Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Phil is right on. You need a marketing plan that is specifically geared to increasing awareness and trial. You obviously deliver and create loyalty once someone tries your product/service.

Start by calculating the lifetime value of a new customer. That will tell you what you should be willing to spend to create the awareness and initial trial. Then decide how many new customers you really want. Is it dozens, hundreds, thousands or more?

Once you've done that, it's time to find a marketing strategy expert who can develop a plan to get you there. There are undoubtedly some in your area, but it's not really critical that the person (or firm) be local. There are several who participate in this forum, and you can probably get referrals when you're ready. The key is to find someone who will take the time and make the effort to understand your market and your needs before they run off and start recommending stuff based on someone else's situation.

Hope this helps.

Part of that plan needs to include the activities of your delivery staff.

As with all home delivery businesses the easiest way to expand is to ask the client if anyone in the area might be interested. They should be non-aggressive but also engaging. Ex: "Do your neighbors ever wonder why you have your food delivered?"

Depending on the area, it's also pretty common to simply visit the neighbors on each side with a door hanger. This might require you to give your drivers a little more free time. That's a trust issue.

Michael

Endorsements from local veterinarians can be parlayed into that marketing program Getting them on board can enhance the endorsements from current customers, too. Research past customer to determine why they are no longer customers: pet(s) died, economy, product selection, whatever. Address those issues that you can improve upon. If the case is the first excuse (pet died), ask if they know anyone else who might be interested in your service. The more you know about who you''re going after and what their needs and wants are, the better your plan will be in the long run.

What makes your pet food better/different from the competition (other than you deliver it)? Can you prove the benefits?

Who are your loyal customers? What common needs do they have? How can you find more people like them?

1) How can one best deliver value with a free E-zine (monthly?) to the customers, one that is good enough so they forward it to friends?

2) How can one take advantage of social media? You have an ideal product line for it, because people certainly chat about their pets on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

I assume "pet food" includes dog food, but if not, the examples below can be easily enough changed to cats, canaries, whatever.

A customer service rep has "gone the extra mile" for me. She has a nice dog, so I regularly send her links about dogs. Here are three of them, a dog dancing merengue, a dog smoking a cigarette and war dogs parachuting out of planes. Associating these links with a "healthy food" offer would not be difficult.

https://sorisomail.com/email/74298/como-se-danca-o-merengue.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAH-YAhkU9M

https://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/05/04/war_dog

Jeffrey Gitomer is perhaps the leading sales trainer in the U.S., with a string of bestselling sales books, the best of which is the Sales Bible (highly recomended). However a new book of his may be more on target for you, Social Boom. It is about how best to use the social media to win sales. Here is the (long) Amazon.com link:

https://www.amazon.com/Social-BOOM-Business-Yourself-Competition/dp/0132686...

Regards,

JH