Blogging is good for you, and good for dogs. We’ve seen some fantastic dog blogs over the years, and many of our readers and clients blog regularly, enjoying the benefits of regular posting (like getting more clients and helping more dogs). …
Marketing probably isn’t your favorite topic or task. You may feel uncomfortable tooting your own horn. You may not be sure what exactly to market about, or when, or how to go about it. But you probably also know that marketing is the key …
One of the best things about content marketing, what we at dogbiz sometimes also call community marketing, is that it allows you to do good in the world while promoting your business. The concept is to share your expertise so referral …
We're guessing you’d love more referrals, but worry about pestering fellow professionals? If so, it’s worth keeping in mind that giving referrals benefits the referring party, too. It may fill a need and provide value-added capital with a …
Over our years supporting dog pros, we’ve noticed certain sticking or stress points common to many of our clients. Choosing the perfect business name ranks high among those. We’ve been thinking a lot about business names lately. You may …
E-mail newsletters are a common dog pro marketing tool, and they serve an important purpose. As we’ve written about in the past, e-newsletters are great for maintaining connection to and brand loyalty among current clients, and bringing …
Your site is your most valuable marketing tool—and one of your most valuable business assets. Created properly, your site should do most of your selling for you. If you’re like the majority of dog pros we know, that’s welcome news. So …
As we said in Part 1 of Building a Great Dog Pro Website, your site is your most important marketing (and sales!) tool. In Part 1, we looked at the role of engaging website copywriting. In Part 2 we turn our attention to creating great …
Increase the human-canine bond. Improve relationships. Keep dogs in their forever homes. Spread the R+ word. Help as many dogs as possible. These are common goal refrains from the trainers we help to build thriving businesses. Many …
Newsletters can be powerful marketing tools. Done well, they provide ongoing connection to and brand loyalty from current clients. They let past clients know about new services to come back for, and remind them you’re there if friends or …
Press releases are an easy—and free—way to draw attention to your business. A good press release gives local news outlets the chance to see what you’re up to and possibly cover your story, providing you publicity and adding credibility to …
We talk and write a lot about content or community marketing— using your expertise as dog trainers to educate your audience while subtly promoting your business. It’s an excellent strategy. While doing good, you’re also using marketing …
Think of a three-legged stool. It stands—and supports your weight—only because each leg has been built to do its part; it’s perfectly balanced. Remove, or even shorten, just one leg and the stool topples. Like the stool, a balanced …
If you’re a typical class trainer you’d rather think about what you’re going to do with students once you have them in your classroom than what you’re going to do to get them there. For most of us, teaching is much more fun than marketing — …
Less is more. Simple is better. Back to basics. All familiar refrains. But sometimes cliches carry meaning. In the case of communicating with potential clients, less is more and simple is better are useful guidelines. Simplify Your …
Very few dog pros I know are comfortable talking about their rates with potential clients. Let’s face it: We’re dog lovers, not salespeople. But you shouldn’t let that discomfort extend to your website. In fact, handling the numbers right …
Email marketing gets overshadowed by social media a lot these days, which is a great shame because email is a terrific marketing workhorse—free or low-cost, targeted, and much less time-intensive than social media. Why Use an …
Your website’s primary job is to encourage people to use your services. How you invite them to do so matters—a lot. We see several common mistakes in this area of dog business sites. Fortunately they’re quite easy to fix. Remove The …
So much goes into the building of a business: The name, the logo, the website, the marketing—just for starters. That’s a lot of effort aimed at gaining clients and referral sources. And as businesses grow and become more time-demanding, …
Making guarantees is a tricky business. Domino’s Pizza discovered this back in the early 90’s after its 30-minute-delivery-or-your-pizza-is-free guarantee led to a series of car accidents and lawsuits. You may not have a lot in common with …
When it comes to productivity, few places are as treacherous as the Internet. Between Facebook, celebrity gossip, and cat videos, it’s a wonder any work gets done at all. But for gathering information the web can’t be beat, and today most …
When you run a small business there are days when it feels like the world’s got you beat. Days lost juggling business plans, start-up costs, emails, phone calls, piles of paperwork, excessively complicated tax forms, and the steady …
We’re all drawn to stories. People remember stories and anecdotes long after any recollection of advertisements is gone—and case studies are particularly compelling because they highlight a problem that was solved. Even if we’ve never …
Let's face it – marketing may never make the list of your favorite activities. We know there are several dozen things you'd rather be doing: visiting in-laws, maybe. Or working with dogs. Still, you know that smart marketing will grow your …
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know something about—or have heard of—social media and online marketing. You probably also know new tools are launched all the time that might help grow your business. But chances are you didn’t …
