It’s easy to say, “I’m going to start my own business doing …” I’m sure many entrepreneurs have said this on multiple occasions and have had several business ideas throughout our lives. Some of us have even gone through with these ideas and have several businesses running at the same time! If this is you…WAY TO GO!
Whether you are considering creating a new industry all together, or trying to start a new brand in an industry that already exists, starting out in general can be complicated. For those who are thinking about starting a business (or multiple), or those who may have already started a business but are struggling to make their brand strand out; here are some helpful tips for getting started. In Marketing we call these the “4 P’s of Marketing”, which are Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.
PRODUCT
When it comes to ‘Product’, we need to think about what product or service we wish to offer; along with what features we want to offer, and how we will meet customer needs.
As the owner of Aussie Mom Pet Sitting LLC, a professional pet care company in the pet industry for the past 8 years, I chose to start my own business rather than go through one of the apps providing mass quantities of “side job sitters”. I knew this was a booming industry and that it would only continue to grow in the future. My’ ‘Product’ in this case was a service, which was my personalized pet care for the working or traveling family. I saw the need for working pet parents to have someone let their dog out midday, so they didn’t have to make that trip home on their lunch break. I also saw the need for the traveling pet parent to have peace of mind that their pet would have a home environment to stay in when they were away; with access to photos, videos, and even facetime chats with their pet when they couldn’t be with them. I also knew that marketing my services in a way that made me stand out from the Rover or Wag sitters that could be found through the apps, was important if I was going to be considered a “premium provider” in my industry.
PRICE
How do you know what you should charge? Yes, we can do market research and see what others are charging in our area and use that to come up with an industry average. However, you need to consider that your cost, demand, competition, and perceived value may be different from your competitors. Other brands may have been in the industry longer or may have the only known version of the product (as far as customers are concerned) when you are deciding to enter the industry. If you want to charge more now or in the future for your product/service; you need to increase the perceived value of your brand and show this through your marketing efforts to your intended audience.
In my case, I have a Veterinary Technician certification through Penn Foster, I am nationally certified through the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, and I’ve also gone on to acquire other pet care related certifications as well, which I can then showcase under my continued education and endorsements on my website. This ability to market myself in a way that makes my company stand out from the “neighbor kid” or “side job sitter” allowed me to increase my prices as I continued to grow, become even more educated, gain more experience/expertise, and scale my business accordingly.
PLACE
There are several questions to consider when discussing ‘Place’.
Some of these are:
- Will you be holding inventory of your product? If so, where do you intend to keep this inventory?
- If you are selling a service, what is your radius that you will provide those services in, and would you be willing to travel outside of that radius for an additional price?
- Will you be a mobile provider and deliver the product or service yourself or will you have to plan out your logistics differently?
As you can see the physical location of your business is not the only thing to consider in this category. If you are selling a product, you need to know if you will be doing this online and shipping the product, or if you will be acquiring shelf space in a retail store, or one of the many other options available for selling a product. This is something that should be considered before your business “goes live”.
PROMOTION
This P is very much about how we intend to communicate with our audience. The way that we promote our business is in effect going to be how we develop our brand to our target audience. We all want sales at the end of the day, but being overly aggressive about telling someone how badly they NEED your product could cause your ideal client to back away. Knowing your audience and knowing their preferred methods of communication (online through social media or website, in person via phone or text, or a quick email promotion or reminder) is a big part of how you should go about your promotions for your brand. Do you want your community to think that you are direct and to the point, or potentially that you are only worried about the sale and money you are bringing in? or do you want them to know that you are a family run business and will send them birthday coupons/getting cards for holidays and special events.
Over the 8 years I have had my business, we have now cared for over 400 families and some services have been dropped, and others added. Pandemics happened, and client’s needs changed. We had to adjust our business plan accordingly. When a new service came into existence, or one was about to end, we always made sure to market accordingly and give clients plenty of notice. We address our clients as “Aussie Mom Family” when posting on socials and addressing them, and make sure to send birthday greetings, vaccination reminders, and holiday cards to let them know that we care on a personal level. By doing so we were recognized as a Best of Central FL business in the pet industry for the past three years, as well as be published in a local magazine as a superior pet care provider in the industry.
Building your brand in the correct ways can help to not only gain recognition and sales, but also showcase who you are as an individual. Remember that, and get your 4 P’s in order, and you will do well in your future endeavors!
Wishing you the best!
~Ashley Lee
“Pet Pro gone Marketing Pro”
