From Jim Hopkins and his Small Business Blog comes today’s inspiration about marketing. Building foot traffic is the goal, and he features a small pet supply store in his San Francisco neighborhood, Best in Show, that uses water bowls and pet treats placed at the doorways of other stores, so dog owners have satisfied dogs and the store gets name recognition and voila, foot traffic.

One of our corecubed clients, Nat Truitt, who owns Doo Care in Chicago, has started a dog waste management business. The Chicago suburbs are full of busy families with better things to do than cleaning up after their dogs, not to mention the health hazards of leaving all that waste in the yard. And, as Nat says, a luxury once enjoyed becomes a necessity.

So how does Nat create foot traffic, since the foot traffic is really “finger traffic” going to his web site to order service? He is creating partnerships with other dog service providers, cross promoting, and also finding that his business is of interest to the media. Outdoor events in September will find Nat under his Doo Care tent, spreading the word that a clean yard is a happy yard, (not to mention that the dogs, themselves also are happier when their owners are happy) and that, for the cost of taking the family to a fast food restaurant, dog owners in the Chicago area can eliminate the need to clean up after their pets. Good luck, Nat.