It does not need to be expensive to advertise your pet sitting business. In fact, it doesn’t even have to include an advertising agency. There are plenty of ways for a variety of budgets to get creative with their advertising efforts.
Here are 5 ideas for how to promote your pet sitting business:
Advertise Your Pet Sitting Business with Business Cards
A business card for your dog walking company is not often thought of as advertising, but it can have a big impact on the impression your business can make on potential customers. Business cards are super versatile in that you can leave them places, hang them on a community board or hand them out on the street. They’re also really easy to carry around. You can leave them almost anywhere frequented by people with dogs, and it’s totally natural to hand them out to people you’ve just met. Asking people to pet their dog is a great lead-in, and you pretty much know the person you’re approaching is in your target market. Even if you encounter another pet sitter, a business card provides you with the opportunity to network, which is never a bad idea. I get referrals from “competitors” all the time. Don’t be shy, you already know you have something in common: you both love dogs.
When designing your business cards, keep the following in mind:
- Keep it simple. Avoid cramming too much information on your business cards. Some people also like to have a little catchphrase or tagline, but the most important thing is your contact information. Be sure to include:
- Logo
- Business Name
- Your Name
- Phone number
- Email address
- Try to make it useful. Use the back of your business card to provide some useful information that will make the recipient want to hold on to it. For example, you could print a travel checklist on the back. This could be a list of things they need to do for their pets before they leave on vacation.
- Carry them with you. Business cards are only effective if you have them with you at the right moment. Since we can’t see into the future (yet) you need to have them on you all the time. I keep a few in my glovebox and a few in my wallet. You don’t need to carry 50 business cards, 3 or 4 will do just fine. When you give them out, just remember to replace them.
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Try a Car Wrap or Door Magnets
A car magnet or car wrap is a great way to get your business name in front of a lot of eyeballs. 44% of Americans own a dog, so there is a pretty good chance you’ll regularly attract the attention of a pet parent. You will need to invest some time and money into designing and executing the ad, but after that, you just go about your regular business and attract new customers along the way. It’s extremely passive and a tax write-off.
Remember, however, that your business is plastered on the side of your car. If you’re on the aggressive side of the driving spectrum, you might want to use magnets instead of a car wrap, and remove them when you’re driving. When you park, just slap ‘em on there. You can also stick some business cards or postcards under your windshield or wedge one or two into the window rubber. This way people can easily take your information with them.
Try Advertising with Billboards
Go big or go home, right? Similar to a car wrap or magnet, advertising your pet business on a billboard gets your name in front of a lot of eyes, and a lot of those eyes will belong to pet parents. Admittedly, I haven’t tried this yet myself, but it’s something I’ve been researching for a little while now. When I was a commuter, the last thing I would see when I left the house was my dog’s “sad-face”. When I didn’t have a dog walker, that look would stick with me during my commute to work, and give me anxiety on my way home. What a great time to let a pet parent know you have a solution for them!
Since this isn’t an advertising method I’ve tried yet, if you’ve done this, definitely write to us and let us know how it went. We’d love to hear from you!
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Digital Displays and Posters
A lot of upscale gyms and workout studios have a digital display and poster advertising. It’s a great place to advertise because having a dog at home means rushing back right after work. An upscale gym or studio will also have a demographic of young adults with disposable income. This demographic likes to travel and tends to work longer hours. Sound familiar? For a pet parent who likes to workout, a dog walker may be just what they need to live their best life.
Focus on the benefits of your service. Try a headline like “Don’t rush home before your workout. Let us take your dog out!” on one of the posters. If you’re doing a digital ad, make sure to leave a stack of postcards so people can take your contact info with them.
Gorilla Advertising
This is my favorite idea for advertising your pet business. Gorilla marketing is creative advertising that typically uses a stunt to get your business noticed while spending very little money. One of Walk It Like a Dog’s most successful marketing campaigns involved drawing huge chalk murals in the center of a park. We drew a huge logo along with our contact info. We got a lot of signups and most importantly we didn’t get in any trouble with the law. One of my favorite tactics is courtesy of hip hop musicians with a set of headphones, selling their recordings. Gorilla advertising is all about getting attention for your business and maximizing your budget. Gorilla advertising can take many forms such as:
- Viral videos
- Scavenger hunts
- Street art
- Stickers and more
Don’t get so creative that you get yourself into trouble. Basically, don’t break the law. In response to the park graffiti, I did get a friendly message from the parks department that they were concerned about copycats and asked me not to make it a “regular thing”. You also want to avoid being too vague. In a creative environment, it’s easy to lose track of your messaging.
Invest In Advertising For Your Pet Sitting Business
There are a lot of ways to advertise your pet sitting business. The most important thing to remember is your target audience, which are the pet parents for whom you are trying to fill a need. A successful advertising campaign is all about communication and timing. You want to clearly communicate the benefits of your service at the time your potential customer is most likely to be receptive.
We’d love to hear about your most successful advertising campaigns. Send us a message at hello@scoutforpets.com.