All tagged marketing
Ever wondered how to spot a genuine business partnership opportunity from a marketing ploy? We discuss the red flags to watch for when approached by potential partners. We share our own experiences with high-pressure sales tactics and emphasize the importance of setting boundaries and conducting thorough research. You'll learn how to maintain control during negotiations and make informed decisions. Tune in to hear valuable tips on protecting your business from misleading offers.
Are you struggling to stay top of mind with your clients? We share our effective client engagement strategies, from personalized interactions to consistent communication. Discover the power of community outreach by building relationships with local businesses and participating in events. While in-person marketing is important, enhance your online presence through live social media sessions, email marketing, and SEO-friendly content. As always, it’s about exploring a variety of marketing strategies to ensure your business remains visible and relevant, even during slow periods.
What should you do with your marketing during a busy period? While it may be tempting to take your foot off the gas, we think it’s the perfect time to keep going! Running your messaging year round will help develop brand awareness and even out the ups and downs that come with running a dog walking and pet sitting business. We break down the reason stopping marketing during busy periods can hurt your business, and the kinds of messaging to focus on to get the right clients once the slowdown comes.
Have you looked at your marketing lately? Do you have a clear, consistent strategy? On this podcast episode, we discuss the two types of marketing growth strategies and when it’s best to use them. As you move potential clients through your marketing funnel, you deploy both sales activation and brand building techniques. It’s important to find the right balance, otherwise you’ll either have a lot of one-off clients, or never truly convert a potential client. We walk through ways of implementing them in your business and how to measure their success.
How do you stay creative? As a busy business owner, our ability to be and stay creative is critical to the longevity of our business. Unfortunately, we often find ourselves unable to reach creative flow and end up sticking to the same old same old. We break out ways in which creativity is essential to your business (it’s WAY more than social media posts). We also share the common reasons we find it difficult to be creative and 3 strategies you can use to start overcoming them today.
What should you consider before expanding to a remote service area? After a few years of trial and error, we've broken down 10 things you should ask yourself before starting in a remote area. We cover everything from planning your logistics to following local licensing and legal requirements. We also share about the biggest struggles we've faced and where you can expect to grow the most as a business owner.
How are you using physical marketing? We dive into the importance of using more than a digital approach. We explore different marketing options and how to make the most out of each. It starts with knowing your target client, so you can craft relevant materials and speak to their needs. We also share our recent experiences, and some lessons we’ve learned. All of this is for naught unless you’re being strategic and tracking results to grow smarter.
How do you market a new service? Whether you’ve created a brand new service, or reconfigured an existing one, getting it in front of your clients is the biggest hurdle. Sometimes, the same marketing tactics don’t work for a new service, so as business owners, we have to be aware of what our options are. We walk through why marketing a new service involves a mindset shift and why you should start marketing before you launch your service.
What does your marketing say about you? Not only does our messaging need to attract clients, it also needs to repel some as well. By being up-front and honest about who you are and what you do, you’ll have potential clients realize you’re not a good fit before they even contact you. The power of your messaging means you have to be very intentional about what you’re putting out.
Alicia Obando, owner of Pitter Patter Parenting, joins the show to share why she has stayed unapologetically solo. She walks us through how she markets herself effectively and how she’s set her policies to support being a solo sitter. Living in a society that says we need to always go bigger and “better”, Alicia pushes back by changing her mindset about the kind of services she offers.
Do you have potential clients contact you for services you don’t offer or advertise? How do you convert a potential client from one service to another? It’s all in how you communicate with them! First, you have to make sure you are both using the same terminology. We break out 5 steps in communicating that can help you when faced with converting a client to a service you actually offer. Plus, Natasha O’Banion answers, “When is the right time to market?”
Do you have a strong brand for your pet business? Why should we be concerned about it? Our brand is being built as we operate our business so the process of strengthening our brand is purposefully steering it to better position our business in the market. We share 5 ways to start building a stronger brand today. Plus, Natasha O’Banion with Automated CEO answers, “Should I take business and marketing classes?”
Dom Hodgson, the Pet Biz Wiz, talks about growing your business sustainably through pricing and upselling on additional services. By continuing to focus on the fundamentals of our businesses, we’ll be less likely to make rushed and stressed decisions. Dom also shares what it means to give your clients a premium on-boarding experience and how to increase lock-in of existing clients. Dom has an upcoming live event in March (INSPIRE 2022) that we are taking part in, and would love to see you there!
Do you ever feel guilty that you should be doing more in your marketing? 📢With as many hats as we wear as business owners, it's common to start feeling like you're not doing enough. In this episode, Jane Harrell, from Working with Dog and Cause Digital Marketing, shared ways we can market efficiently, use time effectively, and learn to forgive ourselves when we don't get everything done.
Where did 2021 go? 💨The year is almost over so it’s time to sit down and reflect on what went right, and what could have gone better. We discuss how to conduct a year end business review. One of the biggest factors is your mindset going into it. We break down the 5 categories you should investigate for your business and how to grow from each of them. Then, pet business coach Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I get started with subscription boxes?”
Have you ever wondered how to grow a business organically and not take on extra debt? We break down what bootstrapping your business looks like from the ground up. We discuss the critical expenses in a new business and, once you’re making money, where you should consider reinvesting into your business. From websites and Google My Business, to licenses and continuing education, there are ways to save money. Bootstrapping is the process you apply to your goals and objectives for your business. Then, Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I become more mindful?”
Throughout the year, most of us reflect on our personal life, where we excelled and where we fell short. The same should be true for our pet care businesses. Whether you’ve been in business for 6 months or 16 years, it’s important to be introspective so you know where to improve. We discuss how being reflective will help you and 10 questions to ask yourself about your business. Then, Natasha O’Banion answers “How do I stop feeling like I have to be ‘on’ all the time?”
Where should we invest our time as business owners? Traditional thinking would say to make sure to carve out plenty of time for marketing your services. What if we focused on other things and put relationships first? What would that look like in our business? We break down what the idea of Un-Marketing is and ways to start changing our mindsets towards placing more importance on relationships than ads. From the technology we use, to how we post on social media, there are ways to respect our clients and build their trust without ever running a single ad. Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I handle a negative review?”
Have you thought about franchising your pet care business? Carmen Chávez de Hesse, owner of Slinky Cat at Home, shares her experience of franchising and what we need to consider, from legal and financial obligations, to the management of a franchise. We also discuss the growth in cat care across the pet sitting industry and how she plans to leave a legacy business for her daughter.
Working with a family member is something many of us have done, either formally or informally. It’s a great way to get help in times of need, but how do you make the most out of it and preserve your relationship? Dominic Hodgson, The Pet Biz Wiz, joins us to share his experience working alongside his wife and son. From having good processes to treating them the same as other employees, it can be tough at times and is a great opportunity for some.
