10 ways to advertise my pet portrait business
I asked an artificial intelligence agent that has been trained on large portions of the internet (Chat GPT-3) to give me “the best ways to advertise and grow my pet portrait business.” Here is what it came back with, along with my responses and plans for the future.
1) Social Media
“Utilise social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to showcase your work, share client testimonials, and engage with potential customers.”
I am now on all of the above and post reasonably regularly (although I’ve not added much to Pinterest for a while). These charts show that the number of Twitter and Instagram followers are slowly going in the right direction:
(Update: I’m now posting regularly on Pinterest, have about 23 thousand followers on Instagram and over 1000 on Twitter. I’m also posting more regularly on Pinterest and beginning to get some traffic from there.)
I’ve not been sharing many new client testimonials recently, so perhaps that’s something I should try to do more of.
2) Referral Program
“Implement a referral program that rewards your current clients for referring new customers. This can be done through discounts or other incentives.”
Personal recommendations are a great way to grow a business. In fact, a number of my commissions already come through referrals. I’m not sure how best to implement a client referral scheme though. Perhaps giving clients a one time use code to give to their friend, who then gives it to me when they commission me. Or maybe they could just mention the name of the person who suggested me to them. If they were a past client I’d give the new customer 5% off and send the original client a £5 voucher to spend in my online store or towards another pet portrait. All that seems quite complicated and involves me in more work though, and reduces my profits. It might, however, incentivise clients to recommend me more, although I think they do that quite a bit already.
3) Collaborations
“Collaborate with pet-related businesses, such as pet stores, grooming salons, or animal shelters, to cross-promote your business.”
Over the last 8 months or so I have been displaying my work in a local vet, along with my business cards. It has not, though, generated much business and I’m not sure why. It should be the perfect place to advertise, so I’m not too confident that advertising in less prominent ways in other pet businesses will be worth it.
4) Paid Advertising
“Consider investing in paid advertising, such as Google AdWords, Facebook ads, or Instagram sponsored posts, to reach a broader audience.”
I’ve not done any paid advertising yet. My plan was to start when my commissions queue got a bit shorter. It’s about three months at the moment, and I expect it will increase in the lead up to Christmas, but if it ever gets significantly shorter I will certainly consider paying for advertising.
5) Networking
“Attend pet-related events, such as adoption fairs or pet shows, to network with potential clients and industry professionals.”
This is something I may do in the future if suitable events come up. Often the cost of a stand is quite high though. I’ve just looked online and for the 2020 Crufts show a stand with one open side would have been £145.00 per square meter, which is not actually that bad. I guess I’d need two meters at least, which with VAT would be £348. I expect its more now. Ah, just seen that for 2022 the minimum space you could book was 6 square meters and the price increased to £159.00 per square meter, so it would be more like £1145. I can’t find any more up to date info but looks like applications for Crufts 2024 will open late summer 2023. There would also be travel and overnight costs so it’s probably not worth it quite yet. Maybe one day.
6) Blogging
“Start a blog on your website to share tips on pet care, showcase your work, and promote your services.”
I have been blogging my journey as a full time pet portrait artist since I started last year. I don’t know how effective that has been in gaining new clients though. Interestingly, GPT-3 mentioned pet care, which is something I would not have thought of, nor do I have much expertise to share about it. I am trying to broaden my content a little though. My last blogs included present suggestions for cat and dog lovers. I also have a page on grieving the loss of a pet as that's something some of my clients are experiencing so I wanted to start gathering some helpful resources related to that.
I could also share a bit more about my cat Titus and what he is getting up to. Maybe a photo and caption with each post or on Twitter would be good. Here he is relaxing in his favourite heated blanket!
7) Email Marketing
“Collect email addresses from your clients and send out regular newsletters, showcasing your latest work and promotions.”
I have a growing list of people who have subscribed through the website to receive regular updates. This tends to be linked to blog articles which come out about once or twice a month, but I could make it more regular with some shorter updates. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
8) Print Marketing
“Print business cards, flyers, and brochures to distribute at pet-related events, pet stores, or other local businesses.”
I recently ran out of business cards, so I had the opportunity to redesign them. I hadn’t decided on a logo or colour scheme when I printed the last batch, so this time I’ve added my S.E. paw-print logo in metallic bronze and included my teal and lavender brand colours. I’ve updated some of the pictures too. I hope you like it!
There are some in a local vets, and I send them out with each commission, but I could look for other opportunities to give them out.
9) Charity Donations
“Consider donating a portion of your profits to pet-related charities or animal shelters. This will not only help a good cause but also create goodwill and positive brand recognition for your business.”
Supporting pet charities is something I always wanted to do, and so last year I gave away a pet portrait as a prize in a completion to raise money for the Many Tears Animal Rescue and rehabilitation centre. It was a great success and we raised almost £6000. In a few months I will begin drawing a portrait for one of the lucky winners.
10) SEO Optimisation
“Optimize your website for search engines to increase your visibility online. This includes using relevant keywords, meta tags, and creating high-quality content that is shareable and linkable. Additionally, claiming your business on Google My Business can improve your local SEO and make it easier for potential clients to find you.”
This is something that has required a lot of attention over the last few months. You can read more about how my website has been shaped to get into Google’s good books here. I am also now on Google My Business. It currently shows a slightly strange service area but I think that’s because I ship worldwide. If I have drawn a pet portrait for you, please consider leaving a review on Google My Business.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s encouraging to see that I’m doing most of the obvious things to advertise and grow my business. GPT-3’s final advice was to “Remember that building a successful business takes time and effort. Focus on delivering high-quality work and exceptional customer service, and your business will grow through word-of-mouth referrals and positive online reviews.”
“High-quality work and exceptional customer service” is certainly my main focus. I already get quite a few referrals but it would be good to get more. Now I’ve got some more business cards I will put them in each commission to make it easier for clients to pass on my details. I’m working really hard and getting lots of great feedback from customers but it would be good to gather and share more reviews in the future. You can leave a review on Google My Business and/or Facebook (and select Reviews) and/or email your feedback to feedback@sophieEllaFineArt.com. Thank you!