Expansive

From dog grooming businesses that are fresh off the starting line to ones that have been in action for 15 years, it’s always important to stay on top of the latest trends and learn how to expand your business. Let’s dive in!

You might be thinking to yourself that it’s time to do something new and generate some more revenue. Naturally, you’ll want to invest in your current clientele but it’s equally as important to think outward about what else you could do to grow.

So, let’s tap into the basics.

There are so many different avenues to growing that you might not even realise that you’re doing a bunch of them! That being said, it’s crucial to be sure that you’re introducing new services to what your business offers.

Individuality and ensuring that you stand out from the local crowd is a must for any business, so be sure that you’re giving something a little different so that clients want to come back for more from the only place they can get it from!

Have a brainstorming session (with your team, if you have one) and see what fresh and new ideas you could bring to the table. There’s always something new to explore, and clients generally love creativity when it comes to that sort of thing so bring your thinking caps!

If you’re struggling to come up with new aspects to introduce, it might not be a bad idea to simply ask your clients. From anonymous online reviews to social media questionnaires, there’s always a way to do your marketing research towards your specific demographic. Don’t be afraid to dive in!

We do say this often, but be sure to consider what types of animals you tend to cater to. What are some unique things that owners would want compared to others?

We know a lot of dog groomers who insist that you should charge your worth. This is very true, however, it’s also important that the clients are getting what they pay for. A client is more likely to spend their hard-earned money with you if there’s something unique and special that they can’t get anywhere else, so be sure to emphasise this!

Keep track of your clients, know what’s working and what isn’t, and be sure to always be offering the best, most unique service you can within reason to really “wow” your clientele.

So, here’s our usual favourite recommendation; social media! Utilise social media as much as you can. In 2023, it’s the absolute best way to receive information, from influencers and news sites alike. It’s showing no signs of slowing, so why not use it to expand your business?

There are countless ways to use it, but our personal favourite at the moment is running an ad campaign. Think about what people in the area would want to see. Put yourself in the clients’ shoes and try to envision what would hook you if you were them.

When you have that in mind, create something amazing and utilise the advertising tools provided to you to get it out to the public.

Don’t spread yourself too thin, however. Ensure that all of your content has a certain standard and that it best represents your business. Demonstrate what you’re capable of and what unique things you can offer.

You can also use social media to offer exclusive deals. Imagine something along the lines of a referral code. You provide certain followers and people who respond to you on social media with special, shareable options that they can use. There it is, advertising that you’re not even doing yourself!

When you’ve built yourself up enough, be sure to list your business online in places where people can leave reviews. This humanises the business and gives potential new clientele a chance to see, in real-time, other peoples’ experiences with you. This brings us to our next point…

Responsiveness is key! Whether you’re replying to Instagram comments or Google reviews, ensure that you’re putting in the effort. This is a platform where an official from your business speaks to someone who’s left a review. Positive or negative, demonstrate that you care and respond to as many comments and reviews as you can. This shows potential new clients that you’re willing to offer exceptional service and aren’t just some corporate face. I know that I would love to see some of my favourite local businesses chatting in the community!

When setting up your online shareable profiles, there are a few factors to consider to help your business grow. “Shareability” is a word that we often say here at TGM, and it’s something that we encourage all of you to look into!

If a client of yours has ten friends on social media and they share your content, their ten friends will potentially see your content. If it’s something they would want to share, they’ll then share it with their friends and so forth… It will soon snowball into something that people will love, if “shareability” is done correctly!

Think about what can make something shareable… “Chance to win 50% off your next groom if you share and tag some friends in the comments section” is a popular one that works!

The profile itself should also provide lots of relevant information about your business. Be sure to fill in all of the fields when creating a profile! This includes things such as your business address, phone number and business hours if applicable. Check regularly on all platforms to make sure it’s up to date!

As well as replying to comments and reviews, your message centre should be one of the highest priorities. Even spending just a small amount of time per day getting back to people can make such a huge impact. The ten seconds it can take to provide someone with a quote can make you a booking with potential return clientele, so be sure to keep on top of your messages!

Keep everything consistent and try not to leave any “dead air”, so to speak. Luckily, dog grooming is a very visual business, so it’s not difficult to post regularly, create engagement and keep active!

Lastly, we live in an era full of online shopping. Whether it’s huge online retailers where you can stock your products, or even the ability to add a store page to a social media profile, you’re going to want to ensure that all of your products and services are easily viewable by all. This may even incentivise a visit to you, which can lead to a conversation resulting in more repeat sales!

Creating a fantastic image with some humour, creativity or uniqueness can make people want to share this with their followers, whether it’s a hundred or a thousand. You can never be too sure with today’s social standards!

Overall, we want to stretch that the ability to share is key. The audience is your clients, and it’s important to consider all of their wants and needs. What makes them want to come to you? Grab it, emphasise it and use it to create shareable content that your clients will love. They’ll spread the word in no time!