what eles can i be doing
- Thread starter dawn006
- Start date
ola,
find out if there are any pet expo's or events on in your surrounding area and flyer those.
Go to your local park and flyer pet owners there (make sure it is daylight or you could get accuded of dogging!!!! see what i did there!).
As Plain Text says write to your local media... invite the ed or bus ed down to open it and then you will get them to pay for the snapper as well.
Have a prize draw or something on the open day that people need to enter email or snail mail addresses on so you can build a mailing list.
If you can afford them, get some quirky mini carrier bags done up and put a free dog chew or cat-thing in there. The opportunities to see (OTS in nasty marketing speak) will be massive as they get carried around town.
Hire a town crier for a few saturdays to shout about your store. They can range in cost from £150 up to £400 a day (£400 gets you Alan Myatt, officially Europes loudest town crier... I have his contact details).
Get in touch with your local RSPCA or cat protection etc and see if they sell the mailing lists of people who have taken a dog or cat in.
If your shop is big enough why not do a free pet grooming demo and mail out to the people you got from the prize draw...?
Do something novel to attract attention like appoint yourself the official central contact point for lost/dognapped/catnapped/terrapinapped animals... all you need is a few notices in your shop, include it in your press release and if you fancy pushing the boat out get a free phone number.
Got a loyalty card scheme up and running?
Try and find brands that are also associated with people who have pets... and link up with them via reciprocal ads. I am struggling to think of some off the top of my head other than the sweeping generalisation that most old people with pets drive Citroen 2CV's,so you could target a few dealers (joke!).
Hope this helps.
find out if there are any pet expo's or events on in your surrounding area and flyer those.
Go to your local park and flyer pet owners there (make sure it is daylight or you could get accuded of dogging!!!! see what i did there!).
As Plain Text says write to your local media... invite the ed or bus ed down to open it and then you will get them to pay for the snapper as well.
Have a prize draw or something on the open day that people need to enter email or snail mail addresses on so you can build a mailing list.
If you can afford them, get some quirky mini carrier bags done up and put a free dog chew or cat-thing in there. The opportunities to see (OTS in nasty marketing speak) will be massive as they get carried around town.
Hire a town crier for a few saturdays to shout about your store. They can range in cost from £150 up to £400 a day (£400 gets you Alan Myatt, officially Europes loudest town crier... I have his contact details).
Get in touch with your local RSPCA or cat protection etc and see if they sell the mailing lists of people who have taken a dog or cat in.
If your shop is big enough why not do a free pet grooming demo and mail out to the people you got from the prize draw...?
Do something novel to attract attention like appoint yourself the official central contact point for lost/dognapped/catnapped/terrapinapped animals... all you need is a few notices in your shop, include it in your press release and if you fancy pushing the boat out get a free phone number.
Got a loyalty card scheme up and running?
Try and find brands that are also associated with people who have pets... and link up with them via reciprocal ads. I am struggling to think of some off the top of my head other than the sweeping generalisation that most old people with pets drive Citroen 2CV's,so you could target a few dealers (joke!).
Hope this helps.
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0
Great suggestions, Andy.
Dawn,
What are you doing for your opening day?
If you've got a fun, special event, and you put that on your flyers, it'll make a bigger impression (and get more word-of-mouth/media coverage).
If you've got an open space nearby (like a small park), you could talk to the police and ask them if they'd do a police dog demonstration.
I happened to see one of these when I was on holiday in Paris a few years ago, and it drew a huge crowd.
(actually, I saw the crowd and went over to see what it was for)
It was a really impressive demo and it's good public relations for the police.
Alternatively, there are probably people in your area with trained dogs that do obstacle courses or tricks.
Something that involves animals that people would stop and watch, then give them a leaflet and send them off to your shop for free dog chews/cat sweets (or whatever).
Steve
Dawn,
What are you doing for your opening day?
If you've got a fun, special event, and you put that on your flyers, it'll make a bigger impression (and get more word-of-mouth/media coverage).
If you've got an open space nearby (like a small park), you could talk to the police and ask them if they'd do a police dog demonstration.
I happened to see one of these when I was on holiday in Paris a few years ago, and it drew a huge crowd.
(actually, I saw the crowd and went over to see what it was for)
It was a really impressive demo and it's good public relations for the police.
Alternatively, there are probably people in your area with trained dogs that do obstacle courses or tricks.
Something that involves animals that people would stop and watch, then give them a leaflet and send them off to your shop for free dog chews/cat sweets (or whatever).
Steve
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0
Dawn is this Posh Dogs at all? I believe I spoke to your partner about this and I have tried to contact you back but the phone just rings out.
Please can you e-mail me at [email protected] and we can take it from there.
Matt
Please can you e-mail me at [email protected] and we can take it from there.
Matt
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- Original Poster
- #6
hi yes its posh dogs my partner said he spoke to you ,we got fixed up for printing thanks am going to run a weeks long advert with some sort of ring in and win prize and the radio station going to annouce who won on the day we open ,its just am of the high street in a court yard so need to get people in ,am also not doing grooming but its a thought thanks for advice please keep it coming i like the thought of maybe cheap give bags with a chew and a flyer in
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Hi Dawn,
I see you already have some great marketing advice but I just remembered something from when i lived in Paris. As you probably know they are obsesses with dogs over there and on every street corner there is a dog grooming salon and on every other street corner a place to buy clothes for dogs.
There was one shop near my office that was in a little courtyard a bit like you. On the street outside they took a kind of mini cart and put this lovely teddy dog in it. They put a waterproof coat on him and everything. The coat was actually secured on and the teddy secured to the cart ( so noone could nick it ! ) On the coat it was written something like -> Dog wonderland this way - or something like that.
Just a little idea for you.
Jacqui
I see you already have some great marketing advice but I just remembered something from when i lived in Paris. As you probably know they are obsesses with dogs over there and on every street corner there is a dog grooming salon and on every other street corner a place to buy clothes for dogs.
There was one shop near my office that was in a little courtyard a bit like you. On the street outside they took a kind of mini cart and put this lovely teddy dog in it. They put a waterproof coat on him and everything. The coat was actually secured on and the teddy secured to the cart ( so noone could nick it ! ) On the coat it was written something like -> Dog wonderland this way - or something like that.
Just a little idea for you.
Jacqui
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Free pictures of children holding their pets? You could litter your walls with copies of every picture ever taken.
Get a couple of those collection dogs from the sixties, in which you put money for the RSPCA. Nostalgia sometimes works.
Get a couple of those collection dogs from the sixties, in which you put money for the RSPCA. Nostalgia sometimes works.
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Hi Dawn
I know its been suggested but contact the local paper to come down and take a pic. If you are advertising with them, put some pressure on the rep to get someone down. Say you may want to increase the buget or similar, it may work.
Just to be on the safe side, even if you arrange for a snapper from the local paper they may not turn up, due to a number of things ie ran out of time/photocalls double booked/ breaking news/accident/sickness/ world war 3 starts in Cheshire anything( it happens with me when i cover for some of the local papers.....not the ww3 bit as yet) . Hire a pr photographer(try me) who knows what type of pix the local will use, and if you have more than one paper in the area, can send diff pix to each of them.
Also, if the budget allows hire a look-a-like, which works really well. Have covered shop openings with a del boy type and it gets loads of interest. You
could even try little britain look a likes,they were at the nec Bham trade show that i covered doing a meet and great and they were brill. Have their contact details if you need them. Don't know what they charge, but they would bring the place to a standstill.
Hope that help.....
David
David Linney Photography
I know its been suggested but contact the local paper to come down and take a pic. If you are advertising with them, put some pressure on the rep to get someone down. Say you may want to increase the buget or similar, it may work.
Just to be on the safe side, even if you arrange for a snapper from the local paper they may not turn up, due to a number of things ie ran out of time/photocalls double booked/ breaking news/accident/sickness/ world war 3 starts in Cheshire anything( it happens with me when i cover for some of the local papers.....not the ww3 bit as yet) . Hire a pr photographer(try me) who knows what type of pix the local will use, and if you have more than one paper in the area, can send diff pix to each of them.
Also, if the budget allows hire a look-a-like, which works really well. Have covered shop openings with a del boy type and it gets loads of interest. You
could even try little britain look a likes,they were at the nec Bham trade show that i covered doing a meet and great and they were brill. Have their contact details if you need them. Don't know what they charge, but they would bring the place to a standstill.
Hope that help.....
David
David Linney Photography
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0
V
vintagewriter
If you are interested in bartering some of your products and skills you get 10 years worth of advertising for £75 with the Business Xchange Directory - an international bartering platform at www.businessexchangedirectory.com
Excuse the lack of adverts - we launched yesterday!
Excuse the lack of adverts - we launched yesterday!
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Y
YEM
Hi Dawn,
We would be interested in featuring you as a case study in YEM. The bad news is that the issue would be (at the earliest) the Aug/Sept issue as we have filled the June/July issue. The good news is that we can focus on the fact that you have done a successful launch etc etc, (and you will already have good piccies taken!)
If you are interested, email me at [email protected]
For more info on the mag, visit the website
Hope the launch goes well
Lucy
We would be interested in featuring you as a case study in YEM. The bad news is that the issue would be (at the earliest) the Aug/Sept issue as we have filled the June/July issue. The good news is that we can focus on the fact that you have done a successful launch etc etc, (and you will already have good piccies taken!)
If you are interested, email me at [email protected]
For more info on the mag, visit the website
Hope the launch goes well
Lucy
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0
Z
ZARMarketing
Great suggestions from everyone.
You might also want to contact all the local or county wide dog breeders along to the event and get them on board with your shop as they will be able to help with WoM to families buying pups.
The loyalty scheme is great or pehaps a pet fashion show in some of your doggie clobber for the actual event!
Good luck!
Zoe
You might also want to contact all the local or county wide dog breeders along to the event and get them on board with your shop as they will be able to help with WoM to families buying pups.
The loyalty scheme is great or pehaps a pet fashion show in some of your doggie clobber for the actual event!
Good luck!
Zoe
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Another thing you could do is to go to all the local vets and offer to give them vouchers they could give to their clients that offers 10% or 15% off any purchases in the first month.
If you do this, particularly if your vouchers express your key selling strength(s) - the reason why they should come to your shop rather than go to your competitors - you should be able to get some early traffic for a low cost.
Steve
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Have you personalised any of your dog wear with your company details? I'm sure if I saw a dog walking around with a jacket embroidered with your name and details on I would remember it.
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