Episode 106: Bootstrap Marketing Ideas For Your Pet Business (Gain An Extra $10k Per Year!)

When we talk about marketing, there is truly an endless arena of ideas and tactics that we can use for pet business owners to get our name and our brand out there. It can be digital or old-fashioned pounding of the pavement. It can be print or even just a simple graphic on social media. But, which one is going to get me the best bang for my buck? Which one is going to help me grow my business?  On this episode, Bella sits down with Erika Godwin to take a look at all things bootstrap marketing and advertising for pet sitting businesses. After delving into the world of what makes up a good advertising campaign, Bella shares some of her own personal successful advertising methods that she used in her pet sitting company. Erika Godwin is the Co-Founder and the Chief Marketing Officer of ProPet Software, a boarding kennel, dog daycare and pet grooming management software. She is also an expert on website creation, maintenance, and SEO. Biggest Takeaways You Don't Want To Miss There are a number of major problems that pet businesses run into when it comes to advertising. A lot of the time, pet business owners have HUGE time constraints. They're in the field 10-14 hours a day and are just too tired to work on the business itself. Money also poses an issue, as it can be confusing how much or how little to spend - or there's just nothing in the budget at all for advertising. Sometimes pet business owners are afraid. They don't want to do it wrong, lose money, or run the risk of not finishing what they started. For any successful advertising campaign, there are a few key items that need to be looked at. These usually consist of: correct advertisement placement, use of brand colors, use of white space, a specific message, and a specific call to action (CTA). More information about defining your message for your pet sitting or dog walking business can be found here. Pet sitters & dog walkers need to know what they are selling (hint: it is NOT pet sitting or dog walking!). When we look at the big picture, pet sitters are actually selling peace of mind (that you will show up), trust (that you won't steal from them), and security (that you will keep their information secure). Understanding this mindset and tailoring your advertising to play off of it is key. There are a couple of different ways that we can sell emotions through our advertising. Usually, this is done through colors and images. Different images can elicit different emotions depending on whether you're using stock photos, professional photos, or even just the casual selfie. All of these can be effective in their own ways, but all of them must be relevant and timely. Share The Show Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review! Click this link – Bella In Your Business Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section Click on ‘Write a Review’ Transcript: This is episode 106 of Bella in Your Business. The next series of episodes are from a previously recorded live event training series that Erica Goodwin and I did together. The following is a past recording, but the information is just as juicy. I hope you enjoy it. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready—Bella's got your chute. Let's jump. Boom! Here we are. I think we are on Facebook. Erica, say hi. Hey guys, how’s it going? This is an absolutely free training that Erica and I are doing, and we want to welcome you. This is called the Jump into Barketing Training, and we're your hosts, Erica Goodwin from the Barketing Blog and Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. Erica, for those of you who don't know her, you need to go like and follow her. She’s the co-founder of ProPet Software, kennel management software in the pet industry. And I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting, a pet business speaker, author, and coach who's been helping pet businesses since 2007. Erica and I created this training together. We actually have twelve trainings coming to you, and this is the second one. The first one was about keywords on your website. Kristen said that in just two days after following that training, she was already in the local pack for dog walkers and pet sitters. If you don’t know what I mean by “local pack,” go watch that show—it’s something so easy you can do, and people are already emailing and messaging us with great success stories. Today, we’re talking about bootstrap marketing ideas for your pet business to gain over $10,000 in additional revenue. We also want to let you know that the show is sponsored by Barketing Solutions websites and Better Marketing with Bella. Erica: Barketing Solutions are websites specifically designed for the pet industry. We use a template system to offer affordable, professional websites that are fast and rank high in search engines and local packs. You choose your template, send us your branding and photos, and we customize it for you. We handle all your updates, maintenance, and security so you don’t have to worry about it. Bella: Her program is amazing because with my Better Marketing with Bella program—which is also sponsoring this series—I provide Facebook video covers, square videos, blog posts, emails, branded graphics, coaching calls, Zoom calls, and editorial photos every month for six months. The reason I can say Erica’s program is amazing is because somehow both of our programs work together. Many of my clients in Better Marketing with Bella have Erica post their content on their websites in a way that becomes Google’s best friend. Together, it’s the perfect partnership. We’re going to get into today’s show. The topic is bootstrap marketing ideas to gain an extra $10,000 per year. So, what are the problems most pet businesses face when it comes to advertising? The biggest one is time. You’re in the field, walking dogs, running your business, and by the end of the day, you’re mentally exhausted. Many pet business owners are working 10–14 hours a day, and the last thing you have energy for is advertising. You’re tired. I remember those days—barely having time to eat, living on drive-thru meals. You want to grow, but you’re drained. Another problem is money. Many of us are bootstrapping—scraping together $100 here or there, hoping a $30 ad brings some return. There’s also fear: fear of wasting money, fear of doing it wrong, fear of looking unprofessional. Maybe you’re staring at Canva or PicMonkey, overwhelmed by design rules and ad guidelines. Erica: Right, and even if you design something nice, there are still so many rules. Like, if there’s too much text, Facebook won’t show it as much. Print ads versus Facebook ads are two different languages entirely. Bella: Exactly. So what do we need to make advertising work? There are a few essentials: placement, branding colors, message, and a specific call-to-action. Placement matters—both online and offline. Your branding colors matter too. They create recognition and emotional connection. Imagine Apple suddenly using green and blue instead of gray and white—it would feel wrong. Consistency builds trust. Your message should be clear. Don’t clutter your ad with too much information. You’ve seen those where everything is crammed—website, phone, social handles—it’s visual chaos. Simplify. Now, what are we actually selling? Here’s a trick question: when you advertise, what are you selling? It’s not dog walking or litter scooping. You’re selling peace of mind, trust, and security. Those are emotional values. People want to know they can rely on you to show up and that their pets and homes are safe. Erica: Exactly. And if your online presence doesn’t reflect that reliability—like if your Facebook or Twitter is outdated—it creates doubt. Millennials especially check your online consistency. If you invite them to your website or social media and it’s inactive, it’s like inviting someone into your house and forgetting to offer water. Bella: Exactly! When selling peace of mind and trust, your visuals and tone matter. Use your brand colors consistently. And remember, not every photo needs to be a stock image. Sometimes a selfie or candid shot is more authentic. Erica: On Instagram, for example, knowing your audience is key. Millennials engage differently than retired couples. Show behind-the-scenes moments—how you care for pets, how your team works, your passion. Selfies make you relatable. Bella: Totally. Even if you don’t walk dogs personally anymore, show your workspace or your own pets. Let people see the human side of your business. Now, here’s a success story. We created “Bark Cards,” which are postcards left on doors where dogs bark. On the front is a funny, eye-catching image—a barking dog with “Bark! Bark! Bark!” all over it. On the back, there’s space to handwrite something like, “I think it was a small dog barking? ?” That one handwritten note transforms you from a solicitor into a caring neighbor. It continues: “While we were walking your neighbor’s dog, he was asking, ‘Please take me for a walk too!’ Give us a call and we’ll replace the barking with tail wagging.” These cards cost under $100 to print and design. One client handed out 100, got 7–8 calls, and signed 4 new clients—earning an extra $10,000 a year from that one campaign. Erica: That’s incredible. And so simple. Bella: Exactly. You can even incentivize employees with small bonuses for every new client from a Bark Card. There are other creative local marketing ideas too—like sidewalk chalking near dog parks with temporary messages about your services. One sitter did that and got calls. Erica: I also love using Snapchat filters for dog parks. You can buy a custom geofilter for about $20 for the day. Everyone who takes a Snap at the park will see your filter—great exposure! Bella: That’s genius!