Pinterest

Aug. 31, 2011

Dear Bigeq visitors,

A) thank you as always - business is going great and we are looking forward to an active and successful fall selling season!

B) and this is the real news: we've joined Pinterest. Wahoo! It's mainly for fun - as we looove to shop around the internet for horsey stuff we like. So now we can collect it and share it with you on Pinterest! So please follow us on there if you ilke - and we look forward to sharing lots of cool horsey and hunter jumper stuff over there.

C) To encourage better quality photo submissions on Bigeq.com, we will also periodically feature photos on Pinterest linked from our website that are of exceptional quality under "Best Photos on Bigeq." We don't endorse the horses or ponies in any way - we just want to celebrate quality photographs and encourage our users to present their horses as well as possible.

Nothing is more discouraging to us than to receive a disappointed email from a customer who received few inquiries. It is heartbreaking to look at their ad and see a horrible photo and realize they might have a nice horse, but it's so poorly presented that it's not going to get any clicks. Then we get the blame. We're not perfect and we offer a great service, but our customers have to make the effort to present their horse well in order increase the chance for things to work out! So please, please try to put up nice photos and quality videos with your ad.

So that's it! It's fall finals time - and we wish everyone good luck at their various local, zone, regional and national finals!

Posted in Bigeq Online Selling Tips ,


SPAMMER ALERT tonycarcity@gmail.com

Aug. 16, 2011

We have been notified that a user with the email

Tony Carson <tonycarcity@gmail.com>

is sending messages to users. We believe this to be a spam. DO NOT RESPOND, and please delete the messages.

Posted in Bigeq Online Selling Tips ,


Online Selling Tips: Upcoming Horse Shows

Sept. 24, 2009

Bigeq.com's Horse Show Feature

Hey horse shoppers! Wouldn't it be nice if there was an online database of horse shows and the horses for sale at them? It would be so convenient, right?

Well it turns out Bigeq.com recently created a database on our website and it's right on our front page under the "UPCOMING HORSE SHOWS" section. That's not any random list of shows; if a show is listed there, it means that one of the horses for sale on Bigeq.com is attending that horse show. You can click that link to see the horses competing there, and then call and make an appointment.

What a fabulous selling tool! Sellers, take advantage of this extra feature to help market your horse! It's simple to add the shows your horses are attending:

Login to your Bigeq.com account and "Edit" your horse's ad. Then it's five simple steps:

1) On your horse's ad page, scroll down to "Horse shows this horse is attending."  Click on the dropdown menu of shows (listed in alphabetical order) and select the show your horse is attending. If your show isn't listed, simply type it into the text box under "Don't see a show..." and click "Add."

2) Then select a "start date" ( select an end date of the show if it is multiday).

3) Click "Add Show." Now you'll see your show added to the show schedule!

4) Enter in all of your horse's shows.

5) Now one last VERY IMPORTANT step:
Scroll down and click "Save" at the bottom of the page!

Voila! Now you're done and buyers can coordinate with you to see your horses at shows. It's brilliant! So use this feature and help buyers in their shopping process, and help yourself sell horses more effectively. :)

Happy buying and selling on Bigeq.com!

Posted in Bigeq Online Selling Tips ,


Online Selling Tips: Not Just Any Photo Will Do

Sept. 17, 2009

If you were shopping for a 3' equitation horse or hunter, which horse would you call about based on the pictures?

Ok, ok... you can probably tell that's a trick question. It's the same horse, but the photos illustrate the importance of selecting good photos for your online ad. If I were looking for a 3' eq horse and hunter, I'd call on "D". The horse looks clean, shiny and sharp with her knees. Even though photo C is a show photo, it's not really flattering, with her twisting her chest and knees over the fence as if she'd just chipped out of a terrible distance. Photo A is a schooling photo from a lesson, and not very eye catching, while Photo B is over a tiny fence that she's stepping over, even though she looks perfectly attractive.

So this example brings us to another of our Online Selling Tips: PHOTOS = VERY IMPORTANT!!

NOT JUST ANY PHOTO WILL DO when trying to sell your horses online. Riding and showing is a visually-intensive sport. We evaluate a horse not only on whether it clears a fence, but whether it does so in 'good form.'

Your photo is a buyer's first impression of the horse. In an instant the photo has to sell all your horse's good traits, as the buyer is scanning the search results pages. That little thumbnail image is the first step in hooking a potential buyer, so make sure it's good. Here are our tips on selecting good photos to accompany your ads:

• First off: no picture, no sale. We sampled the page views for a group of comparable large ponies listed during a one month time period. The ponies with photos were viewed more than twice as much as the ponies with no photos, despite being similar in capabilities and experience. Any photo is better than none.

• Get a good jumping photo (or conformation shot if the animal isn't backed/jumping yet). Try to get the magic "knee" shot, with both knees up and together at the midpoint of flight over the fence. Many buyers like to view a conformation shot, and the ideal shot would have the horse bridled, clean, and posed in a background that is not distracting on a sunny day.

• A professional or high quality amateur photograph from a horse show is best. DO NOT steal proofs from professional photographers online. Buy the photos and get permission to use them from the photographer.

• If you decide to photograph your horse at home, remember to present the horse as if you would at a show, meticulously groomed, and tack clean (avoid bright, distracting tack bling, polos/boots or saddle pads). The rider should also be well dressed, in boots, breeches and a polo shirt. You want the buyer to focus on the horse, not on the rider's hot pink hat cover and matching saddle pad.

• Select a nice jump to photograph, similar to what you might see in the show ring in terms of condition, not chipped up and worn out. Be aware of distractions in the background: like other horses, people by the ring, farm buildings/equipment, etc. For conformation shots, much of the same applies: pick a nice level place with few distractions. And lastly, shoot on a sunny day! Make sure you're positioned to capture the 'sunny-side' of the horse.

• As you're preparing to submit your ad for your online advertisement, we do recommend color-correcting and cropping your image in photoshop, or another editing program. Make sure the colors and lighting are bright and even, and crop out everything but the horse and the jump.

• Leave any editing at that. Don't be digitally dishonest by Photoshopping your 2'6" hunter into a working hunter. Bigeq does not condone photoshopping of jump heights or other dishonest practices, and we ban it on Bigeq.com.

Posted in Bigeq Online Selling Tips ,


Online Selling Tips: Videos are Vital

July 18, 2009

The internet is a blessing for online horse sellers. Never before in history have so many horses been accessible with a few clicks of a mouse. The internet can be a curse, however, if sellers do not present their horses appropriately and competitively in the market. The web allows many nice horses to be "seen" side by side for instant comparison by buyers, so sellers simply MUST make every effort to present the horse at its best. Otherwise their horse is likely to get lost in the cyber-shuffle. Here is an online selling tip to optimize your horse's ads and help them stand out in the crowd.

BIGEQ ONLINE SELLING TIP:

VIDEOS ARE VITAL

Videos are perhaps the most essential online tool for buying and selling horses online. Forget snail-mailing VHS tapes, and forget DVDs; get your video online! Ads on Bigeq.com with videos have the highest view rate of all ads placed on the site, viewed 20\% more often than ads with photos only.

Online sale videos should be a few minutes of footage which capture the buyer's interest. Some tips on shooting your own videos:

• Invest in a TRIPOD. Your horse's sale video should not resemble the "Blair Witch Project" or make viewers motion sick from viewing!

• KISS: Keep It Short & Simple. Videos should be no more than 3-4 minutes.

• Get your footage at horse shows. One or two over fences trips is usually plenty for a prospective buyer to call on.

• If you can't get to a show, pretend you're at a horse show. Horse and rider should be appropriately turned out. No crazy saddle pads, helmet hats, blingy tack, or anything that would distract a buyer from the horse. Include a brief section of flatwork, showing all three gaits and lead changes if applicable. Most of the footage, however, should be a few jumping courses.

• Zoom in on the horse as you tape. No one will learn much about your horse, if it looks like an ant on the screen.


So far away! Definitely needs to be zoomed in a bit.

• Don't zoom too close. Keep the horse in the middle of the frame, with a comfortable visual border.


Oops! Too close. This horse has been beheaded by the video.


Ah! Just right. The horse is centered on the screen with a comfortable margin.


• Avoid noise distractions. Try not to speak or have a conversation while taping, unless you plan to remove all sound. Don't program the video with music. It's fun to sellers, but can be annoying to buyers.

Agree or disagree with our list? Have your own video suggestions? Leave a comment!
Keep checking the Bigeq Blog for more in our Selling Tips series!

Posted in Online Selling Tips