Tricky subject (Gun/weapon training)

[MJ DeMarco]

Moved to new category.

 

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[Bigguns50]

Hey @blueyedgibson ... great topic. I've been into the defense side of guns for some years...disarms, tactics, etc. I trained at Threat Management Centers for 3 years. They do a lot of community work and work with women. Maybe you'll get some ideas from them.

 

[ChrisV]

Lol, controversy is the absolute best thing for sales.

Just put it out there and the more people protest you, the more free advertising you get.

 

[blueyedgibson]

Hey @blueyedgibson ... great topic. I've been into the defense side of guns for some years...disarms, tactics, etc. I trained at Threat Management Centers for 3 years. They do a lot of community work and work with women. Maybe you'll get some ideas from them.

Thank you so much for the info!

 

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[NursingTn]

What are you trying to do? Help women learn to use fire arm for safety? For recreation? To fight against domestic abuse? To help save their families' lives in gun fights when apocalypse happens?

Regardless, if you believe you have something that can truly help people, then be the best advocate for your product/service. Criticism or no criticism, sensitivity or no sensitivity... You must be 100% believe in your product/service to market and sell it.

YouTube, books, PDFs, Instagram, whatever are all means to connect with your audience to market/sale to them.

You got this. Have faith in your solution. You know the problem is there because of your extensive experience.

 

[KAA]

YouTube/social media would probably get you more exposure than a book, but the risk is that they will start banning or limiting exposure of accounts that have anything to do with guns.

You could do research on what people are searching on Google related to women and guns and then do social media posts related to those to get an audience, then promote your book to them. Lots of women new to shooting are interested in things like how to find the right gun for you, where to find a concealed carry purse that's not hideously ugly and how do you go to a gun range to practice for the first time and not look like an idiot.

Also, getting media exposure by doing interviews would be a great way to build an audience. It could help you get the attention of women who are new to shooting and those who might be persuaded to start. This is morbid, but whenever there is a high profile shooting incident, there are many stories and panel discussion segments featuring people advocating gun control. You could offer yourself to give the contrary opinion that women's gun ownership helps protect women, or something along those lines (if it's authentic to your message). You will have haters, but you will get attention.

I think a great example of someone who's been successful at building an audience around a controversial product is Anna Bey of School of Affluence. She helps women improve themselves to (mostly) attract a wealthy husband or achieve their other goals. She started a controversial blog, then gained notoriety by doing interviews advocating that men should be taking care of women, then leveraged Instagram and Facebook to direct people to her YouTube channel, which then directs people to purchase her online finishing school course. It's fascinating to see how she makes these work together to build her audience and profit from it.

 

[Bertram]

I appreciate your feedback, and like the examples that you used. I agree that most people now turn to the internet for information and video tutorials. I considered just making how-to videos geared towards women, but wanted to put it all into a book as well.
I think some people may still like to have books to reference when they are learning a new skill or getting into a new hobby. So I will act, assess and adjust!

I like your book idea alot! I know my daughter would buy a copy, or I'd buy it for her. You have a lot of information to offer a very special niche - or overlapping niches. There is no justification for burying all of it in pages of text on websites, and there is no way a prospective gun owner wants to limit her perusal of guns she might want to buy to websites and shopping sites!
No, much like antique furniture guides and home design books for the coffee table, women gun owners and also women gun shooters need a nice, well-done, colorful book with a lot of information, side bars, an index, and great illustrations. Notice I've described two books for you to write. The third of course could be essays and narratives by female gun enthusiasts.
Controversial discussion is a good thing, not to be avoided in publishing. Who wants to read a a book that they 100% agree with?

There are 1.5 million people in LEO and security who will know at least one woman gun owner. You can find a big audience of women who own or are curious about gun ownership by affinitty with security and LEO's.

Some possessions do inspire a person to want to but a book before or with a special purchase. We find books on crafts, cooking, cars, guns (very often male-oriented), whiskey stills, gardens, animals, home repair, pilates, and many titles on empowerment. You topic certainly falls under that category.

Best of luck!

 

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[Bertram]

Respect is very mutual my friend.

Kids are getting shot up in mass shootings you mean those kids?

Gun business is still business but some sell their soul for a buck.

Who invented Nukes? How did all our enemies get them pointed at us?

troll

 

[Johnny boy]

You are a brand with a target audience.

A female gun owner with a female gun owning audience (or thinking of owning one soon)

You need to think larger than just a book. You need to think of "what does my audience want and what are they willing to pay for?"

And then you need to think "where does my audience spend most of their time online and where is their attention?"

Will they pay for training? Digital training? In person training? Will they pay for a book? Will they pay for a branded T-shirt? Maybe you could even manufacture your own firearms... okay maybe an extreme example. But you need to think about how you're going to get their attention and then how you're going to monetize it. It's bigger than being a writer unless you're the greatest writer of all time and it's miles ahead of anything else you can give them. But otherwise it's bigger than the book.

1. Understand your audience
2. Reverse engineer where to post content that brings them value based on two things
a. where they spend their time online
b. what you're good at (good at writing? write blog posts. Good on camera? Make youtube videos.
3. Monetize your audience in a tier level system. Free content > content given out through getting their email address > cheap offer > expensive offer > ultimate offer (such as personal coaching) and then adjust prices based on demand. No one pays you yet? Everything is free. Raise prices as demand increases.

My advice: take the book and put everything online for free. You can still sell the book if you like but just put all of your stuff out there to help people. Information is a commodity. Someone else will just post it on YouTube for free and will benefit more in the long term by getting more people paying attention to them.

 

[Bertram]

You are a brand with a target audience.

A female gun owner with a female gun owning audience (or thinking of owning one soon)

You need to think larger than just a book. You need to think of "what does my audience want and what are they willing to pay for?"

And then you need to think "where does my audience spend most of their time online and where is their attention?"

Will they pay for training? Digital training? In person training? Will they pay for a book? Will they pay for a branded T-shirt? Maybe you could even manufacture your own firearms... okay maybe an extreme example. But you need to think about how you're going to get their attention and then how you're going to monetize it. It's bigger than being a writer unless you're the greatest writer of all time and it's miles ahead of anything else you can give them. But otherwise it's bigger than the book.

1. Understand your audience
2. Reverse engineer where to post content that brings them value based on two things
a. where they spend their time online
b. what you're good at (good at writing? write blog posts. Good on camera? Make youtube videos.
3. Monetize your audience in a tier level system. Free content > content given out through getting their email address > cheap offer > expensive offer > ultimate offer (such as personal coaching) and then adjust prices based on demand. No one pays you yet? Everything is free. Raise prices as demand increases.

My advice: take the book and put everything online for free. You can still sell the book if you like but just put all of your stuff out there to help people. Information is a commodity. Someone else will just post it on YouTube for free and will benefit more in the long term by getting more people paying attention to them.

This is visionary. @johnnyboy always sees the big picture.

 

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[Longinus]

troll

I don't think he's a troll. This gun topic always triggers people here like crazy and is polarizing stuff. People judge fast if you say you're against or pro guns, which is imo already questionable itself.

There's a bunch of other progress threads where some people give their opinion on the topic instead of the market or product and they get often a lot of pats on the back.

 

[G-Man]

@blueyedgibson I think something like the model Chris Sajnog uses would be very cool, with videos plus paid content like some others suggested. He leans very heavily on the Navy SEAL thing for his branding, but I’m sure you can find another USP.

Kay Miculek has some stuff as well, but it seems to more geared toward competitive shooting.

There’s definitely a need in the space. I would think ladies would have a higher motivation to concealed carry than men do, but, anecdotally they don’t carry as much.

What about live Q&As asking women what holds them back from getting training and carrying? Or podcast style interviews with ladies who have had to use their training?

 

[Bertram]

I don't think he's a troll. This gun topic always triggers people here like crazy and is polarizing stuff. People judge fast if you say you're against or pro guns, which is imo already questionable itself.

There's a bunch of other progress threads where some people give their opinion on the topic instead of the market or product and they get often a lot of pats on the back.

Probably you've mistranslated English. Semantic rules are hardest to follow in conversational prose, such as social media and emails. If that's not the problem, let's review the PO's intention here, then apply the original definition of a troll:

TROLL
noun: one who fishes by trailing a lure or baited hook from a moving boat (fishing in a current). b : one who searches, looks, trolling for sponsors also : prowler. 2 : one who moves around, ungrounded : a rambler.

The descriptions also are applied to a disagreable character from Nordic mythology who creates distress through his efforts to prevent another's journey, and for no reason but to please himself. The troll is nourished by frustration and unhappiness observable in others.

Now if you reread this thread and properly translate the parries in the conversation (parry as in a technique in the fencing sport) you'll see this example. A troll is not just another fish nibbling in the conversation with a difference of opinion. A troll is a baiter.

To get back on topic with @blueyedgibson 's questions, hey girl I was thinking of another way for your audience to identify with your products. Do you find that women gun owners encourage their mothers or daughters to buy guns? So you can have mother-daughter products (and events). You can offer special deals to sisters, all to emphasize the idea of families going to the target range for recreation, just like the guys do. Your books would build that community as well.

 

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[blueyedgibson]

@blueyedgibson I think something like the model Chris Sajnog uses would be very cool, with videos plus paid content like some others suggested. He leans very heavily on the Navy SEAL thing for his branding, but I’m sure you can find another USP.

Kay Miculek has some stuff as well, but it seems to more geared toward competitive shooting.

There’s definitely a need in the space. I would think ladies would have a higher motivation to concealed carry than men do, but, anecdotally they don’t carry as much.

What about live Q&As asking women what holds them back from getting training and carrying? Or podcast style interviews with ladies who have had to use their training?

Thanks for the info.
I do think it's interesting that women have a higher motivation to carry concealed, but don't.
I think a Q&A is a great idea!

 

[blueyedgibson]

What are you trying to do? Help women learn to use fire arm for safety? For recreation? To fight against domestic abuse? To help save their families' lives in gun fights when apocalypse happens?

Regardless, if you believe you have something that can truly help people, then be the best advocate for your product/service. Criticism or no criticism, sensitivity or no sensitivity... You must be 100% believe in your product/service to market and sell it.

YouTube, books, PDFs, Instagram, whatever are all means to connect with your audience to market/sale to them.

You got this. Have faith in your solution. You know the problem is there because of your extensive experience.

Thanks for the feedback.
I'm trying to achieve all of what you mentioned. (Plus or minus an apocalypse, but always good to be prepared right?)

I want to create an environment where women can learn about firearms whatever their motivation may be. I also want to reach people that are either on the fence when it comes to firearms, or don't really know that they want to learn about them. If that makes any sense. I think marketing is key.
I believe in my product/service 100%, and have seen the benefits time and time again.

 

[Red]

Hey @blueyedgibson, not sure I can be of much help in the way of ideas or guidance here, but being a part of your target audience & a gun owner, I can offer what I saw missing in the market previously:

Gun cleaning techniques for women -why specifically for women? Because often our hands are smaller & not quite as strong (don't even get me started on nails & wrecking a manicure)... My first gun was a Glock 19 given to me by my father, a man who had his FFL for longer than I'd been alive. He showed me ways to clean it & leverage hand grips so I could disassemble the thing. I couldn't do it the way he did, as I wasn't strong enough, but he found workarounds for me, specifically, the positioning of my hands to grip so I could get the slide off. That 19 wasn't small but I did have an easier time with the 9mm Shield, which is my personal carry firearm of choice.

I think women shy away from training because we've all been in the presence of that one macho guy who thinks he was the next best thing to a retired SEAL after winning the neighborhood championship of CoD. I think you've got a great thing going being a woman in this industry & agree on the video stuff. I would think women would be much more keen on taking classes/buying books if they could see your demeanor & knowledge displayed online first.

Right now I know that firearm protection businesses are targeting Realtors right now due to another female agent being killed earlier this year/last year. That's all I got! But I'll definitely be following your progress. ps: welcome to the forum.

 

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[xmartel]

I don't know much about writing books; I don't think there's much I can add to some of the great advice already given.

But I just want to say kudos to you. A gun is the great equalizer. Doesn't matter how small a woman is and how big her attacker is if she's got a gun and has spent some time training with it.

Our PM claims to be a full blown feminist, yet supports woman being unable to defend themselves. Women can't even carry pepper spray in my country. Disgusting.

I like that your country has this freedom, and I fully support more women getting involved in training other women.

Ignore the haters and go with it.

 

[Entre Eyes]

troll

In Internet slang, a troll is a person who starts quarrels or upsets people on the Internet to distract and sow discord by posting inflammatory and digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages... they also hide behind fake names.


TROLL.

 

[Entre Eyes]

Now if you reread this thread and properly translate the parries in the conversation (parry as in a technique in the fencing sport) you'll see this example. A troll is not just another fish nibbling in the conversation with a difference of opinion. A troll is a baiter.

The OP was very correct it is a tricky subject...

There is a topic we can not discuss here but it has alot to do with the current era of people who do not give a damn about math, science, logic, facts, recordings, hidden gun stats or common sense, the demographics of a domestic terrorists, just their own opinions over all others.

Yahoo had non stop daily gun glamorizing articles each and every single day until there was a Terrorists shooting every day now they stopped all together. And the daily shootings stopped as well. Wonder why.

I don't know..I think I love to talk marketing and entrepreneurship more than anyone, maybe I just took the bait from a Troll who points the finger at others.

 

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[Entre Eyes]

I don't think he's a troll. This gun topic always triggers people here like crazy and is polarizing stuff. People judge fast if you say you're against or pro guns, which is imo already questionable itself.

There's a bunch of other progress threads where some people give their opinion on the topic instead of the market or product and they get often a lot of pats on the back.

Thank you for pointing out the obvious to the oblivious.

If I say more than that the baiter wins.

 

[Entre Eyes]

.

 

[Lyinx]

Welcome.

In my country we don’t own guns but there is a compulsory two years military training that every man goes through.

The greatest pain the a$$ is the process of cleaning rifle after shooting in the range. If someone can create a tool box to do that quickly it will be a big business having governments as your clients.

@Greg R business idea for you?

 

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[sparechange]

As a white woman I think trying to offend people with the gun stuff would be a great marketing strategy. Anti gun people will give you free marketing, you will blow up in the media for offending people, and the pro gun people will support that 100%, they enjoy the controversy (look at the bozos that walk around Walmart with AK-47s)

Black Rifle Coffee has this approach and I assume they are doing pretty good, A similar approach would be quite successful (I think)

Talking about self defense issues for women and training other women while empowering them is an amazing thing you can do for other people, really connecting with your target market is the ''key to success'' here.

Perhaps partnering up with local martial arts gyms and creating videos on self defense would be a start. I love the idea of training others, hope it works out for you.