Last year, Americans spent a whopping $136.8 billion on their pets. And this trend is forecasted to continue in the years to come. If you are part of this sector as well, the opportunities for growth are exponential.
Whether you sell pet products, run a veterinary facility, or provide some other essential service, such as training, grooming, walking, or pet sitting, your business could turn a new leaf and grow faster in 2023 when you know the right strategies. Here’s what we recommend.
1. Invest in Branding
Good branding sticks—it’s as simple as that. It will help your business stand out in a cluttered marketplace and make you memorable. So, investing in strong brand assets is crucial. This includes a catchy name, logo, colors, image bank, brand story, and messaging.
Consider what type of brand personality you would like to project. Do you want to be seen as serious, reliable, and professional or fun, warm, and approachable? Align your brand with your customers’ needs and preferences to make it more relatable and appealing. Your logo, color palette, and imagery should all fall in line and represent your brand personality.
Content is equally important. For instance, having an inspiring brand story could make your business more engaging. Storytelling is an excellent method to add a human touch to a brand and convey the mission of your business. Well-crafted messaging could help communicate your value proposition with consistency, clarity, and purpose.
No matter how small your business is, building a strong brand is essential to take your business to the next level. But this doesn’t mean you need a big agency and unlimited budgets. An experienced freelancing professional on Upwork, Fiverr, or Guru could deliver just what you need at an affordable rate.
2. Get Social
While a professionally designed website is a basic necessity these days, your social media profiles are just as important.
But first, start by identifying key platforms to maintain a presence. For example, based on your customer profile, you might choose Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram for your veterinary service. Remember, being actively present on too many social media channels is not practical and might not deliver the results you expect either. So, narrowing down a few is crucial.
Then get busy with a content strategy. Schedule one to three daily posts, including text-based content, images, videos, GIFs, infographics, and opinion polls. If you are pressed for resources, you can even start with several posts per week. But, regularly engaging with your audience is important. Respond to every comment you get, share other users’ content, and like and leave comments on your followers’ posts.
A strong social media presence will allow your business to gain a following, interact with your audience in real time, and capture feedback, suggestions, and opinions. It is an excellent strategy to get to know potential customers and build relationships through purposeful and candid interactions.
All this might be challenging to take up with your existing business responsibilities. If so, consider hiring a small social media agency or freelancer.
3. Identify Cross-Promotion Opportunities
The pet industry is a massive ecosystem that consists of various product manufacturers, retailers, and service providers. This vast network can create ample opportunities to boost your business through cross-promotions.
For instance, if you are a pet groomer, you can strike up a deal with local veterinarians, pet supply stores, and dog walkers. Anyone without conflicting business interests will often be happy to promote your products or services, especially when you are willing to do the same for them.
You can, for instance, leave your business cards, leaflets, and banners at their premises, while displaying their promotional material at yours. As a result, you get to spread the word among pet owners who patronize these businesses and divert some of them toward your product or service.
So, identify local businesses you can approach for cross-promotional opportunities. A quick search on Leadar will also help you find nearby professionals in related industries.
Of course, you don’t necessarily need to limit yourself to the pet business ecosystem. You can even speak to your local gym or grocery store to discuss potential partnerships. The more places you have a presence, the higher your chances of increasing footfall.
4. Advertise Online
Online advertising is much more efficient and affordable than traditional methods. You also get to target your audience with better precision and direct your investments toward result-based campaigns. For instance, with pay-per-click advertising, you only pay for audience engagement. This allows you to achieve a higher ROI on your marketing spend.
Start by defining your potential customer profile. Then identify advertising channels, such as social media and Google Ads, for maximum impact. Next, set measurable targets, start advertising, track results, and adjust as needed.
5. Adopt Thought Leadership Strategies
Investing in thought leadership allows you to build reputation, recognition, and trust while positioning yourself as an expert in your industry. But how can you do that? Find avenues to showcase your expertise, offer advice, and drive meaningful conversations around critical challenges, trends, and innovation in your sector. You can use blog articles, video content, social media, online communities, webinars, and countless other formats to achieve this.
6. Use Influencer Marketing
Pet influencers on social media are a big deal, especially among young pet owners. Doug the Pug and Nala Cat alone command millions of loyal followers who actively engage with their content on a regular basis. This gives them the power to influence massive audiences and create better engagement for brands. A recommendation or a simple brand mention by a popular influencer could make a significant impact on building awareness for your business.
Big brands already know this. It is why even non-pet-related brands, such as The Body Shop and BMW, have used them. So, there is no reason why you should not.
To Wrap Up
For pet parents, their affable pets are akin to a child. They will move mountains to keep them safe, comfortable, and happy. As a result, the pet industry has been enjoying impressive growth over the years, with new products and services providing exponential choices to pet lovers.
If you are a pet business owner, there is no better time than now to revamp your strategy to boost business in 2023. Start by investing in your brand to position it for a great first impression. Include social media, cross promotions, online advertising, and influencer marketing in your marketing plan. In addition, consider thought leadership activities to build reputation and trust.