FEEDBACK - Brochure

[gcpets]

1. What needs reviewing? (i.e. logo, website, idea etc…)

BROCHURE 1: http://goldcoastpets.com.au/gift/Brochure.pdf

BROCHURE 2: http://goldcoastpets.com.au/gift/Brochure-HSIT.pdf

2. What does your business do?

Next year I am going to brand and put more focus upon the fact that my business can offer live in house sitting, overnight stays, doggie day care / baby sitting within YOUR (the client's) home. With pet sitting (where I do once, twice or three times a day visits) being my secondary (yet still important) focus. Dog walking is my last focus.

3. Who is your target market?

Time for everyone to pretend they're a pet parent who has a dog(s) with aggression issues towards other dogs, pet(s) requiring medication, elderly pet(s), young (puppy/kitten) or multi pet/species household (one dog, one cat and a bird).

4. What specific concerns do you have?

* That it shows the benefits (not features) to the pet parent.... basically more about you less about me..
* That whilst it shows we do live in house sitting and overnight stays (and is our "specialty"), it doesn't forsake the pet sitting side of my business


Which one do you prefer ?

Neither ?

What would you change ?


The differences are subtle between them. The green text on the front 3rd column is different between them as well as the pricing guide. Plus the 1st column (on the left second page) is different.

[Chris Bates]

Hey Vanessa, not bad. Very informative.

Just two things from me:
1) Is it too content-heavy for a marketing piece, it seems more like something you'd give out to a qualified prospect
2) How confident are you in your home security guarantee? That's a big and dangerous claim, wouldn't want you to get burnt

[Burgo]

I have to agree with Chris security guarantee.

Although security does actually increase with a dog sitter in the house overnight, I would be inclined to leave it unsaid.

Those that own dogs understand that the dog is a deterent, what happens should someone break in whilest your out walking the dog.

Your claim could make you liable.

[gcpets]

http://goldcoastpets.com.au/petwise/?page_id=158

It's because I'm the instigator of the above "training" and am the first to have done it. The booklet itself has outlined everything in plain english. I also recently finished educating myself in re public liability insurance what exactly I am and am not liable. I can offer the guarantee because I am confident that where negligence is not presence ... myself and my subbies are knowledge-able and trained thanks to this specific pet carer security/safety training at how to offer better home security.

Plus as I finished being quite extensive in my research of my public liability or public liability insurance as whole (esp. for pet carers).... I really now where I stand.. and yes my liability is solid.

A lot of the dogs are not a deterrent.. or enough of one as some of them are small dogs. There are only a couple of clients who have large dogs. It's mainly about the dogs/pets first and foremost with also added focus that we're also now knowledge-able about home security. We know what we can and cannot do under the law etc.



PS Feel free to continue to comment however I'm going back to revise it. The intention is to distribute it online first then I'll get a professional one done.

[Chris Bates]

So all you're really doing is a best-practice kind of thing? I took the 'home security' guarantee rather literally, my first thought was - so if my house gets broken into while I'm away, you've guaranteed you'll cover my loses?

[gcpets]

So all you're really doing is a best-practice kind of thing? I took the 'home security' guarantee rather literally, my first thought was - so if my house gets broken into while I'm away, you've guaranteed you'll cover my loses?

If I can be proven negligent in my duty of care then yes. That is what my public liability covers me and the reason why IMO all house sitters or anyone involved in caring for other peoples' pets and property MUST (compulsory) have at minimum. Yet it isn't compulsory. The majority of people (who "say" they do house sitting professional) do NOT have public liability insurance. At the same time, your home and contents policy should be in place/current. If you do not have your own home and contents policy current/active... even as a renter (tenant)... then that isn't my fault.

You can only claim against me (my public liability) thus the guarantee if I am proven negligent in my duty of care and risk management.

Oh .. and http://goldcoastpets.com.au/policies...s-of-business/

As “Job Sharing” is not covered under our insurance we cannot be responsible for your pet(s) or home or property if another service provider (not employed or contracted by Gold Coast Pet Sitting), friend of the Pet Owner(s), family member or other person enters your property or home while we are not there.

Which is on my website and everyone agrees to when they sign my service contract.

Would you feel better if I used:

Love. Integrity. Care. Security.


As my tag-line ?

[Chris Bates]

Sounds like you have your backside covered! That was my main concern.

To be honest (and going off topic) I don't like neither of those tag lines. I don't think the security thing really fits in your USP (speculating), sure it's a benefit but it's not what's solving their problem? Again, speculating, I don't think a pet owner would be looking for a dog sitter because they're worried about their homes security - that's a house sitter's job. The problem you're solving revolves around the fact their beloved pet is going to be left alone, and it needs love care and attention.

But really, that's getting into a whole other ball park. My main concern was about how liable you were making yourself, but sounds like you have that well covered!

[JakeThomas]

First of all, I'll start with the brochure.

Things I would change
- If you are getting these professionally printed, I wouldn't recommended using a white background - A coloured background really helps brochures / flyers stand out, and gives them a more professional look.
- Why not use your vanity Facebook URL instead of writing ... "Search for us on Facebook".
- I think you should switch the order of the "Questions to ask a pet sitter" - The first thing I thought about when I read the "Are there any services that require extra payments" was hidden fees, whereas the last one, "... part of any organisation"
I think was a much more positive note to lead off.
- I'm not too keen on the font (Jokerman is it from memory?) It's normally not recommended using a difficult to read font in the headline.
- Don't email out this copy to potential clients, I think it will look silly. Create another design up thats just a standard A5 or A5 (Not the A4 folded to DL) and send them that instead, when receiving, they might not realise what it is and think "This is all backwards".


Things I think look good
- I prefer the HSIT in term of text choice.
- I think it's good you've incorporated images of lots of different pets, shows your experience.
- Prices are clear, well laid out and easy to read.

Now, about the security issue - I don't understand the legal ramifications, so I will assume that what you said is correct. I'm going to have to disagree with Chris and say that I think it's a great thing to promote. It's good to illustrate the fact that a lot of thieves actually look for houses of people that have gone away, so if there is activity and lights on etc, it acts as a deterrent (Hence people get house sitters). Wouldn't it be great for your customers, if they can kill two birds with one stone - Get a housesitter to deter thieves AND someone to play with / look after their dog.

Kind regards,

[Chris Bates]

Hey Jake,

What I meant is that it's a point of difference, not part of the main selling proposition. Unless your target market is people looking for a pet sitter & a house sitter, in which case it's a different story.

Anyways, it was just speculation. To me (as a pet owner), the security bit was distracting - that's why I question it's position in the main headline.

[gcpets]

Sounds like you have your backside covered! That was my main concern.

To be honest (and going off topic) I don't like neither of those tag lines. I don't think the security thing really fits in your USP (speculating), sure it's a benefit but it's not what's solving their problem? Again, speculating, I don't think a pet owner would be looking for a dog sitter because they're worried about their homes security - that's a house sitter's job. The problem you're solving revolves around the fact their beloved pet is going to be left alone, and it needs love care and attention.

But really, that's getting into a whole other ball park. My main concern was about how liable you were making yourself, but sounds like you have that well covered!

I pointed out the above because THAT IS WHAT I AM OFFERING ! That is my USP compared to a normal "pet sitter". The majority of pet sitters in my local area can NOT offer live in house sitting services and overnight stays. The whole point of my brochure and thus tagline is to point out that my business has the "unique" position of being able to offer live in house sitting and overnight stays ... that is our strength.

The way my business is currently working is that I make the most profit and generally get most of my work from live in house sitting bookings followed by overnight stay bookings followed by pet sitting and doggie day care in the clients home followed by doggie baby sitting (hourly) and dog walking.

Next year I plan to really focus my marketing etc on pushing the fact that my business offers live in house sitting, overnight stays and heap of other services IN the client's home ... thus the reason why I focus so strongly on the security aspect because all our services offer love/care for their pets (the first part of our tagline) .. and because we do NOT offer dog boarding/minding (in a dog minder's home) at all.. and everything is situated around YOUR (the client's) home.. thus the security aspect.

:-)