And, drumroll please, here is the last part of the four part series of the Panel Discussion covering Advertising, Marketing, Branding, Social Media, Website Creation, and more. Hats off to all of the dedicated contributors that have taken the time to put their thoughts on paper. This part is a continuation about Website Creation and Social Media Marketing, and we hope you enjoy this amazing content as much as we have. Matt Stelter and Colin Buffington, our two contributors for this last piece, have a ton of helpful and applicable advice regarding the subject, so enjoy!
Matt Stelter is a 30+ year breeder, handler, and owner of multiple National Specialty & Best in Show Rough Collies. Matt and Anita Stelter (Wyndlair Collies) bred the #1-ranked littermates – the record-setting GCHP. Wyndlair Cherokee Vindication & prolific sire GCHB. Wyndlair Point Given – as well as the top-winning white Collie in breed history, GCHB. Wyndlair Classique Incandescent, ROM. Matt is an AKC judge of Collies and Shetland Sheepdogs, and adjudicated the 2019 Collie Club of America National Specialty (Best of Breed & Intersex) – the youngest judge in the 140-year history of the organization. Professionally, Matt’s career began with Drs. Foster & Smith. He was a charter member of their internet marketing team as they grew into the #1 internet pet supply retailer. Matt has worked or consulted with nearly 20 national brands to strengthen their digital marketing. In 2020, Matt Stelter founded the Better Breeder Institute – an organization created to educate, support, and promote the purebred conservation dog breeder community.
Hi, my name is Colin Buffington, and I’m the owner of Salmos 71:14, specializing in website design and so much more! I am also writing to you from Honduras as my wife and I are missionaries serving the orphan care crisis here in Honduras. I’m so excited to share with you my expertise as it’s a core component of my business: To not only provide you with a unique money-generating website but also to enable you to use your website! Enjoy, and if you want to see some of my work, look no further than here on The Dog Journal. It has been a blast bringing The Dog Journal Digital version to life. If you have any follow-up questions for me, don’t be afraid to reach out by email at [email protected] or by phone 302-257-5230
How long should it take for a good website to be built?
MS: A website build time will vary based upon the volume of content it will contain, as well as the number of dog profile pages there will be. Now, that doesn’t mean a website needs to be 100% complete to be published. Most websites are built over time. A website can launch with just a home page and a few content pages, and the rest of the pages can be developed as time allows.
Ideally, there would be a profile page for every dog in your breeding program, as well as any notable dogs in your program’s history. If the website utilizes a pedigree database, it can take additional time to set up. However, once the foundation is set, new pedigrees can be created on-page in seconds. A basic website can usually be built in 5-10 hours, while a more elaborate website with several dog profile pages and pedigrees could take 30-40 hours. As proficiency in the platform of choice increases, new content can be developed and published quickly.
CB: There is a lot that goes into creating a website: an organized design of colors, fonts, images, graphic creation, development of pages, e-commerce set-up, linking of payment processors, and so much more. Then, after that, there will be a period of revision and ironing out minor details to ensure it’s perfect. Generally, a website project can last one to two months, but sometimes longer if the project is more complex.
Is there any such thing as having too much information on a website?
MS: Yes, certainly at a high level (homepage and navigation), and we see many cases of this on current dog breeder websites. It is important to get visitors to the most important content on a website and not distract them with less valuable or irrelevant content. Site categories should be limited, and structured in a vertical hierarchy to allow traffic to navigate quickly and easily to the content they want.
Websites can certainly contain deep and complementary content (provided it is relevant), but it should be nested properly to be found by those looking for it, and not able to distract other site visitors.
CB: Yes, but it can also be possible not to provide enough. So we are looking for that perfect middle ground. I suggest providing your developer with too much information, and they can hone in on what is the perfect amount of information.
You want to avoid seeing paragraph after paragraph after paragraph because, generally, you will only have someone’s attention for roughly thirty seconds. If they are a new visitor to your site, reading over-fluffed information will probably result in losing them.
In choosing someone to build a website, what are some things to ask or look for in a good we developer?
MS: Select an individual or agency with a strong portfolio of fast, mobile-friendly websites built on a modern platform. Also, ensure they are SEO-proficient and clearly understand that your website must be optimized to rank for your breed and location.
So, how do you know if a developer is publishing fast, optimized sites? A good place to start is PageSpeed Insights. Go to https://pagespeed.web. dev/ and paste in the URL of their client websites. Perfect scores aren’t required, but they should all be in the “Green,” or closely approaching it.
Also, ask what kind of hosting your site will have. Is it shared, dedicated, or cloud-hosted? Premium hosting won’t necessarily make you rank higher on Google, but low-quality hosting will cause Google to rank you lower, and cause frustration for you, and for your site visitors.
CB: I’ve used the word unique several times now, and your website must have its own feel, so you could ask a potential developer, “Will you be using a template to create the website?
You want your website to stand out from other websites in your industry.
In my experience as a developer, my customers desire a great line of communication and the ability to discuss ideas. So, a question you could ask of a potential developer would be, How can I expect to receive updates on your progress? You can also ask them for examples of their work to get a feel for their work and design process.
Any other advice that comes to your mind when you think about building and maintaining a website?
MS: In many cases, you get what you pay for in digital. “Cheap” websites & hosting rarely perform on Google. However, realize that an optimized website is an investment in owned digital real estate, and its value and performance will only increase over time.
CB: I can’t stress enough that a website is a tool, and it is meant to be used, not left and forgotten about. Don’t just create a website and do nothing with it. Get use out of it! Find marketing practices that get customers to your site, not only digital marketing but printed material and in-person marketing, too. Like many things in life – be consistent in your approach to your website and marketing, be willing to learn from the data you receive, and don’t give up. Keep applying yourself to get the most out of your website.
What are some of the most effective ways in which to advertise on social media?
MS: Outside of a Facebook Business Page, dog breeders will find it difficult to advertise effectively on social media. Overtly “selling animals” violates the policies of most, if not all, social media platforms. At best, breeders can hope to attract an audience of breed lovers by publishing high-quality breed-specific content. With a Facebook Business Page, a breeder has the ability to reach a broader audience, particularly people who are not personal friends, or friends of friends. With a Business page, breeders can focus solely on their dogs and fill the page with great pictures and content about them. With some effort and a little luck, a breeder can earn a dedicated fan following that organically shares their content with other breed lovers.
CB: Social media is a fantastic way to get your content to current and potential customers. Also, social media platforms can be both organic and paid marketing, as I discussed before. But both avenues of organic and paid need to be well thought out. The most effective way to advertise on social media is to plan what content you will use to communicate your brand. A common mistake a business will make with social media and marketing is that they try to sell and that’s all they do is sell. This will prevent users from interacting with your content because it needs to include some essential steps (more on this later).
What’s the point of social media advertising?
MS: Generally, advertising on social media (i.e., paying for placement) is not something I’d advise dog breeders to do, as it is pretty hard for a breeder to realize any measurable return on investment from such expenditures. Facebook CAN be an effective advertising channel for some industries, but only through spending money and having the marketing insight to correctly select and target a desired audience. But a breeder is still only advertising to attract eyeballs, as selling puppies is prohibited. Trying to do so will get the account suspended.
Also, as soon as you pay Facebook once, the organic distribution of your future content will shrink noticeably and permanently. You’ve now told Facebook that you are willing to pay for traffic, so why should they keep giving it to you for free?
CB: The point of social media advertising is to allow consumers to interact with your brand and to give yourself some credibility. In doing so, you are opening yourself up to a potential customer base that you wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise.
Social media is the ultimate tool for customer relationships, as they can get a closer look into what your brand is all about.
How long does it typically take for a person to go from seeing something on social media, to researching it, and then ultimately purchasing it?
MS: Purchase cycles will vary by person and by product. Generally, the more expensive an item, the longer the purchase cycle. Marketing 101 teaches the conversion funnel, and the top level is Awareness, which is what social media tends to be best at. Conversion, or the purchase, is at the other end of the funnel. Social media might be able to “fill your funnel,” but your content marketing (i.e., website) will be most effective at engaging visitors and leading them down the path to purchase.
CB: This is my favorite question because what seems like a straightforward process of consumers seeing what they want and getting what they want is different from how it works. The way I’ve learned to approach this is called the customer value journey. In this process, you go through four stages of interacting with your potential customers before getting them to convert.
In those stages, you are making them aware of your brand, engaging them with content that interests them, and trying to get them to subscribe to a way of receiving more information, such as an email list, to receive even more information. At this point, they are more inclined to make a purchase, which ties back into my answer earlier – that you can’t use social media just to sell; you have to warm a customer up before they are interested.
I think the most significant and funniest comparison I’ve heard when trying to sell your product on first interaction is: it would be like if you were on a first date and your date said, “I love you” before they got to know you. How would you feel? You’d be like, well, I just met you, and that’s unbelievable and overwhelming, right? Well, when offering your product to someone who knows nothing about you, it is also overwhelming. You have to work your way up to that.
What is Influencer marketing, and does it work?
MS: Influencer marketing is a strategy where brands collaborate with individuals with substantial online followings to promote their products or services. This approach leverages influencers’ trust and credibility with their audience, aiming to boost brand awareness, engagement, and potentially drive sales. The success of influencer marketing depends on factors like the relevance of the influencer to the brand, trust and authenticity, engagement levels, content quality, and well-defined goals.
When executed effectively, influencer marketing can be a powerful tool for reaching target audiences, but it requires careful planning, measurement, and adaptation to achieve desired results in an ever-evolving digital landscape. However, I’m unaware of any examples of this being done effectively by dog breeders.
CB: Influencer marketing is leveraging the following of a personality that has been successful in attracting people to follow their content and have them make content that promotes your brand. Typically, in return for payment or commission. Influencer marketing has its benefits, such as getting you more exposure and even some sales, but it is extremely important to build off of the exposure it brings you. Influencer marketing would only be one step in a multiple-step marketing plan.
Surely if you spend thousands of dollars on social media marketing, and you get tens of thousands of views, your business will be successful, right?
MS: Likely not. The only guarantee is that you’ll no longer have thousands of dollars.
CB: If only it were that easy! Paid marketing has a place, and it has enormous upside, but recent changes to Apple’s IOS have made social media paid advertising more of a science than it has been in the past.
Many factors go into paid marketing. Some we have already briefly discussed, such as the customer value journey, but it is a complicated process that requires well-organized marketing strategies to be successful. I suggest working with a professional marketing team if you’re considering using paid advertising on social media.
In your opinion, which of the different social media sites are the best for selling puppies?
MS: Facebook Business Page would be the only channel I’d recommend that dog breeders invest time and energy in to potentially attract new puppy buyers. Many companies waste a lot of money and resources trying to be active on multiple social media channels. The most crucial consideration in social media marketing is first to realize which social media channel (or maybe two) your target audience is on, and develop your presence there in a professional and consistent manner. Do this rather than spreading yourself thin across several channels – and likely not doing justice by any of them.
CB: My goal in answering these questions today was to be a resource to help further your business. If you only take one thing away from my answers, let it be this: Selling puppies in this digital world is not a one-stop shop. You will need to utilize social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. – working together with your website and other marketing strategies, such as email marketing and many others.
Join advertising and marketing guru Dave Lapp, with Fuze Design, as he takes on the hard questions about this subject. This is part two of a continued series of articles dedicated to Branding, Marketing, and Web and Social Media Development. Although slightly different in nature than previous Panel Discussions, with only one expert per part, this one is worth spending some time with.
Read along as our two Website and Social Media experts weigh in on the subjects and questions that we asked them about. This series of Panel Discussions is the longest and most comprehensive one we’ve done yet, and the contributors haven’t let us down. Although they may all have a little bit of a different twist on their advice, we’re thankful that they’ve gone out on the limb and offered their opinions on these controversial subjects.
Are you ever confused when it comes to branding, marketing, and advertising? Do you feel like you can’t make sense of it all? How do we know what’s working and what’s not working? How do we know advertising isn’t just a waste of money?
Well, our goal is to break these different subjects down in a continued series of Panel Discussions over the course of the next few issues. Some subjects might only have one
