Once you’ve decided that a dog walking business is for you, and you have the basics and legal elements all set up, you still need one very important thing to make it work: clients. These, of course, are the source of the dogs you’ll be walking as well as your income. To find clients, you will need to advertise in various ways. Naturally you won’t be doing anything as dramatic or expensive as a television commercial when you’re just trying to get things off the ground, but there are lots of other ways to reach out to your community and connect with the people who are looking for your services.
Among the most effective techniques for dog walking advertising are:
- Flyers – These are an effective yet inexpensive way of spreading the word about your dog walking business and services. Remember that it isn’t legal to put them into people’s mailboxes and distributing them door-to-door typically proves to be quite ineffective as people become frustrated when advertisers walk onto their property and solicit them. Instead, post in legal places such as public notice boards. You may also wish to ask if you can post your flyer with local pet stores, groomers, veterinarians, gyms, post offices, community centers, and coffee shops. Keep a number of them with you (perhaps in your car) at all times so that if you find a place where you could potentially post a flyer, you’ll have them ready.
- Websites – If you want to run a dog walking business, a website is not an option, it is a necessity. A tremendous number of people search for dog walkers in their area every day, and if you want to be able to reach those people, you need to have an online presence so they can find you. It doesn’t need to be a fancy site with all of the bells and whistles. Instead it should be neat, professional, easy to use, and informative. You don’t even need to hire someone to make it. You can create your own quick site using free templates and hosting services online. The only thing you’ll want to purchase is a domain name, which you can do for less than $10 per year.
- Internet Advertising – With a website up and running, you can place ads on many sites online, many of which are absolutely free. You can use classified ads or even submit articles to sites and then link them back to your own website.
- Advertising on You – Tee shirts, car magnets, business cards, and other similar pieces of ad material can all be purchased for a low fee if you do some comparative shopping online. Just by going about your daily business, you can advertise your dog walking services.
- Word of Mouth – This will be the most important form of advertising you have. Start telling your friends and family about the services you offer. This way, if they hear about someone who might need a dog walker, they can pass on your contact information. Similarly, if you always conduct yourself professionally with your clients and prospective clients, they are more likely to tell others about you. Don’t forget that you can offer a free dog walk to people for every paid referral – incentives can be very effective for encouraging people to spread the word.
These are among the most helpful forms of advertising for dog walkers, but they don’t stop here. Be creative within your budget and you’ll find lots of ways to let people know about your business.
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