How do you Market your Pet Sitting Business?
Now that you have your business set up, it is time to get clients. In this installment we will discuss your many options and what options have been proven most valuable.
Some of your marketing options include:
- Flyers
- Phone Book
- Website
- Social Media
- Online Advertising
- Groupon
- Newspaper
- Magazine
- Car Magnets
- Business Card Distribution
- Valupak
- Word of Mouth
Flyers: Flyers are a great, cheap way of advertising your business. I don't recommend printing up mass quantities and distributing them door to door. This has been proven to be very ineffective and time-consuming. It is also illegal to put them in mailboxes, so you are going to have to walk door to door. People also do not like to have people walking on their property placing advertisements so that may be a turnoff for your potential clients.
You can print up a mass quantity and put them on cars in a parking lot, but you have to get a permit for that. Make sure you conduct your business legally to show you are a professional.
The best thing to do with those flyers is to print up a bunch of them and leave them in your car. Anytime you go to a store and notice a bulletin board, place your flyer there. Some of the best places are post offices, sandwhich shops, diners and coffee shops. Get your flyer here.
Phone Books: Phone books are a thing of the past and do not recommend this type. There are so many other ways you can advertise for much cheaper.
Websites: A website will be your BEST advertising tool next to word of mouth. Most of your clients will search for what they need on the internet while they are at work. I definitely recommend a website above anything else. Your website does not have to be fancy, just professional looking and informative. You don't have to spend a fortune on it, you can even make one for free.
If you do not want to worry about designing your own website or your website is not bringing in clients, we can help out too. We offer cheap website design and overhauls. Just click here.
Social Media: This is a great way to get local clients and testimonials. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. There are so many ways to get your name out there on these. Get an account with all three and start posting fun tips that will get people to notice you and share your page. There are also lots of local Facebook pages that you can post your business on. So, get browsing all over your local Facebook pages and start posting.
Online Advertising: Once you have your website ready, you can advertise it online for free at many places. Even if you don't have a website, there are many places online to advertise. Some of those places are Craigslist, MerchantCircle, Superpages, Google Maps, Yahoo Local, Care.com and more. I have created a tutorial on how and where to advertise your website. You can find it here.
Groupon: Groupon offers a great way to get new clients and on-going clients. You offer your first time clients a deep discount, usually 50% off. This may seem like you are going to do a lot of work for very little, but you have to look at the long term benefits. If they like you, they will have you back and tell their friends! So, in the long run, it works out great!
Newspapers and Magazines: Newspapers are a good option to try out but I recommend the local/town paper, not a large paper distributer. Some areas do well with newspaper advertising and some do not. The only way you will know is to give it a try.
Magazines are more expensive and do not focus on a certain area in which your service area lies. Magazines may not be a good option to advertise this sort of business.
Car Magnets: Car magnets are a great advertising option. They are a cheap, one time cost, so it doesn't hurt to try it out. Make sure you let your insurance know b/c if you get into an accident in a "work" vehicle and you didn't tell them it's a work vehicle, they won't cover you.
Business Card Distribution: Handing out business cards to everyone you see is not very cost effective. I don't recommend this form of advertising. However, always have your cards available should you see an opportunity to hand one out or display it.
Valupak: Valupak is, in my opinion, not a good option for this sort of business. For one thing, it is distributed to a large area most of which you may not be covering. Second, it is very expensive. However, if you have the money to try this form of advertising out, give it a try.
Word of Mouth: This will be your best form of advertising once your business gets going. If you have happy customers, they will tell all their friends and family about you. Always be sure to conduct your business and yourself professionally in order to get those referrals. Leave your clients will plenty of business cards so they can hand them out to their friends and family. It is also a great idea to offer a referral bonus such as one free visit for every paid referral or $30 off a vacation week. This is a nice incentive to get them to hand out those referrals.
These are the most common types of advertising methods people use for their pet sitting business. I recommend trying out what you can to see what works and what does not. In the beginning, you will spend a lot more money until you are busy enough to stop advertising . Once you hit a slow spot and think you need to advertise again, hopefully by then, you will know what worked and will only need to spend money on that form of advertising.
Car Magnets: Car magnets are a great advertising option. They are a cheap, one time cost, so it doesn't hurt to try it out. Make sure you let your insurance know b/c if you get into an accident in a "work" vehicle and you didn't tell them it's a work vehicle, they won't cover you.
Business Card Distribution: Handing out business cards to everyone you see is not very cost effective. I don't recommend this form of advertising. However, always have your cards available should you see an opportunity to hand one out or display it.
Valupak: Valupak is, in my opinion, not a good option for this sort of business. For one thing, it is distributed to a large area most of which you may not be covering. Second, it is very expensive. However, if you have the money to try this form of advertising out, give it a try.
Word of Mouth: This will be your best form of advertising once your business gets going. If you have happy customers, they will tell all their friends and family about you. Always be sure to conduct your business and yourself professionally in order to get those referrals. Leave your clients will plenty of business cards so they can hand them out to their friends and family. It is also a great idea to offer a referral bonus such as one free visit for every paid referral or $30 off a vacation week. This is a nice incentive to get them to hand out those referrals.
These are the most common types of advertising methods people use for their pet sitting business. I recommend trying out what you can to see what works and what does not. In the beginning, you will spend a lot more money until you are busy enough to stop advertising . Once you hit a slow spot and think you need to advertise again, hopefully by then, you will know what worked and will only need to spend money on that form of advertising.
Business Forms for your Pet Sitting Business
2 comments:
I am very happy that you started writing again and I can't wait for you next post!
Greetings,
Diana (Romania, NT)
I am a pet groomer and pet food sales owner. I enjoyed reading your posts.
Susan Potts,CPG
Spotts Grooming & Holistic Pet Products
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