How to use social media to market your pet business

Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest can provide a valuable opportunity to attract new customers and raise awareness of your pet brand or business.

Whether you’re a mobile pet groomer, pet store, veterinary clinic, pet training centre, dog walker or pet sitter—if you’re not already using social media, perhaps it’s time to get started!

With more than 62%* of Australian households owning a pet, there are plenty of pet lovers wanting products and services to keep their fur babies feeling happy, healthy and loved.

Creative and thoughtful social media content can engage new and existing customers, create rapport, showcase your brand’s personality and ensure your business remains top of mind.

What should you post on social media?

Your posts should be interesting, fun and shareable. Take the time to consider who your audience is and what they like.

Still stuck on what content to share? Here are some ideas.

• Customer or pet of the week
• Before and after pet grooming pics
• New products (be sure to explain the benefits)
• Product or service reviews and testimonials (use a free site like Canva to turn reviews into images)
• Run a giveaway (ask participants to like, follow or tag a friend to increase your social media presence)
• Funny pet videos (you can source and share, rather than create your own. Just remember to credit your source!)
• Pet care advice (dos and don’ts or educational tips can help build trust and show you’re an expert in the field)
• Q&As (keep note of the common questions you get asked and then post a series of question-and-answer posts or blogs)
• Pet industry news (offer your opinion and invite people to share their views)

Social media strategy: best-practice tips

Experiment

Getting your social media right doesn’t always happen instantly. You might need to spend time researching. Look at what your competitors are doing. Follow other brands and businesses in the pet industry.

Once you have an idea on what type of content you are going to be posting (this can be varied), experiment with what time of day and which days of the week you post. For example, mornings and evenings are often popular times as people look at social media during their commute to and from work.

Be creative

To stand out in the world of social media you need to be different. Try to put your own personality into the posts or provide something your competitors don’t.

Don’t be too self-centric

Yes, the whole reason you’re using social media is to promote your pet business, but don’t be too ‘me, me, me’. Share people’s content (make sure you tag them or give credit), follow-back, like and comment on other social media accounts.

Schedule time

Lack of time is probably the most common reason for people not using social media. However, setting aside adequate time to plan and create your content once a month or once a week can be an effective way to use social media without getting bogged down in it.

You can find some great resources to help you plan your social media – Vet Answers offers some great planning tools with downloadable charts and information that can help get you on the right track.

Don’t set and forget

While a regular, allotted time for planning and creating social media is a good idea, you will need to check in on your accounts across the week to address any questions or reply to comments.

What’s your experience of social media? What platforms are you using and how’s it going?

*Pet Industry Association of Australia (PIAA), Australian pet ownership statistics, Jan 31, 2018. Accessed: https://piaa.net.au/australian-pet-ownership-statistics/