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438: Don’t Stop Believing…in Marketing

What should you do with your marketing during a busy period? While it may be tempting to take your foot off the gas, we think it’s the perfect time to keep going! Running your messaging year round will help develop brand awareness and even out the ups and downs that come with running a dog walking and pet sitting business. We break down the reason stopping marketing during busy periods can hurt your business, and the kinds of messaging to focus on to get the right clients once the slowdown comes.

406: Making the Most of Media Exposure

We were recently asked to be on a local TV program to talk about our business, so on this episode, we discuss how you can make the most of unexpected media exposure. We also share why you need to be intentional with your business interactions, connect others with your message, and understand that your business is highly visible in your community.

382: Finding Your Approach to Social Media

How are you using social media in your business? From just having a presence to being the main powerhouse of new clients, there are an infinite number of ways to approach social media. We break down our own usage and why it’s so important to find your purpose before you create your next post. It’s all about the content, but you won’t know what to post until you figure out why you’re posting.

372: Improving Your Local Digital Marketing

Are you using Digital Marketing to its fullest? In our busy lives as business owners, it can be hard to know where to invest our time, attention, and financial resources. Thankfully, there are a lot of free options! We break down the four we love and how to get the most out of them. We also discuss how to know which to start in and the importance of balance so you don’t feel like you have to do everything. 

364: Essential Characteristics of a Thriving Pet Business Owner

What mindsets and behaviors help a pet business owner thrive? Like high quality tools, the characteristics we exhibit should help us, instead of being a hindrance to our success. It starts with knowing yourself and the kind of business you want to run. Then, you can implement the best practices. We break down five essential attitudes of a thriving pet business owner and what it looks like to implement them.

304: 5 Advertising Methods That Won’t Break the Bank

How are you advertising your business? While you may be tempted to pay for advertising, you don’t have to! Advertising and marketing your business doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, or any! We break down our five favorite ways to advertise your business, without breaking the bank. In the end, it’s about being shareworthy and building relationships. Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I make my business more attractive to potential clients?”

276: Common Social Media Mistakes

Chances are, you’re probably using social media for your business. How is it working for you? Social media can be overwhelming and feel like it’s actually not getting you any business. While social media has many upsides, we discuss some of the pitfalls and how to avoid them. We also break down six common mistakes to avoid when using social media for your business. Then, Natasha O’Banion, Automated CEO, answers, “How do I make the most out of in-person marketing events?”

255: Feeling Overwhelmed and Inadequate?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with everything you have to do? Or maybe you’ve felt inadequate because you can’t seem to make any headway on your to-do list. Whatever the reason, you are not alone. Life as a business owner means there is a never end list of things you have to get done. Managing these feelings takes understanding that we all have our limits. It also means setting better expectations for what you’re able to do and when it can be done. Then, Natasha O’Banion answers, “What are you looking forward to this year?”

250: Stop Overcomplicating Marketing with Jane Harrell

Do you ever feel guilty that you should be doing more in your marketing? 📢With as many hats as we wear as business owners, it's common to start feeling like you're not doing enough. In this episode, Jane Harrell, from Working with Dog and Cause Digital Marketing, shared ways we can market efficiently, use time effectively, and learn to forgive ourselves when we don't get everything done.

248: Going The Extra Mile with K.C. Heitchue

How has your business grown? Growing rapidly is never easy. Since starting Fur Baby Comfort & Care three years ago, K.C. Heitchue has worked hard to provide exceptional pet care to Southeast Michigan and has grown to over 900 clients. K.C. shares her motivations for starting the business and how that has continued to drive her. She also discusses how growing her Facebook page helped her build a network rather than competition. She shares the key to staff retention and what it means to go the extra mile for clients.

211: The Power of Blogging with Ali Smith

How do you connect with your ideal clients? One of the best ways is blogging. Ali Smith, owner of Rebarkable, shares her story of blogging as a way to turn her business into a high value machine. She gives tips on what makes a good blog, getting over the fear of imperfection, and how to repurpose your blog. Ali discusses how to reach quality clients and having peace of mind in business.

194: Preparing for When You Get Sick

A stomach bug ran through our house last week. Thankfully we are on the mend now, but it was a reminder that we need to have a plan for our business, ourselves, and our clients! While we never plan to get sick, we can plan what to do when it happens. We outline the four major components of planning for sickness. Whether you're solo or have a team, having a plan helps you to continuing to provide care to your clients. Then, Natasha O'Banion answers, "How do I keep myself from being overwhelmed by social media?"

190: Un-Marketing Your Business

Where should we invest our time as business owners? Traditional thinking would say to make sure to carve out plenty of time for marketing your services. What if we focused on other things and put relationships first? What would that look like in our business? We break down what the idea of Un-Marketing is and ways to start changing our mindsets towards placing more importance on relationships than ads. From the technology we use, to how we post on social media, there are ways to respect our clients and build their trust without ever running a single ad. Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I handle a negative review?”

188: How to Make Social Media Work for You

How are you using social media? Meghan breaks down some of the key aspects for making sure your social media is working for you. From having realistic expectations, to setting manageable content strategy, using social media for your business does not have to be overwhelming. As with everything, there is a balance to be had, and understanding why you’re using social media is the first step. It’s not all about the follower count, it’s about having engaged loyal clients and followers. We also share how to balance content across the major platforms, and how to leverage local Facebook groups to your advantage. Natasha O’Banion answers the question on how to less awkward at the meet and greet.

162: Client Education

Did you know you’re an educator? As a pet care professional, you’re perfectly positioned to educate your community on being awesome pet parents. We’re also able to educate our clients on the range of pet care service options and the problems they solve. We discuss the importance of first educating ourselves and how to be supporting and loving to the clients we may disagree with. Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I sell myself be

136: Doing vs Dwelling in Business

In business there is a time for dwelling and a time for doing. Unfortunately, dwelling can be very comfortable, while doing the work can seem scary. On today’s episode we give ourselves a little pep-talk and discuss some of our own fear of moving from the planning stages in business to implementing them. Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I keep using the lessons I’ve learned from Covid?”

131: Privacy in Online Marketing

Modern technology and social media have made marketing as easy as a click of a button, but that sometimes comes with a price. We discuss privacy in online marketing, what to consider before buying targeted ads, and what it means for small businesses in a hyper connected world. Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I make the most out of first mover advantage in my area?”