Advertising

[cajuntank]

I want to generate new customers. Can you tell me what steps you have taken that have been successful? If you have used advertising please share your wording ideas.

[tgood]

advertising tips

Hi,

Where I had my business we had a little local paper that went out once or twice a week. It only went out to the homes in the immediate area. The paper I advertised in went out to around 150,000 homes. Advertising is usually MUCH cheaper in these papers and targets all the homes specifically in your area as opposed to the larger papers. I also would put things like "mention this ad and recieve a free...." and finish how you like. I offered teeth brushing, nail grinding or a rawhide. All are inexpensive. Just be sure to put in there that it's with the purchase of a FULL grooming.
Good luck!!

[rapuzzled]

The phone book ad does a lot for us.
Word of mouth is a great thing too!
Probably a very invaluable thing though is vet referral. If you can get yourself plugged into a vet, and they refer you, you'll get a lot of business.

[Shampooch]

We only needed to send out flyers to local neighborhoods, advertise in the yellow pages, and we had road front signage on top of that and business picked up quickly.

[Plexi]

When I first started I drew a 8"x5" Westie on bright colored cardboard
and wrote my business name and phone number on it along with a holder for my busniess cards and then put them everywhere I could find a bulletin board and even in other towns.

[CountryCanines]

I made friends w/ the local vet that doesnt offer grooming services. (brought him homemade cookies to thank him!), am in the phonebooks, on petgroomer.com, did bi-weekly ads in the newspaper the 1st few mos. I was open, had my back window of my SUV done, but the referrals I get from my clients have just snowballed. Before I knew it I ACTUALLY had a clientele! I do give referral discounts. Word of mouth definitely worked the best!

[scrubapup]

I have magnets on both sides of my truck, my husband passes out business cards everywhere..... PENS!!!!! Everyone loves the pens and I leave them all over town. I write a check at the grocery store, leave a pen on the counter. I also do the "adopt a pet" page in the local shopper for the H.S. That runs 4 or 5 times a year.

But to be honest, most of my business has been word of mouth.

[blupiiglet]

I know this thread is a bit old...

but I wanted to share my advertising idea. I had business cards made up (vistaprint.com) and put them into little sandwich baggies. I took them around to the Aged care facility and hospital and some of the bigger stores around town and asked to have them put up in the staff room bulletin boards. I have found this to be very effective in generating new clients and as a result new word of mouth clients! Give it a go!

[dogbarber]

Try an open house. Put out some balloons and what not.

Could even try putting your grooming table out front (during open house) to attract passing motorists. You'll turn a lot of heads that way.