Never before have we taken better care of our pets. Whether it’s a dog, a cat, a parrot, or a school of fish, they all receive top-of-line care: grooming, gourmet animal food, play structures… you name it, most pets have it.
In fact, I have friends who actually pay more for their pet’s healthcare than their own.
A little crazy? Maybe.
A perfect opportunity to move in and make big money? Absolutely.
Running a Pet Care Website
When someone is looking for a good pet groomer, product, food, prescription, a veterinarian, or a kennel, they look in the same place we all do for any sort of information, retailer, or other resource: the Internet.
So by running a website that caters to pet owner’s needs, you’ll position yourself to be in line to profit from this $47.7 billion dollar industry. You read that correctly: In 2012, Americans will spend over $47 billion on pet care and services.
With such a large and prosperous industry that is not only surviving the current economic downturn but is, in fact, thriving, I see no reason why you cannot get your share of the pie as well.
Basically, you’ll set up a website that offers high-quality free information on pet care. This content, which you update and add to regularly, is what will attract traffic to your website. You could write articles, post videos, write a blog… the sky’s the limit really. What’s most important is that you work towards becoming a trusted online resource.
Now comes the money-making part: on that site you advertise pet care services. That could be a vet’s office, a dog groomer, healthy dietary options, toys, shampoos, medications – anything, really, that involves pet care.
If you’ve never started a website, don’t worry. It’s not that hard. Simply go to a website service like GoDaddy.com and register your domain name. It’s very cheap. You could even go the free route with a blogging platform like Blogger.com.
Then spend a few minutes decorating your web pages with fun and exciting images. A young woman frolicking in the grass with a golden retriever, perhaps.
Once your website is live, start contacting area pet groomer’s and vets and offer them the chance to advertise their businesses on your website. You can also join some ad networks that work with larger companies advertising online, including BlogAds and Chitika.
These are called banner ads. There are two profit methods here: One, people will land on your web page, click on one of these banners, and you get paid. This would be with the ad networks.
Two: you charge a one-time, upfront deal to display the ad. This is the deal you can strike with local advertisers. The benefit of this is you’re guaranteed to get paid.
Affiliate Products
Next is the even more lucrative affiliate marketing side.
As an affiliate marketer, you’re not technically selling anything. You simply market other people’s quality products. If a sale goes through by someone clicking through your website, you get paid a commission.
Easy as that. No worries about damaged shipments, customer complaints and customer service, nothing. You really are “behind the scenes” when running an affiliate website. That means all profit, no hassle.
Where do you find these affiliate products? Amazon offers a plethora of pet care products. Simply join their affiliate program and start offering their products to your website visitors.
And, of course, big-time pet retailers, Petco and PetSmart both have affiliate programs. I’ve included several more affiliate program in the Resources section below.
Tips on Creating a Great Pet Care Affiliate Site
Being successful with this sort of website is all about the value you give your website visitors.
You can’t just advertise and expect your readers to buy. You have to build a relationship through high-quality free information on pet care.
A good idea might be to specialize in one sort of pet, say dogs, cats, or fish. You could even drill down further… picking a niche like standard poodles, saltwater tropical fish, or Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs. Once you gain a reputation of being the number one online resource in that particular area… the sales will come rolling in.
All it takes is a little savvy, the know-how, and the tips I’ve just given you.
Best of luck!
John Hollister
P.S. I’ve just given you all the info you need to start your own successful pet care affiliate site tomorrow. But here are a few more resources to help you thrive.
Resources
Banner Ad Networks
Pet Care Affiliate Networks
https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/
http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_affiliateprogram.aspx
http://www.care.com/affiliate-program-p1059.html
http://www.organic-pet-digest.com/pet-affiliate.html
http://pets.petsmart.com/affiliates/
http://suziecat7.hubpages.com/hub/Best-Pet-Affiliate-Programs
http://www.petcarerx.com/aboutus/affiliateprogram.aspx
http://www.affiliateranker.com/directory/Dogs/
Pet Care Industry Stats and Marketing Tips
http://www.franchisehelp.com/industry-reports/pet-care-industry-report
http://www.fetchpetcare.com/pet_industry_fact_sheet/page/45/-/page.php