FNRS: Online and offline complement each other

FNRS, the Federation of Dutch Equestrian Centers, sought online revitalization: the association aimed for a new brand positioning that would more prominently showcase their core values. FNRS enlisted Yard’s help in developing an online strategy and community platform.

With a rich tradition dating back to 1930, FNRS currently boasts over 400 members. Its members are entrepreneurs in the equestrian industry, including stable owners, breeders, and equestrian center operators. FNRS brings together all professional equestrian entrepreneurs.

Until recently, FNRS primarily gathered its members offline. Robert van Almkerk, Coordinator of Branch Development at FNRS, explains the reason behind this: “Our website was outdated. Members found it difficult to navigate, and so did we, to be honest. Therefore, it was necessary to improve it.”

Van Almkerk went in search of an online agency that could assist: “We had thought carefully about our online strategy beforehand and had outlined our plans for the website on paper. However, when we spoke with Yard, it turned out that our plans were not extensive enough. To achieve our goals, we needed more. Yard came up with solutions that we could never have imagined.”

Fostering online connections

The solutions primarily focused on fostering interaction among members. “An industry association like ours is also a networking organization. Our members enjoy seeing each other. That’s why we organize many gatherings. We try to connect like-minded individuals. They often meet in person regularly. For instance, they might have a WhatsApp group to arrange these encounters. But imagine forty people in such a group sending dozens of messages every day. It can drive you crazy.”

What topics do FNRS members like to discuss among themselves? Van Almkerk mentions complex sustainability issues as an example: “Many equestrian entrepreneurs want to install solar panels on the roofs of their equestrian centers or stables. This involves dealing with laws and regulations, subsidies, and other complicated matters. These topics are the same for every entrepreneur who wants solar panels. By connecting them, they can help each other and don’t have to figure it all out on their own. Now, this can also happen online. They might talk to each other during a physical meeting and then continue the conversation online. This way, online and offline strengthen each other.”

Result

Discussions with Yard revealed that an extensive content and community platform was the best solution for FNRS. Through this online platform, members stay connected, sharing knowledge, information, and files. Meanwhile, the administrative side is centrally managed ‘behind the scenes’. The platform is integrated with PerfectView, FNRS’s CRM system. Van Almkerk says, “We prefer to manage our relationship data in one place. This has been achieved. Additionally, PerfectView also processes registrations for events that come through the website. The fact that these systems work together saves us a lot of time. We’re very happy about that.”

Encouraging Interaction

At the launch of the new site, all members automatically received an email inviting them to register for the platform. “I expected to receive quite a few questions about our new website, but it’s been minimal. Members are satisfied with the design and layout. They can now more easily find what they need. My goal was to have at least half of our members visit the new site by the end of last year. Two months later, we’re already at 75 percent. That’s much higher than I expected. I think this speaks volumes about the satisfaction.”

Van Almkerk also sees room for improvement. According to him, a website is “never finished.” Van Almkerk says, “Our members are horse people. They spend a lot of time in the stables or teaching lessons. They’re not used to sitting behind a computer a lot. That’s why we still need to further promote interaction. That’s what we’ll be working on in the coming period.”