Alpaca Journal

By Mike Safley

      A light rain fell as we forded the river on our way to Macusani from Nunoa. It was exactly a year since I last visited Don Julio Barreda at Accoyo on November 17, 2006. The rain turned to hail as we approached the white stucco casa; Elena was there to greet us. On the entry table lay his Gucci sun glasses, alpaca knit cap, and scarf. The table was set for five: bread, cheese, olives, alpaca meat sandwiches, and coca tea. The room was exactly as it was one year ago with pictures of heroes and villains on the wall. And just as I had during fifteen years of visits to Accoyo, I learned.

We began to talk-Elena, Elena's sister Lupe, and me. With help from Shinny, an East Indian nun who works with Quechua Benefit, we overcame the language barrier and made small talk. I asked about the family. "They are all well," Elena said, but the room was full of heavy hearts. We needed to cry and we did at the first mention of Don Julio's passing. Elena said, "It was his heart." But I knew his heart was strong-it created and endured for eighty-seven years. It was just time to go to the other side.  Read more

By Lisa Banks
Marketing Director and senior alpaca copywriter at SEO Advantage,

A basic guide to help alpaca farmers use press releases to establish credibility and strengthen online marketing efforts.

A press release is a specially written and formatted document that is intended to provide information to editors and journalists in the hopes that they will carry your newsworthy information in their publication.

Now with online press release submission portals, you can reach your end customers directly, too.

Some benefits of using press releases as part of your marketing strategy for your alpaca farm include:

• Build credibility – even if you have just started out, you can develop a reputation as an active alpaca resource with regular press releases.
  
  

• A professional way to make announcements – news professionals prefer to receive well-written press releases, so you’ll be more likely to gain exposure.
  
  

• Relatively low cost – if you write and distribute them online yourself, you can gain decent exposure for around only $40 per press release (though it will require several hours of your time).
  
  

• Search engine optimization – when optimized for keywords and submitted through online portals, your press release can rank high in the search results for several weeks. As well, news sites will pick up your release and create links to your website, all valuable for SEO.
  
  

• Fresh content for your site – adding press releases to your Farm News section is a great way to add new content regularly.
  
  

Many an alpaca farmer has been able to generate coverage by local news media by submitting press releases to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations. Imagine the great exposure if a television station shows up at your next farm event!  Read more

By Lisa Banks
Marketing Director and senior alpaca copywriter at SEO Advantage,

How search engine optimization works to help alpaca websites gain visibility online.

It's not enough to simply have a great website. You need to make sure it will show up online, too.

If you type the search term "alpacas" in Yahoo! or Google, you can see that nearly 2 million results appear. From your own experience searching online, you know that few searchers are willing to click beyond the first one or two pages…

Search engine optimization helps alpaca websites achieve greater exposure online, making it possible for your website to rank high in search engine results.

While the keyword “alpacas” may be too competitive a term to aim for ranking when you first start out, ranking high for terms like “alpacas for sale” can be extremely lucrative for alpaca ranchers. Many enlist the assistance of a search engine optimization company to achieve their ranking goals on an ongoing basis.  Read more

Provide the Information Your Audience Wants Online

By Lisa Banks
Marketing Director and senior alpaca copywriter at SEO Advantage,

Your website represents your alpaca farm online. This is your chance to make a great first impression.

The type of information you’ll want to make available depends on the needs of your customers. The majority of your prospective customers fall into two groups:

1. Potential alpaca ranchers who are researching the business, and
2. Existing alpaca farmers looking to purchase alpacas and related services.

Click here to read more

By Adrian Stewart

Welcome to this the second edition of the IAC Newsletter.

 

The IAC Newsletter is primarily published for members of the IAC. It is also read by alpaca breeders who are new to the concept of the IAC. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate.

 

In this issue:

 

• Introduction
• Customer Service in the Alpaca Industry – Robert Yancey
• Elements of a Successful Alpaca Website – Lisa Banks
• Effectively Utilizing and Optimizing Your IAC Web Space and Your Farm’s Site –  Pat Reuning

Read more

By Pat Reuning
Senior SEO Associate at SEO Advantage SEO Advantage,

Whether it's an alpaca website or any types of websites for livestock, laying the right foundation will get your site ready for your customers as well as the search engines.

Choosing your keyword phrases

A better-targeted and more specific keyword phrase tends to yield better-qualified prospects. If you run an alpaca farm in Ohio, targeting regional keyword phrases may be a better option. Phrases such as “Ohio alpaca farm, alpacas for sale in Ohio, Ohio huacaya alpacas” are phrases that come to mind.

If you want to see actual search phrases that searchers use to find alpaca-related terms, SEO companies can provide you with a detailed keyword study.

Read more

The drawbacks of juggling a full-time gig and a start-up are many, however, and can come at a steep cost to one's personal or family life. "There is a period of about two years in my life that are lost," says Donna Binder, 53, a longtime educator in the Houston school district who decided to start an alpaca-breeding business on the side in 1997.

Binder and husband Laurence, also an educator, were inspired to raise alpacas — shaggy-haired animals that are cousins to llamas — after deciding they wanted to leave city life behind and move to the country. Worried about the expense of buying land, "we thought we'd look at different ways to get tax breaks — and that led us to having animals," she says. Intimidated by cattle ranching, the couple discovered gentle-natured alpacas at Houston's big annual rodeo. Within months, the couple had sold their city home, moved into a rental, broke ground for a new house on an 18-acre farm, and acquired five alpacas. Read more