Selling Puppies: The Importance of Building your Brand
Being a good breeder is really hard.
I know I’m supposed to be Miss Optimism and tell you how easy it can be to sell your puppies.
I’m supposed to give you a three step solution that will magically solve all your problems.
But if you have a litter or two under your belt, you’d know that’s a bunch of baloney. Because you aren’t just selling any old product. You, my friend, are in the business of lives.
Your “product” needs near constant attention, vet visits, socialization… need I go on?
And of course you give that to them. You’re in this business because dogs mean something to you, not just for the money.
So, considering how much effort you are putting into these pups and the importance of finding buyers quickly and efficiently, you need a unique marketing strategy.
What’s the best way to juggle it all and not end up with 100 dogs fighting over a spot on your couch?
Building your brand.
Yes, a “brand” like McDonalds or Chanel or Chewy. But your own, personal one. No Happy Meals required.
I know this sounds way too fancy, but stay with me. Because honestly, you probably already have one. You just don’t know it.
What’s a dog breeder’s brand, you ask?
Your brand is your business’s personality. It’s what people think of when they think of your company. And it’s what attracts the right people to you in the first place.
Why does a business need a personality?
When you turn your small business into a brand, you open a lot of doors for yourself. Here are some of the biggest benefits I’ve seen from breeders who clearly define and use their brand:
Trust and Credibility
Buyers are very wary of unintentionally supporting a puppy mill or inexperienced backyard breeder (as they should be). Having a brand will make it obvious that you care about the dogs you raise. In other words, your brand will help buyers understand why you are the right person to give their future pup the best start in life.
Uniqueness (helping you stand out)
Look, there are a lot of dog breeders out there. And it’s not always very obvious why some are a better option for what a buyer is looking for than others. Your brand shows why you are special, and also sets you apart from mega puppy buying websites who don’t offer anything more than a picture and a price tag.
Customer Relationships
Word of mouth is incredibly important in this business. Having a brand will help buyers remember you, stay in touch with you, and refer you when the time comes. It also helps build a community.
Higher Prices
When a buyer doesn’t understand how much work goes into ethically raising puppies, they don’t want to pay top dollar. By building your brand, it will be obvious to people that you are offering a vital service to their future dog, which should be worth your weight in gold.
Ok that all sounds great, but how do you do all that?
First, there are a few decisions you need to make about how you want to present yourself to the world.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
How do you want to sound online?
This is your brand voice. For example, do you want to be humorous or serious? Cute and snuggly or straight to the point? Loud and noticeable, or subtle and approachable?
What makes you different from every other breeder out there?
This is your brand position. Do you specialize in a certain breed? Show dogs? Service dogs? Do your dogs have the best dang markings anyone has ever seen? Or maybe you pride yourself in being communicative with your buyers?
What’s your story? How did you end up here?
Dog breeding is an incredibly personal business, and different buyers will resonate with different motivations. Did you grow up showing dogs? Or maybe you wanted a job that let you stay at home with your kids. Maybe your dog was your best friend growing up.
How do you want to be seen?
We are talking visuals. Logos, colors, photo filters. Aesthetics are important and can say a lot about what kind of work you do. Maybe you want a clean, minimalist feel. Or maybe you want bright, passionate colors. Maybe you’re more of a nature person. The possibilities are endless.
Once you’ve answered these questions and wrote it all down somewhere, you’ll have a great start on knowing your brand.
Now it really boils down to consistency.
After you create your personality, you need to stick with it, or people are going to be very, very confused.
Imagine if your fun, goofy Aunt Sheryl came over one day and started talking seriously about philosophy. You’d be at least a little concerned she was having a mid life crisis. Or maybe Uncle Neil who never smiles comes over laughing and hugging the whole family. Warning bells!
People should be able to get to know your brand as well as you know Aunt Sheryl and Uncle Neil. And once they do, they’re gonna know something’s off if you pull a 180 on them.
So that means everything from a short email, to an instagram caption, to the about me page on your website should match your brand.
That’s why I emphasized writing down the answer to your brand questions, or your “brand guidelines.” It’ll help you keep the character, and if you ever hire someone to help with marketing, they’ll know how to represent your business correctly.
Important side note: your brand can be a reflection of you (small businesses often are) but it shouldn’t be a copy paste of you.
Especially with dog breeders, people are more focused on the dog side of you than your personal life. So play up the parts that help you connect with your customers, but don’t feel the need to make your late night Netflix binges or your inability to get your kids to school on time a part of your brand (you’d be surprised what I’ve seen business owners share online. It’s not always pretty).
Why does this work?
If you know anything about me, you’d know I’m a sucker for psychology. I’m a nerd gone creative. So feel free to skip this part, unless you feel like geeking out together.
Having a brand is the easiest way to take full advantage of the familiarity principle.
The familiarity principle is an idea from social psychology that states if someone is familiar with someone or something, they are more likely to trust it.
And in the marketing world, trust leads to sales.
So if your brand helps people know your business as well as they know Aunt Sheryl, they’ll be much more comfortable buying from you.
They know how you talk, what you look like, your motivation, and what makes you unique.
And in your case, if they know you that well then they can trust you aren’t going to rip them off or harm their future puppy in any way.
Plus, turning your business from a lifeless money making machine to a brand with a culture means purchasing from you opens the door into a community.
People love to be in the in-group (yes, more social psychology).
But I think what it really boils down to is people want a sense of connection. So make your business something they can connect with.
That’s a big thing that separates ethical breeders from puppy mills, right? That connection, to the buyers and your pups?
Ok nerd session over. And heart warmed for the rest of the day.
This is a big topic for one blog. If you’re looking to learn more about building your brand and selling your puppies, I think you’d like my newsletter. You can subscribe below, and we can get to know each other a little better :)
And stay tuned for some inspiration. I’m working on a blog with case studies of breeders who have developed great brands. If you know one that I should feature, feel free to drop their website in the comments.
Happy branding!
