How can we advertise our dog walking services?

Grocery store bulletin boards.

See if you can get the local shopper newspaper to do an article on your business or if you can write a column of tips for them.

Put up a Web page.

You could stuff newpaper boxes of your neighbors with flyers. Don’t put them in the mailbox, I think there are regulations against that.

@marinelife A web page is too much work. It will take up most of our time.

If you are limiting it to your neighborhood, what about a flyer that gets tucked into mailboxes or on front doors? Here is one from someone in our neighborhood that might be helpful in making a template.

Brad’s Lawn Care
Hello, my name is Brad ____. Trust me to take care of all your lawn care needs. I’ve had years of experience and am an Eagle Scout. Let me do the following for you at reasonable prices:
* Till garden beds
* Lay sod
* Rake leaves
* Pressure wash
* Clean gutters
* Mulch
* Trim hedges
* Mow and edge
* Small tree and limb removal

References available upon request. Please call or e-mail at ____ _____

If we become a little successful then we’ll make a website.

You could put up a sign in each of your yards. If you live on different streets, that would allow many people from the neighborhood to see the signs.

You could go door to door to meet people and let them know about your service. Keep it brief, and have a stack of business cards ready. People will be more likely to contact you if they have met you.

Craigslist ad in the morning.

Craigslist ad at mid-day.

Craigslist ad in the late afternoon.

Craigslist ad late at night.

My buddy wanted to sell earthworms. What a nutcase. Who in the world would want earthworms? After following the plan listed above, he now sells earthworms worldwide. He can’t keep up with the requests for earthworms. All thanks to Craigslist.

A simple flyer placed under door mat with a corner sticking out with a question mark on it.
It could say:
“DO YOU HAVE A DOG THAT NEEDS WALKING?
CALL BILL (698 438–2201) OR JIM ( 698 438–2960)

Use fat black pens and big letters. (a message at a quick glance

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies That’s awesome. Who would’ve thought?

@Sunny2 Did you forget to finish your last sentence, or did you just leave off the closing parenthesis?

Nice thing about Craigslist ads is that you can run the same ad in numerous different categories. For instance, dog walking could be run under cleaning services, or lawn services, in that those markets are directed at anyone looking to free up their time.

The key to a successful Craigslist marketing campaign is consistency. You must do it diligently every day, 3–4 ads per day. After it catches on, then viral marketing will naturally evolve from there, as people will recommend you to their friends.

As an extra service to dog walking, consider taking your digital camera and offering pet portraits while you’ve got the animal in possession. My brother made a killing doing pet portraits.

One more thing. It is important that you separate yourself from competition. So first, check them out, get their prices, actually call them to find out about their services (don’t give them any ideas), and figure how to outplay their game.

For instance, along with walking, offer some degree of obedience training, perhaps bathing. Show yourself in the ad nicely dressed (for a dog walker), spirited, clean, smiling, approachable… with a frisbee in hand with a happy dog by your side. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Keep the wording in the ad to a minimal. People on Craigslist are there for quick experiences. The less info the better, for it encourages them to call for more info.

@bobbinhood the latter. I can get a little vague, but I’m not that bad. . .yet.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies we can’t do Craigslist because my mom would get mad, but we were going to do drawings of people’s pets, not just dogs. Thanks you are great help! Your tips are very helpful. Do you think it would be better to charge extra for the drawing or to add it as a bonus?

Boy I’d love to pry as to why your mom would get mad for not spending any money for advertising… but none of my business unless you want to share.

This is what I do for a living, help small businesses market their products and services. Craigslist is the first line offense for those who want to get going on the cheap.

Perhaps the drawings and/or photography should be handled separately from the active services such as walking, bathing, fetch, frisbee, tug-o-war. You need the main hook to stay very simple and one dimensional for people to “get it”. Your main focus is providing the activity that the owner cannot satisfy themselves.

The artwork may be best accomplished by hanging out at a dog park, and getting to know the regulars. Simply ask them if you can sketch a portrait of their animal. Most will assuredly say yes, and upon completion, they will naturally want it if it represents the animal in a noble way. That way you won’t have to juggle walking and drawing at the same time.

An easy way to make yourself look hard working is to set your rates based upon a time-frame, say 1 hour, but always work ten minutes longer so the customer sees you go the extra mile. That’s the kind of good free viral marketing that people love to brag about to their friends… “My dog walker is so great that he always works longer than promised”… It doesn’t have to be long, but just enough that they notice, unless of course they have an appointment and they need you to return promptly on time. Just let them know that you’ve got some extra time today and request to keep the animal a little longer. Perhaps then would be appropriate for doing the portrait unsolicited. “Hey I wanted to show you what I did for my portfolio of your dog…” If it’s any good, they’ll naturally want it and it would never seem that you were trying to sell them something in advance. Too easy for them to say no. Especially if they’re not an artist capable of envisioning things before they are created. You may have to show them first. Then, as word gets around, request will come for advance commissions.

@Creole Bastard knows an artist that did a portrait of a friends lost cat. Apparently that went over very well and I saw another request for one based on just seeing it. Contact him to see the painting. One of the unique aspects of it was that it included some of the cats toys and possessions in the artwork.

Oh I forgot to mention. A friend of mine has given up her career as a dental assistant and become a full time dog walker. She’s making more money doing that than working for the dentist. She stays fit too!

That business is not about dogs. It’s just like every other business, which is making good connections with good people and fulfilling the promises you make to them.

Just to be clear… your artwork is not to be included as a bonus for free. Charge accordingly for it. Put a dime on it! Could be $10 or $5 or whatever but don’t devalue it by giving it away for free. Doing so devalues the hard work of every artist in the world. You created it. You deserve to be compensated accordingly.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Wow thanks. Sounds like you put a lot of effort into what you said. :) I lurved you!