All tagged social media
How is word of mouth marketing working for you? If you’re like many people right now, you’re finding that word of mouth is not quite enough to keep your business growing or maintaining the level you need. Today, we break down 20 marketing ideas to try if you’ve never had to market before. If it’s all a little intimidating, we also discuss 5 things to focus on to get started.
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.
We just celebrated four years of podcasting! We can’t believe where the time has gone. What started off as a to share from our experiences quickly turned into a while of showcasing the amazing people working in the pet industry. We’ve been honored to share their stories and learn from the best of the best. We break down four lessons we’ve learned and how they’re impacting our own business, and the importance of tackling big problems.
What do you do with old content? As a busy business owner, your time is precious! You pour a lot of effort into creating content or gaining media attention, so don't waste it! Thankfully, there are many ways to repurpose existing content. From infographics to webinars, highlights to short videos, a single piece of media can be transformed into new methods for targeting market segments, raising your profile, and demonstrating your value.
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.
Do you have a strong brand for your pet business? Why should we be concerned about it? Our brand is being built as we operate our business so the process of strengthening our brand is purposefully steering it to better position our business in the market. We share 5 ways to start building a stronger brand today. Plus, Natasha O’Banion with Automated CEO answers, “Should I take business and marketing classes?”
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?”
Have you ever used Canva for your business? It's a software and app that gets recommended as a great way to create social media posts, but what exactly is it and how do we get the most out of it? Jessica Bay from Templates for Pet Pros joins the show to share simple workflows to use in Canva and how to make sure you don't spend hours making your posts. She gives us some of the power features everyone should be using and how it's more than just social media posts. We also discuss many facets of Instagram and why having a strong social media presence builds authority with your clients.
What does publicity mean in 2021 and beyond? Why should I pay attention to it? Rachel Spencer has been working in media for over 20 years and currently runs, Publicity for Pet Businesses. She shares her experiences of what journalists are looking for in a story and how to overcome the fears of imposter syndrome so you can start sharing your stories. We cover the difference between marketing and publicity, and how you can raise your profile through engaging in the media and being seen as an expert.
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?"
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?”
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.
Running a business is usually seen as something for extroverts. We’re told to be outgoing and put ourselves out there for our clients. But many of us in pet care would consider ourselves to be more introverted, so what are we to do? How does an introvert navigate running a service based business and take care of our clients? We discuss ways to embrace your strengths and how to navigate being ‘social’ on social media. Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I get more time back?”
On this episode we discuss the different types of hats you may wear, and the ones you shouldn’t. From being an IT manager to a marketer and CFO, there are a lot of things to do. The key is determining which hat you should be wearing versus finding a way to have someone else, or software, wear it. Natasha O’Banion answers the question, “How do I fire an employee in a healthy way?”
We have so many demands on our time and attention. By setting healthy boundaries, we create more time and space for doing what we actually want to be doing. We discuss how boundaries are a way to take back control from the things demanding our attention. Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I make time for friends and family during my busy times?”
What does telling your story mean? We hear it all the time, but how to do you actually do that and what does it look like? In this episode we talk about why your story is so important and how it connects with your clients. Natasha O'Banion answers, "How do I set myself apart?"
Fellow podcaster, pet business owner, and coach Dominic Hodgson comes on the show today to talk about digging out of covid. Dom breaks down the two sales machine engines we should all have running and what it means to be specialized.
On today's episode Dan, owner of Dan's Dog Walking and Pet sitting, and Mauro, their Media Director, join us to talk all about social media in the pet care industry. Dan and Mauro discuss their social media strategy and simple tools and equipment we can use to produce high quality content. They also talk candidly about both the best practices and the ones to avoid when engaging on social media.
We share some of our thoughts on recent events and the Black Lives Matter movement. We have a special interview with Natasha O’Banion, owner of Walk with Renzo and Ruby, and Kylie Holliman-Rivera, owner of Fire Hydrant Pet Sitting. They sit down to discuss the BLM movement, what being an ally looks like, and what the pet care industry has to do with it. We end the episode with another “Question with a Pet Business Coach” segment with Natasha!
Miguel Rodriguez, owner of City Dog Pack, comes on the show to give an indepth look at his dog walking business in New York, why he offered free services in the beginning, and some basic dog training skills all pet care providers should know.
