I was reading an article on Forbes yesterday about how Millennials love their dogs. According to the American Pet Products Association, Millennials have displaced Boomers as the leading owner (generation) of dogs. In fact, 38% of dogs reside in Millennial households.
So while we all stand around and talk about the different things we need to do in our business to appeal to Millennials, it may be as easy as showing you’re dog-friendly. (I wonder how thay feel about turtles!)
Here are a few ideas on how you can let your business go to the dogs and increase sales to Millennials.
Invite Them In
Have you noticed how many restaurants and stores, not to mention transportation methods, now allow you to bring your canine friends? Dog owners are becoming more and more hesitant in keeping Fido at home. They want to bring him to soak up all those perfect Instagram moments.
For those of you with a brick-and-mortar business location, you may want to consider making it dog-friendly. If a dog lover is choosing to visit a business, they will likely choose one that is friendly to their best friend.
In order to show your dog friendliness, you’ll need to market it. Add pictures of dogs enjoying your space and add some copy to your website that shows you’re dog-friendly. You can even adopt your own dog mascot or resident dog employee. If you are going to be dog-friendly, don’t forget to make them comfortable with things like dog bowls and…
Customize Your Offerings to Dogs
How you do this will depend largely on the type of business you have. If you serve food, offer some dog-safe treats on the menu. If you don’t, think of ways you might help dog owners or make the dog more comfortable. These things could include soft mats for them to lay on, towels to dry off with, or free dog treats. Some apartment complex leasing offices now offer doggie refreshment bars with an assortment of treats for furry friends.
Add a Dog Park or Lounge Area
If you have a little extra room in your business, think about creating a gated mini dog park or lounge area where dogs can enjoy themselves as much as your customers do.
Before opening one of these you may want to contact an attorney and your insurance company to understand the level of risk and protecting your assets.
Offer Dog Giveaways
In addition to treats, if you use swag in your business (and you should!) you could give recipients a doggie item. While this might not be perfect for every person looking at your business, you can make it an option for dog owners. ThinkQuik carries items like dog rope throws, dog bag dispensers to help you clean up after your pet, and dog treats in a branded container.
If you think swag for dogs doesn’t fit enough of your demographic then you can consider other things like dog-themed items. For example, you could give away a fluffy dog screen cleaner, a dog business card holder, or even a plush dog.
Host Contests
Some proud dog owners love to dress their dogs up. Whether it’s Halloween or the first day of spring, some of them go to great expense to ensure their dogs look as good as they do. A nice way to get their attention is to host a dog contest. You can create anything you’d like whether it’s a costume contest, smallest dog contest, fluffiest dog, or any number of other designations. Encourage people to post pictures of their dogs on your Facebook page and then invite them to vote and crowdsource a winner.
Host a Dog Event
As fun as posting on social media and voting for “the best” in category is, if you have a brick-and-mortar location you can have even more fun. Host your own dog event and give prizes out in person. Host a doggie costume contest for Halloween or create an event around Halloween with a parade and treats for everyone who participates.
Use some creative thinking and imagine what kind of events dog owners may like. Perhaps a special afternoon tea for their beloved pooch or Christmas pictures with Santa. You could make these events free or sell inexpensive tickets. You can also support your local animal shelter by requiring the entry fee be paid in things like blankets, cans/bags of pet food, and other things that shelters need. Collect them and then donate these things to your local animal welfare organization.
Get Your Own
It’s difficult to prove you’re a dog-loving business without your own dog. So if you’re going to invite others to bring dogs, bring your friend to work as well. If you have an older pet or one that doesn’t get along well with other dogs, you can still make them a part of your business.
You can:
- add their image to your marketing materials
- post a picture of them on social media and in your blog
- add their face or a cartoon of them on your business cards
- display pictures of them in your office
- make and sell t-shirts with your furry friend
- give them their own blog column
If your pet has a lot of personality, or even if they sleep all-day, sharing things about their life helps people connect with you and feel like they know you and your pet. People do business with those they know, like, and trust. Showing yourself as a responsible and loving pet owner can go a long ways to building the feelings that will mean more sales for you.
Sharing things about your pet becomes a point of conversation for your customers and makes them feel like they know the kind of person you are. Forming this sort of connection gives you common ground and they feel invested in your life. When they do, you stand out from the competition. Now you’re not just a “restaurant on 5th Street”, you’re the restaurant with the cute pug who sits behind the bar. people will come in just for that reason.
Share to Social Media
Some of our most popular social media posts–the ones that get the most shares–are about pets. And they’re not always ours!
Pets soothe people, make us less anxious, and make us feel welcome. Sharing funny memes, GIFs, and videos about animals and pets almost always receive a lot of shares and comments. People interact with those kinds of posts.
You can also share fun, quick hits about your own animal. Imagine what they’re thinking first thing in the morning while you get ready for work and post about it. Share the look on their face(s) if they watch you eat your sandwich. Take a picture of them when they’re doing something they love and share that as well.
Most people need a little happiness in their lives and seeing a dog with his head hanging out the window and his tongue lapping at the air makes most people feel good even if they don’t own a dog of their own.
Our cities and public areas are becoming more dog-friendly and there’s a good reason. Millennials, as well as other generations, are treating their dogs as a member of the family. Your customers don’t want to do business with an organization that doesn’t like a member of their family. For this reason, you may want to consider different ways to make your business more dog-friendly.
But this undertaking is largely dependent on your customers. Do a little research. You may find your main demographic isn’t into dogs at all but rather cats or reptiles. Whatever you discover, playing up your interest in dogs and other animals can go a long way to building the connections necessary to create loyal customers and increase sales.
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