Most people with a pet care business struggle when it comes to effectively targeting and marketing to pet owners. This article will give you some best practices.
The pet care industry is explosive. At the moment, and in the U.S. alone, it is estimated to be worth over $55 billion over the course of 2020. But who is fueling this growth?
As it turns out, pets are extremely popular among millennials, young professionals who are deferring marriage and childbearing. With more free time and more free income, this demographic is spending a large portion of their leisure income on their furry friends.
Here is a quick breakdown of some of the major annual expenses pet owners currently have (read: growth opportunities in the pet care industry):
Surgical veterinary visits: $474 (dogs); $245 (cats)
Routine vet visits: $257 (dogs); $182 (cats)
Kennel boarding: $322 (dogs); $164 (cats)
Food: $235 (dogs + cats)
Grooming: $84 (dogs); $30 (cats)
But millennials aren’t the only ones with pets. According to the National Pet Owner’s Survey, 67% of U.S. households currently have a pet. Regardless of who the pet owner or ‘parent’ for that matter is, pets are increasingly viewed as an integral part of the family unit - which is great news for pet care focused businesses! Why, you ask? Because pet owners are willing to spend more money on their pets. They only want:
The best organic food
The most luxurious pet hotels
The chicest haircuts
On the flip side of the equation, pet owners are strapped for time and crave convenience - as with any ‘human’ product or service. This is creating an on-demand pet culture as well as a growing need for ‘pet tech’ in order to keep in touch with and occupy pets while owners are at work. Dog TV and Spotify for pets have captured this need spot-on.
Now take a second and think carefully: What are you currently doing to capture your fair share of the pet care market?
Here are 5 things you can do in order to build a strong pet care brand and effectively market your wares and services to pet parents:
#1: Identify your target audience - Before you can even think about marketing your pet care products or services you need to first identify your target audience. Ask yourself: ‘Am I marketing t
A single, high-income millennial in finance who lives in a densely populated city with a small dog?
A middle-income family with four children that lives in the suburbs, has a large house and dog as well as many other expenses besides their pet?
A retired widow with 10 goldfish and a parakeet who is living off of social security, and also loves art and street food?’
Meredith Hill got it right when she said: “When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one”. Marketing needs to be targeted and tailored. You need to deeply understand your audiences:
What motivates them?
What disposable income do they have?
What are their living circumstances (cramped apartment vs. spacious suburban house) and how does that affect their pets’ needs?
When are they active on social media?
What kind of language or offering will push them to take a desired action?
The answers to these questions need to influence every market decision you make, from tactics to the actual look and feel of your ads. As you continue reading, view every suggestion through the prism of your target audience, and consider what is right for them. Novarize provides you with a tool that allows you to pinpoint and gain insights into new target audiences so that you can actually run more effective marketing campaigns.
#2: Cross-pollinate - Consider collaborating with other companies or professionals. Identify other pet care professionals and service providers in your area such as vets, dog walkers, and dog hotels. You can both expand your current audiences by capitalizing on each other’s clientele. For example, your vet can display ads for your product, say dog food, on their website, and in exchange you can display an ad for their veterinary services on yours. You can take this one step further by offering a coupon or exclusive discount for each other’s customers, hang up flyers in each other’s offices/store or even start a pet collaborative. This can happen when a group of pet care providers band together and cross-promote each other. For example, a vet, a pet food store, a pet groomer, and dog walking service can band together and create a full-service dog membership. A customer can pay a flat monthly rate and receive all the services he or she needs from the collective.
Commenti