18.2: Salty Pawz Marketing
Products:
Wanda sells three varieties of dog treats: Chicken Cuties, Bison Bites and Lamb Lovies. Each treat comes in a plastic pouch containing 12 treats. She has the following assortments available:
- Party Pooch = 4 each of 3 flavors
- Chicken Cuties= 12 Chicken
- Bison Bites = 12 Bison
- Lamb Lovies = 12 Lamb
Salty Pawz Commitment to Healthy Dogs
Since the very beginning, Wanda has been committed to providing a healthy alternative to mass produced dog treats. Consequently, she has been very careful about sourcing her ingredients. The chicken she uses in the Chicken Cuties is from free-range chickens that are fed no artificial growth hormones or antibiotics. It took her a while, but she was able to find several ranchers who raise lamb and bison in an environment where they are fed only non-GMO grains. She does not add preservatives, dyes or fillers to her treats.
Pricing:
Wanda has priced her treats on what would be considered the “high” end of the market. She determined her price based on her costs and what she wants to earn every month. Although she pays attention to what other businesses are charging, she has never conducted any research to determine how she stacks up against the competition. She is selling as many treats as she and her friends can make, so price is not something she is concerned about at this time.
Place:
Salty Pawz products are sold via the Internet and all of Wanda’s business is conducted through some form of e-commerce. She has her treats listed on www.etsy.com where they are one of a large variety of treats available. Her brother-in-law recently launched her website using Webley and she is still getting used to managing the site. In reality, when she gets a “sale” through her website she is sending the customers to etsy to complete the purchase. When she told Jim this he asked her “aren’t you afraid that when your customers get to etsy they will find someone else’s treats and buy them instead?” Wanda just scratched her head.
Promotion:
Salty Pawz does not have marketing materials, does no promotions or advertising. Wanda thinks it might be a good idea, but currently she relies on word of mouth to advertise her business. She has business cards she purchased from an online service and encloses one with each order. Jamie dropped some off at the local veterinarian’s office a few months ago, but no one has checked to see if they are still there.