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.

When I was dog walking last year I don't think any of my business came from online. I put posters in pet shops and and cafes that dog walkers went to.

To be honest, a lot of my clients were people who possibly didn't really use Facebook.

To be honest OP we have a fantastic dog walker, who we found through our local vet. We have passed her number on to others because she's reliable, trustworthy and our dog adores her. I don't want "brain training" for my dog. She's smart and lovely and when I'm at work I just want to know she is safe and happy. I suspect that's what most dog owners are looking for. Is there a demand for your usp in your area? Have you spoken to other dog walkers or owners?

What is "brain training" for your dog? When I think of brain training I imagine those games on your phone to improve memory etc, which would be pointless for dogs, the name of your business doesn't really convey much useful information to me.

Mmm, as a dog owner, I don't see any value in the dog being actively trained when I'm not there. Dog training is about training the dog and the owner together...

I've always gone to dog training classes/groups, or had 1:1 sessions with a trainer

Sorry, I haven't read the entire thread yet, but I will. I just wanted to say that I agree whole heartedly with this comment. We adopted a rescue dog with issues and had to go to training classes with him. It was us being trained, not the dog. Training a dog without getting the owners involved is pointless and makes me question your ability as a dog trainer. They would all know that.

You need insurance in place. I wouldn't use someone without insurance.

Just to add, the FB posts you have are completely irrelevant to your business, talking about leaves changing? And the dog related post says one dog just wants the ball thrown and the other is sitting there looking pretty.

Er, how is that stimulating the dog differently than any other walker?

One point to mention - which was actually crucial to us - when we are at work and need a dog walker, I'm less concerned about how well my dog will be "walked" and more concerned that I find a trustworthy business as i need to give them a set of keys to my home. For this reason, I would be wary of hiring anyone without existing clients/references.

I started my business (will writing) by leafleting my village.
The leaflet had 3 bullet points iirc, saying
professional (few words of blurb)
Convenient (blurb)
Exceptional value for money (fixed price)

I must have delivered 250 leaflets, got 5 enquiries over about a month which then led to building up a Nice little business.

Website I did myself initially for nothing but again it was simple and upfront about what I do and how much I charge.

Since then I've dabbled with FB advertising at q a considerable cost but stopped as it wasn't paying for itself.

Try leafleting as above and talking to local vets etc re whether they'd mind if you left a few leaflets in their waiting room

I haven't posted my rates up anywhere so I can't say that is influencing anyone.

It would influence me. I woudn't use someone who didn't publish their rates up front.

I have looked at your website and fb page and you need to be clear on both what you do. If someone stumbles across them they won't know what you're offering.

The woman I have used locally is a trainer - but she runs her training classes independently of her doggy day care and dog walking. You might find offering day care for a limited number of dogs brings in clients who work and who don't want to leave the dog. I had to use day care as a bridge when after divorce there was no one at home when I worked (exh worked from home). You will need to be licenced by your local authority. You will need to be flexible with times.

If you do want to stick with the walking / training then I agree with what has been said about your public facing info. I wanted rates and information before I even made a phone call. Your site gives very little information really.

You might also try offering reduced rates for pensioners, just to get a client base. If a little old lady likes you then they really will spread the word. The dog walker my elderly neighbour used has a waiting list of people - partly due to her I'm sure. On that note you might want to try doctors surgeries - a fall or a bout of ill health can mean that a much loved dog isn't getting the walks it's used to so a temporary dog walker is needed.

Facebook advertising is odd, I wouldn't have a clue how to use Facebook to see people's advertising. Surely its something that you'd have to go hunting out?

I think you've been given a bum steer on your marketing.

Get yourself out to a local park or whatever area where a lot of people walks their dogs and speak to people who are walking their dogs
Then you'll find plenty people who need a walker on certain days etc, have a pocket full of business cards and hand one over to everyone you speak to. You know what dog owners are like-they're generally a friendly bunch and having a dog is like having a small child-you end up speaking to all sorts of people when you're out

I haven't seen it mentioned I don't think so I'll say this:
It seems, OP, you're trying to do something you want to do and not offer a service that's needed. I'm not a business person but I'd think you need to fill a need before trying to invent a need to fill?
Maybe offer what is needed as a priority, excersize, widdle and poop. Then you could offer what you want on top of the basic service?

I have used dog walkers several times in the past - all I want is a nice reliable person who will like my dog & take him for a good walk, who is insured and DBS checked (as you would have keys to my house). I think you need to focus on the dog walking aspect, and definitely make your prices available - if I didn't know how much you charged I might not bother getting in touch in the first place. I would make the dog training aspect secondary - just as an additional service.

Very good feedback you've had here, OP. I second all of it. I'm in design and marketing.

Blog doesn't say what you do, FB is unclear too. You need a proper website. Also branding needs a bit of work - the strapline is ambiguous and also needs to say clearly what you do. Happy to offer help / advice if you want to PM me.

Whenever I see a service that doesn't tell me the price up front, I assume that its because the person/ company wants to work out the maximum they can get away with charging me based on how gullible I look!

Or even worse, they want to get all my details and pester by phone and email until they decide that I am not worth bothering about any more.

The very worst are the ones who insist on you listening to a long presentation - QVC style - before they reveal the price.

None of those scenarios is appealing, so I'd try to find another company that will tell me what they charge before they even know my name i.e. put it on their website.

My other thought OP, is that you sound quite evangelical about dogs. Some people are, but others aren't, and they are very likely to be the ones who delegate the dog walking chore. Maybe you need to sound a bit more friendly, reliable and trustworthy as it is probably what 99% of your customers want

I picked ny dog walker through word of mouth/chatting with her whilst walking my dog.

She is friendly, reliable and trustworthy and is open about fees

Ultimately I just want my dog to be outside, with someone reliable. Nothing fancier than that needed.

As she needs my keys to get the dog, it would have to be someone local who is known by people I know (if that makes sense)

Just chat to people walking their dogs in the local parks/woods so they get to know you.

FB page or uniform....would not pull me in

For reference, I pay £7.50 for a 1 hour walk

OP you've had brilliant advice on this thread. If you follow it you have a decent chance at starting a successful business.

Facebook Advertising will be throwing good money after bad for you at the moment, because even if you have ads that convert, the leads will fall away when they hit your website/Facebook page.

You need a professional looking page, rates to be visible, insurance, clear working hours, your location - people won't hunt for this stuff. If they can't find it in a few seconds, you've lost their attention to someone else.

What about researching the local dog grooming services and then trying to have a chat/coffee with them to explain your services. I think dog groomers often have more time with customers and tend to be more friendly with their clients due to having more time than say a vets. If they liked your approach they may recommend you to their clients which could be more effective as it's personal.

Okay my thoughts:

Your website didn't come up on a google search. This is pretty crucial as I imagine many people looking for a dog walker will be googling something like 'dog walker Chester' and most people won't be bothered to search through pages of results.

Neither your Facebook page or website make it very clear that you are a dog walker. I think, like other posters have said, that you are over-complicating this. Most people wanting dog walking services in my experience are people who work and need someone to take their dog out for a walk in the middle of the day, or older people who can no longer manage long walks. Both these people will just want someone they can trust who will walk their dogs as cheaply as possible for them. What you are offering sounds expensive in comparison so I imagine that is putting people off. I think you need to advertise yourself as a dog walker who also does training if it is required and not focus on the 'brain training for dogs' aspect.

On this note, I think you need to clearly state your prices. I hate having to contact people to find out their prices and tend to pick people who state their prices clearly upfront.

As a aside, can I just say with regards to this sentence at the bottom paragraph of your website: "I am fully qualified and insured". As you say on here that you are not yet insured, you absolutely should not be stating on your website that you are fully insured. That could potentially be seen as fraudulent, even if you have every intention of getting insurance sometime soon.

I do hope it works out for you though. I just think your business model needs to be simple and clearer.

I disagree that leafleting is a waste of time. We have often used services that leaflet us. Also look to see if there's a local business advertising service where you can place an ad.

TBH your target market of full-time professionals is probably not faffing around on Facebook. Do a nice leaflet and good luck.

Your page and your website do not make it clear you are a dog walker, which is the basic need you are meeting.

Get your client base in place by focussing on this most basic aspect and then show your clients the benefits of the 'additional' element you offer (the training) that way word of mouth will do the rest and if you want to grow bigger with staff you will have created the 'demand' yourself if there is indeed going to be a demand.

I did the same with my cleaning company, started off offering the most basic cleaning service, did this very well and then found out how to elevate the service to a premium level of service with full-equipped and fully trained staff, people don't always realise the additional benefits until their friends and family tell them how much different and better a service is, once that message starts to seep through it will sell itself if it is what people want and, at that point you can pretty much name your price within reason.

Pay no attention to the price others are setting, they are offering a different level of service to you and that has not a lot to do with you, the cheaper services will have THEIR clients who would never pay more and YOUR clients will find you and they will then never settle for less than you offer and happily pay for this. This advice stands after you have establishes a 'need' or a 'desire' for what it is you are selling and at the level you are selling it of course.

Firstly, get clients on board with the basic 'dog walking' with a difference but add in the difference rather than the other way around if that makes sense. In the end the difference will either take off or not, you may find the money is in a more basic 'no frills' dog walking service that you can easily train other staff do do at lower cost to yourself in terms of time and effort.

There again you may find the 'difference' becomes a 'most wanted' thing and it will fly.

I repeat my advice to sell as 'Dog Walking' first and foremost, you know there's a market for this, this should be within the title of your website and facebook page - clarify this first, make it sound like the dog walking they want but a little more professional. If I were you I would set rates just slightly higher than the average at first, people do not value what they get for cheap or free, it's a fact. Sell the value of YOUR service. Mention words like 'trusted' and 'caring' - they are trusting you with their precious pet and their house key in many instances, mention insurance when you get it, your angle seems obscure right now if you don't mind me saying. Get back to basics at first and then people can learn more and more about your services and their benefits.

If your demographic is F/T workers perhaps you could target commuters at the local train stations. At least you know you'd be reaching your audience then

i put "brain training for dogs" in google. it is full of amazon/youtube etc.. what page are you on? has your website been coded properly with keywords etc? if that is your www. i would expect that to come up high on google as an exact phrase