Pet Shop Business Marketing

4 Pet business copywriting

Pet business marketing materials should take advantage of professional copywriting conventions to motivate prospects to take the next step in the purchasing process. Follow this four-step process to incredible copy that boosts your return on investment:

Four steps for writing winning copy

1) Craft an attention-getting headline – Your headline commands attention and draws customers in. Headlines should make bold statements and address desires, problems, or fears; they can also deliver a special offer.

A postcard aimed at single women in their mid-20s might say: "Tired of being stood up? Get a best friend who never disappoints. Receive a FREE grooming when you find your new buddy at PetStore today!"

2) Highlight your benefits – Think like a customer: what’s in it for you? Identify what benefits you are delivering. Features represent what you do or offer; while benefits explain how your features help your customers. For example, if your pet business provides all-in-one grooming services (feature), the benefit is that your customers only need to make one quick stop to pamper their pets.

3) Develop an incredible offer – A great offer motivates response. Again, think like a customer: what would it take for you to act? If your offer is perceived to have great value, your customers will respond. Your offer could be a free item, a discount, or something else that’s desirable to your audience. Your offer should be time sensitive so your customers must act fast.

4) Motivate with a call to action - What do you want your prospects to do once they've read your message? Define this in no uncertain terms and offer several response channels if possible (call a phone number, visit a website, visit a retail location, etc.).

5 Pet business marketing distribution

Crafting the right message for your marketing tools is only part of the process; you also need to get those materials in front of the right audience with an intelligent distribution strategy.

Direct-mail

Direct-mail is one of the best distribution strategies for pet businesses. You can send opt-postcards, flyers, booklets, and more to mailing lists comprised of your customers and others who match your customer demographics. If you only serve a local area, you can take advantage of discounted EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) postcard printing and postage rates.

Repetition is important, so you should develop a strategy that incorporates multiple mailings to yield the best results. Here’s a sample direct-mail marketing campaign for a pet business, targeting saltwater aquarium owners.

Advertisements

You can deploy advertisements online, in newspapers and magazines, as well as on the radio, television, billboards, relevant apps, and any number of published mediums. Of course, don't stop there! There are plenty of opportunities to market your pet business "street side."

Hand out flyers and posters to passers-by or in areas where your target audience congregates. Print stickers to hand out or to affix in high-visibility areas.

And remember: word of mouth is the most powerful advertiser, so make sure your friends and family all know about your pet business so they can help promote it. You might even consider offering your customers incentives for referrals.

Following up

Test, track and tweak - these three T’s will help you craft even stronger marketing campaigns over time.

• Test multiple versions of your marketing tools on smaller customer segments to see which yields the best results
• Track your response rates to see which campaigns perform best
• Tweak future campaigns based on your testing and tracking analysis

Before long, you’ll be able to nail down exactly what your customers respond to, so you can market more efficiently and maximize your return on investment (ROI).

6 Pet business marketing ideas and resources

Creative marketing ideas can generate buzz, deliver value to your customers, and increase profits for your company. Try these pet business marketing creative ideas and resources to boost your business this year:

Creative ideas

Host an event - Events are great ways to connect with customers, build your brand, and earn sales. Try an adoption day, or "tryout day," whereby customers can come in and play with your puppies, kittens and other animals to see which they would like to adopt.

Hold classes and seminars on your niche subjects; from dog grooming to fish tank cleaning and maintenance. If you sell exotic birds, develop a course to train birds to talk.

Invite manufacturers to come in for pet supply product demonstrations, or partner with a dog trainer for a quick hands-on obedience course (which you can use to upsell dog training services).

Partner with others - Partnering with complementary and non-competing businesses is a terrific way to network and develop cross promotions that benefit all parties.

As mentioned, you could invite a dog trainer to put on a class at your pet business. The trainer could make sales, and you would get a commission. You could also contract a trainer, tank cleaner or other professional to provide services directly through your pet business.

To save marketing on costs, you could pitch in together on a robust direct-mail marketing campaign. Develop a multiple service package or offer a discount at your pet business to those who purchase services from your partners. This is also a smart way to extend your mailing list.

Creative message placement - You don't have to stick with traditional advertising outlets. In fact, the more creative your message placement, the more likely your pet business is to stand out from the crowd.

See if you can purchase ad space from local veterinarians. You can put stickers on waiting room magazines, for example. Or, rent space from a local building owner and print a large format wall graphic featuring your cutest pets to mass market your store.

Promote unique angles - Capitalize on what makes your pet business unique. Develop creative product and service names so you can brand not only your company, but also individual offerings. Instead of simply stating you're offering bird training classes, give your course a name: "Beak Speak: Teach Your Bird to Talk."

Sell complementary products and services - Point-of-sale products, upsells, and other complementary products and services can dramatically increase your profits.

If you sell reptiles, offer a discount on crickets; if you sell grooming services, upsell a luxury conditioning treatment, nail trimming, or sell a special grooming brush so customers can maintain their pet's care at home. If someone comes in looking for a fish and an aquarium, also show them the necessities (such as water conditioner) and accessories (such as plastic castles) that will make their pet happy.