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Veronica

Welcome Everyone to Your Website

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Does your website offer a warm hello to everyone? Web accessibility is a term that promotes tools and technologies that can be understood and navigated by all, including those with disabilities. Google’s own website posits that “everyone should be able to access and enjoy the web”, and there is big overlap between search engine rankings and accessibility. This increasingly important part of web design means that the more accessible your site is, the more likely it will appear at the top of search results.

Over the past month at dogbiz we’ve been deep diving on ways to create a stellar website as part of our THRIVE! program. We’ve also been doing plenty of (actual and figurative) fist pumps witnessing members making huge strides on their own sites. Great writing is an integral part of the process, regardless of the type of dog pro you are. Once you’ve crafted your amazing content, you also want to ensure your site is available to everyone.

If web accessibility is new territory for you, we’ve got a few pointers to help you get started.

Equip yourself with the right information

The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) provides international standards for the web and has a range of materials to help you better understand accessibility. They also offer free online courses if you want to gain a deeper understanding on certain topics. To assess your own site and see where you’re at in terms of accessibility, take a look at the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool.

If someone else is designing your site, ask them how they will approach this part of it. Are they aware of accessibility principles? What elements do they plan to incorporate so your site is easy to read and navigate? Many elements can be straightforward while others require specific skills and knowledge to implement. Planning from the start can save you a lot of time so include this in early conversations and designs.

Keep the principles front of mind

Once you start delving into the myriad of ways to create an accessible site, you may be struck with overwhelm paralysis. How do you even start? What should you include or not include? What does input modalities even mean? Don’t panic! You don’t need to incorporate everything all at once and technology is always evolving. Your website is essentially a living document and can be tackled one stage at a time. Understanding the four main accessibility principles outlined by the WAI can help to zoom out and keep the bigger picture in mind.

The principles emphasize creating online content that is:

Perceivable
Users should be able to recognise and understand the information being presented to them. This means considering a variety of senses. For example, are there closed captions on video content for those with auditory difficulties? Is there enough disparity between colors so that text can be easily read? You can use free online color contrast checkers to test this.

Operable
Websites should be easy to use and navigate for a variety of people. Visitors to your site should be able to access all functions, from shifting to and from a page, selecting a link on a menu and being able to play and pause videos and audio. This could mean large and plainly labeled navigation buttons, clear text headings and being able to hover over menu options without the text disappearing after a certain amount of time.

Understandable
Content should always be intelligible! This goes for written text as well as images and graphics. This is a key one for dog pros. We’re often so immersed in the world of dog training we forget that terms like conditioning, desensitization and socialization may not mean much to those landing on our site. Aim for content that is simple and jargon free and keep web pages and menus organized with a clear flow and structure. Muddled and text heavy sites can be particularly inaccessible for those with cognitive difficulties, as well as those who don’t speak your site’s primary language.

Robust
This principle suggests that content on your site should be efficient enough to be accessed and interpreted by multiple users and technologies, particularly assistive ones. If you’re working with a web developer, this is where their skills can really shine in terms of the backend of your site. For example, ensuring your website code can be easily read by screen readers for those with visual impairments.

Just as we want our training venues to be inclusive spaces, creating an accessible website means removing barriers for those wanting to engage with your services. Not only will you be reaching a wider audience, you’re also more likely to be boosted in those crucial search engine rankings. Incorporating accessibility into your design thinking will help to enhance as well as future-proof your business.

We spend a lot of time focusing on “websites that work” in THRIVE! Take a look and join the waitlist to be part of our community.

Can You Run a Dog Business Without Social Media?

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With over half the world using social media, it’s easy to see how these platforms have become synonymous with getting your brand and business out there. There are a host of tools and methods related to social media marketing, and navigating these can feel exhausting. While there is no doubt that social media can be a dog pro’s best friend, if you find yourself agonizing over posts and spending way longer than you would like scrolling through the abyss, it may be time to re-examine the friendship.

So what do you need to think about when it comes to social media and your business?

Understand the purpose
If you have a social media account for your business, what is its purpose? Which platforms are you using and why? And how does social media fit along your client journey? Understanding the aims of your social media presence, whether it’s improving brand awareness, getting more traffic to your website, or engaging with your current clients, is key to its effective use. Amassing followers can feel rewarding, but if those followers aren’t engaging with your content or converting into paying clients and opportunities, it may not be the best use of your time.

It can also be beneficial to understand which social media platforms your ideal clients favor. Taking a look at the demographics associated with each one may help inform your social media strategy and stop you feeling you have to be active on every channel. There’s little point pouring all your effort into making incredible Tik Tok videos if the suburban families you want to work with are all hanging out on Facebook.

Play out those ‘what ifs’
Social media is an enticing marketing avenue for a reason – you can share promotional content without cost and feedback happens in real time, making it a great place to experiment with different messages and approaches. It also provides you with a potentially large, active and global audience. This immense scale can also be a barrier as you compete in a crowded market of short attention spans, fuelled by complex algorithms and analytics. And what happens when these platforms fail? 

Many will recall the big outage of 2019 in which Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp all went down for 14 hours. For the average user, this may have meant a short hiatus from watching cat videos. For many business owners, it marked a disconcerting disruption to ad campaigns, live presentations, bookings and sales. It also served as a reminder that as a business owner, you don’t actually own the client data on your social media business pages. If these pages are hacked or banned for a vague or misunderstood violation, they can be lost for good. It can be beneficial to mentally play out these scenarios. If your social media pages disappeared overnight, do you have other ways of connecting with your audience? Maintaining email lists, nurturing client relationships, and employing diverse marketing tactics are key ways to mitigate against putting all your eggs in the social media basket.

Look after yourself
At dogbiz we love seeing people flourish in their personal and professional lives. For some people, social media can be a cause of stress and frustration. There is also compelling evidence to suggest that extended social media use isn’t great for our brains. There have also been concerns raised about the privacy and ethics of these platforms. For those who may want to jump off the social media bandwagon, or reduce their use of it, business pages can present a quandary. How can you spend less time on social media if your business is closely tied to it? It’s so easy to take a quick peek at your latest business post and then find yourself raging in the comments section of an aversive dog trainer post two hours later. The good news is that if you want to shift your relationship with social media and its role in your business, there are plenty of options to play with.

Expand your marketing horizons
Thinking of different ways to market your business, particularly in your local area, can be a fun and creative opportunity. Selecting options that fit you and your personality also tends to make it easier to get out there and promote yourself.

 A few ideas to kick around:

  • If you want to use social media but don’t want it taking over your life, set yourself up with a social media scheduling system. There are loads of free and paid options out there and they allow you to draft your posts in advance and schedule them when you want. That way, you can ‘set and forget’ your marketing messages and check in more sporadically. 
  • A regular newsletter allows you to meaningfully connect with clients and provide great content which can be shared – online, printed or both.
  • Build that email list! Make it easy for people to subscribe to your mailing list by including a link on your website and email signature. Providing freebies, such as a PDF on a specific training or dog walking topic, can be a great way to encourage people to sign up as well.
  • Printed media may have more upfront costs, but it can be a fantastic way to market yourself locally. Drop leaflets, postcards and business cards in places where dog lovers spend their time, such as pet stores, groomers, vets, and local cafes. 
  • Pitch your expertise to the media. Being featured on local radio stations, podcasts and magazines has the dual benefit of educating the public while promoting your business.
  • Teach a class in your community to connect with potential clients and show off your knowledge. Some towns have community centers with great adult learning programs, while dog safety classes can be a good option for schools and youth groups.
  • Connect with other businesses, both dog and non-dog related, to establish a referral network. Are there cross promotional opportunities you could explore with them? Could you feature them in your next newsletter?
  • Remind your clients that you value them! Checking in with current clients, asking for feedback and highlighting how helpful those ‘word of mouth’ referrals can be are all key to nurturing those relationships and establishing new ones.

If social media is working well for you, keep it up! If you are struggling with it, however, don’t despair. Just like in the dog pro world, there is space for everyone to find solutions that fit their business.

How To Do It All (By Not Doing It All)

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Imagine a job description which read:

Seeking a motivated and passionate individual with expertise in marketing, accounting, customer service, web design, operations, management, event planning, coaching and networking. Must also have a thorough understanding of canine and human behavior and be willing to lie awake at 3am pondering training plans.

Being a dog professional can feel like a lot. And just as we remind our THRIVE! members that they can’t always do all the things, it’s important to recognize that you can’t always be all the things either. Figuring out what you love and excel at and what you can ship elsewhere (and how) is a useful exercise for all business owners, whether you’re just starting out or have been at it for decades.

Here are some tips for getting control of your own job description:

Identify your pain points
Are there areas of your business that you avoid or find stressful? Do you have ideas that excite you but are contingent on things that make your head spin, like putting together a social media campaign or developing a new financial model? In order to tackle these barriers, you need to be able to identify them. Making a list of all the different areas of your work, including the systems that support them, can be a helpful starting point. Do you maintain your website or does someone else? How are you tracking expenses? And crucially, how much time per week are you devoting to these tasks? This is a great time to revisit your master schedule and ensure it’s capturing all those pieces that can easily fall by the wayside.

Make friends with technology
There’s a plethora of nifty systems out there when it comes to running your own business. If you struggle with juggling clients, online booking systems can save you from lots of back and forth trying to pinpoint dates and times (they’re also convenient for many clients). If dealing with accounts and taxes makes you despair, online accounting systems can help you develop simpler and more automated processes. For those who find social media exhausting, using a social media management tool allows you to schedule everything in advance and be more strategic about what you post. There’s lots of great project management tools out there as well, which can help you stay focused on all those exciting endeavors you’ve been dreaming up.

Essentially, if there’s a roadblock in your business you’ve identified, there’s likely to be an online solution for it out there. Often the biggest challenge is finding and selecting the one that works for you. Some people love to play with new technology, while others want to throw their laptop across the room just thinking about it. This is where dog pro communities come in handy! Ask colleagues for input and recommendations. Many of these systems also have free trial periods, so you can get a feel for the tool and how it works before committing.

Skill up or skill swap
While tools and systems can be incredibly helpful, sometimes the barrier is simply a knowledge, confidence or skill gap. We’ll say it again – running a business can be complex, and we have so much respect for all the dog pros we work with and the many plates they are spinning. The first thing we recommend is to acknowledge and congratulate yourself for being able to switch channels so dynamically across your work.

There are many ways to grow your business skills, from online courses and communities to seeking a mentor or business support group. Local councils sometimes offer community workshops for small business owners – these can be a great way to network and you may gain fresh ideas from those outside the dog world. If you have nailed a certain element of your business and like working with others, how about a skill swap? Maybe you have a friend who relishes doing their taxes (actually – can we have their number?) but would love to know how you stay on top of those emails. Sharing this information over a coffee or Zoom session can be an easy and cost effective way to up your business game.

Let it go…
Your time is exceptionally valuable. When you run your own business, and especially when starting out, it’s easy to feel like you have to tackle every part of it alone. For some people, this ‘do it all’ approach can quickly become overwhelming and isolating. It also means you can end up spending hours wrestling with a task or problem that may have been solved quickly with some external support. These are hours you could have spent doing (and being paid for) the thing you love – helping dogs and their humans.

While it can feel counterintuitive, outsourcing parts of your business saves you time and money in the long run. Common areas for this are things like accounting, logo and web design, SEO support, printing, marketing and legal compliance. Just like the multitude of online systems you can choose from, there are also plenty of options when it comes to people and organizations offering these services. Ask colleagues for recommendations, check out online reviews and make a list of questions and requirements in advance so you can articulate your needs. You may even find that working with local businesses has a positive knock on effect for your business. Dogs are loved by a diverse range of people, so maybe that local printer would be happy to have some of your postcards on display in their office, or your accountant turns out to be dog obsessed and starts recommending you to all their clients.

Have you had success with new technology, skill development or outsourcing? We’d love to hear about it!

Here’s another way to take some weight off your shoulders: Join the THRIVE! waitlist.

5 service ideas to inspire your dog business this year

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One of our favorite things about our THRIVE! program is the inventive flow of ideas that members generate for their businesses. Whether it’s services, ways of working, products or packages, we love witnessing these innovations.

Woman standing in front of a chalkboard thinking of ideas.The best new endeavors usually have a clear purpose and help to enhance the client experience, as well as making your life easier and more enjoyable. Rather than change for change’s sake, think about the ideas that really excite you or solve a problem. Even if you’re currently content with what you have going on, it can be useful (and fun!) to keep a list of ‘maybe one day’ ideas as your business evolves.

Here are a few that we’re loving right now:

1. Training in the ‘real world’

As we dog pros know, behavior doesn’t occur in a vacuum. The environment plays a massive role in how dogs and humans respond, as well as their ability to take in information and learn. Navigating triggers, unpredictable settings and novelty can be tough, especially for dog lovers with anxious or reactive dogs. Being able to support and teach dogs in low distraction environments is vital, but at some point the training wheels need to be eased off.

Offering service options in real world settings can help set these dogs up for success. It can also instill their humans with confidence to tackle new situations. There are loads of compelling opportunities for this, such as socialization excursions for puppies, hiking expeditions in the woods and busy city walks. Running these sessions in small groups can help foster a sense of community among your clients. You can also incorporate useful life skills, such as hanging out calmly at a cafe or waiting in line at a market.

2. Launch a membership program

Membership models are a fast growing area across multiple industries, and the dog industry is no exception. A membership model is where individuals pay a recurring fee (which could be weekly, monthly or annually) to access a product or service, often referred to as a subscription. Some models are ongoing, such as a reactive dogs support program, while others may be limited to a set period of time, such as a puppy raising program.

Membership models can be attractive to clients as they are usually parting with smaller amounts of money over time, which can be less intimidating financially. It’s also advantageous for you – recurring payments create more predictability, and allow you to retain clients over a longer period. Retaining clients enables you to help them for longer and avoid that sense of pressure to find fast solutions to complex problems. There’s also loads of room for creativity, from weekly tutorials and video libraries to set tasks and challenges and in-person events. Getting started with a membership model can require a fair amount of planning, but once it’s up and running things tend to become more automated over time.

3. Add enrichment to your dog walking service

One trend in the dog world that continues to have a positive impact on the lives of dogs is enrichment. These days many dog lovers have become aware of the positive impact appropriate enrichment can have, and brain games and scent work are more commonly understood concepts. If you provide services while the humans aren’t there, such as dog walking and day training, why not add an enrichment element? This could involve scent games during or following a walk, as well as leaving the dog with a safe activity such as a stuffed Kong to help them relax post-session. This is a great add-on for puppies and senior dogs who may not be able to go out for long periods, too.

4. Mix your medias

Packages were a big focus for those in THRIVE! last month. Packages allow you to tailor experiences for clients and get more buy in from the get go. When designing packages, don’t feel limited to one type of service. Learning can be cemented in a multitude of ways, including online, in person, classes and by providing the right tools and products. Perhaps your puppy clients would benefit from a self-paced online course which they can engage with between sessions. Or maybe your reactive dog package would be enhanced via a book or webinar on body language prior to the first in-person consultation. An adolescent dog package could include a monthly troubleshooting session, bringing together clients who are dealing with teenage hooligans at the same time.

5. Create a premium offering through collaboration

We love hearing about collaborations at dogbiz – in our experience the best way to spread R+ approaches is together. Teaming up with colleagues in your area can provide new opportunities for services. It also allows you to connect with like-minded individuals and feel less isolated in your work. Perhaps you’re a dog walker who runs trail walks, and you have a client who would love their dog to attend but is worried their off lead skills aren’t up to par. Teaming up with a trainer who can get them ‘trail ready’ ensures the safety and enjoyment of the dogs, as well as providing a great service pathway for clients.

Do you have a service idea you’re working towards or can’t wait to try? Join THRIVE! and make it happen!

 

 

Don’t Let Clients Get Lost on Their Way to You

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Woman who appears to be lost leaning on a car.Last month we looked at the client journey—the complete experience a dog lover has with your business, from first exposure (entry points) through learning all about what you do (marketing and information-gathering “rest stops”) to becoming a client (purchase points) and then their time with you as a client or student (their client experience).

Not all potential clients make it to a purchase point. Some just aren’t the right fit. But too often potential clients simply get lost along the journey you’ve laid out. This is a loss not just for your business, but for the dog lover and the dog, too.

To ensure smooth traveling along your client journey, avoid these marketing “rest stop” mistakes:

Missing Directions
As R+ dog pros we’re leery of overpromising in our marketing. We’re careful not to come off pushy or salesy. These are good and ethical business practices, but they can be taken too far.

You don’t need to be loud, pushy, or tacky to be effective in getting clients. But you do need a marketing message that communicates why dog lovers should choose you and how you can help make life with their dog better. You do need a call-to-action (or CTA) encouraging them to take the next step, whether that be to register for class, reach out for a consult, or visit your website to learn more.

It’s your job to guide your potential clients along the journey to becoming actual ones. If you’re too shy about doing so you’ll lose them along the way.

Unclear Directions
The directions you provide along your client journey must be clear and easy to follow. This includes a strong, effective marketing message aimed carefully at your ideal clients, one that convinces them to stay and begin their journey.

The next step is making navigation along the journey simple. Take a look at your website—is it easy for a first-time visitor to find their way to your service page(s)? If you offer choices, are those choices clear and easy to pick between? For example, say you provide multiple services like walking, training, and sitting. Can I quickly find my way to a separate page with details about the one I need, without having to scroll through information about the others? Or if you specialize in all things puppy training, is there an at-a-glance summary of some kind helping me to understand the difference between, say, classes, private training, and done-for-me daycare-and-train, plus an easy way to learn more about the option I’m interested in?

Tip: Too many choices often lead to making no choice. Decision paralysis is a primary reason potential clients quit a journey before reaching a purchase point. Narrowing your offerings often increases conversions—and it can make running your business easier, too!

Dead Ends
Dead ends are just that—a spot of no return where potential clients’ journeys stall. Most dead ends are a failure to provide the next step, usually access to a purchase point. This happens more often than you’d think.

Take a hard look at your website. Better yet, ask a friend to help. Give them a task, like registering for your basic manners class or scheduling a reactive rover consult or dog walking meet and greet. Don’t tell them how to do it—just ask them to go on your site and try. You’re looking to make sure the journey arrives smoothly at a purchase point. You’re checking for missing CTAs, sign up buttons, or contact information that bring the journey to a halt.

Give your marketing materials the same hard look—everything from your social media to your print pieces. Is it obvious how and where to get more information or take the next step?

Empty Gas Tank
We live in a busy world. Potential clients are adding looking for a dog pro to already full plates. Don’t let them run out of gas while checking you out.

The most common spot for potential clients to end up stranded on the side of the road is on your website. Take another good look to be sure you’re answering all the central questions a dog lover might want answered before reaching out—and make sure those answers are easy to find. If you make it too hard to get the answers they need potential clients can run out of energy for you and turn elsewhere.

These are the key questions your website should answer:

Who? Who are you and what makes you qualified? Who is this service for?

What? What is the service? How does it work? What does it cost?

When? When does it happen? What days and times? How soon can I start?

Where? Your place or mine for training? Where do you take dogs on walks? Where is your daycare or boarding or training facility located?

Why? Why should I? How will this service help me? How will it make my life with my dog easier or better?

How much? This is such an important question to answer that we’ve included it twice. Fail to answer this question and you are without doubt losing potential clients before they reach a purchase point. (Yes, we mean you should list your rates on your website. Here’s why.)

Road Barriers
You can also lose clients right at the point of purchase. Don’t assume your job is done when someone decides you may be the dog pro for them. Help potential clients travel smoothly through your purchase points by removing barriers between their decision to take action and their ability to do so.

Dog pros have a bit of a reputation for poor customer service. Don’t let that include you. You don’t have to pick up the phone every time it rings or become a slave to your email inbox. But you do have to get back to people in a timely manner so they don’t give up and turn elsewhere.

Use outgoing messages and email autoreplies to give potential clients the peace of mind of knowing when they’ll hear back from you. Wherever appropriate, set your website up to allow potential clients to become actual ones as soon as they’ve made the decision. Class registration and payment is the most obvious example here. Allowing dog lovers to book a consult or a short screening call (perhaps after guiding them through a short online self-screening process) is another way to move them smoothly into the purchase portion of their journey with you—while saving you time as well.

Not every dog lover will be the right fit for your business, but it’s a shame to lose those who are. Make it easy for people to navigate their way toward you by laying out a smooth client journey with no unintended off-ramps.