Smart, Cost-Effective Marketing Helps Launch Your New Pet Product/Service By Nicoline Lentze

So you’ve finally done it: your Pet Gizmo works perfectly and you’ve found a company to produce it for you at a reasonable cost. Now all you need is customers.

How do you get enough people to buy your amazing Pet Gizmo so that you can not only recoup your start-up fees, but also make a profit? In fact, it would be even better if you could interest pet stores in stocking the Gizmo. The solution is cost-effective marketing.

You’re just getting started, which means you probably don’t have a huge budget for advertising. The good news is that there are several free or inexpensive options available to you.

Press Releases or news releases are a great way to get the word out about your product or service. These are simply short documents written in a specific format but that may also result in further media coverage for your company, product or service. Many people don’t realize that it costs nothing to submit press release.

A good source on the details of writing a successful press release is Marcia Yudkin’s 6 Steps to Free Publicity. For a reasonable fee, you can have your release distributed for you. Of course if you’re on a tight budget, you can do your own leg-work and access a copy of Bacon’s Newspaper and Magazine Directory from your public library.

The bottom line is that both direct consumers and pet retailers will read about you and the orders will start to roll in.

Create a Website for your Gizmo. Even if you don’t want to market a product or service directly using the Internet, a website can work in your favor. You can buy a domain name and hosting for a very reasonable sum nowadays. Some services also have a create-your-own-website option available. You can provide details about your product and yourself and generally appear organized and efficient. Search engines will index you (or you can submit your information to them) and more people will be able to find out about you.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising is another way to utilize your website to draw additional traffic and interest. If you’ve ever done a search on Google, you’ll probably have seen the column of ads that run down the right-hand column under the heading ‘sponsored links.’ Often there are a couple of them at the top of the page as well. These are pay-per-click ads.

Essentially you can create an advertisement using step-by-step instructions, and you choose keywords that will pull up that ad when people search for them. You agree to pay a small sum each time someone clicks on your ad (called your ‘bid’) – the amounts can range from 10 cents to over a dollar depending on how often a keyword is searched. When people click on your ad, they’re sent to your website and the cost of the keyword that brought up your ad is added to your monthly bill

You need to keep a watchful eye on your campaign to make sure you’re not spending more that your budget allows, but you can program a daily limit to help out with that.

Direct Mail is another way to let people know about your business. You can send out a mailing to an entire geographical area or specifically, for instance, to people who own pets. Sending out postcards, brochures or sales letters to pet retailers is probably the most expensive option mentioned here, however they will certainly get the word out there. And of course you can send out them out in phases as your budget allows. Public libraries are a good source for finding business directories that list pet retailers that you can target.

Take heart: once the word is out there your business will start to grow!

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=215769&ca=Pets

Pet Projects By Kaja Gam

Even though we like to think of our pets as important and treasured members of our families, we sometimes forget about ways we can include them in our home design and decorating plans.

Thanks to new products and technologies, it has never been easier to incorporate the needs of our four-legged (or in some cases, two-legged and gilled) friends into our home designs.

Fabrics: In addition to fun and whimsical pet-inspired patterns, the growing popularity of outdoor living spaces has led to the development of new moisture-resistant and antimicrobial fabrics that are indistinguishable from traditional indoor fabrics. Whether you choose them to upholster your pieces or use them just as slipcovers, these fabrics are ideal for pet owners who like to share their favorite sofas and chairs with their furry friends. Check out Crypton Super Fabrics to see new fabrics created by photographer William Wegman and architect Michael Graves that appeal to pet-loving families. Perennials Fabrics carries an extensive line of products ranging from contemporary to traditional patterns and has recently teamed up with textile designers Galbraith & Paul® to create an exciting new line of durable and beautiful products.

Flooring Surfaces: If you have a family member (or members) who suffer from allergies and you don't enjoy heavy cleaning on a frequent basis, you should avoid deep pile carpets such as shag rugs. Hard surfaces enable you to control allergens better, but in the past many pet owners shied away from hardwood floors because of concerns about claw and scratch marks. Thanks to a new water-based, low VOC polymer floor finish called 'Traffic' from Bona , pet owners can put those fears to rest and once again enjoy beautiful and easy-to-clean hardwood floors.

Air Quality and Odor Control: Pet owners and non-pet owners alike should consider room or whole- house air purification systems that are attached to the air conditioning unit. These filtering systems, along with a good vacuum with a HEPA filter, can help remove allergens and irritants from your home (and not just pet irritants) thus making the air healthier for everyone. To help control pet odors, make sure you clean up any messes on carpets and fabrics as soon as they occur and use good quality kitty litters with maximum odor absorption capabilities. Yesterday's News® by Purina is made from recycled newspaper and is a good choice. Avoid scented cat litter - the chemicals used can irritate both you and your pet.

Space Planning - Indoors and Out: If you own a large dog or a big bird, you should consider this animal's space needs just as you would consider the space needs of another member of your family. Make sure your most-used living spaces (kitchen, family room, bedrooms) can accommodate your large animal. And regardless of whether your pets are big or small, find ways to integrate your animals’ needs into your daily life by ensuring that pet beds, cages, fish tanks and crawling trees blend with the flow and style of your home. Depending on your style, you might find something appealing at postmodernpets.com or barkdeco.com. Try the Lotus Cat Tree or the wicker litter box from dogbedworks.com or petsnap.com

If your animal enjoys the great outdoors, you may want to consider a pet door for easy access in and out. Make sure your yard offers a cool, shady spot for those occasional (and much needed) cat, rabbit and dog naps and keep it enclosed to keep your special family members safe from traffic and other hazards, including wildlife that may prey on them. An outdoor bird aviary is perfect for milder climates and adds a touch of elegance to your garden.

A Room with a View: Lucky for us humans, many of our pets’ special homes serve as more than just a place for them to hang their hats, so to speak, and can actually accentuate the aesthetics of our homes. The light, color and movement of a beautiful glass tank filled with azure water can reflect surrounding room light and highlight the bright colors of the exotic tropical fish that zip and zag about inside it. The rustic charm of an antique rabbit hutch might be the perfect anchor for a terrace or porch corner. A whimsical bird cage hanging gracefully from the ceiling can add vertical visual interest to a room. As evidenced by the items available through some of the websites listed above, the choices for stylish pet homes have exploded in recent years, so you no longer have to limit your choices to cheap plastic tubes in gaudy colors but can actually choose pet homes that enhance your existing decor.

So as you make plans to redesign or redecorate your home, remember all the warmth and comfort your pets bring to your life and make a commitment to find ways to make them warm and comfortable, too.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=216089&ca=Pets

Pet Projects By Kaja Gam

Even though we like to think of our pets as important and treasured members of our families, we sometimes forget about ways we can include them in our home design and decorating plans.

Thanks to new products and technologies, it has never been easier to incorporate the needs of our four-legged (or in some cases, two-legged and gilled) friends into our home designs.

Fabrics: In addition to fun and whimsical pet-inspired patterns, the growing popularity of outdoor living spaces has led to the development of new moisture-resistant and antimicrobial fabrics that are indistinguishable from traditional indoor fabrics. Whether you choose them to upholster your pieces or use them just as slipcovers, these fabrics are ideal for pet owners who like to share their favorite sofas and chairs with their furry friends. Check out Crypton Super Fabrics to see new fabrics created by photographer William Wegman and architect Michael Graves that appeal to pet-loving families. Perennials Fabrics carries an extensive line of products ranging from contemporary to traditional patterns and has recently teamed up with textile designers Galbraith & Paul® to create an exciting new line of durable and beautiful products.

Flooring Surfaces: If you have a family member (or members) who suffer from allergies and you don't enjoy heavy cleaning on a frequent basis, you should avoid deep pile carpets such as shag rugs. Hard surfaces enable you to control allergens better, but in the past many pet owners shied away from hardwood floors because of concerns about claw and scratch marks. Thanks to a new water-based, low VOC polymer floor finish called 'Traffic' from Bona , pet owners can put those fears to rest and once again enjoy beautiful and easy-to-clean hardwood floors.

Air Quality and Odor Control: Pet owners and non-pet owners alike should consider room or whole- house air purification systems that are attached to the air conditioning unit. These filtering systems, along with a good vacuum with a HEPA filter, can help remove allergens and irritants from your home (and not just pet irritants) thus making the air healthier for everyone. To help control pet odors, make sure you clean up any messes on carpets and fabrics as soon as they occur and use good quality kitty litters with maximum odor absorption capabilities. Yesterday's News® by Purina is made from recycled newspaper and is a good choice. Avoid scented cat litter - the chemicals used can irritate both you and your pet.

Space Planning - Indoors and Out: If you own a large dog or a big bird, you should consider this animal's space needs just as you would consider the space needs of another member of your family. Make sure your most-used living spaces (kitchen, family room, bedrooms) can accommodate your large animal. And regardless of whether your pets are big or small, find ways to integrate your animals’ needs into your daily life by ensuring that pet beds, cages, fish tanks and crawling trees blend with the flow and style of your home. Depending on your style, you might find something appealing at postmodernpets.com or barkdeco.com. Try the Lotus Cat Tree or the wicker litter box from dogbedworks.com or petsnap.com

If your animal enjoys the great outdoors, you may want to consider a pet door for easy access in and out. Make sure your yard offers a cool, shady spot for those occasional (and much needed) cat, rabbit and dog naps and keep it enclosed to keep your special family members safe from traffic and other hazards, including wildlife that may prey on them. An outdoor bird aviary is perfect for milder climates and adds a touch of elegance to your garden.

A Room with a View: Lucky for us humans, many of our pets’ special homes serve as more than just a place for them to hang their hats, so to speak, and can actually accentuate the aesthetics of our homes. The light, color and movement of a beautiful glass tank filled with azure water can reflect surrounding room light and highlight the bright colors of the exotic tropical fish that zip and zag about inside it. The rustic charm of an antique rabbit hutch might be the perfect anchor for a terrace or porch corner. A whimsical bird cage hanging gracefully from the ceiling can add vertical visual interest to a room. As evidenced by the items available through some of the websites listed above, the choices for stylish pet homes have exploded in recent years, so you no longer have to limit your choices to cheap plastic tubes in gaudy colors but can actually choose pet homes that enhance your existing decor.

So as you make plans to redesign or redecorate your home, remember all the warmth and comfort your pets bring to your life and make a commitment to find ways to make them warm and comfortable, too.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=216089&ca=Pets