Simple Method for Dog Business Owners to Benefit from Seasonal events

Dog owners don't behave the same way all-year-round, and here’s a way to benefit from that as a dog business owner.

Because they really do think and feel differently at different stages of the year.

Bonfire night turns anxious dogs into a genuine panic for thousands of owners. Summer heat creates real worries about hydration, paw burns and even worse. Christmas means gifts, treats, and booking the groomer before the family comes over.

And there’s a way to approach this in your business for better results.

This corresponds with what Eugene Schwartz says about the stages of awareness and it can coincide with the seasonal events of the year.

If you can make sure your marketing highlights what your customers are already thinking about, and you write that sales message for where they are right now on the stage of awareness, it stops feeling like promotion and starts feeling like help.

A seasonal email that arrives at the right time, with a relevant tip and a timely offer, will convert better. One that arrives at the wrong time, about the wrong thing, gets ignored.

How to prepare for this.

Plan three months. Look at the calendar. Think about what your specific customers will be worrying about or shopping for at each moment.

Lead with the dog's problem. The offer comes second.

As for awareness, let’s take an example of an approaching seasonal event in the UK — Father's Day.

This yearly event is a great example because it has a double whammy: the stages of awareness are twofold for both dog owners and non-dog owners.

To make it even better for you as a dog business owner, there’s also the awareness that it is June, smack bang in the middle of summer.

Non-dog owners whose dads have dogs are aware of the seasonal event. They need to buy something for their father. If their dad is a dog person (millions are), then buying something for him and the dog will be an option, so write the message to them. This marketing message could range from a dog-friendly adventure to a pet camera to even a pamper day for the pooch.

Targeting the dog owner could be a message that taps into their genuine fears of heat overload in the summer. Again, a different message.

For each example, the person you are sending a marketing message to is likely to be aware of the problem and its solutions, and ready to buy.

You just need to target that email, sales letter, advert, or social media post to these people, and plan for each season.

That's the difference between a message that feels helpful and one that feels like a sales pitch.

Which season event do you find brings the most customer enquiries to your business?