When considering if you want to add a newsletter to your businesses 'to-do' list- you need to think about all the PAW-sitive potentials and then also the not-so-good POO-ticulars before committing.

Newsletters Drive Sales

Most pet sitting and dog walking company interactions with their human clients IN PERSON are low. But, we still need to hit those5-7 'touches' before those humans will want your services.  So what do we do?

PRO TIP: Potential clients that are in what they call the 'consideration stage' of the buyer’s journey – they’re putting together options that could be right for them, and your curated newsletter can help guide them to the decision stage and get them to press “CONTACT US" or " SCHEDULE NOW".

Your newsletter can do this by including a few different tactics:

• Adding call-to-actions to direct users to your services or content downloads about pet care- new kitten/puppy
• Offering special 'first-time client specials' only available in the newsletter
• Giving subscribers early access to policy changes, holiday scheduling, or new services
• Providing in-depth service descriptions and behind-the-scenes action  (humans are NOSEY!)
• Highlighting positive Google or Facebook Reviews and showcasing staff

Canine Connection

Let's face it — the average human gets dozens of emails a day, and not all of them are worth reading. However, those who care about your business and are interested in what you have to offer will take the time to read what you have to say.   A newsletter can create a bond between you, your team, and your customers, putting your name front and center in their minds when they consider scheduling pet care services

So, how do you get them to ACTUALLY open it?

• A Catchy Tagline- Google Pet Puns. Enough Said.
• An Emoji within the tagline- not too many, not too cheesy- but eye-catching for sure!
• A snippet of info from the content- the most eye-catching part without giving anything away
• Frequency- You have to figure out what works best for your audience, but on average a once in a month vibe can be a great guide!

Boost Social Media Following

Social media is a MASSIVE part of success in business nowadays- there is no avoiding it. Whether it's Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter- the more fans and followers you have, the better you can communicate information about your business, how it will help them, and thus,  creating growth in your business.

PRO TIP: Be sure to pick 1-2 of the social media options that you know and are most comfortable with that

Most professional newsletters include links to social media profiles and even specific social media posts, when relevant. This increases the reach of your social media pages, attracting new fans to visit your pages and ensuring existing followers see your important info.

Increase Website Traffic

To keep your readers attention, typically newsletters only contain snippets of information to then hook the reader. As such, in order to get access to all information, clients reading should need to click on links to continue reading more info - and some of those links should go to your website and website blog- thus creating traffic to your website.

You may say, " Uh, why does traffic to my website even matter NAPPS?"

We will then say: " GOOGLE LOVES WEBSITES WITH HIGH TRAFFIC". If you want your website to show easier when someone searches for pet sitters in your area, and get more clientele- you WANT high traffic.

PRO TIP: In order to make sure you get the traffic bump you need, make headlines + snippets creative and intriguing! Give readers a REASON to WANT to follow your links and explore your website beyond the article they came to read.

Create Value to Customer

Pet Sitting on its own is valuable to the client-you exchange time for funds and in return, they get the freedom to do what they need to do in life- work, travel, family events, etc. Add information related to pet care, tips, tricks, and local events that are pet friendly to your newsletter to establish yourself as an authority in your readers' mind.

Examples of content:

• Tips for Choosing Products
• New Laws
• Seasonal Tips
• Local Pet-Friendly Businesses

When they have questions about products or services in your industry, they will know that you have access to information, and you will be well-positioned as a quick, authoritative source of trustworthy information in their minds. The more you are in a client's mind- the more they are going to book you for your primary services.

PRO TIP: This also leads to easier future potentials of expansion into other pet care categories for sales for you if wanted, or needed.

Amber Van Denzen, CPPS

Atta Boy! Animal Care 

Dedicated NAPPS Volunteer