Getting started with your own sports hunting business : Augusta Free Press

If you’re passionate about hunting, you’re not alone. In 2017, around 15 million people hunted in the United States. Hunting is a niche sport among a very passionate group of gaming enthusiasts. And if hunting is your specialization, you might be interested in starting a sports hunting business of your own. While starting any business requires hard work, research, and dedication, it’s not impossible. Here’s how you can get started with your own sports hunting business:

Choose Your Angle

There are many different angles you can approach your hunting business with. For example, do you want to lease land to hunters, sell equipment to hunters, or provide recreational hunting activities? How about a mixture of these services? Make hunting trips a unique experience?

If you’re selling equipment, it’s important for you to have a wide selection of options to strengthen your chance of scoring a loyal customer. Many people would rather purchase their weapons, camouflage, and other items from one supplier, rather than stop at multiple businesses. Talk to multiple suppliers to learn more about who can offer you a discount on larger orders. As your business grows, you can also expand your business to include other land-based activities, such as hiking, camping, and fishing.

Choose the Right Land

Choosing the right hunting land to run your business is important. Smaller businesses can manage to use public hunting ground to manage their groups and recreation, however, it’s best to purchase hunting land of your own. There are plenty of reasons why investing in your own hunting land could be very beneficial.

First and foremost, state lands have many restrictions on sporting recreations. For example, the state of Colorado bans recreation across 2.8 million acres of state trust lands, and New Mexico bans discharging firearms on all public trust lands. With purchased land, you set the rules and are free to manage your business how you see fit. If you’re just starting the hunt for hunting land, be sure to enlist the services of a real estate agent who specializes in selling recreational property.

Make Your Business Stand Out

It’s important for your business to stand out from the competition. Educating yourself on the latest hunting technology and equipment allows you to continuously remain up-to-date in your industry. Always provide top-notch customer service; after all, it’s much easier to retain current customers than to acquire new ones. Show them they are valued beyond the sale; far too many businesses employ a “one and done” mentality, and don’t continue to re-target those previous customers. Providing freebies, discounts, and quality service are all standout factors that make it easy for hunting aficionados to choose businesses like yours.

Build Brand Awareness

Long gone are the days where all you needed to do was post an ad on hunting magazines and newspapers; today, digital marketing plays a crucial role in the ability for your business to build brand awareness. Active social media accounts and inbound marketing efforts will go a long way towards getting your business noticed.

For instance, why not develop a stunning Instagram account that features the best of what your business has to offer? Of course, you might feel limited to what you can post on your social media account, but there are plenty of creative ways to shed light on your business practices. To get you started, check out popular hunting brands on social media for some inspiration. Remember, you don’t always have to focus on the act of hunting: nature shots, product close-ups, and company culture are all great ways to capture your company’s essence.

Build Your SEO

Building your business’s SEO goes hand-in-hand with building brand awareness. When you work on your business’s search engine optimization, you increase your chances of getting discovered online. This is especially important for local businesses. Doing something as simple as signing up for Google My Business will place your company in the Google directory, allowing your business to show up in card format when someone searches for a business with services like yours.

Starting a blog is another great way to build your SEO. The great part about starting a blog is that you’re already passionate about hunting and/or outdoor recreation. This makes it easier to discuss the topics relevant to your business, and the more content you write, the better your SEO will be. If you’re not confident in your writing ability, you can outsource your content to a freelancer or hire an editor to hone your own work.