November 12, 2023

How to stand out as a pet service business

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Want to stand out from your competition in the pet services niche?

The best way is to develop your business in a way that ensures you have no direct competitors.

Competitors will always remain a reality. However, when you find ways to differentiate your pet services business from the others, you can offer something your competitors don’t have.

Once you find this unique value proposition, your competitors are not directly competing with you anymore.

When you establish yourself as a unique business in the pet services industry, you create more room for yourself to scale and acquire more customers.

This post is an offshoot from How To Run A Profitable Pet Services Business. Read the main post to learn everything you need to know!

The biggest mistake pet service businesses make

It can be tempting to create a run of the mill pet service business and call it a day, then hope you can differentiate yourself using digital marketing.

While there’s nothing wrong with digital marketing – in fact, we highly suggest using digital marketing to grow your pet services business – you’ll run into some issues if you solely rely on this:

  1. If your competitors are using digital marketing in the same way as you, you’re back to square one
  2. Your digital marketing strategy will not resonate with your target customer if you haven’t nailed down your unique value proposition
  3. Marketing a bad offer will cost more in the long term than marketing a better, unique offer

So before you go out guns blazing and scale your marketing strategy, take some time to come up with the unique value proposition that sets your business apart.

What value can you bring to pet owners that no one else can?

Here are some ways you can differentiate yourself in the pet service industry.

Offer something unique to pet owners

Is there a particular problem that existing competitors don’t cater to in your area? If this is the case, you can add this as one of your specialties.

If you’re not sure, consider surveying people in your neighborhood and checking out the reviews of other pet service businesses. Yelp, Google, and Trustpilot are amazing resources to find out what customers are craving!

For example, if people are commenting about a local dog groomer near you who doesn’t offer fancier hair trimming options for dogs, you could use this angle and offer a more ‘salon-like’ experience at your dog grooming location – a place where dogs go to feel special and look their best.

On the other hand, if local dog walkers in your area don’t offer flexible hours, make this your selling point – you’ll walk dogs 24/7. 

Maybe people in your area are looking for an eco-conscious groomer who only uses natural products.

If you dig hard enough, you’ll get a full picture of the pet services industry in your area, and figure out exactly where your services fit in.

Add extra touches

Don’t be the pet service professional who shows up, does the minimum amount of work, and call it a day. 

Not only will these extra touches help you stand out, but they will also give you an edge and allow you to charge premium prices.

For instance, you can send automated reminders to remove some emotional labour from your customers. It feels nice to know your service providers have your back and that you don’t need to worry about anything.

You can also give some extra attention to your furry customers as well! Why not prepare a bag of treats for every dog you work with? Of course, this can become a weekly or bi-weekly treat if you see the same doggy clients on a daily basis.

Since you got into this business, you probably like spending time with pets – so make the experience worthwhile for everyone involved!

Make pricing hassle-free

This is especially helpful for onboarding new customers, but it’s an important one.

When choosing a new pet service provider, customers often check for pricing information across various websites.

The easier it is for these customers to get a price from you, the better. And the more personalized the price is, the more likely they’ll pick you, because they know exactly what to expect.

On the other hand, if customers have to jump through hoops to get a quote or price from you, they might give up and go with an easier option.

Check out our post for more ways on how to simplify pricing for pet services.

Squash the competition with the best pet services

You want to be the best at what you do. The fewer people with your specific targeted offer, the easier it becomes to be the best.

Find what you’re the best at doing, and make sure you give your 100% every time. Whether that’s adding extra thoughtful touches or making it extra easy to pay you, make it count!

These unique value propositions can become the deciding factors when customers choose between you and other competitors. The more you strengthen your differentiation points and help your pet service business stand out, the more chances you’ll have at winning over new customers – and retain your existing clientele.

You may like our other articles:
  1. Digital Marketing for Your Pet Service Business
  2. How to Price Your Pet Services Online to Increase Profit Margins
  3. How to Save Time as a Pet Service Business owner (and make more money)
  4. How to Scale Your Pet Services Business and Grow a Furry Empire