​One of the most exciting products at this summers AETA tradeshow was the Woof Wear Medical Hoof Boot.  The week before the tradeshow started I had customers contacting me inquiring about it. At first, I had no idea what they were texting and emailing me about as we had not started our Toklat sales meeting so the reps had not been told about this amazing new product. However a video had been posted on Facebook the first week of August and it went viral across the globe so that is why a few of my customers knew about it before I did.

With over 343 Facebook shares, it’s pretty clear that horse owners are curious and excited about this boot and all the problems it can solve. There is now a solution to the dreaded diaper duct tape scenario that we all have used for abcesses or a bruised sole or heel. This medical hoof  boot keeps dressings clean and dry, You only need to use a little vet wrap and the boot is reusable, quick and easy to fit, It's kevlar reinforced on the bottom and it comes in a eye catching light blue making it easy to spot.

​Take a look at the asymmetric groovy zipper which prevents the zipper from opening. It's also machine washable. To size the boot just measure from the toe to the back of the frog, not the heel. I actually showed the boot to my farrier and he measured Quinn’s hoof for me. There are nine sizes and Quinn, who is a 16’1 hand TB with average size feet is a size 7 which corresponds to width -140- 148 mm and length 157-167 mm.  The boot retails at $57.95 and will be available in the states at your local tack store in November.

Below you'll find a very useful & informative fitting guide. 

With an advertising budget of as little as $1/day or $30/month, you can make sales using FaceBook or Search Engine Ads (Google Ad Words, for example) to drive traffic. Ads can be highly targeted from your existing email contacts, to a set geographic location, gender and interests. These ads will fit nicely into your promote & sell social media strategy, but setting up, testing and maintaining these ads is a tedious and time consuming process, especially for those of us who are not digital natives and natural marketers. Doing them yourself may work well for those of you that have a strong print marketing and promotional strategy and professional photography. 

If you don't fit this profile, you will likely need to hire someone to do this for you and that can get expensive. It is important to weigh the cost in relation to your time and the sales results. In fairness, you will need at least 3-6 months working with someone to see if they can deliver. 

Let's take a look at options & costs.
Option 1 In-House Hire:  The median salary for an in-house social media manager is about $45,000-$50,000. 

Option 2 Freelance: Social media freelancers with 3+ years of experiences on average will cost $45/hr. If you want real results to come from social media you will need to be active and post daily. Assuming it takes your freelancer one hour per day, your cost could be:

$45/hr per day x 5 days a week x 4 weeks a month = $900/mo x 12/mo = $10,800 per year for a freelancer 


Option 3 Small Marketing Company: The cost for a GOOD small marketing company will range anywhere from $400 – $1500 per month and most will want a 6-12 month contract.

At the lowest package you will spend $4,800 per year. $400/mo x 12 months = $4,800 per year


At the best package you will spend $18,000 per year. $1500/mo x 12 months = $18,000 per year


Whichever option you choose, you will need to come to clear agreement on:
1. Accountability for reaching established and attainable goals within an agreed upon time frame.
2. Proof that your account is posting daily.
3. Proof that you are only 1 of 5-6 accounts managed by 1 person.


Don't loose hope - Next time we will discuss a great option for independent, local business Boosting FaceBook Posts.