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Advice wanted for getting dog boarding business off the groundBusiness Community Home > Internet and Computing Forum > Web Design Forum |
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| Original Message Added : 4 Jul 2012 |
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| Reply : 4 Jul 2012 Businesses are easy to establish but when it comes to marketing and getting your name out to the commercial market, this is something that can be conquered in a variety of ways. Our company, Lemonn Web Media, specialise in helping businesses at all stages with every aspect of their requirements. Whether it is a website or ecommerce store they need, online marketing, search engine optimisation or even online marketing through a variety of promotional and social mediums, Lemonn Web Media have a solution that is perfect for you. I am more than happy to discuss your requirements and work with you on your specific needs and budget. What I can promise you is world class quality at a fraction of the prices charged by other media agencies and design companies. Have a look at our website at www.lemonn.co.uk and email me your details - I can put together a custom package for you to get you started in a big way for as little as £99. I look forward to hearing from you soon and to hopefully establish a proactive working partnership. With best regards, Richard Stephens (Business Development Manager)
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| Reply : 4 Jul 2012 We have only been going for a while am advertising on all dog sites, had business cards printed, paid for magazine advertising etc, am on facebook, also a lot of customer contacts but not converted.People say yes that is a good idea but it does not go any further than that , fustrated that not more bookings are coming in , Our business is fairly unique in the fact that kennels are not used ,freedom of our house & garden with good treats & walks . Not every one likes to put there dog into kennels,our only exception is aggressive dogs. Also licenced & insured, for peace of mind for the customers & us. Thanks Michael |
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| Reply : 4 Jul 2012 This is certainly something that I can be of help to you with. I appreciate the content of your reply and I more than understand your frustration. In terms of the 'bookings', we can deploy a professional animal services website which is intutive and gently guides the customer from the introduction through to the contact form and even a live online booking tool that feeds directly to your email. In addition to this, we can also work with you on expanding your Facebook and Twitter presence to create more prospects, incentivising where possible so that new customers have the chance to try out your unique service, feel the benefits and then come back to you again - with their friends. Facebook is a great piece of social networking kit and we can embed that into your website to add more customer friendly functionality, as well as fully optimising the site to backlink with your existing website connections. This will positively increase your ranking in Google. This is a win-win situation for us both. Interested? ;-) Look forward to hearing from you soon. Best regards, Richard. |
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| Reply : 4 Jul 2012 My advice to you is to keep it simple. You are trying to do everything at once and this will never work. Do one thing at a time, test it, fine tune it and get it right. Then go on from there. I have two suggestions to start you moving forward. 1. Upgrade your Freeindex to the premium listing. This will allow you to do a lot more in advertising your services and get rid of competitor advertisements. 2. A simple website with a well written home page describing the service that you offer and the areas that you cover. Be very careful of the blatant sales pitches that you will get in reply to your post. Regards Andrew
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| Reply : 4 Jul 2012 It's very easy to create a Facebook Page. This is where you get "Likes" for your business. If you have a standard Facebook profile, you add "Friends". If you already have your FB Friends profile just look for the link that says "Add a Page" and follow the instructions from there. If not, just go to the Facebook main website and I've created lots of FB pages for small businesses and it really doesn't take very long at all. You should attempt to do this by yourself if you're on a budget. If you are truly stuck, don't you have friends, family who are quite techie minded and can help you? I also agree with Andrew - be very careful of people hassling you for the work. If you need the services of a professional, ask business colleagues for trusted, known providers. Good Luck! Warm regards Tracy SuperSecretary
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| Reply : 4 Jul 2012 However, don't let that put you off exploring the possibilities of gaining something great to take forward from a highly reputable company, such as ourselves, where the focus is on quality and not cost. We do not charge sky high rates for our services and certainly do not enter Free Index with 'blatant sales pitches' or anything of the sort. In business, you speculate to accumulate and done properly, you increase revenue and your client base. It's not a hard equation but also not something that is achievable for zero cost. Upgrading your Free Index membership may help you increase your exposure somewhat but I would completely forget just building a Facebook page and leaving it there. The problem with Facebook is that all posts are only visible to your friends, so you still have to market your business yourself to a somewhat acute audience. I do hope your business takes off and I will continue to advise via here if you need my help with anything. Best regards, Richard. |
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| Reply : 6 Jul 2012 I would echo the advice already given about being wary of anyone trying to sell you something as a result of your post. FB is a great resource for small businesses and can be managed very easily, all it will cost you is some of your time. 
PC World produced a good guide on creating a page here: Once created make sure all your family, friends and customers know about it, the word will soon spread. Hope this is of some use. All the best Cameron |
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| Reply : 7 Jul 2012 One step at a time, you need to build confidence in your company first. If I (as a potential customer) look at your Freeindex entry, I see no customer feedback (after years of looking after dogs), no dedicated website for Doggie Sleepovers (why use the link to the gooddogguide? - if there is a specific page for your doggie sleepovers, link to it direct) Your search tags wouldn't be used by any searchers. (choose appropriate tags) Random photos; show people where their dog is going, and title the photos clearly. You seem to be closed when your potential customers are at home... These are just a few points that spring to mind after a quick look. Hope they are useful and (dog)food for thought for you. 
Good luck. Rgds Gil
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