Dog Days of Summer: BARK & GOLD PHOTOGRAPHY

Bark & Gold Photography - Jessica Wasik
When Bark & Gold Photography owner Jessica Wasik received a camera as a present from her husband in 2011, she had no idea that the gift would change her career trajectory. She started taking pictures of her puppy, Hunter, and posting on Instagram. Her photos were noticed by Flourish Academy, and Jessica started a mentoring program to learn more about photography.

In 2016 - one week after the mentoring program entered - Bark & Gold was up and running. Since then, Jessica has never looked back. Her business has grown over the past four years and we talked with her about what she’s done to make that happen.

What do your current marketing efforts look like and has COVID changed what you’ve been doing?
A large part of my marketing is through silent auctions - I give away a certificate for sessions. This, in addition to my pet calendar fundraiser, has really helped raise awareness about my business. The website has been good for helping potential clients learn more about photography.

As for the pandemic, it hasn’t changed what I’ve been doing all that much. The auctions are now online, but other than that, not a lot has changed!

“Partner with someone
who aligns with
what you do.”

Your site is fascinating, it includes a lot of information about you personally which really tells a story and lets your personality shine. Can you share any of your other marketing tips?

Yes - partner with someone who aligns with what you do.

For instance, I work with a pet store on a few different promotions, like doing in-store “Pictures with Santa.” It’s a great partnership for both of us.

So what does the second half of the year look like for you?
Well, it’s busy on its own. Fall is a busy season for me because around here that’s when the colors start to look better. Getting the photos together for the annual calendar will keep me busy when things slow down a bit.

What’s your favorite thing about owning a business?
The freedom. I get to set my own hours, and do what I want to do. I really enjoy doing good for people and helping them, too!

You work with a lot of dogs - if you had to pick a dog breed to be...
Oh geez. A Labrador. They love the outdoors, they’re goofy and happy. My dog is a mix, and I see the Lab come out in him all the time.

get your smile on
with
bark & Gold

photography

Website: https://barkandgoldphotography.com/
Instagram: #barkandgoldphotography

Dog Days of Summer: Dog Emporium

Dog Emporium/Sit Up Doggy Treats - Richard Massafra
Sit Up Doggy Treats owner Rich Massafra was a manufacturing engineer prior to making all-natural dog treats in his kitchen. About 4 years ago, he had a single oven and a dehydrator, and began making the treats and selling them at small festivals.  This past February he set up a retail location in New Eagle, PA called the Dog Emporium. We asked Rich about his marketing efforts, and how he’s coping with the effects of the current pandemic. 

“We just hustled a lot. We had our whole family working.”

Tell me how your company has grown.
How did you make the leap from festivals to retail?
We started with county fairs and festivals in small towns, and we’d sell out of everything we made.

From there, we started attending bigger events, some that had over 100,000 people. We just hustled a lot. We had our whole family working. The grandkids were helping! 

We were beginning to see a lot of the same people, they’d buy from us at festivals 3 to 4 times per year. Although not too many people were buying things online. The one thing that was selling well online were CBD products. We’d get a lot of re-orders for oils and supplements. So to expand, we decided to open up the retail store.

So you opened up right before the pandemic hit. I’m assuming that changed things?
Well, it actually didn’t change much in the way of marketing because we hadn’t really been doing too much! Our online marketing was minimal, and paid ads weren’t getting the results we wanted. So we were already transitioning to doing more on Facebook and LinkedIn, posting more images and videos, trying to see what works best. We still use our email list and have been trying different offers.

What’s the plan for the second half of the year?
To do what we do, but better. We’ve been successful using flyers to reach the local community and get people in, and we’re looking at direct mail. Possibly try some new Facebook advertising. A lot of word-of-mouth.

What’s your favorite thing about running the business? Do you enjoy that marketing portion? 
Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to make things. As a network engineer, I would learn how to make things faster or better. It’s a game, finding out where the bottlenecks are and eliminating them, making improvements. And the marketing is new, it’s pretty exciting!

Who is your taste-tester? I’m guessing you have dogs at home?
We just have one, and she’s a horrible taste-tester because she’ll eat anything that falls on the floor. So we can’t rely on her! We actually test them ourselves, the kids will test them. We want to make sure our products taste good!

Get Cookin’ with The Dog Emporium
Shop: https://www.dogemporium.us/
Visit: 118 Main St. New Eagle, PA 15067

Dog Days of Summer: GEORGE HICKOX BIRD DOGS

George Hickox Bird Dogs  - George Hickox
In 1988. George Hickox started running field trials for dogs in Georgia. “That’s bird-dog country,” George explains. From there, George Hickox Bird Dogs expanded to educating hunters and dog owners on how to train their dogs, and eventually expanded into breeding.

Today, George works all over the country with individuals, public groups, private clubs, and kennels, offering training classes, clinics, courses, and even stud services. George is an avid outdoorsman, so I caught up with him on the phone while he was heading back to camp in North Dakota, to ask how he achieved his success.

Your  business is truly unique. Who do you consider to be your target audience?
Mostly hunting clubs that want to host private clinics for their members. Although I do work with a lot of individuals that want to learn more about training their dog to hunt. I also run public clinics.

How do you reach these folks?
We do have a brochure and newsletter, but mostly it’s word-of-mouth and referrals. I’ve been doing this long enough to have gained national recognition in these circles. But lately, I’ve had to become more social media savvy - especially posting more things on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Has the pandemic affected business?
Well, we had been planning online courses before COVID, but those courses have become more of our focus. We had to cancel all of our spring clinics, although we still trained individual dogs. In North Dakota, things like transportation and hotel stays have changed. In Pittsburgh, where our business office is located, they have switched from making travel plans and booking hotels to focusing on selling our courses.

So what’s next for the second half of 2020?
We have hunts planned in Montana and New York, and three hunts in North Dakota in October. In November I’ll head back to Georgia. These hunts are for repeat clients, and have been planned for a while. So far they’re all still on.

What’s the best thing about owning a business like yours?
Being outside. I get to ride horses and run dogs. I also enjoy educating dog owners and helping them train their dogs, it’s rewarding.

I’m going to guess that if you had to be a specific breed, it’d be some kind of… bird-dog?
I like English Pointers. The game is dominated by pointers, like my dog Bolt.  Pointers can handle the heat. They’re the quintessential southern quail dog. They’re what I breed and campaign. 

Contact George:
Website: https://www.georgehickox.com/
YouTube: George Hickox Bird Dogs
Office Phone: 412-773-7310

Dog Days of Summer: BLACK DOG WINE COMPANY

Black Dog Wine Company - Mark Rozum
Mark Rozum started as an amateur winemaker about 15 years ago, and after winning a few awards, Mark was able to leave his job as a software engineer and turn his hobby into a full-time gig. In 2016, Black Dog Wine Company (blackdogwinecompany.com) was born. By2018 he was producing nearly 700 cases of wine, 2,500 cases the following year, and this season he expects sales to top 4,000 cases. We asked Mark about his tremendous growth.

Let’s start with how you’re marketing today - what have you been doing that has worked?
Social media of course, mostly posting on Facebook and Instagram, utilizing Facebook groups like the Pittsburgh Quarantine Group. We’ve tried more traditional media including radio and print over the years, but have had mixed results. We do advertise in Allegheny West Magazine [Hughey Publications], in the summer and around the holidays, and those ads have done well.

“Overall our message has always been ‘Drink Local, Buy Local.’”

Has the pandemic changed your messaging at all?
Yes, we now are constantly informing our customers about the changing rules. July 2020 was challenging because rules were changing week-to-week. But overall our message has always been “Drink Local, Buy Local.”

We’ve posted about opening our cabana bars, about our wine flights, and our $100 Date-Night-in-a-Box, where we partnered with a local florist and candy company and added our wines and a Netflix gift card. We try to think of interesting things that people will like.

You create the art for your wine labels… the names, artwork, and descriptions all have a bit of dry humor. Is that an intentional strategy or is that your personality shining through?
Both. We make good wine, but we also put a lot into the design and graphics of the packaging.  All of our wine names have a story behind them - Big Beaver Blush came from an embarrassing comment my wife made on a trip to the zoo, and Trophy Wife is made from diamond grapes. We like to tell the stories, because people remember those stories year-to-year at events we attend, and they’ll stop by and ask things like, “Do you have any of that beaver wine?”

I’ll remember that! So what are the plans for the rest of the year, and what about your event plans?
We have 5 acres and 9,000 square feet, so there’s a lot of space here, but it depends on the rules. We can use the outside but I’m not sure what to do in the winter if we’re still at 25% capacity. At the moment we have live music, food trucks on Saturdays, and a lot of smaller private events. We normally do a ton of small events in the winter. But now we’re pushing towards doing more wholesale business and getting our wine in grocery stores.

What’s the best thing about owning a winery?
Other than being able to start drinking at 8am and no one saying anything about it, the best thing for me  is seeing a lawn full of people having a good time, seeing other people have fun and knowing you helped create that moment. 

If you had to pick a dog breed to be… 
It’d be a Lab. They’re the best. I have three of them, a black one, a yellow one, and a red one. They like to chill and relax, but they can go to work in a moment’s notice!

Drink with Black Dog Winery:
Website: www.blackdogwinecompany.com/
Facebook: Black Dog Wine
Physical Address: 7425 Steubenville Pike, Oakdale, PA 15071

Dog Days of Summer: PAWPRINT OXYGEN

Pawprint Oxygen (Aeronics) - Blake Dube
Pawprint Oxygen serves a niche community of veterinary hospitals and clinics that treat respiratory illnesses in dogs. As a chemical engineering student at Pitt, co-founder Blake Dube was researching respiratory disease in people. Later, during a chance encounter with a former landlord (and veterinarian), the need for portable oxygen for pets came up in conversation. In 2019, after confirming a market need, Pawprint Oxygen was founded. They’re now in over 500 hospitals, shelters, and clinics. We asked Blake how he reaches his target demographic.

You have a very specific type of customer. How have you typically reached out to them?
We knew early on that the key to our success would be to cultivate veterinary trust. We needed vet buy-in. So we went to veterinary conferences, especially those offering CLE credits, which allowed us to get in front of the right people.

“We needed vet buy-in. So we went to veterinary conferences, especially those offering CLE credits, which allowed us to get in front of the right people.”

How has the pandemic affected your marketing?
Well, the tradeshows and conferences we attended in 2019 were a good way to get our physical products in the hands of prospects. In 2020, we’ve begun to reach out to pet owners. Our oxygen is available by prescription, so we have an inbound strategy based on search terms such as “pet ailment,” and the sales process begins organically. We’ll be adding new content and some outside sales help.

Has your messaging changed?
Not really, but since we’re now direct-to-consumer, we need to talk to “pet parents” which is different from talking to hospitals. Pet owners are VERY educated. They do their research. So we’re learning how to talk to them. Customer service has become more important, and so has building relationships. We have to show that we’re real people, and that we really do care about their pet’s health.

Do you have any marketing resources that you can share?
Our core resource is experts in the field. We’ve found our industry’s experts and used them to fill a drought of information online. So we have the experts help us to create content.

With regards to other resources, we use Mailchimp for our email marketing, and create graphics in-house using Canva. Design is important, but we really need to iterate quickly, so we tend to create our own graphics. It’s tough to find a designer that really has a feel for your company, so for now we’re doing that all in-house.

What are your plans for the second half of the year?
We’re writing off events even into 2021. But we want to get back to going to conferences as soon as we can so we can get our products into people’s hands. So right now we’re focusing on how to communicate digitally, and bridging the gap to create a relationship with potential customers. We’re making our site an online knowledge center and more community driven.

That sounds like a smart strategy! So what’s the best thing about running your business?
It’s seeing real people interact with our products, hearing about how we saved a pet’s life, and knowing that we’re making a positive difference in people’s lives.

OK, so I have to ask, if you had to be a dog breed, what would it be?
An Australian Shepherd. They’re energetic, intelligent but not at the top, and they stay active!

Contact Arenoics
Website: www.pawprintoxygen.com
YouTube: Portable Oxygen for Pets
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PawprintOxygen
Instagram: #pawprintoxygen

Dog Days of Summer: SNIFFSPOT

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/

Dog Days of Summer: PITTSBURGH PAWS PET RESORT

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 

User Generated Content is King

Gridwise's marketing strategy is to "Let our users tell the story of Gridwise, while we tell the story of the rideshare business." Brandon Sellers says their best performing ads have been USER GENERATED CONTENT.

Marketing Tips from Pittsburgh: FLEXABLE

In conjunction with the first issue of Marketing Pittsburgh’s Generator publication, we’re adding some snippets of our ongoing marketing interviews here on our blog!

Company: Flexable

What they do: Provide on-demand, on-site childcare at professional and personal events.

1-sentence backstory: Flexable was founded in 2017 by two moms, Jessica Strong and Priya Amin, on a mission to make work and life fit better for professional parents.

Flexable makes life easier for event planners and event attendees, HR execs, business owners, and employees. With a handful of office staff and a small army of caregivers, the company has been steadily growing and filling a much-needed gap in the Pittsburgh market (and they’re expanding into Las Vegas!). How are they doing it? We asked Natalie Hotaling, Flexable’s marketing director, to fill us in:

1. Education: We take a thoughtful approach to posting original and curated content. We don’t want to add to the noise. Our product stems from a societal issue, and we focus on educating people of its importance. 

2. Think of the Customer’s Customer: Our customers are business owners, but we’re beginning to leverage blog content to the parents. We need to educate them, too.  For instance, we can tell the story of how we’ve transformed women’s careers. It’s really about us sharing or showing support to them any way that we can.

3. Show, Don’t Tell: We work with a visual strategist to help figure out our buyer personas. Those personas  are evolving… and how they consume content is evolving. So we try to figure out how to best tell our and their stories. We also boost our own content on Facebook from time to time, to illustrate important company milestones that we’re particularly proud of.

Secret Weapon: We use [Pittsburgh-based] UpContent for curation, it’s an incredible time-saver!

Follow Flexable: https://www.facebook.com/FlexableCare/ 

Contact Flexable: http://flexablecare.com/contact/

Use This Time Wisely

Marketers are now challenged with a new reality of declining production, job loss, personal loss, fear, and uncertainty in this time of crisis. Use this time wisely - it is a challenge but also an opportunity. This too shall pass, and when it does, many of us will be reflecting on how we used our time at home, off work, or out of work. Here are some thoughts on traversing this unchartered territory:

Stay Productive
- Write or curate content.
- Clean up your inbox.
- Complete social media profiles.
- Enhance your site’s SEO.
- Start that book!
- Clean your home office.

Keep the Machinery Humming
- Stay in touch with your team.
- If you’re a team on one, stay in touch with your clients and prospects.
- Check in with clients on an individual basis and ask about their business to get a true sense of what they’re going through right now.
- Offer to help - craft a plan for when things get better or offer ideas to help in the short term.

Virtual Events
- Share your expertise via video - training or insights or ideas.
- Educate yourself - attend free webinars, seminars, meetups, and conferences.
- Use LinkedIn Learning.
- Engage with your peers - message via LinkedIn and Facebook, ask how things are going and what they’re doing.

Give What You Can
- Offer products or services for free or at an extremely reduced cost if you’re in the position to do so.
- Volunteer.

We will get through this, you will get through this. Stay productive and stay safe!