Using the Holiday Season to Market Your Pet Business

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Holiday GiftsThanksgiving and Xmas are fast approaching - it’s just 2 1/2 weeks until Thanksgiving Thursday! The holidays are a great opportunity to get in touch with your customers to keep your pet business at the top of their minds and remind them that you care about their pets.  Get organized now to take advantage of the holiday season to promote your pet business.

I always send out pet themed Christmas greeting cards to all of our customers to thank them for their business during the year. Typically I have purchased cards with cute dog or cat motifs from my local Barnes and Noble or Borders store - they both have a good range of pet cards.  I have also sent out specialized pet sitting cards from Pet Sitters International but these tend to be a bit more expensive.

This year a new catalogue has arrived at my door - Sharper for Pet Care Professionals. They produce cards, postcards, calendars, stickers, paper tote bags, and magnets to promote all types of pet businesses.  I love their cards am going online today to order. You can order at their website  - www.e-sharper.com

I also found calendar magnets in their catalogue. Bright 4″ x 6″ magnets with the full 2008 calendar, a cute pet picture on top, and customized with your pet business name and contact details on the bottom.  When I visit customers they often have these magnets displayed on their fridge from realtors but I think that with the cute pet pictures - magnets from their local pet service or retailer would be even more likely to be displayed. This puts your pet business in front of your customers all year round and they will never lose your phone number! I have used smaller yearly planners in the past but I think I’m  going to find one of these magnets this year to slip into my Christmas cards.

Another great product to use to promote your service or products are gift certificates. People are searching for customized gifts to give their friends and family and a gift certificate for pet products would be a great gift for any pet lover. Sharper is also able to supply a customized certificate - or you can create your own on your home computer. You could also use a flyer at your office or left at your visits to announce to current customers that gift certificates are available for purchase for the holidays.

Hope I have given you some ideas - don’t leave it too long to get organized as the holidays will be here before we know it! If you have any other good ideas please leave a comment and share them with us…

National Pet Memorial Day and The Pet Cemetery - An Unusual Pet Business

Filed Under Pet Business Opportunity, Pet Business Tips, Pet Events, Pet Products, Uncategorized, Unusual Pet Careers | Leave a Comment



Pet Memorial DayToday, Sunday September 9th, is National Pet Memorial Day.  A day to remember pets and honor the memory of pets that are no longer with us.  The day was established by the International Association of Pet Cemeteries in 1972 and is celebrated by most pet cemeteries across the US on the second Sunday of September each year. 

One way to remember your pets is to create an online memorial for them at I Loved My Pet.  At this site you can create a page that contains photos, audio, videos, and thoughts and memories about your pets. 

It seems strange that I saw an article about this day of celebration this week as one of my pet sitting clients was just telling me about our local pet cemetery last weekend.  I have never heard of pet cemeterys except the one in Stephen Kings famous book but when I did an online search I found that they are very common.  When our Lab Mackie passed away 2 years ago we were able to have her cremated at the hospital where she was receiving treatment and we keep her ashes in an urn on our mantle.

Pet cemeteries give owners a final resting place for their pets or their ashes and allow owners to visit to pay their respects and visit the grave as often as they want.  I can see how this type of facility can help owners ease the emotional pain of pet loss.

Many pet owners are also investing in elaborate headstones, caskets, or urns if they opt for pet cremation. There are many online vendors for pet urns and other memorial items.

The cost of burying a pet in a cemetary or cremation of a pet is often quite high. In a recent article about the Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park a park spokesman said that

the cost to bury a pet starts at $549 and is based on plot size and type of casket. The price includes everything–casket, plot and maintenance, and can go as high as $1,205. Cremation costs are based on weight–$85 for a pet under 10 pounds; $245 for an animal weighing 151 to 175 pounds.

 

The need for pet cemeteries and crematoriums is growing as pet ownership grows and  states start to impose stricter regulations against backyard pet burials.  Many veterinary offices work directly with pet crematories for their clients pet burial needs.

If you have experience with cremation or cemetary management and want to work with pets you may consider opening a pet cemetary in your area to serve local pet owners.

To find out more information visit the website of the International Assocation of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories. 

Alternatively there are many opportunities to create unique pet urns, caskets, or memorials and market to pet owners.  You can browse one of the search engines to find out what types of products are being offerred to pet owners.

How to Market Your Pet Business with Homemade Dog Treat Recipes

Filed Under Pet Business Tips, Pet Health, Pet Products | 5 Comments



Dog TreatsThis past weekend I sent out customer appreciation gifts to all customers who have used my pet sitting service at least twice in the past 2 years. (If you have been reading my blog for a few weeks you should be catching on that I do most of these types of tasks on the weekend!).

I sent out a postcard with a short note expressing how much we appreciate their support of our business with a Ziploc bag filled with gourmet cat and/or dog treats for their pets. I used store bought Mother Hubbard’s oven baked dog biscuits and Whiskas crunchy cat treats as I was pressed for time. These types of small gifts remind customers of your service and let them know that you are thinking of them. I also wrote on the card that we look forward to visiting their pets the next time that they travel.

This week I was contemplating how much more effective this would have been if I had sent out unique treats that I had made myself at home – it would have just given it a more personal touch.

I searched the internet and found a great e-book package that contains 340 dog and puppy recipes for meals, frozen treats, cakes, biscuits and cookies. To get a copy of the book for your business click here.

The customer appreciation gift is just one way in which you can use recipes for tasty pet treats to market your business. I had some other ideas for using them to add pizzazz to other marketing efforts:

1) Bake goodies to give away at expos or booths at pet events. Label with you business information and contact details.

2) Put together a book of recipes for customers and leave out at your office location for them to pick up. Make sure you put your logo and business info in the book to keep your name in front of them and to advertise if they give the book away or lend it out to friends.

3) Add recipes to your customer newsletters

4) Bake a birthday cake for your doggie customer’s special day

5) Hold a puppy party to bring customers together to celebrate a major event or business anniversary celebration. Have cakes and cookies for the dogs to enjoy.

6) Add baked cookies and treats to the products that you sell to customers and let them place orders with you for their pets.

You can pick up an electronic copy of the recipe book with 340 tasty treats ideas right here.

I’m sure that you can come up with even more ideas – please share them with everyone by leaving a comment with this post.

Announcing a New Weekly Blog Carnival - Working with Pets

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I am proud to present the first edition of the Working with Pets Carnival. I’m looking for articles on pet career and business tips, innovative pet products, pet training, and pet health care.

To submit an article, email a link to daniellechonody@gmail.com  or use the submission form at Blog Carnival. You can find the carnival filed under pets.

Submissions for this edition are due by Midnight Saturday 28th July.  Subsequent submissions are due by midnight each Saturday.  Chosen articles will be published on this blog on Sundays.

What are you waiting for?!  Share your pet knowledge with us..

Curious About your Dogs DNA?

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Have you ever wondered what mix of breeds your lovable pooch is? Using a new test marketed by Canine Heritage pet owners can now test their dogs DNA to find out.

Collection of the DNA is performed by using a small soft-bristled brush to gather skin cells from the inside of your dogs mouth. The test is able to identify genetic markers for 38 different breeds. This covers 75% of the most common breeds of dog in the United States.

Other than settling family dispute about whether Fido is a Lab/Jack Russell mix or a Lab/Terrier mix there are other practical benefits to knowing the breed of your pets. With knowledge of the breed you can investigate possible genetic health issues and have the opportunity to better manage the health care of your pet to prevent the onset of disease.

The test is also being marketed to shelters and animal rescues so that they are able to offer prospective owners more information about the dogs.

The test costs $65 plus shipping and handling and you test results are available four to six weeks after submitting the DNA sample. The test is marketed as being 90% accurate. Owners will receive a certificate that shows the primary breed, secondary breeds, and other breeds that are in the mix of DNA.

For more information about dog DNA testing visit Canine Heritage.

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