AUTHORS: Matt Harlow, DJ Case & Associates; Holly Mauslein, DJ Case & Associates; Alex Baer, International Hunter Education Association
ABSTRACT: Research shows that many new hunters are interested in having mentors who can help introduce them to hunting. LearnHunting.org is a website designed to broker relationships between new adult hunters and experienced hunters who can offer one-on-one guidance and social support. The website’s roster of mentors has been prepopulated with state-certified hunter education instructors who are willing to provide guidance and support through this non-traditional medium. The International Hunter Education Association-USA (IHEA-USA), eight pilot state agencies, and DJ Case & Associates (DJ Case) focused on creating and testing marketing campaigns in eight pilot states. These campaigns directed new and potential hunters to LearnHunting.org and encouraged them to select a hunting mentor through the platform. Iowa, Maine, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Texas, and Washington participated in this marketing effort for LearnHunting.org. Unique digital ads were created for each state, linking to state-specific landing pages where a new adult hunter could select a mentor who met their needs, such as location, gender preference, etc.. Media where ads were tested included Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Pilot test results show that social media can provide a high number of impressions, but often at a higher cost. Paid search ads generate the next largest number of impressions but at a much lower cost per conversion and with a higher conversion rate. Simply stated, in this test, social media ads got agencies in front of the largest volume of people, while paid search ads got agencies in front of the right people at the right time. Key recommendations include using state logos in ads, performing social media burst campaigns that run prior to and overlap with an upcoming hunting season, and funding ongoing paid search campaigns to connect with new adult hunters during the right time in their hunting journey.
