Is your marketing message on target? Does it really differentiate you from the competition? Are you emphasizing the concerns of pet families in search of pet care? The industry has grown and changed tremendously in the last five years and we see a great opportunity for pet centers focused on quality to differentiate themselves by changing their marketing focus.

The Dog Gurus recently surveyed dog families on their use of professional pet care and educational subjects of interest in living with their dog. We were somewhat surprised by the response that more than 50% never take their dog to a daycare or boarding center. There were many reasons and most of them had an underlying theme, lack of trust!

We have some ideas that can help you establish trust in your operations and marketing message. We’ll use the acronym TRUST so these points are easy for you to remember.

Trained Staff
Survey respondents voiced concern over the level of staff training of those caring for their dog. We know many pet care centers are investing in staff training, but are you communicating this to your market? Let them know details about the training you provide on your website, social media marketing and during tours of your center. If you have created your own training program, be sure to write up the details and share them with your community.

Responsibility
Stand behind the quality of care you provide and include this in your marketing message. Many pet centers offer pet health warranty programs which are strong evidence of the confidence you place on your care. We recently spent time reading terms and conditions of a growing home care provider network and were struck by the fact that they specifically exclude taking responsibility for the care provided during the stay. Unfortunately, most pet owners will not fully read the terms and conditions to realize this, but you can emphasize the responsibility you do take in your marketing. By focusing on the safe and responsible care you provide you will make it clear that questions about “who is in charge of my pet?” are not being addressed by other providers. You don’t need to bad mouth others, just strongly market and point out all that you do to keep the dogs safe.

Understanding Your Clients
A consistent theme in our survey pointed to the fact that many families select pet care providers based on how well they seem to provide individual attention and care to their pet. It’s as if families believe that if their dog is one of many, the pet care facility staff will not know their dog as anything other than another “animal.” We know it’s challenging to balance policies and procedures with the varied needs and requests made for individual pets. However, we also know quality providers do know the majority of pets in their care as the individuals they are. Be sure to emphasize how you effectively care and know each individual pet in your center. Find a way to say yes to custom requests (which can include a fee for the added services) and confirm to the customer that you do care about the needs of their individual pet.

Safety
Concerns regarding dog safety were voiced repeatedly, especially related to attending dog daycare. It is important to communicate the policies you have in place focused on keeping dogs safe during play which should include 100% supervision by trained staff members, separating dogs by size, interactive activities and rest periods. Related to your boarding services, respondents had a strong preference for a “home environment” for their dog. We understand that safety is higher in the “dog proofed” environment of pet care centers, but the public sometimes views lodging options as a “stark jail.” Include “homey” touches to your lodging environment and educate owners on the importance of being dog safe. The unfamiliar “home” environment will be just as stressful to the dog and can also include high risk safety issues related to fencing, exposed electrical cords, plants and other ingestible items. Additionally, your trained staff and numbers of pets cared for helps ensure early observation and action on pet health emergencies (e.g., bloat, heat stress, seizures). Make sure all these facts are communicated to your clients via your website, social media, and any literature you provide to the client. If bad things happen to dogs at other centers, use that as tool to help educate owners on the safety measures you have in place to prevent incidents from occurring in your center.

Think Fun!
Focus on the activities and fun pets have at your center. Include lots of photos of pets engaged in fun with your staff and other dogs in playgroup on your website and social media pages. Rather than describing the size of your boarding enclosures, focus on customizing a fun itinerary that gets the pets out of the sleeping quarters multiple times per day. Paint the image of a vacation stay or a day of active fun that includes physical exercise and mental work for the dogs while at your center. Be sure to let your clients know that their pet will likely have a better time on vacation than the family will! That’s what owners really want to know.

Your biggest competition is not the pet center down the street. Rather it is the choice families make not to use professional pet care at all as they do not trust the care provider or see the value in your services. Your marketing message needs to build trust and place value on safety, physical exercise and mental stimulation for their pet. You are a pet professional that invests in staff training and takes responsibility for the care you provide. To compete in the changing pet care industry your marketing message must include educating pet parents on the real value of professional pet care.

As “The Dog Gurus,” Susan Briggs and Robin Bennett’s mission is to improve safety in the off-leash dog play industry. Check out their pet professional site at www.SafeOffLeashDogPlay.com. Robin Bennett and Susan Briggs’ newest venture is an education and resource site for dog families. Their mission on the new site is to ensure dogs are safe and happy with a focus on canine body language made easy and helping families select the best care providers for their dogs. Check out their new public site at www.TheDogGurus.com. In 2008 Robin and Susan published their book Off-Leash Dog Play: A Complete Guide to Safety & Fun. This successful book inspired a Dog Body Language poster set and pocket guide tools for pet professionals using the traffic signal safety colors. It was also the resource for Knowing Dogs Staff Training a two volume “staff training in a box” program on dog body language and group play produced in 2012. All resources are available from Robin’s website (www.RobinKBennett.com). Professional pet care is a passion for Susan resulting in development of Crystal Canine, a consulting and training resource for the pet industry (www.crystalcanine.com).

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