Wonder whether LinkedIn could work for your pet business?
Maybe youโve heard of it but donโt have a clue how to use it?
Or – and this is sooo common – you’ve dismissed it thinking โLinkedIn isnโt for pets!โ
It can seem scary adding another social channel string to our bow as a small business.
So thatโs why I spoke to the Queen of LinkedIn, Helen Pritchard, to find out how you can use it to attract clients and make sales in your pet business.
Helen has helped thousands of small business owners master LinkedIn through her free five day challenge and Mastermind programme.
She shares how to apply her success formula to the pet industry, from blinged up Chihuahuas to becoming the most sought after pet professional in your town.
You can listen in to her advice on the player link below or continue reading as a blog post.ย
Helen’s background in social media
Mum of two Helen started her social media journey when Facebook first launched in the UK back in the mid 00s after her marriage broke down.
Sheโd been working at the council and retrained to be a reflexologist and found social media was ideal for reaching customers.
Helen said: โI found myself in a really tricky place financially when my marriage broke down and trained to be a reflexologist, focusing on the benefits for fertility and pregnancy.
โI felt really isolated but the combination of having a business and focusing on social media to attract clients really helped me.
โSocial media gave me connection and community with other people, and I understood that it was not only helping my business but helping me emotionally.โ
Fast forward a few years and Helen Pritchard set up her own social media agency
She launched Blue Sky Digital Marketing in Warrington and focused on small business owners who wanted support with social media.
And to find them, she headed over to LinkedIn.
Helen recalled: โMy ideal client was there, so I set it up and I was really clear with my message.
โIn my profile headine, I said, โHelping small businesses in Warrington look better and sell more online.โ
โI asked clients to pay ยฃ250 a month and I knew if I had ten clients I could start paying back the ยฃ90,000 debt that the breakdown of my marriage had left.ย
โI realised I could make good money at home, enjoy what I was doing and my entrepreneurial journey started.โย
Why Helen Pritchard chose LinkedIn
Ten years ago Facebook was around and so was Twitter too, but Helen decided to specialise in LinkedIn because of the simplicity of the platform.
โLinkedIn seemed so obvious and simple,โ she explained. โFacebook is quite complex. Itโs a long game and thereโs a mix of personal and business.
โI use it a lot now but at the time I had no money to learn more and LinkedIn was the easiest place to search for business owners in Warrington.
โThey asking for help because I was direct and easy to find. I packaged up an hour with me for ยฃ99 to give people expert advice on how to use their own Linkedin to make money.
โI thought I would sell a few but I sold hundreds! Thatโs when I quit working for clients at my agency started the Mastermind group.
โI give away my expertise freely and thatโs whatโs made me successful, because it works if you do the work.โ
So what’s Helen’s advice for pet professionals on LinkedIn?
Helenโs first piece of advice is to get out of the mindset that your ideal customer isnโt on LinkedIn.
She says: โThereโs 650 million people on LinkedIn and Iโd say 50 per cent of them have a pet or know someone who does, they are potential clients.
โFrom a local provider for service providers like a dog walker, LinkedIn will work so well for you.
โThe biggest problem dog owners have is the guilt.Theyโve been at work all day, they come home and have to walk the dog and itโs a chore. So youโre providing a service to help them.
โFocus on the way that your ideal client feels, so you can provide a solution to them.
โYou could put yourself on there and say โhelping busy execs enjoy every minute with their dog minus the guiltโ and put your prices!โย
Helen says the method can work with products too, using a luxury, bespoke Chihuahua accessory as an example.ย
She said: โYou could focus on high profile execs in London and write your bio as, โHelping high flying execs in the city have the most show stopping tiny dog outerwear for the season.โย
โAccompany this with information about being a city exec and images of well dressed people with their dogs in the city.
โWith your content, make it for one sort of person with one type of pet, for example, wealthy owners who have tiny dogs with big personalities.
โIt’s never about LinkedIn, it’s about the change and the impact and the value that you’re delivering for people, which has a ripple effect and all the different areas of their life.โ
Who should you connect with on LinkedIn?
Helenโs advice is to look for large pet brands, their staff, influencers, organisations and events to get your name out there.ย
She said: โFollow businesses on LinkedIn and the people that work for those businesses, so for example Crufts and then anyone who works there.ย
โPlus all pet magazines and everyone who works there. Target events, trade organisations and connect with journalists too, be supportive of them and let them be interested in you.
Should we talk about our pets on LinkedIn?
If youโve been worried about talking about your pet on LinkedIn, Helenโs advice is to stop and start posting about them!
She said: โLinkedIn is just a tool, thereโs no rules. Post whatever you want. Create your own audience of ideal clients you can post content that you know they will be interested in.
โRunning a pet business is a gift because everyone loves animals and people will spend so much money on their pets. Animal posts perform higher than all other posts.”
So what can you talk about on LinkedIn?
Helenโs advice is to talk about your business, why you do what you do, and why youโre passionate about it.
โDonโt be scared of LinkedIn. It’s a goldmine,โ she said. ย
โPlus your competitors most likely wonโt be on LinkedIn as they most likely feel like itโs not the place for them.ย
โThis will give you a first mover advantage and access to people who have never seen someone on LinkedIn doing the same.
โWhen you do something different to everyone else you will get better results!โ
How you can learn more from Helen Pritchard
Helen has a free Facebook community where she helps thousands of business owners learn how to get the most from LinkedIn.
She has a Mastermind with her signature LinkedIn 12 week programme, create your own โยฃ99 thingโ, and her LinkedIn bootcamp course.
This is ยฃ1997 (correct at time of publication) and you can pay ยฃ997 up front and the remaining ยฃ1000 when you have made that money back from LinkedIn.
You can find out more here: https://getleadsfromlinkedin.com/evergreen/
Plus Helen has tonnes of free resources on her website, from videos showing you how to write your headline to podcast episodes.
Helen says: โI give a lot away for free because itโs what works for my business, the version of me ten years ago wouldnโt be able to afford the programmes.
โThe people who are ready to invest fund the business helping those who aren’t quite ready and are unable to invest that kind of money.
โIt creates this great community feeling and an ecosystem of paying it forward.โ
Where can you find out more about Helen?
LinkedIn: www.uk.linkedin.com/in/helenpritchard
Free LinkedIn Marketing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/groupforlinkedinmarketing
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LinkedInLeadGen
Instagram: www.instagram.com/helenpritchardonline
Website: www.helenpritchardonline.com/
Want support in being visible on social media? My membership can help. Find out more here:ย Is my Pets Get Visible membership right for you?
If you found this podcast helpful you might like to read How to grow on LinkedIn with Nicki Cameron Building a community on Instagram with Helen Perry, Getting started with Google Analytics with Vicki Jakes or Facebook Ads made easy with Jo Francis