Running a successful dog daycare business requires a great deal of effort and resources. One of the most important elements of success is a
robust marketing strategy that helps you reach and retain customers. Without a solid marketing strategy, you're going to have a harder time getting your first clients and finding new ones after that. The challenge for many small dog daycare businesses is figuring out how to maximize their marketing budget without sacrificing quality or impact. You also don't want to spend an arm and a leg if you aren't going to see any results from your marketing spend either. Therefore, you need to be using your funds wisely and not blowing them on unproven marketing strategies.
Fortunately, there are several strategies that you can employ to maximize your marketing budget while still achieving your business goals. In this blog post, we're going to highlight some of the more cost-effective marketing strategies that you can utilize to start seeing the most bang for your marketing buck.
Focus on Content Marketing
Content marketing is a cost-effective way to reach new customers and build brand awareness. You can create blog posts, videos, or even a podcast that speaks to the needs and interests of your target audience. For example, you could create a blog post about the benefits of dog daycare, or produce a video that showcases your facilities and services. Content marketing is the cheapest marketing stretegy for dog daycares and boarding kennels because it doesn't cost anything. If you're a dog trainer, you can write blog posts about the benefits of having a well-trained dog. If you're a dog daycare, you can write about the benefits of leaving your dog with other dogs and how the socialization of their dog will help it become a better pet. You can also write blog posts about cool things to do in your area. Let's say you live in a popular tourist area. You can write about different activities that are available in your area, and you can then mention that if the person needs a place to leave their dog while on vacation, they can use your boarding facility. Easy!
Utilize Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool for reaching and engaging with your target audience. Make sure you have a strong presence on at least one social media platform, such as Facebook or Instagram. You can use these platforms to share news, promotions, and information about your business. While Instagram is nice for sharing pictures, it's not the best for spreading information. For that reason, we here at DoggieDashboard tend to encourage businesses to focus their marketing efforts on Facebook. You can use Facebook to
create easy content as well. Take numerous pictures of the dogs playing throughout the day and post it to your page. These pictures and videos will get "liked" by your clients and then more people will start seeing your posts. There's even the chance that if a client likes one of your videos, it will show up on their newsfeed and, if they have any pet-owning friends, they might see your business's post as well. Great way to get new clients.
Partner with Other Businesses
One of the best ways to reach new customers is by partnering with other businesses. You can partner with local pet stores, groomers, or even other dog daycares to cross-promote each other's services. This can help you reach new customers while also building strong relationships with other businesses in your community. You might want to also start partnering with local hotels. You can give their visitors a discount at your business and then they can put it on their website. Just imagine all the pet-owners that will start using your business if the local hotel in town tells their clients on their website that they get a 50% discount on all boarding if they request it using the hotel's promo code.
Offer Promotions and Discounts
Offering promotions and discounts is a
great way to entice new customers to try your services. For example, you could offer a discount on a dog daycare package to first-time customers, or create a referral program that rewards customers for bringing in new business. It's always great to have a first-time customer discount so that you can encourage new clients to give your business a try. You might want to offer something simple like buy one day of boarding, get one free. That's going to cover most weekend trips for people. They will drop off Fido on Friday night and pick him up on Sunday. They pay for Friday night, and get Saturday free using their first-time discount. If they like your business, there's a good chance that they'll come back for future boarding and this time they'll be paying full price. Success!