Help with small new business

I have been in business nearly 15 years now. Had a website for 12 years. I keep statistics of where all of my job leads come from and as a result I can honestly say that the number of leads that I have had as a result of my website is: ZERO.


Would I have one again if just starting out? No.


You will be better exploiting social media. Set up a Business page on Facebook. Set up a pinterest page with lots of pics of dogs, dog homes, dog outfits etc. The same for Instagram. If you have Twitter, then tweet about your new business! Remember social media is the first time in the history of marketing that your product or service can be pushed into someone handbag, table or pocket, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you don't have a social media presence you will struggle in business. I am quite convinced that in 10 years, the businesses that don't use social media wont exists!!


Additionally, get a free listing on yell.com. Check with your local council to see if they have a website promoting local businesses.


Also try and get involved with local business networking. People buy from People! It is a way to actually speak to people about your business and build up relationships. Speak with ancillary companies like dog walkers and pet sitters and offer them a referral fee if they push clients to you (and reciprocate).


Good luck

From your post you may need to proof read what you write if you are going to do your own promotion. You didn't use any full stops and had various typos. Just be careful how you come across when promoting yourself with a website or social media.

If you don't have a social media presence you will struggle in business.

Bit OTT??

We started about a year ago, have social media, website, parish mags and leaflets.

Social media got us competing with the bottom end of the market, we are all but done with it. We get much better clients by picking our postcodes and leafleting, plus parish magazines.

Website, we pick up the odd bit of work through the website, and have recently agreed a really good job that came via our website.

Worth mentioning that adverts either leaflets or magazines that have a website reference are useful - potential clients see the ad and go off to the website to look for more info.

phill99 wrote: »

I have been in business nearly 15 years now. Had a website for 12 years. I keep statistics of where all of my job leads come from and as a result I can honestly say that the number of leads that I have had as a result of my website is: ZERO.


Would I have one again if just starting out? No.


You will be better exploiting social media. Set up a Business page on Facebook. Set up a pinterest page with lots of pics of dogs, dog homes, dog outfits etc. The same for Instagram. If you have Twitter, then tweet about your new business! Remember social media is the first time in the history of marketing that your product or service can be pushed into someone handbag, table or pocket, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you don't have a social media presence you will struggle in business. I am quite convinced that in 10 years, the businesses that don't use social media wont exists!!


Additionally, get a free listing on yell.com. Check with your local council to see if they have a website promoting local businesses.


Also try and get involved with local business networking. People buy from People! It is a way to actually speak to people about your business and build up relationships. Speak with ancillary companies like dog walkers and pet sitters and offer them a referral fee if they push clients to you (and reciprocate).


Good luck

why would anyone NOT have a website in this day and age? it literally costs under a tenner a year to have one.

give you something to put on business cards and other literature, even in newspaper ads of you still live in the 1990's

I cant think of a single reason not to have a website for a dog grooming business, if only for a place where people can get further information if they see you going around in your car / van with the site address on, get a couple of large car magnet things printed and you literally have a local advert out there 24/7

to be honest, I wouldn't even waste my time on such a business if they didn't have a website, even a basic one that shows their types of services and their prices, like i'll be wasting my time phoning up to check to see what they do and what it costs, i'll just go to one of the many others that have made getting this information easy.