I love a challenge. The good folks at McKenzie came up with a great one for me. They wanted to see if I was up to creating a fascinating new video project that would take me down a different path. They seemed to like the latest videos I have been producing for them geared toward taxidermists, featuring taxidermy supplies and procedures, but they wanted me to try something else in another direction.
They challenged me to create a video that was geared toward sportsmen that would help promote taxidermy businesses and show the industry in a more positive light. They wanted a useful informational tool for taxidermy studios to use that presented knowledge that taxidermy clients needed to know but also showed how far taxidermy had come as an art form. They wanted a video that let taxidermists’ customers know there were more creative options available now and they didn’t have to settle for taxidermy that resembled the dusty old deer head on the barroom wall.
With the help of my friends Nickie and Rick Carter, we have created this new video which we are debuting below, and I think you will agree that we hit this one out of the park! After you watch it, you will come to the same conclusion that this entertaining and informative video will help you to educate your customers and allow you to more easily up sell from a standard wall mount to a panel, pedestal, habitat, or combination display in your taxidermy studio.
Many of today’s sportsmen clients aren’t even aware of the renaissance that has taken place within the taxidermy industry in the last few years. When their eyes are opened to the possibilities that are currently available they will be much more likely to take advantage of your fancier display offerings. When spouses see how beautiful artistic mounts can actually enhance the decor of their homes, they will be much less reluctant to allowing a new deer head in their house.
The video begins with basic knowledge about deer poses and turns before moving on to backboard options and display treatments. This is a good primer for first time customers and will keep you from having to waste your time answering the same questions over and over again, like, “What is a right turn?” and, “What’s the difference between a semi-sneak and an upright?”
This high-definition web video can be easily embedded right into your taxidermy website so it looks like you are providing this information especially for your customer. This is an extremely useful tool that you can add to your marketing bag of tricks. Your customers can start figuring out what they want before they come into your shop and order their mount the way they want it, with the correct turn and pose for their home, so they will be satisfied when they come to pick up their mount. Also, they won’t be disappointed afterward when they find out they didn’t know that a particular option for a personalized display was actually available for them when they brought in their mount.
When you are checking in mounts during hunting season, you could have this video geared up to play on an iPad or streaming on your computer screen in your showroom while customers stand in line. This can help move clients through your shop more quickly without you having to explain poses and turns to each one individually. When they get to you, it will be much easier for them to decide if they want to upgrade to a panel, or if they want to add some habitat.
When we were first discussing ideas for creating this new video, we knew we needed a host who could really deliver the goods, and one talented taxidermist immediately came to mind. Nickie Carter, the lovely wife of muti-time champion taxidermist Rick Carter, is an outstanding artist in her own right, designing beautiful trophy rooms, artwork, custom embroidery and award-winning taxidermy displays. She is also a talented spokesperson, having stolen the show during her brief appearance on the Discover Channel’s “Auction Kings” as their returning guest taxidermy expert. We were pleased to have Nickie agree to host the video, as we felt that most folks would prefer to get this information from Nickie instead of Rick (no offense, Rick). Nickie’s varied experience gave her the personal credibility to present the information that she was familiar with.
The Video:
Below is the complete video for you to watch. It is 5:30 in length, just long enough to tell the story. Here it is presented in the large embedded version:
Instructions for Embedding Into YOUR Web Site:
It is easy to place this video right into your web site. It only take a minute or two. You can see what it looks like here embedded on Michael Schlabach’s MAD Taxidermy web site in La Grange, Texas: http://madtaxidermy.com/. You can place it on your home page, or any interior page of your site.
Simply copy one of the three blocks of code below and paste it in your website where you would like the video to appear. The video player will look like it is part of your website and your visitors will be impressed with the professionalism that it adds to your site. Three sizes of display are listed below. Choose the size that best fits your web site design.
Copy this code for a medium-sized video player for most websites:
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/51252246" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
Copy this code for a small-sized video player if space is a problem:
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/51252246" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
Copy and use this code for a large-sized video player if you have the room:
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/51252246" width="960" height="539" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
In this day and age with the economy in the shape it’s in, taxidermists need to take every advantage they can to provide additional service and offer more to their customers. I think adding this video to your taxidermy website is a real no-brainer. It’s free, it will add credibility to your shop, it will inform and please your customer base, and it will help create greater income for you as you sell more high end accessories to your satisfied clients.