Pittsburgh Paws Pet Resort - Jennifer DeSalvo
Pittsburgh Paws Pet Resort, a pet day care facility and hotel, has been in business for 6 years, and now has locations in Sewickley and Natrona Heights. We asked owner Jennifer DeSalvo what’s behind her company’s growth, and how COVID-19 has affected her marketing strategy.
What have you been doing lately to spread the word about Pittsburgh Paws?
We have a very active social media presence on both Facebook and Instagram. Through COVID, we've continued to post pretty much every day with pictures and videos, which keeps our followers active.
“People LOVE to see pictures of dogs, and we've boosted some 'extra cute' posts on Facebook”
How has business been throughout the pandemic?
When the pandemic first hit, we closed our doors for a week. It wasn't mandated, as pet care is “essential,” but I wanted to take a week to understand more of what was going on. We had clients calling and emailing saying that they needed our services for doggy daycare - doctors, nurses, first responders.
We reopened the following week with very limited business hours. We operated with the limited business hours for a while, then reopened with regular business hours on May 11th. Our industry is highly reliant on the travel industry, and with lots of people skipping vacations this year due to the pandemic, things have been a lot slower than normal. We're seeing about 50% of what we would normally see.
And how has COVID affected your marketing?
Typically, we would be attending community festivals and purchasing booth space, handing out chotchkies, brochures, etc. But with everything being cancelled, we've resorted to only posting on social media. People LOVE to see pictures of dogs, and we've boosted some 'extra cute' posts on Facebook.
What forms of marketing do you typically like to use?
Just social media.
Do you have any special plans for the next half of the year?
Dodging all the bullets that 2020 is firing at us!
So what's your favorite thing about running your business?
I love working with our clients and their pets... getting to know the families that leave their furry kids with us. Watching puppies grow up in doggy daycare. Coaching and watching young staff members grow into rock-star employees.
OK so I have to ask.. if you had to be a dog breed... what would it be??
A Lab - goofy, adapts to situations, sometimes awkward, but all around fun-loving.
Connect with Pittsburgh Paws Pet Resort
Website: pghpaws.com
Instagram: pittsburghpawspetresort
LinkedIn: Pittsburgh Paws Pet Resort
Facebook: Pittsburgh Paws Pet Resort - Sewickley
Pittsburgh Paws Pet Resort - Natrona Heights