Marketing of live animals

Marketing of live animals is entirely different from the marketing of other products or services. When one is marketing and advertising live animals, there are several expenses still being incurred since the animals still need to be fed. Further to this, other activities such as veterinary visits and walking or grazing the animals cannot cease. Provision for feeding live animals must be made. Otherwise, it will affect their condition, and this means that the animal will fetch less in the market and advertising it will not be comfortable in such a state. Another consideration that must be made is that once a live animal is broadcast, a potential buyer may request to see it and this will involve constant transportation hence leading to the reduction in weight and value. While transporting animals, a lot of care must also be taken since it can affect the animal and even lead to death. Live animals are marketed through channels that favour them, since the mainstream advertising methods may not all be favourable (Ottoman,2017). This paper will look at the marketing of live animals regarding concepts that can be used, advertising strategies and challenges faced when one is marketing live animals.

Marketing Concepts for Live Animals

Marketing is an important aspect of any marketing system. It enables livestock producers to exchange their animals for cash. When one is marketing livestock, it is important to understand whether the livestock production is being done for a niche market or for a commodity market. If one has a herd of livestock, a decision must be made on the number of animals from the herd that will be sold and the target weight that they need to have to be considered as healthy at the time when they will be sold. Another consideration will be whether the animal is pregnant at the time of sale and if buyers will be comfortable buying the animal that way. Another consideration should be made of where the product is going to be sold and which place will have the most profound effect. Selling can be done through auctions, online auctions and marketing to local feed yards. Craiglist can also be used as an alternative for marketing. The livestock producer must explore all channels available for marketing the product. Another important consideration will be price. Pricing is an important factor and can affect whether the live animal is purchased or not. Pricing is also determined by the marketing method since pricing at an auction will be different from when one is selling online.

When selling a live animal, one must have an objective of selling. This will be important in enabling a person to achieve the marketing plan they have put in place. Putting a price that is too high may not be good as it exposes one to risk. One should be able to get a reasonable price, while at the same time controlling marketplace risks. Planning is essential when it comes to marketing live animals as it will help to reduce unnecessary stress. For livestock, it is crucial that one understands their cost of production so that it becomes easy to set pricing objectives. It is important to continually look at marketing plans and assess whether the strategies used are working or if there needs to be a change.

A livestock marketing model should be used when it comes to livestock marketing. Livestock markets can be separated based on types of sellers and buyers who operate in the market and why the livestock is being purchased. The first type of market is a primary collection market where the primary seller is a livestock producer, and the primary buyers are fellow producers, butchers or traders. Fellow producers mostly buy the livestock to make a replacement in their herd. On the other hand, butchers buy for slaughter and sale of livestock products, while traders purchase for resale in other markets. The second type of market that exists in livestock marketing is secondary distribution markets. This market has traders as the leading sellers and local butchers or fellow traders as the buyers (Ottoman, 2017). The fellow traders, in this case, buy for sale into other markets. The third type of market when selling livestock is terminal markets with traders as the sellers and slaughterhouses and other traders as the buyers. In this case, the traders export the animal that they have purchased.

Pets are also live animals which are marketed through different concepts. Many people today see pets as part of their family hence they take parental roles when they acquire pets. This has led to the immense growth of the pet industry. In the United States, for example, pet spending has reached almost $76 billion annually hence showing how the market has mostly grown. The demographic groups that mainly acquire pets are the millennials and nesting boomers (Bender, 017). Today's millennials have a lot on their plate hence prefer children later in life. Many of them, therefore, prefer acquiring pets. Baby boomers see pets as their children. These two groups make up the most significant percentage of those who purchase pets and can treat them as part of the family.

Advertising Strategies for Live Animals

Several advertising strategies can be used to market live animals, as discussed below:

Social Media-Social media is the best way to advertise since the advertisement will be viewed by many people. Social media has an extensive coverage hence opening many possibilities. Advertising on social media enables one to put pictures of the animals which are up for sale and give detailed specifications that will be needed by buyers.

Animal Auctions-This is a popular method, especially for livestock. It is essential that one enrols for such events as many buyers come to the events hence enabling sellers to interact with as many buyers as possible.

Community Forums-Livestock owners tend to stay in common areas. This makes community forums an ideal way of advertising since it will reach out to specific communities that have a propensity of doing livestock farming.

Challenges in Marketing Live Animals

There are a significant number of challenges faced when marketing live animals like pets and livestock. The first major challenge is that live animals are not advertised in mainstream channels like television and radio, hence limiting the marketing strategies that can be applied. Most advertising happens through social media, community forums or word of mouth. In the case of livestock, sales are mostly made through public auctions which occur occasionally. These events are primarily marketed in communities through word of mouth, social media and announcements on local radio channels (Ottoman, 2017). The reach is usually low since many people are not keen on livestock farming since it is done by particular groups of people. Marketing of pets, on the other hand, can be said to have a broader reach since the market for pets is vast. Many people consider pets as part of their family. The challenge is however that mainstream advertising techniques cannot be used; hence it must be done through social media, word of mouth or through websites of companies that deal in pet sales.

The second challenge that is faced in marketing and advertising of live animals is that one must have resources to continue keeping the pet healthy. This involves regular feeding and continuously monitoring the animal to ensure that nothing negative is affecting it. This means that funds must be used even when the animal is being marketed to prospective buyers. One must take care to make sure the animal is kept healthy and under no stress whatsoever so that it remains appealing to the buyer.

Conclusion

Live animal marketing is quite challenging since there is a myriad of factors which are involved. Despite this, it is possible to come up with a grand marketing strategy and plan for live animals. One must ensure that everything possible is done to keep the pet healthy so that it will be easier for the buyers to be attracted to the animal. Further to this, it is essential to try and adopt unique advertising methods that will enable marketing of live animals to a broader audience. If legal regulations are being followed, one should come up with unique ideas that will make the animal attractive to whoever is purchasing it.

References

Bender, R. (2017). Run, spot, run: The ethics of keeping pets [Book Review]. Australian Humanist, The, (126), 23.

Ottman, J. (2017). The new rules of green marketing: Strategies, tools, and inspiration for sustainable branding. Routledge.