Have a birding-related service or product?

Birding is growing, and growing fast, both locally and internationally. Several rare vagrant birds in South Africa have attacted more than 1000 visitors over a matter of a few weeks. Multiply that by the amount each visitor spent on airfare, hire cars, accommodation, food, fuel etc. and one bird generates a multi-million Rand short-term industry. A 2011 survey in the US revealed that 41 million residents consider themselves to be interested in birds in and around their gardens, while 18 million travel specifically to see birds. In the last decade, the rise of social media has prompted phenomenal growth in young birders. BirdLife South Africa’s Facebook page has 23,000 members. In early 2017, an oceanic birding cruise off Cape Town attracted almost 2000 birders. Google Trends shows that for searches related to the keyword “birding”, South Africa was ranked first globally, 3rd for “birdwatching” and 4th for “binoculars”. Makes you think!

If you have a bird- or birding-related product or service, you have to market it directly and efficiently. Take this from someone who makes a living out of selling bird books! The local birding community constitutes a relatively small, specalized, niche market. But on the other hand, birders are generally wealthy, are obssessed with books and birding  equipment, and travel excessively in their pursuit of their passion.

I believe that faansiepeacock.com is the ideal platform to launch or market your product or service. This may include bird guiding companies, safari companies, bird courses, photography courses, bird clubs or organisations, lodges, guest farms, guest houses, reserves, local guiding services, birding hotspots, books, magazines, apps, cameras, lenses, tripods and all other photographic equipment, optics such as binoculars and telescopes, birding clothing, vehicle rentals…the list is endless.

Of course my interests and those of my readers also extend far beyond birds and birding – think environmental consulting, safari, game viewing, wildlife, biodiversity, reptiles, ecology, tourism, travel, conservation, art, illustration, photography, public speaking, writing and graphic design.