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ChangingMinds Blog! > Blog Archive > 19-Jul-15

Sunday 19-July-15

The curiously profitable cat on the post

I was chatting today with a guy who runs Llansabbath Country House B&B and he told me a brilliantly simple method he used to drastically increase hits and stays on his website. Quite simply, he added a cat to a photo, putting it on the gatepost outside their house (no Photoshop -- real cat on real gatepost). You can see it if you click on the link above.

The logic is blindingly simple. What are there lots of on YouTube? Cat videos, of course. So put a cat in a picture and people will feel warm and happy, and consequently hang about more so they can continue to feel good.

I'm not a cat person. Dogs, yes. Cats, why? Though I suppose I'd stroke one if it wandered by. I get dogs. They become real friends. They want to make you happy. I just don't see the value of a cat who uses you as a convenience. Yet I still think the picture of the house is better with the cat than without it. And if it leads to a more profitable business, then hey, add cats everywhere!