4 Tips for Marketing Your Dog Training Franchise

At the heart of every successful franchise is an excellent marketing strategy. In a sector as competitive as dog training, having the right marketing strategy is essential to making sure your business can get ahead of your competition - so if you were looking for some tips on how best to market your dog training franchise, here’s where you should start.

It’s official - Brits are a nation of dog lovers. With so many more families up and down the UK adding a four-legged canine friend to their household, dog carers and trainers are seeing record levels of demand. No surprise then that so many people are looking to make a career change with a dog training franchise

But while being your own boss and starting your own dog training franchise can be a dream opportunity, you need to make sure that your marketing strategy helps you stand out as the go-to business in your area. If you’re looking for inspiration on how to do exactly that, here’s what you need to know. 

The current shape of the dog training industry 

“People are increasingly treating their pets as humans, relying on them for companionship and gaining a sense of fulfilment from needing to be needed as they look after their pets. They want their pets to feel cared-for, comfortable and mentally stimulated. So there is driving demand for added-value products, often mirroring mainstream human styling and healthcare trends. As a result people are prepared to pay more for their petcare products and to replace them more often.”
- Jane Westgarth, Mintel.

The UK is already spending around £10 billion on their dogs, and with much of this money going towards the house-training of pets, in a dog training franchise you can look forward to being part of a potentially multi-million pound sector. 

And if you were wondering whether you’ll even be able to become a part of a dog training franchise, the good news is that you shouldn’t doubt yourself - franchises all around the country understand that the right franchisees can come from any number of different backgrounds. So whatever your skills, know that you can still become a dog training franchisee.

4 tips for marketing your dog training franchise

So how do you stand out as a dog training franchisee? Marketing is your key to success, so use the following tips to your advantage.

1. Use content wisely

You may have heard of the ‘content economy’, while being a little unsure of exactly what it means. Fortunately, there’s no better example to use than dogs. Social media is awash with highly clickable, likeable and shareable pictures, GIFs and videos - and dogs and other pets come right at the very top of this consumable content. This makes your regular clients an incredibly powerful source of marketing power. 

Brands from a wide range of sectors record increased engagement when animals are involved, so make sure you’re using your very own furry friends to market your own business. 

The biggest increase in engagement was for Instagram comments, where brands saw up to 295% more comments on content on pets. The average increase in comments of all 15 brands was 89%, while the average increase in likes was 19%
- Newswhip

2. Ensure a seamless online identity 

Strongly correlating with the first point, you need to make sure that you are present on all kinds of social media platforms and online sites. Plus, you also need to ensure that all your information is on there and that it is all updated and relevant. From contact numbers to emails to services to anything else prospective customers might need, your online identity helps people shop around and hopefully, quickly realise that your dog training franchise is right for them. 

In today’s always-on digital world, customers will be looking for all the essential information they need to contact you quickly. If even one part of your website is lacking, you could very easily turn potential customers away. 

3. Strike a tone

It should go without saying in the dog training industry, but formality is out - warm, informal and relaxed communications are the way to go. Tone down your content and show that your business isn’t just about making a quick dime. Customers want to know that they’re not just buying from a business, they’re buying into a business - and one that shares their values at that. 

Whether your marketing is going to be about humour and approachability, or perhaps adopting social and environmental goals, or even both, make sure your customers see their own values in your business. Strike the right tone and you can draw new people to your franchise.

4. Portfolio 

Ultimately, a lot of your business will depend on how good your results are. If you’ve done a good job, you should look to build a portfolio of testimonials and examples of your good work. If customers can see just how good you actually are training dogs, they know that they’ll be getting value for money - immediately overcoming one of the largest hurdles any business faces.

Start a dog training franchise with an excellent marketing strategy 

Marketing may seem complex if you haven’t done it before, but by following the above essential tips for spreading the word about your franchise, you will quickly be up to speed and ready to run with your own marketing strategy. Starting your own dog franchise has never been so easy. 

But if you don’t think training dogs is quite right for your needs, maybe you’d be better suited to another sector. Franchising is a great way to make the most of running your own business while still minimising many of the existing costs, so have a look at the UK franchise directory for some other franchising opportunities that could interest you.