Internet tools used to market bulls

Bulls are becoming the stars of YouTube videos these days.

Increasingly purebred cattle producers such as Neilson Cattle Company at Willowbrook and Sliding Hills Charolias at Canora, are turning to social media sites online to help market their bulls. That turn to the Internet goes beyond a farm website, and includes Facebook pages, and video posting of the bulls to be marketed on YouTube.

Neilson Cattle Company has been marketing their Charolais bulls through production sales for 25-years. They started while still located in Northern Ontario, hauling bulls to North Dakota and Minnesota and holding sales in those states to access markets.

In 2006, Mike and Joanne Neilson held their sale in Assiniboia, bringing their bulls west from Ontario. The next year the sale was held through Heartland Livestock in Yorkton, and they ended up re-locating their operation to the local area.

The last two years the Neilsons have held their sale right at the farm south of Willowbrook (this year March 13).

Mike Neilson said they had been involved consigning their bulls to the Range Ready Bull Sale but when he learned he had cancer, since in remission, it made them re-assess the sale.

“We didn’t want to commit our bulls to the Range Ready guys. It wouldn’t have been fair to maybe have to pull 25-30 bulls from the sale.” he said.

“And it was always a goal to have our own sale.”

Carey and LeeAnn Weinbender have been holding a production sale for nine years, in conjunction with Len and Lori Mangels from Jordan River Charolais, all of them on the farm.

Carey said there are a number of reasons they chose to have it on the farm, starting with convenience, and a way to lower their expenses as they do not have to haul bulls to another location for the sale.

And then there is the benefit to buyers too, he offered.

“Any of our customers who want to see the cow family where the bulls come from, they’re readily available to look at,” he said.

“Basically we’re selling our entire program,” added LeeAnn Weinbender.

Mike Neilson said having an on-farm sale creates some unique opportunities to build relationships with buyers.

“I think when people come to your farm you have more personal contact with buyers,” he offered. “On the farm it gets to be more of a social event with neighbours and buyers.”

It is a theme the Weinbenders also touched on.

“I think it’s more personable having an on-farm sale,” said Carey Weinbender. “… It’s more laid back.” He explained that since they are at home, after the sale there is not the urgency to get the bulls moved and headed home, so there is time to build relationships.

“I think they (buyers) like the atmosphere,” agreed LeeAnn Weinbender.

Joanne Neilson said taking the sale to the farm also means having greater input into how it is held.

“We wanted more control over the whole sale,” she said.

Son Matt is part of that control. He ventures out in January and video tapes all the sale animals.

“It was his first video job, and it was challenging,” Joanne Neilson said of the 2014 sale.

The challenge is January in Saskatchewan.

“The weather is a challenge,” said Joanne Neilson. “We actually delayed filming a week (this year) because of weather.”

The Weinbenders have also started using video as a marketing tool. They are three years into that aspect of their sale, bringing in a firm from Alberta to shoot the footage, and to take still photographs as well.

The decision to include video coincided with a new website (www.slidinghillscharolais.com ) build, said LeeAnn Weinbender. The videos add some important content to their site leading up to the sale (April 9).

Carey Weinbender said videoing each bull is really “a service to our customers,” adding “any astute cattleman likes to see conformation.”

Since Charolais are often a terminal sire choice for commercial herds, bulls have to work on commercial pastures too.

“They want to see how a bull will walk out and move,” said Carey Weinbender. He added that sort of information is best gained through a video, not just a picture.

Carey said when they receive inquiries on a bull in the sale it is a great advantage to be able to send them to an online video for a look.

“If they can’t get here to look before the sale it’s a pretty good tool,” agreed LeeAnn Weinbender, adding in searching out bulls for their own herd they have readily turned to videos to get a better look at prospective sires.

As a marketing tool, Mike Neilson said video has advantages over still photographs.

“One thing with videos they’re more acceptable that bulls are in their ‘working clothes’,” he said, adding with a still photo “they expect it to be a perfect situation.”

Video also gives buyers some added insights into the bulls.

“People want to see them moving around,” said Mike Neilson.

The Neilson sale may be on the farm, but they do not stress the bulls moving them through a sales ring. Instead buyers gather and watch a video of the bulls they then bid on.

With the videos needed for the sale, it was only natural for the Neilsons to utilize them as a marketing tool ahead of sale day (March 13).

So son Jay went to work on the computer. Neilsons now have a Facebook page dedicated to their cattle operation. Joanne Neilson added he is doing some target marketing through Facebook, including to Minnesota where past sales were held, Northwest Onatrio, their former home area, and of course Yorkton and Roblin.

“As of this morning we’ve had 14,000 views,” she said, adding “last week we got a call from Quebec.” That call had Jay back at work expanding the target advertising to Pembroke, ON., across the border from Quebec.

The Facebook page is one access point to link to the Neilson’s bull video which are posted on YouTube.com.

Mike Neilson said they also have links on their website (www.neilsoncattle.com), and at www.BuyAgro.com a major site for listing cattle sales.

The Weinbenders also use videos at the sale. It saves having added help sale day to move bulls around, and buyers can still see them in the pens before the sale.

And again having video means opportunities. Their web presence now also includes a Facebook page, which LeeAnn Weinbender seems to be drawing a good response.

“I think we get more traffic on Facebook (than their webpage),” she said, although that may be driven by updates posted regarding new website material. “I think the two of them work pretty good together.”

Carey Weinbender said they know a web presence has helped attract interest and buyers, but tracking whether it was the website or Facebook is not easy.

Having the bulls on video could one day also open the door for online bidding for buyers from their homes.

“We could do that right now,” said Mike Neilson. “But at our numbers (bulls for sale) we can’t justify doing it online.”

While they have not done a cost analysis on a sale allowing online bidding, Mike Neilson noted, “I think you’d need close to 100 bulls” to make it financially viable to offer that service.

And while he knows the option to bid from home online would serve some buyers well, he reiterated “the social thing is a huge part of it (the sale).

“And we do have bidders on the phone.”

Carey Weinbender said they have also considered online bidding, and while that may come as numbers grow, at this point the economics don’t line up.

“That’s just because of cost,” he said, “But I could see it happen in the future.”