More Than Half of Pet Pros Do Cooperative Promotions With Other Local Businesses

THIS MONTH’S QUESTION: DO YOU PARTNER WITH OTHER LOCAL BUSINESSES?

52%: Yes

• I invite local businesses to speak at our seminars, and in turn they advertise our business to their clients. For example, we held a seminar on chiropractic care and had a local vet and human chiropractor both speak about the benefits for pets and humans. Toni Shelaske, Healthy Pet Products, Pittsburgh, PA
• We work with an independent pet retailer, Hound Dog + Cat in Los Angeles, via cross-marketing and special pricing. So if you buy something from Hound Dog + Cat, save the receipt and get a discount on a self-wash service from us. And we routinely tag each other on local social media posts to keep the local vibe alive. Jane Bond, Eco Dog Care, Los Angeles, CA and Flemington, NJ
• We haven’t seen huge results, but we have a few restaurants who will give customers 10 percent off dinner if they show a receipt from any of the shops on our street, and we’ve donated gift baskets or a free groom to restaurants hosting charity events. Faye Bunny, Day of the Dog, Salem, MA
• We love to partner with non-dog businesses. We recently did a workout at our local Crossfit that was designed with the dogs in mind. We called it the “Hero Dog WOD” and named it after a dog that served the USA overseas. Keith Miller, Bubbly Paws, Minneapolis, MN
• I have partnered with a woodworker who makes specialty dog dish stands and beds, a jewelry maker who makes pet-themed jewelry and a photographer who takes pet portraits. I am planning on partnering with a local vet for CPR and first aid classes in 2018 and hoping to add a few other pet-related classes if we can find the right partners. Missie Mattei, MissDoolittles, Pottsville, PA
• We partner with local breweries to feature their beer at our events. They give us a discount in exchange for social media shout-outs. Ren Douthit, Dee-O-Gee, Bozeman, MT
• We partner by placing coupons on receipts. We make sure to point these out to customers before they leave so that they are aware that there is a partner offer for them. People seem to really like this. It’s a great way to help advertise for others and no cost involved other than the few minutes it takes to change the wording in the computer. Matt Spivey-Bevington, 2Guyz Boutique for Pets, Elwood, IN
• We love to have good quality services/products to refer people to if we can’t service them. We actively promote a local, full-service boarding kennel, three groomers, two veterinarians and a number of pet sitters and dog walkers. We do this via links to their websites on our site and social media, info and business cards in-store and in goody bags for our training clients. When we go off-site to events we also have their info handy. We don’t compete with these businesses; we share the pet-loving population! Karen Conell, The Bark Market, Delavan, WI 

48%: No