According to a post from Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba of Church of the Customer Blog, if we haven't all gone to the dogs - we should.

In their post "Pets and Marketing" they state that 63% of households in the United States have pets and will spend $38.4 billion on them this year.

They reference Lisa Johnson, co-author of Don't Think Pink and her suggestions for including pets into your marketing strategy:

1. Feature pets in your ads and messages
2. Imagine where your products intersect with pets
3. Create brand extensions for pets
4. Facilitate social encounters around pets

How can you incorporate pets into your marketing.

If your product or service doesn't lend itself to pets - think about pets with customer service. What pets do your customers/prospects have?

If you know you have a customer that is a dog lover, the next time you visit, bring a doggy cookie or biscuit as a gift. It's inexpensive and yet shows you are aware of what's important to your customer. It will go a long way in building the customer relationship. Remember - people buy from those they like a trust.

So let's all go to the dogs! Or kittens, as the case may be.
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