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Business side: marketing on social media and getting website found
I wish there was a “Business” tab to ask this question in. I feel I could use some advice.
I have been an established dog training sole proprietor LLC in Illinois since 2020 (3 years, OMD!) I started as a professional dog walker/petsitter a few years before that. Things had gotten crazy for awhile and I felt my business was mainly daily walks and petsits and I was doing maybe 3-5 lessons for dog training a week. I felt like I was killing myself.
I decided to “shed” some dog care clients whom I felt were too much energy/anxiety for too little $. It took me about 6 months to effectively weed them out and be professional about it.
In April this year, I took a 2-day seminar with a dog training business consulting group and felt both empowered and overwhelmed. They were talking about finding “your ideal clients” and planning for 6-8 weeks of paid time off in your calendar. Basically, creating and selling your dog training packages effectively, etc. WOW! So cool and overwhelming at the same time…
I always have a good website, but definitely could use a SEO service better. I am a novice website builder with years of professional design/art experience, so that is not the problem. But I need to “get found”. SIDEBAR: Unfortunately, SEO services for the website builder’s site for my BF’s website didn’t lead to much in the way of results, and was costly. We tried it for 6 months and then I tried going in and manipulating key words in the search engine tool. That has been somewhat successful and people have found his site well. Still needs work, of course. Totally different field: he’s professional opera singer and voice teacher.
Recently, my CATCH director said I should really start getting on social media. I used to be on Facebook, about 12 years ago, but it ate up my day and I found myself in touch with people I didn’t want as “friends”. Before that, I had a MySpace…(really dating myself here, LOL!). I didn’t like it because people I was glad to be rid of from my past showed up again, like cockroaches.
Another thing: It is not about the technology being difficult for me, I’m relatively tech-savvy, but about people bothering me on a personal level (ie. my ex-husband, whom I’ve blocked via email and phone), I am seriously terrified. I don’t want to be harassed or have a way for someone to lurk and shadow me or my business. I know my 22-year old daughter, who is “friends” with her dad (my ex) on FB, will want to help promote my business. So there’s a problem.
My questions:
*What do you like about your website services? What is essential for dog training businesses?
*Is there a way to have a professional business profile on Facebook or Instagram or TikTok without a personal page?
*Can you prevent certain people from finding your or knowing what you’re “up to” with your business? Can you block them?
Again, sorry for a long-winded explanation…☺️. I appreciate all the help I can get as I try to get more training clients. So far, I’ve been only doing marketing by having happy clients who tell their friends and family about me. I know that’s the best , but need more!
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8 Replies
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Wow! Congrats to three years of your LLC!! Sound like you are getting so many clients and improving many dog and owners lives!! What an accomplishment! These are such great questions. I am just starting out and did not create a website ( I just don’t want that much traffic yet until I feel more confident ) But I did start a FB business page. I could not start a business page without a personal one. Which I didn’t really like- I am like you and do not want to be personally found on FB to “make friends” but I could go into settings and have it that only I could search my personal name. So if someone searched my name itself it wont be found. I rarely even look at the personal page. Instagram was my personal page at one time, then I started adding some content or puppy pictures I have seen -but not to much since it can get crazy in the Instagram dog training world. I always turn my comments off. As my 19 year old said to me everyone is in the swing of using social media over websites- But I totally understand your concerns. My clients base has been really slow-not only do I only help with puppies- I rely on word of mouth and referrals from past dogs I spent time with. I would love to know more what people do to get the word out along with protecting your personal self.
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Thank you for the congratulations! It feels like a feat, because starting up a business, where you have to have contact with the client, was no small feat during the start of COVID. I did so many outdoor lessons with dogs and their humans and we wore face masks…The great part was that I never had that lull in business, because I could be personable and versatile.
However, having a lull in my business now is simply because of transitioning from walks to training and not having any real online presence, psst my website.
I’m so proud of YOU, starting up your business with the right ideas! Sounds like Facebook is working great for you… So cool. I would love to know more about the Facebook business page and not having a personal presence there.
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You both are asking great questions! It’s so true that you simply have to have an online presence these days. However, think about how your clients search for resources… GOOGLE.
So, setting up a Google business page is a great place to start, along with your website. My advisor and SEO coach said that the two best things you can do for your Google biz page are to add lots of photos of training in action/dogs and to get reviews. You do not have to list your private address publicly. You can set it to the town, I believe.
I personally wouldn’t spend a lot of effort on social media… yes, you have to be there, but you don’t have to be an “influencer”. You want local engagement, with local people.
Word of mouth/ local reviews are still and always going to be your best source of business. Be shameless in asking for people to share a review. Ask them when they express gratitude. Have a script – something like, “Thank you so much for your kind words. If you would like to help me grow my business, please share your comments (here).”
And my #1 business builder idea: Make friends with the local veterinary receptionists! Bring them food and tell them about your biz… when they are NOT busy – late morning, before lunch hour is usually a good time. Bring biz cards and ask for referrals! You can also ask if they could use any training handouts…
Nothing beats face to face marketing.
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CCPDT sent an email this morning with two great free webinars by our friends over at Dog*Biz. Maybe worth popping in to see if you can glean any tips, too!
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@catherine Thank you for such great advice!! I definitely have to drop some BC at my vet- having such a great relationship with them already. I actually signed up for this webinar for this Friday and I am super excited!!!
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@pawsup YOU’LL LOVE IT!!! The women at dogbiz are super helpful and knowledgeable. I hope you share what you’ve learned with us after!
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Thank you @catherine ! Yes, I love dogbiz and I took their business builder 2-day seminar in April. It rocked!
I didn’t think about the Google business page. I will give that a try. Thank you! My CATCH director mentioned Instagram as a good place to start, because you don’t need a personal email or personal presence to do a business presence. I am going to figure that whole THANG out today…
I’ll hit the vet offices too. And smaller boutique pet stores around me. LOL, this is a lot of work, marketing…
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You are so welcome – and yes, please share what you learn back with our community! This is the power of our connections!
And yes, Paula – I agree – it’s a lot of work. Entrepreneurship, as with any “job” comes with costs and benefits… It’s all about how you want to spend your time. ????
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