Halloween pet spending expectations down in 2013.

According to the National Retail Federation, pet spending relating to the upcoming Halloween holiday is expected to decrease slightly over the previous year.

In 2013, the NRF indicates, "when it comes to pets, 13.8 percent of those celebrating will take the extra time to find the perfect costume for their favorite four-legged friend, and will spend approximately $330 million."

This figure is down from 2012 expectations which indicated, "15.1 percent will ensure their furry friends are part of the fun too, by dressing their pet in costume," with total pet spending at $370 million, up $40 million from 2011. Previous reports indicated 11.5% were expected to dress their pet in costume in 2010, and 14.7% in 2011.

The NRF indicated that in 2012 a record 170 million people had planned to celebrate Halloween with 7 in 10 Americans (up 68.6% over 2011) with total spending expected to reach $8 billion. Compare this with information from the NRF of a survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics indicating nearly 158 million consumers plan to participate in Halloween activities in 2013, less than the 170 million individuals from last year, with total spending estimated in 2013 to reach $6.9 billion, down $1.1 million from 2012.

As part of their research, the NRF (for the first time) asked when people will begin shopping for Halloween, and received the following information from consumers:

• 32.8% begin shopping before September 30
• 67.2% will shop in October
• 43.6% will begin shopping the first two weeks in October
• 23.6% will wait to shop until the final two weeks of the month

Where do they get their inspiration for dressing up?

• 32.8% will look for new ideas in a store
• 20.8% will seek advice from friends or family
• 14.1% will check Facebook for inspiration
• 3.8% percent will review blogs

All of these inspiration percentages are down from 1-3% over last year.

Photo courtesy of Randy Pertiet.

Facebook announces promotions now allowed on page timelines

Facebook made a big announcement this week regarding how promotions are allowed to be conducted on Facebook, that will make many pet business very pleased.

Previously Facebook only allowed promotions, contests and giveaways to be conducted through Facebook apps. Now Facebook indicates...

"We want to make it easier for businesses of all sizes to create and administer promotions on Facebook, and to align our policies to better meet the needs of marketers.

What does this mean for your pet business?

Instead of having to create an app, pay a developer, go through hoops to conduct a contest, giveaway, sampling and more on a tab, to promote your pet business product and services, you can now:

• Simply post and request comment/likes on a page post to select a winner.
• Request fan page followers post on or message your page with a comment, or upload a photo, to select a winner for your promotion or contest.
• Engage more with your audience who may have previously had a hesitation of adding an app to enter your promotion.
• More easily and quickly promote your service and products to your current and prospective audience.
• Continue to create promotions in apps within Facebook that require more complicated info gathering and complex promotions.

Read Facebook's announcement and details on their overall terms of service to be sure you follow Facebook's rules to protect your pet business.

UPDATE: If you are looking for a great tool to help you manage those post like and/or comment promotions, WooBox just launched a system that allows you to randomly select a winner from your Facebook promotion likes or comments, and export those to a file. Remember with this type of promotion you won't be able to acquire email addresses.

Photo courtesy of MoneyBlogNewz.

What segment of your pet business market is the fastest growing population utilizing social media?

According to a new report from Pew Internet and; American Life Project, the number of seniors using social media more than tripled in the last four years.

Now about 43% of Internet users 65 and older say they use social media, compared with just 13% in 2009.

In addition, web users, in the 18-29 age range have the largest percentage of social media users at 89%, followed by 78% growth in the 30-49 age range, and 60% growth in the 50-64 age range.

Conclusions? More and more of your pet business target audience is utilizing social media, primarily Facebook, followed by Twitter and then other social media applications.

Why buying Facebook likes is a really bad idea for your pet business

Over the past year, I've noticed more and more pet businesses purchasing 'likes' on Facebook.

While it may seem like a good idea to spend a little money on Fiverr, or hire a company promising 1000's of new Facebook likers for a few hundred dollars, lets take a look at what you are really getting and why buying Facebook likes is a really bad idea.

Many of the companies that offer the purchase of Facebook like, Twitter followers, YouTube views and more, may say that they are offering real followers, but in reality they are either offering;

• 'Fake' likers from fake Facebook and other social media accounts, or;
• Likers from Facebook and other social media like farms, almost always from foreign countries.

Often I can tell when a pet business Facebook page has purchased likes. How? I click the likes link on their Facebook page, and see the growth of their likes. If there is a huge, sudden spike in like growth, it's a sure sign that the page purchased likes. To confirm, I look at what country the majority of their Facebook likes are coming from, and sure enough, it's usually a country that isn't even part of their market, like Pakistan, Taiwan, India, Korea and more.

What happens to your Facebook page over time when you purchase fake and false Facebook likes? Several things, including:

• You will most certainly loose large amounts of followers in subsequent weeks as Facebook deletes these fake accounts, or
• You will loose many followers because they actually have no interest in your product or service.
• Also, there is a significant danger of receiving a large amount of spam on your Facebook page from these fake likers, and
• This unnatural demographic on your Facebook page will make it much more difficult in targeting your real prospective target market when you decide to utilize Facebook advertising.

And there are more reasons buying Facebook likes is a really bad idea:

• Those new 'likers' will have absolutely no interest in your pet business, or the products and services you offer.
• You've wasted several $100 in marketing to people that have no interest in your products, where you could have spent those valuable marketing funds targeting your prospective and current consumer base.
• Purchasing likes is many times very obvious to your fan base; and a sudden, dramatic increase in your likes could be publicly noted creating mistrust in your pet business.
• Buying fake likes on Facebook may create a perception that your business doesn't know what they are doing and is a bit unethical in nature, creating unwanted, negative views from your prospective and current customer base.

What types of Facebook likers, Twitter followers and YouTube viewers do you really want? You want followers that:

• Are real, engaging individuals
• Want and need your pet business product and/or service
• Will talk about and discuss your product/service, and recommend it to others

There are several good ways to increase your Facebook and other social media followers and likes, targeting those individuals that will want/need your pet business product and/or service.

Pawsible Marketing can help you learn how and understand the many ways that your pet business can increase your likes and followers on social media the right way. Feel free to contact us for a free 30 minute consultation about we can help you create a Facebook or other social media page that your prospective and current customers will love and engage with; ultimately helping you increase sales and build your pet business brand.

Which Internet browser is the most popular with your pet business market?

According to Statista, Firefox and Internet Explore are not the most popular web browsers. The largest share of web browser usage belongs to Google Chrome.

Google Chrome is the world's most popular Internet browser, claiming 43% of the global market, with 36% of Internet users in North America utilizing Chrome.

Is your pet business website optimized for Chrome?

DVR Alert: CNBC airs "The Profit," featuring pet business, LA Dogworks

Beginning this Tuesday, August 13th, CNBC will begin airing "The Profit," featuring a variety of businesses that are in dire need of help to survive.

In the series, Marcus Lemonis, the founder of multi-billion dollar company, Camping World, searches and finds struggling businesses that are desperate and ripe for help. Over the years, Lemonis has successfully turned around over 100 companies, and now he is bringing those his skills and over $2 million of his own money to CNBC to help these struggling businesses.

Each episode, features Lemonis making a cash offer to a fledgling business for a percentage of the profits, and brings his expertise to help them get back on track to making a profit..

These episodes may be very helpful to pet related business looking for ways to bring their business to the next level. Upcoming episodes include:

08/13/2013: The Profit #3 - Planet Popcorn
08/20/2013: The Profit #4 - Eco-Me
08/27/2013: The Profit #5 - LA Dogworks

"LA Dogworks was started up by an eccentric hothead who built a state-of-the-art dog care facility that's second to none. But that volatile leadership has created terrible morale which now threatens to dismantle the entire business. Serial entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis thinks LA Dogworks could be a flagship facility; the first of many. But to build the business, he'll have to see if he can tame its owner."

For more information visit "The Profit" website on CNBC.