Utilizing Local Events and Pet Fairs to Promote Your Dog Daycare

The dog daycare industry is booming. That's a great thing for businesses like yours. However, that also means that the amount of competition in your area is only going to increase in the future. In today's competitive world of pet care, it's important to make your dog daycare stand out. One effective way to do this is by participating in local events and pet fairs. These events offer a great opportunity to showcase your services and meet new customers, as well as promote your brand to the local community. If you haven't been participating in local events in your community, you're missing out on an easy way to get your business in front of more potential customers. Today we're going to give you some tips for maximizing your impact at local events and pet fairs. Let's get to work!

1. Make sure to Plan Ahead

Research local events and pet fairs happening in your area and plan to attend those that align with your target audience. Plan your display, marketing materials, and activities in advance to make the most of your time at the event. Finding events isn't always the easiest, but there are websites that can help you see what's happening in your area. Make it a point to follow your local city hall on Facebook so that you can see if they're promoting any upcoming events. In my hometown, we had at least two big events per year: the annual Father's Day Parade and a Fall Festival. Both of these were events where local businesses could pay to have a parade float or a stand. Both great ways to promote your dog daycare.

2. Do Your Best to Make a Strong First Impression

Your booth and display should be eye-catching, welcoming and professional. Make sure you have flyers, business cards, and brochures to hand out to potential customers. One of the biggest mistakes that most businesses make is that they don't have any small takeaways for attendees. These could be water bottles with your logo, key chains, etc. Besides that, make it a point to print out some small business cards that people can easily put in their wallet. You might also consider making little doggie gift bags for pet owners. Include some dog treats, a printout on easy-to-teach dog tricks, and include a flyer for your business inside so that when they get home and give Fido the dog treat, they'll see your flyer and think..."Maybe we should give them a try when we go on vacation this Fall."

3. Offer Special Promotions and Discounts

Offering special promotions and discounts to customers who sign up for services at the event can be a great way to attract new customers and get them interested in your daycare. Against contrary belief, giving out free services can actually be a great way to increase your revenue. Let's imagine you have a bunch of "free day of dog daycare" cards printed out. If you hand out a bunch of these to local pet owners, many will come in at least once to give your business a try. A certain percentage of them will become return customers, thereby paying for the free services that you gave away but never recuperated. Success!

4. Interact with Attendees

Encourage interaction with attendees by having staff on hand to answer questions and provide information about your services. You can also bring a few of your well-behaved dogs to the event to help showcase your services. If you offer dog training at your facility, you could set up an hourly dog training show where your trainer gives a brief 10 minute presentation on basic dog training practices. At the end of the training show, hand out discount cards to interested pet owners in the crowd. Not all, but some, might just be giving you a call in the future.

5. Follow Up with Attendees

After the event, make sure to follow up with attendees who showed interest in your services. Offer them additional information, discounts, or even a tour of your facility to help close the deal. If you have an iPad, you can set up an email list where people can add their email and get sent weekly or monthly discounts. Make it a point to build your email list so that when you send out an email blast, you can guarantee that you're going to see a boost in revenue because of it.

Remember, when it comes to pet care services, word-of-mouth is key. Participating in events and pet fairs can help create a positive buzz around your daycare and increase the chances of new customers reaching out to you. People like to support local businesses, but if the people in your area don't even know that your business exists, how are they ever going to support it? Get out there and meet your community!

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