It’s easy to get stuck when trying to come up with new ways to market your business. Below are a few more ideas for getting people to know about you and what you have to offer (see my post “10 Ideas For Marketing Your Animal Massage Business” for even more).
1. If you hear about a “grand opening” of a pet-related business in your area, contact them and ask if they would be interested in having you providing massages at the event. It doesn’t have to be full-fledged massages; you can do mini-massages for a small fee so that people can let their pets try it. Even if the business is not interested, make sure you attend the event and network (bring your business cards!).
2. Don’t overlook the importance of internet marketing. Promote your blog or website. Write articles and submit to sites like Ezine Articles. They let you put up to two links to your site in the “About the author” box that goes with each article.
3. Ask “human” massage therapists in your area if you may display your business cards or other promo materials in their waiting room. Their clients are already aware of the many benefits of massage and are likely to be interested in massage for their pets as well.
4. Agility trials and competitions. Contact agility clubs in your area and ask if they have any upcoming events where you might be allowed to put up a tent and offer massage. These athletes (the dogs) can benefit greatly from both pre- and post-competition massage (see Who Needs Animal Massage?). Check out the United States Dog Agility Association or the North American Dog Agility Council for upcoming events.
5. Set up Google alerts so that you get regular updates on what’s going on in your field. You never know what might spark a new idea and it’s always good to know what other people are doing.
6. Tell everyone you meet what you do (and always carry your business cards with you). Even if you’re just in line at the post office and the person in front of you strikes up a conversation, you never know what that might lead to. See everything as a marketing opportunity.
Cattie Coyle
@cattiecoyle
Latest posts by Cattie Coyle (see all)
- Friday Links: Electric Dancing Bees, Lazy Horses, and Is Your State Bad For Pets? - May 17, 2013
- Exciting Changes Ahead At Animal Massage Guide - April 29, 2013
- Interview with Animal Homeopath Shirley Moore – Part 2 - April 12, 2013
[...] Under Your Animal Massage Business | Marketing your business is something you should be doing on a on-going basis – it’s always better to have too many [...]
[...] Sooner or later you are going to need some marketing materials to hand out to people to let them know about your business. Business cards are a must, and I also created a 3-folded brochure, postcards and flyers for my [...]
[...] Massage Business | Now that summer is here, there are lots of outdoor events where you could be offering your massage services to pet owners: rescue group gatherings, agility trials and competitions, [...]
[...] would be a great inspiration to those of you who are running, or thinking about starting, your own animal massage business. And for those of you looking for alternative health options for your pet, hopefully you will hear [...]
This is the important post! Many thanks for it! Using all the best Luke aka couchgool.