# Marketing Principles for Goodwalk

A working reference for the Goodwalk site rebuild and ongoing marketing decisions. Drawn from Chris Do (The Futur) and Debbie Millman (Design Matters), applied to the goal of acquiring 10 new clients.

# Checklist 
* Prioritise emotional trust before visual impressiveness.
* Reduce cognitive load on every screen and interaction.
* Every page should answer: “Am I in the right place?”
* Use whitespace intentionally to create calmness and confidence.
* Interfaces should feel predictable, stable, and effortless.
Avoid clutter, excessive animations, and visual noise.
Design for clarity first, aesthetics second.
Premium experiences rely on restraint, not excess.
Typography hierarchy must immediately guide the eye.
Use fewer colours, but apply them consistently.
Every component should have a clear purpose.
Remove unnecessary borders, labels, and UI chrome.
Make primary actions visually obvious within 2 seconds.
Ensure pages feel fast even before fully loading.
Consistent spacing creates perceived quality and trust.
Use authentic photography over generic stock imagery.
Human faces increase emotional connection and trust.
Testimonials should feel personal and believable, not corporate.
Buttons and CTAs should sound conversational and reassuring.
Interfaces should feel welcoming, not technical.
Avoid overwhelming users with too many choices.
Users should never wonder what happens next.
Design layouts around scanning behaviour, not reading behaviour.
Mobile layouts should feel intentionally designed, not compressed desktop pages.
Use subtle depth, shadows, and contrast to create hierarchy.
Premium brands often use less content, but communicate more clearly.
Calm interfaces increase perceived professionalism.
Align visuals, copy, and interaction style into one consistent tone.
The homepage should communicate trust before features.
Every visual element should reinforce simplicity and confidence.
Reduce form friction wherever possible.
Users should be able to understand the business in under 5 seconds.
Make service quality visually obvious through imagery and spacing.
Avoid sharp transitions or jarring visual elements.
Consistency across pages matters more than visual complexity.
Good UX feels invisible to the user.
Use natural language instead of corporate wording.
Remove anything that feels “template-like”.
Create visual breathing room around important content.
Make interactions feel human, warm, and intentional.
Ensure hover states and animations feel subtle and refined.
Use imagery that reflects real customers and real experiences.
Trust is built through consistency, polish, and predictability.
Pages should feel curated, not crowded.
Premium experiences rely heavily on pacing and rhythm.
Focus attention using contrast, spacing, and hierarchy.
Design should lower anxiety and decision fatigue.
Avoid overexplaining when visuals already communicate meaning.
The best interfaces feel calm, simple, and inevitable.
Every redesign decision should improve trust, clarity, or emotional comfort.

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## Chris Do's Principles

### 1. Sell the transformation, not the service

People don't buy "dog walking" — they buy peace of mind at work, a tired happy dog, not feeling guilty.

The headline shouldn't be "Professional Dog Walking in Wellington." It should speak to the outcome:

- "Come home to a happy, exercised dog"
- "Your dog's best part of the day, while you're at work"

### 2. Niche down to stand out

"Dog walker" competes with everyone. "Dog walker for working professionals in [suburb] with anxious or reactive dogs" competes with almost no one — and can charge more.

Pick a wedge.

### 3. Price on value, not time

Don't lead with "$25 per walk." Lead with packages and outcomes:

> **The Working Professional Plan** — 3 walks/week, GPS updates, photo reports

Hide the hourly rate. Make it about what they get, not what you do.

### 4. Show, don't tell

Testimonials and proof crush adjectives. "Reliable and caring" is meaningless.

A photo of a muddy grinning dog with a one-line quote from the owner sells:

> "Bowie pulls me to the door when he sees Sarah's car."

### 5. Free is a magnet

Most dog walking sites just have a contact form — that's a closed door. Open one with:

- A free first walk
- A free meet-and-greet
- A downloadable "Is your dog getting enough exercise?" checklist

Get people into the funnel.

---

## Debbie Millman's Principles

### 1. Brand is a story people tell themselves about you

Branding is deliberate differentiation through storytelling.

What's the Goodwalk story? Why do you do this? Are you the ex-vet-nurse who only walks small dogs? The runner who takes high-energy breeds on actual trail runs?

That story belongs on the homepage, not buried on About.

### 2. Consistency builds trust

One voice, one visual identity, everywhere:

- Website
- Instagram
- Car magnet
- The message sent when running 5 minutes late

Owners are handing you keys to their house and the life of their dog. Visual and verbal consistency signals "I am organised and reliable" before you've said a word.

### 3. Design is a tool for clarity, not decoration

Debbie often quotes Massimo Vignelli — design should make the message clearer.

In 3 seconds, can a stranger answer:

- What do you do?
- Who is it for?
- How do I book?

If they have to scroll or think, you're losing them.

---

## Applied: A Plan for 10 New Clients

A site rewrite with these principles in mind.

### 1. Homepage hero

- Outcome-focused headline
- One strong photo of a happy dog mid-walk
- One button: **"Book a free meet-and-greet"**

### 2. Pick a niche and say it out loud

Even just "for [your suburb] working professionals" narrows the field and helps you rank.

### 3. Three packages, not an hourly rate

Make the middle one the obvious choice (the "decoy effect" — Chris talks about this).

### 4. Three testimonials with photos and dog names

Real names, real dogs. Not "J.S. — Customer."

### 5. One story section

Who you are, why you do this, why someone should trust you with their dog and their house key.

### 6. Lead magnet

A free PDF like "How much exercise does your dog actually need?" in exchange for an email. Then you have a list to follow up with.

### 7. Kill booking friction

One-click to a calendar or a WhatsApp link. Not a 7-field form.

---

## Quick Reference Checklist

- [ ] Headline sells the outcome, not the service
- [ ] Niche is named explicitly on the homepage
- [ ] Pricing presented as packages, not hourly
- [ ] At least 3 testimonials with real names, dog names, and photos
- [ ] Founder story visible on homepage
- [ ] Lead magnet (PDF or free meet-and-greet) above the fold
- [ ] Booking is one click — calendar link or WhatsApp
- [ ] Visual and verbal identity consistent across site, Instagram, and comms
- [ ] In 3 seconds: what / who / how-to-book is obvious
