My Best Friend Dog Care has recently welcomed on board its first franchisee after launching this new area of the business within the last 12 months. We explain what we did to help them achieve this goal.
Background
We first met Jon in 2016 as he was looking to expand his existing business by offering franchise opportunities across various territories in the UK. My Best Friend Dog Care was still a fledgling business, but had grown rapidly and their doggy day care, dog walking, dog grooming and dog boarding elements were constantly full. Jon realised that the only way to grow further was by selling the license to My Best Friend through a franchise.
Jon came to us as he needed help in getting the concept to market and also in offering marketing services as a key part of the support package. We worked with him to create a more refined brand in the first instance. The existing identity was strong, but it lacked consistency in application and so we developed a uniform set of marketing materials, starting off with core stationery elements like letterheads and business cards.
Bespoke photography
To help the business stand out from the crowd, we carried out a bespoke photoshoot at Jon’s and his carers’ premises. We captured shots of him and his team looking after the dogs, taking them for walks, grooming them and even offering them obligatory cuddles! We also ensured that we caught the business side of My Best Friend in order to present a professional look from the outset.
Marketing materials
The images were used on advertising templates, social media, printed flyers and leaflets and also on a brand new website. The new website uses the Shopify platform to provide a solid base and intuitive content management system which will allow Jon and future franchisees easy access to update and manage their own websites in the future. The imagery on the website really showcases the care and attention that My Best Friend offer all their customers and they have received many compliments over the site. As well as promoting their services to customers who want to send their dogs there, the site needed to attract new potential franchisees. We decided to keep all the content on the main site itself, rather than a separate microsite, and created a section for information on the benefits, support and investment involved.
Outcome
The site has achieved first page Google ranking for ‘dog care franchise’ within just a few months, as well as ranking highly for ‘dog care and dog grooming’ amongst many other terms. Within a short period after launch, Jon has successfully signed up his first franchisee who started in the South Cotswolds earlier this year and interest has continued to grow.
“From my first telephone call with Jo, to my dealings with Zoe and Marcus I have been nothing but impressed with Blue Horizons. I engaged them to support our business expansion in an area that was new to them and they really delivered in all areas, not least the new website.“ Jon Roff, My Best Friend Dog Care
