5 Marketing Strategies for Dog Daycares and Boarding Kennels

Marketing is one of the most important aspects of running a small business, be it a restaurant or a dog daycare. You might have a great idea for your dog daycare (and believe me, we’ve seen them all at DoggieDashboard), but if you’re not able to attract customers, your business is going to fail.

Effective marketing is crucial for the success and growth of your dog daycare or kennel. Without a solid marketing strategy, your business isn’t going to thrive like it potentially could. With the right strategies, you can attract new clients, retain existing ones, and build a strong reputation in your community. Those are the three building blocks to running a successful business.

This week, I’m going to talk about five easy-to-implement marketing strategies that you can start implementing this week at your dog daycare or boarding kennel. Start with just a few and then slowly start to use them all. With any luck, you'll see your business start to grow.

1. Leverage Social Media

This most likely goes without saying, but social media is a powerful tool for connecting with pet owners and showcasing your dog daycare or kennel. If you’re not active on social media, you’re not getting as many new clients as possible, nor are you creating the content that will connect you with your clients.

To get started, start creating engaging content that highlights the daily activities, special events, and unique aspects of your facility. Share adorable photos and videos of the dogs in your care, and post testimonials from satisfied clients to build trust and credibility. Luckily for businesses like dog daycares, creating content is easy. Just imagine trying to create interesting content for a stone quarry? Yikes! Your clients will love seeing their adorable little Fido posted on your Facebook page and they’re surely going to like and comment on the pictures you post, thereby appeasing the algorithm and increasing its reach. The more your clients interact with your content, the more often they'll see your posts. Utilize platforms like Instagram and Facebook to reach your target audience. Regularly update your profiles with high-quality content, and use relevant hashtags to increase visibility. Engage with your followers by responding to comments and messages promptly. The more times you reply to your clients, the more you’ll show up in news feeds of these clients and the news feeds of their friends. Dog owners tend to hang out with other dog owners, so it's beneficial to be seen by the friends of your clients. This will get your dog daycare’s name in front of numerous potential new clients. If you’re willing to spend some money, running targeted social media ads can also help you reach a broader audience and attract new clients.

2. Offer Referral Incentives

Word-of-mouth recommendations are highly influential in the pet care industry. They’re the best free marketing out there. You don’t have to spend a dime and you’re earning extra revenue as a result. Sweet!

To get started, encourage your current clients to refer their friends and family by implementing a referral program. Your referral program doesn’t need to be anything crazy, just a simple free day of boarding or daycare for every referral. You can keep track of these referrals in DoggieDashboard and then, when a client hits a certain number, you can send them a certificate for the free day of boarding. You can offer incentives such as discounts on future services, free daycare days, or small gifts for both the referring client and the new customer. Make it easy for clients to participate in the referral program by providing referral cards or unique codes. Promote the program through email newsletters, social media, and in-house signage to ensure maximum visibility. A well-structured referral program not only rewards loyal clients but also helps expand your customer base. Your current clients will be happier because they’ll have the ability to earn free days of boarding and your new clients will be happy because they’re getting to try your business at a discounted rate. Make sure you're giving your referrers a good deal. If they feel that they're getting taken advantage of, they're going to stop referring friends. A good referrer is worth their weight in gold.

3. Host Community Events

If your business has the space to allow it, hosting or participating in community events is an effective way to increase your visibility and connect with potential clients. Organize events such as open houses, pet adoption fairs, or dog-friendly gatherings at your facility. Make it a priority to have your business be 'thee' hub for pet-related initiatives in your city. This way, when people think about pets, they’ll think about your business. If there's ever an idea that has to deal with pets, you want people to think about your business. Partner with local pet stores, veterinarians, or animal shelters to co-host events and attract a larger audience. These events provide an opportunity for pet owners to visit your facility, meet your staff, and learn more about your services. Offering event-exclusive promotions or free trials can encourage attendees to choose your daycare or kennel for their pet care needs. Always carry a handful of business cards and free daycare passes so that if you happen to spark up a conversation with a non-client, you can quickly offer them a free introductory day at your facility. That might be all it takes to convert a simple conversation into a new client.

4. Optimize Your Website for Local Search

Are you familiar with SEO? If not, you’ll want to take a little course on SEO, since it can be a game changer when it comes to getting more clients for your dog daycare. SEO can make the difference between a website that gets a lot of traffic and one that doesn't even show up in Google searches.

Your website is often the first point of contact potential clients have with your business. Ensure that your website is optimized for local search to increase its visibility in search engine results. If you’re located Dallas and your website’s homepage and/or title tag doesn’t have the words “Dallas Dog Daycare” in it, you’re losing a lot of “juice” in the search results. Use relevant keywords related to dog daycare and kennels in your area, and include location-specific information. Create valuable content such as blog posts, FAQs, and service descriptions that address common questions and concerns pet owners may have. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate. The majority of web searches are done on phones these days. That said, if your site looks like a 1900s Netscape website, you’re going to lose clients. Include clear calls-to-action and contact information to make it easy for visitors to reach out and book services.

5. Utilize Email Marketing

Email marketing is a cost-effective way to stay connected with current clients and attract new ones. DoggieDashboard lets you send emails to your clients for one penny each. If you have 100 clients in your database, it’s just $1 to send them a monthly newsletter. Not bad! To get started in the world of email marketing, you’ll first need to build an email list of clients and potential customers. From there, you can start to send regular newsletters with updates, promotions, and valuable content related to pet care. Personalize your emails by segmenting your list based on client interests and preferences. Once again, DoggieDashboard lets you build unlimited email marketing lists so that you can quickly put together a list of clients and then send them an email blast. This could be about an upcoming promotion, like a bring-a-friend week, or it could be about a closure. When it comes to segmentation, try to send targeted offers for dog grooming or training services based on previous bookings. Your grooming clients are not going the interested in daycare emails and vice versa. This is why segmentation of your email list is so important. Monitor the performance of your email campaigns and adjust your strategies based on open rates, click-through rates, and client feedback.

Well, there you have it. Go out there and get marketing!

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