What makes your pet sitting business stand out in a competitive market? Why would someone hire you over the competition? These are the big questions that every pet sitting business owner faces. It’s the cost of having a business plan, but it’s not as hard to stand out as you may think. You have to make the most of what you have that no one else does – you!

Help Your Brand Stand Out

What is branding? Well, it’s not hot pokers in rustic shapes for use on cattle, that’s for sure! Branding refers to your identity as a company. When you see the YouTube symbol, you know you’re looking at a YouTube product. Walmart’s distinct shades of blue and yellow are comfortable to many. In a single graphic, these brands have become so entrenched in our lives that we instinctively recognize the company. 

Why? Because they’ve used it in all their marketing, and they are now intrinsically connected in our brains. Think of the brand like the clothes your company is wearing. Now imagine you and your competition are twins. You’re wearing one style of clothes, and the other twin is wearing their style. Because you two dressed differently, people will better be able to tell the difference between you. If you dress similarly to your twin, people will get confused and start mixing the two of you up. By making your brand unique to you, you won’t have that problem.  

Branding your business is more than just clothes. You have visual concepts, your colors, logo, and fonts that you consistently use but, another thing to be conscious of is the behavior and values you show your community. After all, a logo is just a visual reminder of your company. It isn’t the logo itself that people emotionally connect to – it’s the memories of your brand they remember.

Make sure that your customers have a wonderful experience from start to finish. Whether they have just found you and are doing their research, signing up, or are an active client, they should always have a positive experience. That way, when they see your logo, they remember how much they trust you! 

You Are the Only Thing No One Can Copy

There are plenty of people who do what you do, but no one has your story. Your story will enable that connection with your audience and make it more likely for your audience to choose your brand. 

“There’s no such thing as a unique message, only unique messengers.”  – Jadah Sellner

People should know your face. Whether it’s because it’s an integral part of your brand, or you make a point to meet each client, or you have a welcome video on your website, they need to become familiar with you as a person.

Not just your face, either. Your story. 

Think about how your story bridges what offer you want your audience to take action on. (Blog, video, service) It should have intention. Then, choose a story that bridges the question that you want your audience to answer.

Don’t worry about repeating your stories. Because it’s actually better that way – it’s easier to remember stories you’ve heard multiple times! So, it’s actually helpful to create a story bank. The more of YOUR stories you can be sharing? The more your clients will connect to you! 

Create an Amazing Customer Experience

Do a thorough examination of the process your clients go through, from start to finish. Think about every touchpoint of the customer experience. Does it make sense? Is it easy and natural for them? Have a non-client go through the process, so you have an outside perspective. Then, ask them how it felt. For example, do they like getting automatic replies from the website, or does it feel too sterile? Ask for feedback on where you can improve to make things easier to navigate. In addition, always be asking for client feedback in the areas that could use improvement. Because everybody is different, so get answers from multiple people. Design the customer experience based on how you want your clients to feel.

Provide Consistency

Creating consistency in your business will help you stand out from others. When training your employees, everyone should meet all of the standards you set (never set poop bags down inside the house, always give fresh water, positive messages, etc.) That way, no matter who does the job, the quality of work is the same. It is an ideal situation for your business and client. Because the client feels like their pet is receiving consistent care, your company gains a reputation for giving the best service possible. Your clients will see that all the members of your team are competent and trustworthy. Because trust is the basis for every relationship, professional and personal, the connection between client and company deepens. It creates peace of mind, which is a big deal when you’re entering people’s homes.

Stand Out One Step at a Time

Building a brand is not a quick process. On the contrary, everyone starts out tiny, and you grow organically over time. No matter how big or small your business is, being consistent, unique, and personal will build an emotional connection with potential customers. Then before you know it – you have a client base. Preferably one that loves you so much that they talk about you to all of their friends, growing the base further!  

Want to know more about using branding to grow your business? We have an entire course on branding your business in the PetBrainy Circle. The PetBrainy Circle is a community of other pet business owners. It’s a great place to form friendships and get the support you need on your journey of building a successful pet sitting business. You’ll have Everything you will possibly need is in there. Furthermore, we are not only providing courses, but we are providing helpful templates so you can quickly implement whatever your business needs. We’ve got it all, and we are so excited to see you over in the PetBrainy Circle. Click Here to sign up today!