Across North America, just 13% of pets are licensed despite 90% of municipalities having at least some kind of mandatory licensing requirement. The answer to why this is the case, lies in understanding how traditional pet licensing programs fail to properly address all the factors that actually drive license sales. Programs like yours can boost license sales right away with an investment and focus on these key concepts:
Make licensing about improving the pet owner experience.
Pet owners love their pets and they love the services available to their pets in your community. Take the time to communicate all year through different channels like email, social media and promotional materials, to explain how a license does two things: it protects the pet who is licensed, and it raises money for critical local animal care and control activities.
Pet owners are your consumers – communicate with them throughout the year, and when renewal time comes around you will have a consumer who is more informed and likely to re-up their licensing commitment because they believe in the value it provides them and their community.
Don’t forget – a majority of annual license sales come from renewals, if you start by improving your communications and maximizing your renewal rate, you can more easily focus on finding new license sales that raise your overall compliance.
A creative and fun tag product goes a long way.
Considering the cost for consumers to keep their pets licensed every year, it is not irrational to think that they likely care about the quality of the product they receive in return. Think about how your current license tags are viewed by your pet owners. Would they describe them as fun and creative?
The reality is the cost difference between a standard stamped aluminum tag and a higher quality product that gives the pet owner a choice of a more fun design is likely just a few cents per tag. Invest in the product you are giving to pet owners and you will find that what people want is a tag they are proud of and happy about. In an age where a dog’s social media account often has more followers than a B-list celebrity, the look of your license tags matters.
Treat your pet owners like philanthropic donors.
Say “thank you” as a part of your licensing process. Thank you to licensees who are protecting their pets making your animal control officers’ jobs easier. Thank you for the revenues raised to support a reduced cost spay/neuter or rabies clinic. Even in hard societal times, pet owners with the financial stability to do so, often like to contribute to causes in their community. By communicating that one of the most effective ways to give back in your community is through pet licensing, you can bring new people into your systems and help keep your active licensees feeling engaged and appreciated.
Ready to put this into action?
If you’re interested in learning more about these keys to boosting pet license sales – and how a partnership with DocuPet can get you there quickly – click the button below to request a demonstration and discovery session with our team. Our mission as a social enterprise is to reduce your overall licensing burden, while expanding your program through increased sales and pet-owner centric services that your community will love. The best start? Launching DocuPet costs you nothing – be in touch today!