Reaching New Demographics is Critical to Our Industry
If we don't improve at cultivating new hunters and shooters, the sport we love and industry we work in will eventually die away. That's a strong diagnosis, but a realistic one. Like many enthusiast sports in this busy, competitive world, people are leaving faster than new ones are coming in — and this is a recipe for industry-wide trouble down the road.
We all have a stake in changing the face of shooting — literally — and attracting new enthusiasts to our sport. It's important not only for business, but also to maintain our strength in an ever-changing American public landscape. As we know, manufacturers in the firearm industry are constantly changing — adopting new methods and technologies in order to stay on the cutting edge and ahead of the competition. Your marketing strategies must be as cutting edge as the weapons you sell in order for your business to stay competitive. A departure from traditional marketing strategies is needed in order to pack more rounds of marketing punch.
The good news is we do this. It will take effort and some outside-the-box thinking. And like so many things in business, much of it comes down to marketing.
Here are some ideas, tips and techniques about how every shooting sports retailer can improve his or her business — and help ensure the future health of our industry — by reaching out to new people. WHAT WOMEN WANT. A clear message is emerging— women are a big part of the shooting industry's future. While this message is simple, following through on it may seem challenging. However, Kay Clark Miculek, of Clark's Guns and Personal Safety in Louisiana, has found that one of the easiest ways to attract women is the way you present your store.
According to Miculek, the clean and orderly appearance of her store is important for the women she sells guns to. Miculek feels women often base their decision to shop on the first impression they get when they walk through the door.
Another great way to connect with new demographics is to have a diverse sales team. Steve Melton, co-owner of B&S Guns near Dallas, Texas, has female salespeople and he and his wife, Beverly, also work closely with The Divas, a high-profile group of female shooting enthusiasts that shoots at the high-end Dallas Gun Club. Even subtle things, like making sure female staff is featured in the store's cable television ads, help make this retailer (and shooting sports in more inclusive. Simple techniques such as these are often the most effective when trying to reach other demographics, as well.
REACH OUT TO YOUNG GUNS. It's absolutely critical for us to pass a love of shooting and hunting on to the next generation. "Many baby boomers are getting older and getting out of hunting and shooting, and we need new people to replace them," said Melton. Working with kids and their parents is not only good business, it is helping families discover the fun of sharing shooting sports together.
The Meltons made a special effort to make their 4,500-square-foot gun store more family friendly, even creating a special "Kid's Corner"complete with small-caliber firearms designed to help kids learn how to handle a gun confidently, safely and responsibly. The Meltons' efforts to reach out to kids has been so successful, it was featured in a recent Dallas Morning News article and an online video that went nationwide. Due to heavy public sensitivity to the irresponsible promotion of firearms to youth, every promotion should foster both respect for and safety with firearms in order to help families pass this rich heritage and tradition to the next generation.
USE AVAILABLE TOOLS. Miculek and her husband, international shooting champion Jerry Miculek, also operate Bang Inc., a school for firearms instruction, which includes classes designed specifically for women and run the popular Babes with Bullets camp at locations throughout the country, offering a fun and supportive environment for women eager to join sport shooting.
You can also stock your store with free educational brochures and other literature from the NRA designed to teach youngsters and others new to the sport and allay the potential fears about safe shooting. Retailers can work closely with local organizations providing gun safety classes and lessons to help new customers (young and old) become confident shooters.
While these are just two of the under-represented demographic groups in the hooting sports market, depending on your business environment and location, new audiences might include certain ethnic groups and seniors. Appealing to these groups can be as simple as featuring a variety of people in your ads, on your website or in your marketing materials.
Remember that every interaction with potential shooters or even non-shooters — whether face-to-face, in print or on television — is a chance to be a goodwill ambassador for our industry. So share your enthusiasm for our sport equally with men and women, young and old, experienced and novice. Remember, we have to grow shooting so we can go shooting.
Bear Enthusiast Marketing Group is a leading makerting, advertising and public relations agency serving the shooting, hunting and outdoor industries. Visit www.bearemg.com
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