Fun toys are just part of the major spending in the pet industry
Pet Industry Marketers: Attract That $60B in 2015 Spending
Last week at the Global Pet Expo 2015, the American Pet Products Association (APPA) released its 2015 numbers on pet spending. The APPA’s annual comprehensive report covers pet spending in the segments of food, supplies/over-the-counter (OTC) medications, veterinary care, live animal purchases and other services.
Overall, pet spending reached $58 billion in 2014. But get ready. In 2015, pet owners are going to bust through all previous spending records by shelling out a projected $60 billion. Wow!
Let’s look at the highlights of that report, and what they mean if you’re responsible for marketing pet products or veterinary services.
By including the location of this dog walking service, pet owners in Rhode Island can find this business in Google!
Is your local pet business website missing this critical content?
If the mission of your website and/or Facebook efforts is to bring more customers to your local pet business, you may want to give yourself a reality check on the LOCAL aspect of your content.
After all, people in your community use LOCAL phrases to look online for the products and services you offer. They type into Google, Bing and other search engines: “[your town] pet supplies,” “pet groomers in [your town],” or “veterinary care in [your town].” Since search engines need to SEE the location information in your website text and other online marketing content (your blog, social media and YouTube videos), these basic phrases need to be included on every page if possible.
Seems like a no brainer, right?
Well, sadly, MOST local pet businesses forget to put their location in their web content. I recently audited nearly 100 different local pet business sites and found that many of them were missing their location or the area they serve. Plus I get calls from small local businesses, asking why they aren’t showing up in search engine results. I take one look at their sites and I can’t find their location… or it’s buried on only a single page of the site. I have to ask, “Where are you?”
If I have to ask this question to a local business, that’s a serious problem because Google won’t list that business in local search results. Luckily, it’s easy to fix. Here’s how in 5 easy steps.
Easter bunny social media success for your pet business You’ve probably heard that pet owners spend more time today on social media sites than ever before. And Hubspot.com confirms that consumer use of social media has grown 250% in the past two years… so you need to be there. And yes, it’s true that likeable … Read more
I’m guessing your pet business or veterinary company gets the same questions again and again, day after day. Customers and prospects want to know how your product works, how it solves their problems, what colors it comes in, and much more.
And while you’re happy to answer those questions, you may not have thought about this: all those questions can be the foundation of terrific content for your pet or veterinary website.
“How to” questions are some of the most popular queries in Google and other search engines. I just did a quick search and found these popular ‘How to” inquiries in the pet world: how to crate train a dog, how to train a kitten to use the litter box, how to brush a dog’s teeth, and many others.
You can bet people are searching right now in Google, Bing and even YouTube to find a how-to solution your business can provide. Therefore, why not make the most of this opportunity?
Here’s how to turn your common questions into magnetic pet website content that attracts more customers.
Dog strollers — they’re everywhere. The airport, the mall, the coffee shop. A neighbor pet owner explained why. “My little dog can’t keep up with me on my long walks. When he gets tired, I plop him in the stroller and keep going.” Aha — I get it!
Here’s why this matters to you.
Does your pet web content speak to your target audience in a way that shows, you “get” it?
By echoing the thoughts of your reader in your content, your website will:
Have you ever said this to yourself? “I don’t have time to keep my pet blog current…” or “I don’t know what to write about on my veterinary practice blog…” or “My blog doesn’t get any traffic or responses; it doesn’t lead to new business for me.” If you’ve had any of these concerns about … Read more
A couple of months ago, I read an excellent article by Tech Crunch called “The Rise of the Video Explainer.” It talks about the power of using video to provide your prospects and customers with how-to tips, product demonstrations, free tours and more. Not only is video super powerful in telling your story in ways that … Read more
If you’re in charge of marketing your pet business or veterinary practice, I encourage you to think about adding a link strategy to your online marketing toolbox if you haven’t already done so. The reason is, inbound links from other websites — especially high-quality websites with lots of healthy, relevant traffic — are a major … Read more
Last week, as part of a Public Relations (PR) strategy to announce the new book I co-authored, Wildly Profitable Marketing for the Pet Industry, I submitted a pet-business press release to a few distribution services. It worked out very well, with Google picking it up right away. Plus we received some exciting comments from people in the … Read more
Every month or so, I’m invited to present a webinar about what works online… particularly regarding content that works to attract more customers to the websites of pet businesses and veterinary practices. I’ve been honored and thrilled to present webinars to veterinarians via LifeLearn; pet sitters and walkers via the Association of Pet Sitting Excellence; … Read more
