6 Tactics to Grow Your Dog Grooming Business
Whether your dog grooming business is just starting out or has been established for many years, there’s always room for growth. Growing a small business is straightforward if you harness proven strategies and tailor them to your specific needs.
Read on to learn about six effective tactics for growing a dog grooming business, including strategic marketing, customer retention strategies, reputation management for small businesses, enhancing pet parent communications, community engagement and utilizing local SEO for small businesses.
1. Small Business Marketing Ideas
You might wonder, how can I grow my small business with marketing? The good news is, you can implement several basic dog grooming marketing ideas to boost business. Effective marketing involves multiple strategies to attract and retain customers, including:
- Content marketing: Your website—the face of your business
- Email marketing: Promotions, reminders and important communications
- Paid advertising: Online and direct
- Local SEO: Allows customers to find you when they search for local pet groomers
- Customer retention: Incentives and loyalty programs
- Event marketing: Hosting local events and community outreach
- Social media marketing: Harnessing the power of your social media accounts
When brainstorming dog grooming marketing ideas for your business, consider both large-scale strategies like updating your website, starting an email marketing campaign, and utilizing local SEO, as well as smaller strategies like implementing a loyalty program or hosting a community event.
2. Small Business Customer Retention Ideas
A big consideration for small business owners is how to build customer loyalty. Customer retention strategies can ensure your customers return again and again—and maybe refer their friends, family and neighbors, too.
Customer loyalty programs that offer incentives for repeat business are highly effective. For a dog grooming business, this might look like a free bath or haircut after 10 visits. Referral programs offer double the benefit—the established client might receive a percentage off their next visit for each referral, reinforcing their loyalty. The referred new client also gets a percentage off their first service as an enticement.
3. Customer Review Management
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Customer reviews are extremely important to small businesses as they are the first thing many people look at when choosing a new service provider. If potential new customers see too many poor reviews, they might decide to choose another business.
Reputation management for small businesses is a strategy that largely involves monitoring online reviews and addressing concerns, both publicly and privately in some cases. For a dog grooming business, customer review management entails scanning review sites and social media pages, and reaching out to address concerns in a professional and friendly manner. Complaining is part of human nature, but potential clients will also take into account how you address the issues raised.
4. Streamlining Pet Parent Comms
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Client communications are delivered through many different channels. Streamlining your customer communications can grow your business by attracting more customers, encouraging more bookings and cutting down on missed appointments and happier clients.
Take advantage of as many communication channels as you can. Remember, some people are more likely to respond to a text versus an email, and potential customers might want to reach out via your social media page rather than picking up the phone. Here are the most common ways to communicate with customers:
SMS/Text
Texting, also called SMS (short message service), is fast, simple and effective. Compared to emails, text messages have a very high open rate and most people respond to text messages within three minutes.
Use email communications to send appointment reminders, health policies notices, updates about holiday hours, email marketing or even to acknowledge a pet’s birthday. However, emails are only effective if they get read. When creating email communications, use strong subject lines, personalize messages, keep messages brief, and use clear and simple language.
Social Media
Younger generations like to use social media pages to reach out and ask questions, so keep yours up to date and respond to messages promptly. Social media pages are another way to communicate special events, changes, contests and more.
Phone
Texting and email are quick and easy, but the phone is still an important communication tool. Some people don’t use smart phones or computers, or they simply prefer to communicate in a more personal manner. Client interactions skills are as important on the phone as they are in person. Customers can hear your tone and sense whether you sound rushed or relaxed and ready to engage.
5. Community Involvement Ideas for Small Businesses
Fostering engagement with the community is a huge tool to help grow your dog grooming business. Hosting an event gets your business noticed by potential new customers and strengthens your connection with current clients and the community. Making your pet event a fundraiser by donating entry fees to a local animal shelter pet charity is a great way to increase interest and demonstrate your dedication to pets. Community outreach ideas for businesses include:
- Adoption events
- Pet walks
- Pet parades
- Pet fashion shows
- Halloween costume contests
- Pet photos with Santa
6. Local SEO for Small Businesses
Link to Local SEO Guide blog post once live
Utilizing local SEO for small businesses is one of the easiest ways to grow your dog grooming business. Local search engine optimization ensures that customers will see your business when they Google “dog grooming near me.” Taking advantage of local SEO is free and easy with a Google Business Profile. To qualify, your business must have a physical location (i.e., a store front) or you must travel to customers’ homes, such as with a mobile dog grooming business. It’s also free to create or claim listings on other sites like Yelp.
How a business management software can help grow your business
Business management software helps you grow your business by streamlining your marketing and customer communications strategies. For instance, PetExec’s CRM (customer relationship management) makes it easy to store pet and owner information, schedule, communicate with clients, and track the results of your marketing efforts.
PetExec offers an unlimited texting package so you can easily send and track client texting communications with two-way text messaging, automated appointment reminders, image texting and more.
The owner portal allows customers to create or modify their own account, view and sign contracts and other agreements, book or request appointments, pay invoices, and watch their pets on an integrated webcam.
FAQ (People Also Ask)
How do I grow my dog grooming business?
You can use several strategies to grow a dog grooming business, including marketing, customer retention, customer communications, reputation management (managing online reviews), community engagement and local SEO for small businesses. These approaches work together to help take your business to the next level, whether you want to attract new clients, improve loyalty or increase revenue.
Some ideas for growing your dog grooming business include offering grooming promotions or packages, running flash sales on services, starting a customer loyalty program or client referral program, and hosting community events like adoption days or dog walks.
Periodically review your website and other online presences such as your Google Business Profile, Yelp listing and social media pages so you can update your contact information, business hours and other information. Ensure your messaging is consistent across all platforms so potential customers get the correct information no matter which way they find you.
How to grow my small business online?
To grow your small business online, start with your website, which is the face of your business and the most important of all your online spaces. Make sure your website looks modern and professional, is easy to navigate, and contains all the information current and potential customers need, including a phone number and email address or web form so they can contact you directly.
Once your website is in order, increase your online presence by listing your business on as many platforms as possible. Take advantage of local SEO by signing up for a free Google Business Profile, which will allow potential customers to find you when they search for a business or service in their area. You can also claim or create a free listing for your business on Yelp.
Finally, create and maintain pages for your business on social media platforms. Social media is a great way to engage with current customers, attract new customers, and communicate information about your business. Popular social media sites for small businesses include Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and LinkedIn.
How to build customer loyalty?
Fostering customer loyalty is one of the biggest keys to success for a small business. For a dog grooming business, building customer loyalty is about developing relationships with clients and pets while providing excellent grooming, superior customer service and effective communication.
To enhance small business customer retention, also consider creating customer loyalty programs and referral programs that offer incentives for repeat business. For instance, current clients might earn 50% off a groom after five visits or a free groom for every referral that leads to a new appointment booking. The referred new client might also get a percentage off their first service as an enticement to book, and if they return, they can now refer a new friend, neighbor or family member to earn future rewards.
