3 tips on how should you spend your marketing budget as a pet care business?

Promoting your pet care business is important, but where do you start? There’s lots of advice out there both online and from people you may know. In this post, I too am providing some advice. But with the aim of giving you some basic points to consider when making your decisions!

So here are 3 tips on what you should consider. These apply to whatever pet care business you provide. Whether you are a complementary therapist working with pets or horses. Or a dog groomer, dog trainer or any other business owner helping pets and their owners.

Don't Make Up Your Budget As You Go Along For Your Pet Care Business

Before you decide how to spend your budget, have you made a clear decision on what your budget is? For instance you may find tempting offers from social media companies or magazines. All encouraging you to spend your money. Whilst they may seem a good idea they can mean you spend more than what you either can afford or more than needed.

Be clear on what your budget is for different marketing activities. For instance if you would like to pay to promote your posts on social media. But also like to advertise in local community magazines, then what is your budget for both? If you pay to advertise in different places it can be easy to lose track on what your spending.

Top Tip: Keep a simple spreadsheet detailing budget, and deducting different activities.

Decide where your customers are

Now your customers are everywhere, yes! Although it may not seem like that if they’re not coming to you of course. It can be easy to spend more than you really should if you try to pay to advertise everywhere though. So decide where your main focus is.

Do you want to know how to market your pet care business more effectively? Read my blog post here showing you how to do just that.

You’ll find some local businesses - e.g. veterinary practices are happy to have you business cards on their desk. Or put up a poster on their noticeboard for free. So always try the low cost options first! Notice i’ve said low-cost option. As of course, if you’re printing posters, business cards or leaflets, then there is a cost attached to that.

But if you do want to pay to advertise, then decide on what locations you want to utilise first. Is that social media, local radio, etc. Are your customers using social media and if so which networks? Which leads me onto tip number 3.

Love Social Media For Your Pet Care Business But Don't Let It Overwhelm You

Social media can be helpful. But you can spend lots of time - which does equal money (your time!), and also money in promoting posts. So choose the platforms which will work best for your business.

Decide on what social network you’re going to prioritise using. Using several can work, but is also easy to spend lots of time, when one network will work best. Whilst social networks are (majority of anyway) free, to get your posts in front of your customers you often need to promote your posts.

If you do pay to promote your posts, test, test and test again. So try different wording, different pictures, and different call to actions. Then you can see what post styles are worthwhile paying to promote. Testing though is a great idea even if you spend no money on promoting posts!

Like to get the best out of social media for your pet care business? See my blog post here

About The Author

Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.

PS: You can find more equestrian and pet care themed business articles over at my Linkedin, see more here https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-harris-mcmi/detail/recent-activity/posts/

OR browse this blog here, it's been designed to help you have the best equestrian or pet care business you can!

Email me for more information on consultancy for your equestrian or pet care business with me.