Whether you're opening a new dog daycare, expanding an existing business, or looking to increase your current customer base, marketing is your golden ticket.

Marketing is the key to setting your business apart from the competition. Done right, it gets the right people to notice your dog daycare and become customers.  

A marketing plan for dog daycare doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Yet, it does require planning and consistency.

For example, what type of customers do you want, and how do you reach them? If your area is full of small dogs, you might choose to cater to small dog people. If you're in a rural area and have a large facility, you might welcome ALL the well-behaved dogs.   

Technology can help you implement your marketing strategy once you've nailed down the fundamentals. But first, it's essential to know who your best customers will be and how to reach them.

In this article, you'll discover four components of a successful marketing plan for your dog daycare and ways to streamline it, so it's an easy part of your daily routine.   

Marketing is not advertising though they're related and often confused. Traditional advertising is billboards, print ads, and tv/radio commercials. The digital version is paid ads such as Facebook and Google.

Digital ads can help you get in front of your current and future customers. Yet, you don't want to rely on them alone because a) they can be complicated to manage, and b) when you stop running ads, your customers stop seeing them.  

Effective marketing is a system of putting your dog daycare in front of the right people day after day. Let's take a quick look at your marketing plan fundamentals.

When you're opening a dog daycare or any new business, the basics are the same. It starts with your target customers and what they want to know.

This is the part where you do a brief assessment of your area, your competition, and the type of clientele you want to have in your business.

For example, if yours is the first doggy daycare in your area, you'll want to do a lot of education about what doggy daycare is and the benefits. If there are several dog daycares, then you'll need to make sure you've identified what makes yours different.  

Maybe you offer 1:1 playtime or have an agility course and doggy pool for active and energetic dogs. Whatever your "differentiator," it can be the reason why people choose your dog daycare.

• People with dogs
• Disposable income
• Willingness to spend it on their pups 

Then you have the basis of a thriving business. Now you can show your future customers why they should choose your doggy daycare.

Besides social media, you also want to have a robust Google My Business profile, reviews on sites like Yelp, and a professional-looking website. After all, the first place people tend to look when they need something is Google.

"Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half."

With traditional advertising like billboards and print ads, that can be true.  

Fortunately, with digital marketing, you can know exactly how your marketing performs. Tools like Google Analytics show you how many people visit your website and which pages they visit. Facebook and Instagram analytics track your ad spend and show you which posts perform the best. And email newsletters show you open and click-through rates.

If you've never tracked them before, you may not have a basis for knowing what's "good" or not. That's ok. If you start tracking now and look over the past few months, that'll give you a baseline.

The more consistent you are with your marketing plan, the better you'll be able to analyze your results.

You might opt for Instagram, Facebook, and email at first. That way, you can think about your content and use a handy business tool to implement it.

For example, when you're opening a dog daycare, posting "behind-the-scenes" pictures of the build-out makes sense. Showing your renovations gives you a chance to explain your thinking behind your choices. You can do short Livestream videos, take great pictures, or a combination and post them on Facebook and Instagram.  

You can start your email list (or add it) with your existing customer base. With the right tools, you can set up helpful emails ahead of time and schedule them to go out when you want them to reach your customers.

For example, if you want to send a weekly email with a tip on caring for dogs, you can write several in an afternoon and schedule them for weeks to come.  

You can also use a business tool to request reviews automatically and even simplify client communication.

Creating and implementing a marketing plan for your dog daycare doesn't have to be complicated. It only requires a bit of strategic thinking followed by consistent implementation.   

Every pet parent wants their pup to be happy, healthy, and safe. Your marketing plan can show them how you meet those needs and desires. When you do this well, you'll soon find yourself with a thriving dog daycare business.

Where will you start with your marketing plan for your dog daycare?