The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2018 | Page 22

THE BUSINESS END OF THE LEASH
SHARE THE GOOD NEWS:
MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS
By Veronica Boutelle, CTC, MAEd
Marketing is like the training homework you give your clients. Not
doing it means not achieving your best possible results.
Marketing probably isn’t your favorite
topic or task. You may feel uncomfortable
tooting your own horn. You may not be
sure what exactly to market about, or
when, or how to go about it. But you
probably also know that marketing is the
key to your business success. Think about
it this way: Marketing is like the training
homework you give your clients. Not
doing it means not achieving your best
possible results.
If you’re up for going all out, put out a local
or online press release and contact your local
media. A local print or online publication
or news channel may be interested in a feel-
good story about a successful community
business. Or you may be able to pitch
an angle related to your milestone. For
example, if you’ve just achieved a new
certification, you might suggest a piece
about how to choose a dog trainer that
includes understanding the implications of
an unregulated industry and being careful to
choose certified trainers.
Whether you’re a pro at staying on top of
your marketing, or marketing remains a
line item gathering dust on a “someday
when I have time” to-do list, here’s one
way to give your business a boost: Leverage
your milestones.
If you’ve been in business for any length
of time you’ll encounter milestones, or
moments of significance, for your business.
This might be a business birthday, such
as your first, fifth, 10th or even 20th
anniversary. It could be a new certification
or educational achievement as part of your
pursuit of professional development. You
could also count the addition of a new
service as a milestone worth celebrating
and sharing.
These moments provide built-in, ready
marketing opportunities if you’re willing
to take advantage. Milestones can be used
as an opportunity to create new referral
contacts, to deepen good marketing
partnerships, or as an excuse to get back in
touch with referral relationships you’ve let
20
go stagnant. You can also use them to draw
new clients or invite old ones back into
the fold with a special offer or discount in
celebration of your big news.
How To Share Your News
There are myriad ways to get the word out,
and the more channels you choose the
more results you’ll see. Tell people about
your milestone through your print and
email newsletters, on your website, and
through your social media. Share it in print
materials distributed to physical businesses
like vet clinics, shelters, pet supply stores,
and dog daycares. Though not something
we typically teach at dogbiz (our new name
for our own 15th birthday milestone at
dogtec!), a good milestone can be a good
excuse to break the no advertising rule.
Building Better Trainers Through Education
Look for ways to draw out your good
news. A one-and-done announcement
approach is unlikely to get you much
notice. In addition to getting the word
out in as many ways as you can, work to
keep it out there. You’ll probably only send
one press release or get your news into the
local paper once, but plan for 1-3 months’
worth of shares via social media and email
and look for opportunities to keep in
touch around your milestone with your
current and desired referral partners.
Make Yourself Useful, Not Just
Newsworthy
The way to keep your news newsworthy
for longer—and to make it more relevant
to clients, potential clients, and referral
partners—is to find ways to be useful to
them, related to your milestone. This is
the content or community marketing
angle we so often talk about: Sharing
your knowledge and expertise as both
community education and marketing.