Business
The Magic of Email Marketing
ost pet business owners are stuck on the social media hamster wheel—posting, tweaking and praying for engagement. They drop captions, fiddle with hashtags and chase fleeting likes that don’t pay the bills. Then, at the end of each day, their content disappears into the social media graveyard, forcing them to start the whole process over again.
Meanwhile, the smart ones—the ones actually laughing their way to the bank—skip the social media slog, and instead write a simple, story-based email, hit send and watch the bookings roll in. If you own a pet care business and you’re not emailing regularly (at least twice a week), then let me be blunt: You’re missing out on a TON of money.
1. “My clients don’t read emails.”
Really? Because every single pet owner I know checks their inbox every single day. Does everyone open every email? No. Do they open, read and engage with good emails? Yes! Your job is to be the email they actually WANT to open.
If you write boring, corporate, templated, newsletter-style emails, then yes, they’ll ignore you. But if you tell stories, entertain, give them a peek behind the scenes at the awesomeness that happens daily in your daycare and actually sell them on why your services make their life easier, they’ll read, and they’ll buy.
2. “I don’t know what to say in emails.”
This is just laziness disguised as confusion. If you can talk to a client in person for 30 minutes about their dog’s separation anxiety, grooming schedule or exercise routine, guess what? You have infinite content for emails!
Simple email subjects that engage include:
- Dog success stories and client case studies (why your services are good for dogs and owners).
- Why most dog daycares get it completely wrong (and why your unique daycare system leads to how you don’t).
- The number-one mistake dog owners make with their training (and how you can help).
- What activities have been happening this week (and what exciting things you have coming up next week).
- Your origin story, mission and company values (i.e., what makes YOU different).
3. “People will unsubscribe!”
Good! Unsubscribes clean your list. They weed out the tire-kickers, the freebie-seekers and the people who were never going to buy anyway.
The people who stay? Over time they’ll fall in love with your message. Your emails will move prospects through the “Know, Like, Trust” process and make it easy to find dog owners who want to give you money.
The truth is, if you’re so worried about unsubscribes that you never send any emails, then you might as well not bother having an email list! Email helps you attract the right clients and repel the ones who aren’t a good fit for your services.
Everyone thinks this will never happen to them, until it does…TikTok gets banned? You’re in trouble. Facebook changes its algorithm? Uh-Oh, bigger trouble. Instagram decides it will favor paid ads and limits reach to 0.1% of your followers? You guessed it. Even more trouble!
Your email list is one of the only assets where you fully control the platform. When someone joins your email list, they’re giving you permission to show up in their inbox, and that’s powerful.
Email Vs Social Media
Meanwhile, in the privacy of someone’s inbox, it’s just you and them. And because emails take a little longer to write, and most people are scared of writing, it means you can dominate a platform that your competition won’t be using. And that is how you turn leads into loyal, high-paying customers.
1. Start with a story: Something that happened to you, a client, a dog or even a bizarre event in your business.
Example: “Yesterday, we welcomed a new dog to the daycare. He’s a Cockerpoo called Benji. He’s a real livewire, full of energy, and his mom and dad we’re struggling to give him the exercise he needs.”
2. Relate it to a pain point: How does this connect to a real problem pet owners have?
Example: “See, like a lot of owners, Benji’s pet parents didn’t realize that underneath all the fluff, there beats the heart of a real working dog who can become difficult to handle, or even destructive, if their breed traits and exercise needs aren’t taken care of.”
3. Transition into a CTA (Call to Action): i.e., Sell something. Every. Single. Time.
Example: “That’s why Benji’s mom enrolled him in our new enrichment program, where Benji can practice his superpower of sniffing and finding things, which means he is fulfilled, happy and settled at home.
Do you feel guilty about leaving your dog home alone? Do you need help providing the exercise and stimulation your dog needs? Click here to enroll in our exclusive personalised enrichment program”
Boom. Email done.
The bottom line is, stop leaving money on the table. You don’t need fancy graphics. You don’t need perfect grammar. You don’t need to be a “writer.” You don’t even need ChatGPT. You just need to start telling stories using this forgotten communication tool that’s as reliable as a boomerang; send it out, and watch the money come right back to you.
Dom Hodgson is Europe’s leading pet business coach, and is known as the Pet Biz Wiz. His mission is to help pet service providers create superior customer service systems that enable them to build an impactful and profitable pet business. Dom has written over nine books, and is a much in-demand speaker. You can instantly download a free copy of his latest book “How to Disnify Your Doggy Daycare Business” by going to www.petbusinessmarketing.com/daycaremagic