Skip to main content ↓

As a dog trainer, you know how important it is to use incentives with the dogs you work with. You can’t tell a dog to sit and expect it to happen on the first try. You have to start by drawing them in with treats, and then you use those treats to guide them into the behavior you want from them.

Generating customers for your business is actually not so different. You can’t just tell people to become clients and expect them to automatically do it — you must first draw them in with various marketing tactics. That’s what makes lead generation for dog trainers so important.

Lead generation is a form of marketing that focuses on turning people into leads — that is, prospects who have an active interest in your dog training services, but haven’t decided to become customers yet. You have to turn people into leads before you can turn them into clients, and dog trainer lead generation can help you do that.

The question is, what goes into lead generation for K9 trainers? How can you generate leads? 

On this page, we’ll explore several different tactics, including:

  1. Start a business blog
  2. Post videos on YouTube
  3. Set up your Google Business Profile
  4. Run paid ads online
  5. Promote your business on social media
  6. Build out an email list

Keep reading to learn more about each one. Then subscribe to our email newsletter, Revenue Weekly, for more helpful digital marketing tips!

1. Start a business blog

One of the simplest methods of lead generation for dog trainers is to create content on your website. Don’t write just any content, though. You want to provide information about dog training that your target audience would be interested in. The goal is to draw them in with that content, at which point they’ll take an interest in your business.

Blog posts are one of the best ways to do this. By running a dog training blog on your site and regularly publishing new posts, you can go beyond one-time visits to your site and maintain a long-term audience that keeps coming back to learn more.

As for what your blog posts should cover, it could be anything, provided it’s directly related to your industry. You need to be writing about things you qualify as an expert in. For example, you might write a blog post listing common problems with untrained dogs, or what dog training services typically include.

2. Post videos on YouTube

Your website isn’t the only place you can post engaging content about dog training. You can also create video content and put it up on YouTube. In fact, YouTube channels are one of the best sources of lead generation for K9 trainers. That’s because your services naturally lend themselves to video content. After all, you train dogs — and people love dog videos!

Beckman's Dog Training YouTube page

You can post many different types of videos, including:

  • A video showing off specific services that you offer
  • An introduction to members of your team
  • Case studies focusing on specific dogs you work with

Dog lovers will flock to your channel to see the dogs in your videos, but many of them will stick around because of the expertise and high-quality service you offer. If those people ever need help training their dogs, you’ll be the first place they’ll go.

3. Set up your Google Business Profile

When people are interested in finding a dog trainer, one of the first things they’ll do is perform a Google search for trainers in their area. We’ve already talked about creating website content, which is one of the best ways to appear in search results. But you should also set up a Google Business Profile.

A Google Business Profile is a profile that includes basic info about your business, like your location, hours of operation, contact information, and more. The reason you’ll want to set one up for your business is because it allows you to appear in local 3-packs.

Not sure what a local 3-pack is? Just try performing a search for something like “dog trainers near me.” Odds are, you’ll see a search result that shows you three different Google Business Profiles that match your search. That’s a local 3-pack, and you want your business to appear in it when your audience searches for dog trainers.

Google local 3-pack listing different dog trainers

To do that, create a Google Business Profile and be sure to fill out as much information as you can, including multimedia items like photos.

4. Run paid ads online

Another way to appear in search results is to run paid ads. You can target those ads to specific searches and groups of people to help you reach the right audience. Most types of paid advertising are pay-per-click (PPC), meaning you only pay when people click on your ads. That makes it a very cost-effective dog trainer lead generation strategy.

PPC ad for The Dog Wizard on Google

Paid ads aren’t limited to search results, either. You can also run display ad campaigns on third-party websites, and you can pay for sponsored posts on social media platforms. You can even run video ads on YouTube (which, again, is a great option for dog trainers. If there’s one type of ad people won’t skip, it’s one featuring dogs!).

Ultimately, you want people to click on these ads, so they’ll be redirected to your website. Once there, many of them will stick around long enough to become leads.

5. Promote your business on social media

One of the best places to reach new users online is social media, where they already spend a good chunk of their time. It’s especially good at fostering lead generation for K9 trainers, because — once again — the fact that you work with dogs gives you a big edge.

The simplest way to market on social media is to create an account for your business and share posts featuring the dogs you work with. These posts can give updates on your latest success stories and introduce members of your team.

Facebook post from Chesapeake Dog Training featuring owners with dogs

Just like with your YouTube channel, you’ll attract a lot of people who just want to see cute dogs. But some of those people will need help training their own dogs, too, and spending all that time on your social media page will make them more likely to go to you for help doing that.

You can also run paid social media ads, which are similar to regular social media posts, but you pay to target them to specific groups of people.

6. Build out an email list

Our last tip for improving your K9 lead generation is to build an email list on your website. You don’t want people to visit your site and then leave — you want them to give you some of their contact info so you can continue to nurture them toward conversion going forward.

To make that happen, consider putting some email signup forms around your site. It’s up to you what kinds of emails you send out — it could be a newsletter, or it could be more promotional — but whatever it is, encourage site visitors to sign up for it. As your email list grows, you can then send out emails to your subscribers and guide them toward becoming clients.

Teal email newsletter sign-up box

WebFX is the expert on lead generation for dog trainers

Dog trainer lead generation involves a lot of different marketing channels, so it can be overwhelming trying to do it all on your own. That’s why a lot of dog trainers partner with professional lead generation agencies to help manage the task. If you’re looking for a lead generation partner, consider WebFX.

With over 28 years of experience generating leads for our clients, we know all the best techniques for drawing in new leads and turning them into customers for your dog training business. When you work with us, you’ll be able to drive a lot more revenue in the long term.

If you’re interested in partnering with us for our K9 training lead generation services, just give us a call at 888-601-5359 or contact us online today!

We Drive Results for Catering Companies

  • 24 million leads generated for clients
  • Dedicated account manager backed by 500+ digital experts

Get a Quote

dots background

author image

background shape

Explore our B2C studies

Read our case studies for a more in-depth look at our results.

Kent County Tourism Corporation

167%

Increase in contact form submissions

Golden Meadows Retrievers

105%

Increase in conversions

Record Head

249%

Increase in users

Your
Business

IS NEXT

Get a free proposal
today!

Solving key challenges for catering

Our website isn’t driving enough traffic

When consumers search for your services in their local area, your website needs to be one of the first results so you can drive more qualified traffic to your site. Make that goal a reality with our top-tier SEO and web design services.

Website icon.

We’re not attracting new customers

Having trouble boosting your online visibility so you can keep attracting new customers? Our award-winning marketing services get your business in front of the right people in your local area.

Marketing icon with flame.

We’re struggling to sell our new services

When you partner with WebFX, we’ll help you get your new services in front of the people actively searching for them so you can maximize your revenue.

Branch icon of a storefront.

We aren’t retaining customers

Reduce your customer churn and implement top-tier marketing strategies that help you form long-lasting relationships with customers that turn into long-term brand loyalty.

Target icon with archery arrow hitting target.
TO TOP