To be concerned I can't even get one customer?

[corgiology]

I have been advertising through various channels for my new dog walking and dog training business for several weeks now. Yet I haven't had a single enquiry.

I have tried:
Car Magnets
Facebook advertising
Blogging
Social Media (posting in groups in my hometown, updating my pages regularly, trying to increase SEO)
Streetlife.

Next thing I will try is wearing a uniform but it's really disheartening that I am getting nowhere. I don't want to harass people in the park or on walks where possible but that might be my next plan.

I really thought facebook advertising would work.

I think owners who are into the whole training and mental stimulation scene are the ones who will be walking their own dogs. The owners who aren't walking their dogs just want them exercised so they can run around and not crap in the house or empty the kitchen bin when they are at work.

If it is not clear that you are a dog walker, no one is going to find you. Whenever I look for a dog walker, I google 'dog walker . I use yellow pages online mostly. If you don't come up in a Google search for a dog walker, or on yp, I am unlikely to find you. I would probably also skip over Brain Training for Dogs. I don't want my dogs' brains trained, I want them walked.

I googled and couldn't find you, but will try again in fb.

Ok. Found you on fb. It doesn't even say where you are based. I eventually found it in one of the posts as you linked to your wiki which mentions Chester.

I googled 'dog walker Chester'. Sixteen results came up, and you were not one of them. I wouldn't even be looking past the first four or five, really - I would have found a dog walker without any bother, and you wouldn't even have crossed my horizon. Sorry!

I have two labs. I pay a fortune for them to be walked on work days.

a few things:
It doesn't sound fun. If I'm leaving my dog to go to work I want it to be having a brilliant fun time playing while I'm out. Not learning stuff
Also, are you closed on Friday? Because that loses you everyone who works full time.
You need clear and simple prices and a simple explanation of what you do and how much dogs enjoy it.
Hope your business picks up soon

A good dog trainer trains the owner not the dog, bit hard to do if you're only training their dog for them then advising the owner afterwards.

I've used two dog trainers for my dogs. One focuses on the kennel club good citizens training and once you're good with that lets you learn fly ball and agility. It's a friendly group and you can compete against other clubs. Great for when my guys were puppies :-)

The other trainer I've used has over 20yrs training all types of police dogs. You get full on obedience work (almost military in its intensity), tracking (inc search and rescue types as well as hidden objects over long distances), agility ect. It's hardcore and the dogs are far more mentally satisfied after this type than the other trainers methods.

With a dog walker, I'm not sure. I don't want a stranger to have a key to my house and I don't want someone undoing my hard work. I also don't want to leave my dogs at a pet sitters with less well trained dogs who'll just jump all over them or leave them in a kennel all day :-/

Family and friends is how we've all solved our problems with lunchtime dog walks or just letting them out in the garden.

What else can you offer? Designer dog gear? Homemade good quality dog snacks? A wealth of nutritional knowledge? What do you have that I can't get already will be what people like me who already have trainers will ask x

Dog hydrotherapy is big at the moment. One of the people I went to uni with has set up a very successful hydrotherapy center :-)

my degree in nursing, basic life support, intermediate life support and surgical nursing seems to be wasted.....a degree in dog walking seems to be the way to go nowadays!

You don't come up on a Google search without really narrowed search terms. Social media isn't useful if it's hard to search.

When you are located, your services aren't obvious, and lack of pricing plus focus on "brain training" makes you appear expensive.

I don't think most responsible dog owners want "brain training" for their dogs, any more than most parents would want that for their kids when very small. They want them happy and healthy. I think if you offer a dog walking service then the emphasis should be on how bored dogs can be cooped up all day, so you work hard to tailor your walks to the dog so they are stimulated, tired out and happy when returned home. If you want a successful business then sell the dog's pleasure and that their need for stimulation and exercise is fully met while the owner works.

I think the problem is that you're selling what you want to offer, instead of what someone wants to buy. You need to have a think about what people actually want in a dog walker. Your qualifications would definitely interest me, but as an extra reassurance that the walker knows what s/he is doing. To be absolutely blunt I would never leave my dog with someone whose marketing focused on "brain training" because I can do agility etc for that myself. Focus on the fun and stimulation for the dog, and the need they have for company and exploration every day, and that when you get in from work you're exhausted and don't have time or energy for long country walks.

Have you contacted grooming parlours and vets and offered a discount code with their flyers? If you personalise them you can work out which are working for you, too.

I think your marketing/branding is a problem, and lack of transparency on costs is a problem. I don't think the USP is what you think it is - to me, it would be the fact you are clearly knowledgeable about dogs so could be trusted to care for them well, and not just doing it as easy moolah. The primary aim, though, would be that the dog is happy and stimulated, and exercised. I would actively avoid someone who trained them without my being present, I'm afraid.

I have to say as someone who occasionally needs a dog walker, I just want it walked. To have a run, a wee, have some fun. I wouldn't expect or want my babysitter to start doing anything other than that for the DC:)

If I'm in an all day meeting and can't wfh I pop my dog into the local kennels for doggie daycare. Two long walks, kennel has a nice run, dog loves the place, and I know she won't get run over or lost etc. Plus it's. 24/7 and the vet is onsite. £20 a day.

Plus I don't have to hand over my keys to my house. And I would expect you to be insured. I'm sorry, but the professional kennels would always be my go to option- peace of mind and I can extend or change things easily.

If you've had such a lot of experience and always worked with dogs, can't you use the database you must have built up? You must know loads of people to have even had the idea and thought it would work.

What happens with dog walkers is similar to what happens with childcare... Children are the most precious members of anyone's families... however most families would rather have a poorly-pain untrained au-pair than pay top rates for an experienced, qualified nanny. Even the ones with the money usually do not go for well-paid professionals.

Most people who have a normal dog will not fork out hundreds of pounds to have them "brain trained". Perhaps if that is the service you want to offer, you should focus in niche markets such as the very rich or the celebrities, who love to boast off about how much money they spend on their dogs. Ort perhaps move to the USA, where expenses such as these are more common.

An everyday dog owner just wants their dog walked, and as many have said, will just google "dog walkers" and go for the cheapest one. Sad reality, but reality after all.

*poorly-paid, not pain :P

my degree in nursing, basic life support, intermediate life support and surgical nursing seems to be wasted.....a degree in dog walking seems to be the way to go nowadays!

I work in marketing and would agree with some of the previous comments.

I think you need to understand the core needs of your potential customers, and how you are communicating what you offer. Your Facebook page makes it sounds like you're mainly providing training/education, and the walking is an element (but not a core part) of that service. Whereas the way you have written about it here, it sounds like it's a walking service that's also stimulating and enjoyable for the dog. So what is it that you want to get across, and more importantly, which of those things does your target customer actually need?

• There aren't enough details about your pricing, and nothing to tell me what specific area(s) you operate in. People are lazy - you want to make it as easy as possible for them to do business with you and not have to work to find out the basics.

• On your blog, I didn't spot any information about what you offer, other than what was in the first post. Anyone who arrives at your blog via any of the other posts will not have any obvious way to understand what you offer (or necessarily even realise you're offering a service) unless they scroll all the way back to your first post.

Most of the above is fairly easy to address, so don't be too disheartened. And you seem to have a lot of potentially unique selling points and obvious passion, which is always a good position to be in.

Leaflets through doors the best way but make sure you avoid those saying no junk mail. Thats what ive done and worked very well. Google is really the only way to advertise. Fb isnt a good advertising place at the moment as i know alot of people have removed themshelves from it. Also in your area of business id go walking with a dog in fav dog walking areas and hand out leaflets. Vets, pet store etc. Good luck.

Hmm... Well, in my experience, advertising has less to do with crap you throw at people in terms of magnets/flyers/etc... It's more about networking and building connections.

I do contract work and most of my clients come from recommendations from other clients or mutual friends, only a few actually find me via web or cold calls.

Talk to some kennels offer them a small percentage if they offer you as part of their package. I know you say you've done this, but keep trying.

Can you rent a time slot at a local pet store for training classes? The people should be able to pay for the slot if you class prices correctly, and you will get advertising face to face right there.

Brain training for dogs

I work in PR. For this sort of service I think leaflet drops are the answer. We get a lot of leaflets and I do flick through them and like items said put any I think might come in useful to one side. Agree you need to be upfront about your rates. The name doesn't make me connect with dog walking at all.

Social media is fantastic but it's not the be all and end all! Are you using facebook adverts?

Could existing clients give you some testimonials?

I googled your business name and couldn't find it on the first two pages of google. When I did find it, it was more like a blog than a business site. It doesn't say you're a dog walker/trainer, for starters, and it doesn't say where you're based.

Your Facebook page says nothing about your rates, location, qualifications, insurance, etc. either.

TBH you really don't seem to know what you're doing (based on those two factors). Sorry.

Found your fb page on page 4 of a Google search. I have to agree with everyone else, it doesn't look like you do dog walking. At best guess it looked like you visited a dog and did some activities with them in the house. Didn't come across as something that would happen on a regular basis either. Very confusing and I'd also agree, the assumption I made was that you were expensive.
We have a lovely dog walker as we both work full time, we found her by word of mouth as I wouldn't have trusted anyone with my dog that didn't come with a personal recommendation from someone I knew was just as fussy about who they would trust with their dog.
We're moving house soon and the one thing we're both worried about is finding a trustworthy and reliable dog walker. I've already started doing some research but I do know a few people who live where we're moving to so nearer the time I'll be asking them to put me in touch with other dog owners. If I'd come across your Facebook page I'd have gone 'eh?' and skipped right past it I'm afraid.
I've got a collie cross and we do a lot of brain training with him, but he also needs a bloody good run, which is what he gets with the dog walker. I want to do the training myself to build my relationship with him. He also needs the social aspect of running around with other dogs.

I haven't been able to find you from a cursory look on Google or FB. I could occasionally do with a dog walker so a leaflet would go on my fridge if I received one bit only if I knew how much it would be.

All I'd want from a walk for my dog is for her to be able to run round with other dogs and have a good sniff which are her favourite things in life along with tasty treats.

When she was younger and a bit of a nightmare a trainer rather than classes would have been helpful but as others have Saudi it was me who needed training.

What I could have done with was a new puppy kind of service thing, home visits, coming out on walks to advise, being there for phone calls.

I think you need to focus on different strands and have appropriate advertising for each. Dog walking, training and new puppy support.

My 2p's worth. I working in marketing.

You need a simple message that says how much it is and what's in it for the dog owner.

I would have thought leaflet distribution door to door, vets, kennels - if not competing with them, pet shops.

You need a good mix in your marketing both paper and online. A bit of local PR can be good. Finding a nice angle to get a story in your local paper.

And for me if its not clear what's in it for me and how much you're urinating in the wind.

Will have a look on your facebook page.

I can't find your website on google search.

I would decide where you think your clients will come from, training or walking, then focus on those. "[your town] dog walkers" might be a good company name, website with prices (that are competitive) and then details of training.

your USP is lovely, but as others have said, the sort of person who's really worried about their dog's mental stimulation aren't the ones who get a dog when they work full time. You are also focussing on working people, there's lots of elderly and ill people who find they can't walk their dog anymore, leaflets at your GP might be a good idea, as well as at local Vets.

I have to echo what other posters have said, it is really not clear what you do or what you are advertising.

Your website is very confusing, it is more like a blog, I had to scroll to the very bottom to actually get any sort of information about who you are and what you do.

This should be the first thing anyone reads when they click on your website, along with that you really need to include rates.

Your Facebook page is pretty much the same, it is not clear what you do.

When my sister started her business she spent weeks putting cards through peoples doors.

As a vet when clients ask about a service such as yours I advise the check you have insurance and are members of the professional organisations such as the APDT. Additionally your website does not come up on my search both for your business name or just fog training in your location.at all so you need to take a close look at your search engine optimisation.