In case you missed our August roundtable, we put together a quick event recap and summary of our full guide — How To Grow Your Pet Care Business Online! If you’re interested in participating in future roundtables, you can subscribe to our emails to be notified of upcoming events. We hope to see you there! 🤗
In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for growing your pet care business. The internet provides a vast platform to reach potential clients, build trust, and expand your services. Utilizing social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, the importance of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and how to set up a Google Business listing are just a few tools you’ll need as you grow.
Why Having an Online Presence Is Important
Having an online presence is essential to helping you reach your goals as a business. Whether that’s bringing in new business, getting more reviews, or saving time when communicating with current or prospective clients, your website and social media help you achieve these goals!
- Increased Visibility
- Build credibility
- Cost-Effective Marketing
- Customer Engagement
- Competitive Advantage
Must-Have Items for Your Website
A well-designed website is the cornerstone of your online presence. Put yourself in the shoes of a potential client. Here are key elements to include:
- Homepage
- About us page
- Services & pricing page
- Contact information
- Client testimonials
- Blog or news section
- High-quality images
- Booking system (like PetPocketbook 😉)
- Social media links
Here’s an example of a website we love! The Wright Pet Sitter has all the key website elements we mentioned above and does a fantastic job highlighting their booking system! A Pet’s Best Friend also has all the key elements, and we specifically love their usage of high-quality photos. We originally stumbled across both websites during a Google Search because their SEO optimizations help them rank better.
Understanding and Utilizing SEO
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process of optimizing your online content to rank higher in search engine results. Here's why it's important:
- Increases visibility
- Builds credibility
- Cost-effective marketing
- Helps build long-term growth
- Allows you to target traffic
To improve your website's SEO, you’ll need to:
- Perform keyword research: Google Keyword Planner is a great resource to help you research keywords!
- Use quality content: Dogs of Charm City has an awesome blog covering dog-friendly businesses in Baltimore and other pet-friendly content for pet parents!
- Optimize your site for mobile: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as many users access websites from their phones.
- Monitor and improve page load speed: You can use free tools like SEM Rush or Google Search Console to identify and improve the performance of your website!
- Build backlinks: Insert high-quality links from other reputable websites to improve your site's authority.
If you’re creating and managing your website yourself, check out our blog about our favorite website platforms! If you’re not sure where to get started when creating or updating your website, there are some awesome pet-centric companies to lend you a helping paw. Our favorites are Barketing Unleashed and Pet Marketing Unleashed. If you already have a website, but just need help maintaining it, you may want to check out a virtual assistant who is well-versed in pet care businesses! Happy Howl has been in the business for years and can help you tackle your website and social media too!
Utilizing Social Media
There are a few things to keep in mind when using social media channels to engage with your audience:
- Regular posting: Maintain an active presence by posting photos, videos, and updates about your services.
- Engage with followers: Respond to comments, messages, and engage with your followers to build relationships. Ever heard of the rule of thirds? Promote your content 1/3, share content 1/3, and engage 1/3.
- Use hashtags: Incorporate relevant hashtags in your posts to increase discoverability. Learn how to find trending hashtags here!
- Storytelling: Share behind-the-scenes stories, client success stories, and educational content. Don’t forget that showing your face and posting personal content can give your content a boost! You can use Instagram’s professional dashboard to measure these key metrics and help understand when to switch things up!
- Collaborations: Partner with local pet-related businesses or influencers for cross-promotion.
- Repurpose content: Don’t reinvent the wheel! Use social media to repurpose content on your website or blog. If you’re using PetPocketbook, both report card content and pet birthdays make for fun social media posts. Report card photos and videos can easily be repurposed into Instagram posts and reels or even a TikTok, like a day in the life of a dog walker. Celebrate your pet birthdays with a monthly story or video post with all pets that month.
- Use AI tools: Tools like Canva, ChatGPT, and Magai are great resources but remember, they’re just a starting point — not the finished product. Here’s an example of a post we created in Canva. You can see it could use some work!
"Happy pup, happy life! Regular exercise not only keeps your furry friend fit but also helps improve their mood and behavior. Take your dog for a walk or run today and watch them thrive! 🐾🐶💪 #DogFitness #HealthyPup #HappyLife"
Creating a Google Business Listing
A Google Business listing helps potential clients find your pet care business on Google Search and Maps. It’s especially helpful for local listings! Generally, you’ll want to be in the top 3 listings for keywords relevant to your business. For example, if you search “pet sitting near me,” try to rank within the top 3 results for the most visibility. To rank higher, add quality images, ask for reviews, and make sure you’re responding to reviews too!
Here's a helpful blog we found about 10 things every pet care business should have on their Google Business listing!
If you’re using PetPocketbook, you can add a custom note to your invoices with the link to leave you a review! Each time an invoice email is sent out, clients have the option to leave a review. Don’t forget to respond to your reviews too! This step can be just as important as the review itself.
Download the Full Guide!
By following these steps and consistently managing your online presence, you can effectively grow your pet care business, reach a wider audience, and establish yourself as a trusted pet care provider in your community. Remember that the digital landscape is always evolving, so staying up-to-date with the latest online marketing trends and technologies is essential for long-term success.
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