Remember I told you I worked in my parents small business when I grew up?
I recall Easter being of the biggest time of the year for retailers, it was right up there with Mother’s Day and Valentines – and my parents gift store was no exception.
Leading up to the big Easter week we would have a big family meeting and talk about everything that needed to get done.
We would draw up long lists of Easter Promotion Ideas and assign tasks with deadlines. My mum would usually get the job of turning the window displays into Easter Bunny wonderland. The interior of the store would get special Easter displays – and we set up an assembly line to package special Easter cellophane gift bags.
My dad was in charge of keeping us fed, and gathering up all the garbage that came from unwrapping easter figurines and other gift items. And of course we had to create signage to promote the whole event – that was usually my job, because I loved doing it and my handwriting was the clearest.
Easter Promotion Ideas Checklist for Your Pet Business
So what does all of this have to do with your pet care service? Running an Easter Promotion for a pet business is not so very different from what I learned as a kid working in my parents store.
When I worked in my friend’s doggie boutique and grooming spa – I learned that this is one of the busiest times of the year for groomers as well as retailers. Easter is a family holiday – and no one wants to bring a scruffy looking, smelly dog to their parents house.
So while my friend was busy grooming more dogs in a day than I could count – I organized the boutique to take advantage of the increased footfall. And as you can imagine – it all started with a long checklist of things that needed to get done. I thought you might find my checklist useful too, so I want to share it with you here on the blog.
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Take Action! Download the printable PDF checklist here, print it off and get your Pet Biz ready for Easter today.
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Let your clients know your Opening Hours
One often forgotten part of marketing is to keep customers in the loop of your whereabouts and opening hours.
This is especially important ahead of holidays like Easter. There’s nothing worse than having customers turn up at your door when you’re closed, or desperately searching your website for information about your opening hours.
So, make sure your customers know what your opening hours are like this Easter.
Here’s what you need to do:
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- If you have a brick and mortar store front, then put a sign in the window with your Easter Opening Hours in the week leading up to Easter (and leave the sign up until you come back after the holidays).
- Post an update on your social media channels – on Facebook, pin this update to the top of your news feed.
- Update the Opening Hours on your Website & your outgoing voicemail message.
- Email your clients in the week leading up to Easter to let them know of your opening hours. For dog walkers and pet sitters, make sure this gets done well ahead of time as people may have to make alternative plans if you’re closed.
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Take Action! Download the FREE Opening Hours Sign here – then print it off and display in your store window, or anywhere else that your customers can easily spot it. There are two versions of the sign – one with text (this one works if you’re closed all Easter), and then there’s a second version where you can add the opening hours yourself by printing it off and writing on the sheet.
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Give Away Some Easter Goodies
Giving away some free dog biscuits at the till, or preparing a small goodie bag, or A Happy Easter card for your dog walking clients will go a long way to let your clients know you appreciate their business this Easter. And a happy customer, is a good customer!
Prepare Easter Offers
Easter is a great time to communicate some great promotional offers. If you’re planning ahead of time you can offer an early bird discount for your grooming/walking/sitting clients. This makes your job easier as your bookings calendar gets filled up early, and regulars will get a small discount plus the knowledge that they won’t miss their spot this Easter.
If you have a brick and mortar location – then set up a cute Easter display with some of your best selling dog treats, and cute Easter pet toys mixed in. Consider a Buy one Get one Free Offer to move stock quicker.
Top tip – tie a yellow ribbon around a packet of dog treats and a cute Easter Bunny toy, make a cute bow and watch these goodies fly off the shelf leading up to Easter.
Don’t forget about Clear Signage – the best offers in the world will get missed if you don’t communicate them clearly. Put a sign where the products are displayed, and add a new poster to your sandwich sign & window display.
Get Social! Last Minute Facebook Promotions Ideas
Chances are you are going to get really busy in the days leading up to Easter, so you want to schedule a couple of social media updates ahead of time.
Here are some last minute Facebook Promotions you can run this Easter:
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- Ask your fans to share photos of their pets wearing their Best Easter Outfits. Super booster tip: Offer up a prize for the best outfit!
- Ask your fans to share their pet’s favorite Easter Treat. Make this into a fun contest by asking your fans to complete a sentence: ‘Finish this sentence and you’re entered for a chance to win [prize]: “My dog’s favorite Easter treat is _______ “
- Share a link to some tasty Easter recipes for pets, like this grain free peanut butter & Carob dog treat recipe from Kol’s Notes.
- Remind your fans about the potential dangers of Easter to their pets. From Easter lillies, to chocolate, there’s a whole lot of things they need to watch out for this Easter to keep their pet safe. Check out this article from Pet Poison line for inspiration.
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Take Action! Download the FREE Facebook shareables here, then upload them to Facebook and schedule your posts over the Easter Weekend. Easy Peasy Social!
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Do you know anyone who might like to hear about these Easter Promotion tips? Why not share the link – sharing is caring! 🙂
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