People love their pets, but they’re not always home to keep them occupied. Between work, errands, and travel, people often need someone to come and watch their pets for a few days or even weeks — and they’re not afraid to spend some money to do it!
According to market insights, the total spent on pets in the United States has exploded in the past decade. In 2010, the pet owners spent around $45.54 billion on their furry friends. Fast forward to 2020, and that number has grown to an incredible $103.6 billion! If you want to get some of that money for yourself, here are five ideas for promoting your pet sitting business online and grabbing more customers.
1. Build a pet sitting website
No matter what you want to promote online (even a pet sitting business), you need a website. Think of a website like your home base for all your online marketing promotions. It’s a one-stop-shop for anyone who wants to learn more about your business, filled with information, rates, background, and plenty of pictures of cute dogs and cats — of course!
If you have the budget, hiring a web designer is a great way to get a professional-looking website for your business without much effort. However, since most pet sitters are freelancers or small businesses, it’s more cost-effective to design a website yourself using a builder like Wix or Squarespace, just to name a few.
No matter how you decide to design your killer website, it’s important to use high-quality visuals and graphics. If you don’t look professional, nobody is going to trust you with their pets!
Luckily, you don’t need professional-level graphic design skills to create professional-looking images. You can easily promote your small business and fill your website with professional content using free online templates and designs.
2. Create social media accounts
Social media is a great way to market your pet sitting business online, especially if you’re on a budget. Not only can you reach millions of people online, but it’s free to create a profile for your pet sitting business!
Marketing is all about reaching the right demographics for your business. According to industry statistics, almost one-third of Millennials own a pet, making them the largest demographic of pet owners. Even better, 87% of Millennials use social media, and 44% use it every day! It’s the perfect place to reach pet owners who love to spoil their pets and make sure they’re well taken care of.
3. Post regular content online
There are millions of social media posts every day, and it’s easy for users to get lost or distracted with that much content to browse. That’s why it’s not enough to just create social media accounts, but you also have to post regularly to keep your brand at the forefront of potential customers’ minds.
While the frequency varies depending on the platform, it’s typically agreed that 3-5 posts per week on each platform is ideal on average.
Since you also want to catch peoples’ eyes as they’re scrolling, it’s also important to produce high-quality content that will stand out. If you’re not a designer, that’s okay. You can easily find templates for pet sitting flyers online. Just pick the template that fits your brand, fill in your information, and you’re ready to post to your various social media channels.
4. Claim online listings
Whether you know it or not, your pet sitting business likely already has an online presence. There are dozens of listing sites around the internet that accumulate business information to help people find and rate local services near them. Your pet sitting business might already be listed on these sites, so why not take advantage!?
By claiming your online listings on these websites, you can get more control over your online presence and better promote your business to local residents. These are some of the most popular listing websites:
- Google My Business
- Yelp
- Bing
- Yahoo
For most of these listing sites, all you have to do is create a login and claim your profile. Then, you can add or edit things like your availability, hours of operation, services, or anything else that potential customers might want to know. Even better, you’ll also show up at the top of the search engine results when people search for pet sitters near them!
5. Purchase online advertising
The word “purchase” isn’t always what pet sitters on a budget want to hear, but online advertising is one of the most cost-effective ways to promote your pet sitting business online, and it doesn’t have to break the bank!
Purchasing pay-per-click (PPC) Google Ads is a great way to put your business right at the top of the search engine results without needing to put in all the effort to optimize your website. Simply place a bid for each click, and Google will promote your ad. You can make the bid anything you want, even a penny. Whenever someone clicks your ad, you pay Google whatever you bid. A thousand clicks at a penny each is only $10. Talk about a good investment!
However, just be aware that if another pet sitter outbids you, they’ll show up above you in the search engine results. You want to find the sweet spot between keeping the budget low and outbidding your competition.
Boosting social media posts is another cost-effective way to promote your pet sitting business online. For just a few dollars, you can boost your social media account or a specific post to reach more people online. This is a great way to attract more followers and get your message to people beyond your followers who wouldn’t see your content otherwise.
Grow your pet sitting business
The internet is for more than just watching videos of cute dogs and cats. You can also use it to find real dogs and cats to watch and help grow your pet sitting business! If you’re ready to promote your business online, build a website, take advantage of social media, schedule posts regularly, claim your online listings, and purchase online advertising. With a little time and effort, you’ll have plenty of furry friends to watch to keep your pet sitting business booming for years to come.
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