Marketing is every local business’s golden ticket, whether big or small. It’s vital in getting the attention of buyers, expanding the brand, strengthening online credibility and authority, and understanding what most buyers need through their products and services.
Whether you’re opening a new dog daycare, expanding an existing business as dog sitters in Etobicoke, or planning to boost your current pet owner customers, you NEED to market your business.
It’s not just about hiring the best SEO company in Montreal. It’s also not about publishing relevant and engaging blog posts, sitting back, relaxing, and not having to do anything anymore. Marketing is a long-term business endeavour. As such, you should keep up with the latest marketing strategies to increase your company’s competitive edge. After all, the pet care industry is constantly increasing in demand.
In this article, we’re going to identify what makes marketing different from advertising. Most importantly, we’ll provide you with the top 5 marketing plans and ideas to expand your dog daycare business and consistently reach a large number of pet owner customers.
Are Marketing and Advertising the Same?
People tend to interchange the terms “advertising” and “marketing.” However, they are not the same. Advertising is the process of promoting a company and its products or services through paid channels (both traditional and digital), like audio, video, signage, photos, print and digital publications, social media, etc.
Compared to advertising, marketing has a broader scope. It identifies and determines how to grant customers’ needs through a business firm’s products and services.
In addition, when done right, marketing can regularly put your dog daycare business in front of the right audience. To create an effective marketing plan, you must be able to determine your business goals, specify the products and services you can offer, their value to your consumers, and who your target audience is (including their demographics—i.e., age, gender, occupation, yearly salary, etc.).
When you identify these foundational elements, you can proceed in concocting marketing plans and ideas for your business. Here are ways to retain customer loyalty and expand your customer base:
1. Create a website that will appeal to your customers.
The premise of using the Internet to connect with dog daycare customers is true, even for businesses of different natures. Your website is the most effective tool to comprehensively introduce your business to prospective clients and your services.
Although you can hire website designing services to help you, especially with the technicalities of putting up an appealing website, it’s still helpful to have a full idea of how you want your dog daycare business website to be before working with professionals.
To make sure that your website will capture the interest of your prospects, you can share pictures and videos for dog owners. These will show your pooches and staff’s fun at your daycare facilities. Your latest promotional offers can also be shared with your customers. Most importantly, it should include an easy way for customers to book appointments online.
Another way to fill your website with appealing content is to display positive reviews and success stories from past and recent customers. The key to appealing to your target market is to create a home page where they can find out more about your business.
2. Adopt an effective content marketing strategy.
One of the most powerful elements of your marketing plan is compelling and helpful content to offer to current and potential clients to help them learn more about your business and nurture them into loyal, lifelong customers.
You can incorporate your content marketing strategies into both your on-page and off-page content. It can be a frequently-asked-questions blog post that explains all the most commonly asked questions you get from customers or leave-behind flyers for local business tradeshows that detail your services and pricing.
3. Determine the best marketing channels you’ll use.
It’s also essential that you consider which marketing channels you’ll use. Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and email are the best ways to build customer relations and know your target audience.
Using the proper social media channels, you can strategize your content with a handy business tool you can use to implement it. You can let page visitors and recent customers take a peek at “behind-the-scenes” pictures and videos of the build-out. You can expand your options and do short Livestream videos, focus on photos, or post them on your chosen channels.
The key to leveraging social media is regularly posting through visual displays, such as images, videos, and memes, eventually gaining a huge following. A large number of followers is vital to robust brand recognition, visibility, presence, and, most importantly, customer loyalty.
4. Organize special events.
While we mainly focused on online presence in the previous sections, to some extent, you also need to pay attention to face-to-face interaction. By strengthening your brand using traditional offline marketing methods such as UK flyer distribution service, you will be more likely to grab attention, persuade people to take action you want them to take, and convert marketing into sales.
Your existing and prospective clients also need to see your physical representation. Old clients will be excited to see more of your services when you organize special events. In addition, you can also gain new clients through these events.
If you are uncertain about having a large number of attendees for your events yet, consider partnering with established names. An example is when you participate in adoption activities, and dog shows organized by different animal shelters.
5. Harness the power of a referral system.
A referral system is one of the best marketing ideas for your dog daycare business. It’s the practice of promoting businesses, products, and services to new customers through a reward system for existing clients. To do this, you only have to rely on word of mouth from satisfied clients.
You can ask your client to refer you to their relatives, friends, or family. This will not be complicated, especially when you are confident with your work. You can give them freebies or discounts in exchange for their successful referrals.
You can give your freebies the next time a customer brings a new client to your facility. You can give away a complimentary bottle of dog shampoo, free dog food, or one hour of daycare. You can also simplify your referral system by creating a gift card system for those who will refer your business to others.
A solid marketing plan is the cornerstone of every business, including your dog daycare facility. To reiterate, you must set up a user-friendly website, publish relevant content regularly, be active on social media channels, organize special events, and take advantage of the referral system. This way, you can ensure that you’re doing the marketing aspect of your business effectively. Eventually, you’ll get the right people to notice your dog daycare and become customers.
