Animal Marketing Magic

Pet & Aquatic Trade Shows 2009

The Pets and Aquatics Trade Show at Sandown Park, Surrey opens tomorrow on Tuesday 24th March

If you missed Sandown, then you can still register for PATS Harrogate (5th & 6th May). To contact the organisers call 01372 461300.

Four seminars are scheduled for each day:

PATS 2009 Retailer Seminar Programme

• Marketing your business in challenging times

• Independent Retailers: How to sell successfully online

• Behavioural issues, enhanced sales and customer service

• Employment law and staffing issues

You can find out more about PATS at Pet & Aquatic Trade Show 

How To Use PR To Promote Your Pet Shop

I recommend you take advantage of the fact that people love animals and love to read stories about animals and pets.

This gives you a chance to promote your pet shop or pet store with PR (public relations) since journalists want to write stories that a) people will read and b) people will find memorable.

I will start collecting examples of how you can promote your pet shop with PR. All are on my pet shops blog.

Pet shop gives chihuahua puppy to fire victim

    

Pet Shop and Pet Store Marketing

While pet shops and stores will receive the majority of trade from passing enquiries, which reinforces why location is so important in retail, the Internet is seeing a large number of searches each month for pet shops in various locations.

To help pet shop and store owners and managers to promote their pet shops on the Internet, I have started a Pet Shop blog.

You are invited to post the details of your pet shop as a comment and be as promotional as you want. No silly "not for commercial purposes" here - but no unrelated spam either. It is pet shops and stores only

The purpose is that you advertise and explain why readers should visit your store and you can do it for free - but I do ask that you sign up to receive my profit tips for pet shops.

So far I have created pages for three major cities in the UK:

Pet shops London

Pet shops Birmingham

Pet shops Manchester

I certainly don't intend to stop there but I don't want to waste time on this if no pet shop owner takes advantage. By all means leave me a comment and suggest other places - it doesn't have to be in the UK but I will limit it to places where there are large numbers of Internet searches.

This Pet Shop blog is part of a much larger blog which does rank well in Google so I have high hopes for this idea as a way to get better known with pet shop owners.
   

Pet Marketing Problems Ask Paul

My blog will grow with tips for pet marketing and related business articles, but I also want to respond to you.

So if you have any pet marketing questions you would like me to answer as a blog, please leave a comment below.

By all means disguise your name or location but please try to be specific in your question. A general question is likely to get a general answer.

You have to leave your email address with the comment. This won't enter my newsletter subscription which has a separate opt-in, but I may email you for more information to help me answer.

The information will remain confidential.

The question and answer will then form a separate blog which may attract comments from other people.

So if you have a pet marketing problem, ask Paul by posting your question as a comment below.    

Shetland Pony With Short Legs Called Mayflower

Did you hear the story about Mayflower, the Shetland pony in Southampton whose legs are so short that passers-by have been calling 999 - the number for the emergency services in the UK - because they thought the pony was stuck in the mud.

Four times now the Fire Brigade have been called out to rescue Mayflower from mud on the banks of the River Test, only for her to trot off as the firemen and specialist lifting gear arrives.

Here are some links to more reporting of the story.

Pony with short legs costs taxpayers £8000 in rescues

Short-legged pony causes rescue false alarms in England - from the LA Times

Get Shorty! The tiny pony who keeps sparking 999 calls ... because people think she's stuck in the mud - particularly nice photos from the Daily Mail

Short-legged horse sparks repeated rescue attempts

'Sausage-pony' prompts 999 calls - BBC

My little pony is not stuck in the mud

Sweet story but very embarrassing for Mayflower.    

Welcome To Animal Marketing Magic

This new Animal Marketing Magic is to help owners of businesses which promote the well-being and happiness of animals - pets and wildlife - and the successful interaction with people to become more successful and to make more money.

In my experience, people are attracted to the animal and pet business because they love animals and find the idea of working with animals immensely appealing.

But they need help turning this labour of love into a sound, financially viable business.