Sniffspot- David Adams
Sniffspot is a simple app for finding and renting off leash areas for dogs, described by founder David Adams as “an Airbnb” for off-leash dog parks. Hosts who sign up with Sniffspot rent their yards on an hourly basis, providing a safe and private space for dogs (especially reactive pups) to run and play. With users in over 800 cities, we asked David how he achieved his tremendous growth.

As an app, is most of your marketing done online?
The core of our company is design, so our biggest marketing channel is word-of-mouth. We innovate on design and make it easier for users to connect, encouraging word-of-mouth by providing a great experience.

We have a very active Facebook group, and the majority of users come from direct search, from both brand keywords like “Sniffspot” and non-brand keywords like “rent a backyard.”

How has the pandemic affected your messaging and the business in general?
We’re planning to roll out some social features on the app that would allow for the coordination of “play dates,” and we’ve temporarily put that on hold. As for messaging, we’re letting the community of hosts and customers decide what to do.

Do you have any marketing “secret weapons” that you can share?
The first thing is providing a great product or service. Also, there’s a great article that your audience should read called How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product Market Fit, which has really helped guide us.

“As for messaging, we’re letting the community of hosts and customers decide what to do.”

Thanks for sharing that! So what’s on the agenda for the second half of the year?
Subtle site updates that were requested by users to improve the quality of the service. We’re actually rebuilding the native app, rebuilding the pricing and checkout, and adding new features such as “favorites.” These updates will make the app easier to use.

Speaking of favorites, what’s your favorite thing about running Sniffspot?
There’s a lot of things! I like the variety of working on product, operations, marketing, planning or finance. I like the control, being able to make decisions quickly. And I really like the flexibility in my daily schedule. It allows for a better work-life balance.

Nice. So I have to ask, if you had to be a dog breed, what would it be??
I’d be like my dog, a lab/pitbull mix. He’s energetic, outgoing, and friendly… sometimes a bit too much!

Connect with Sniffspot
Website: sniffspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sniffspots/