The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention reported in their 2018 research that around 60% of cats and 56% of dogs in the United States were overweight or obese! With such high numbers of obesity, it’s crucial for dogs to get the exercise they need. Fortunately, many pet owners increasingly turn to more professional services such as dog walking.
This is great news for aspiring dog walkers looking to establish their own businesses. With that said, it’s important to have an effective marketing strategy in place to ensure your new business reaches its full potential. Below are some of the ways you can promote your service on social media.
Promote Locally
Around 99.9% of businesses in the United States are considered small businesses by the Small Business Association. One of the best things about promoting a dog walking business is that you can market to local customers.
Facebook and Instagram are great platforms to use when promoting your business on a local level. You can create a page for your business and target customers near your location using relevant hashtags. Additionally, you can create posts that feature pictures of dogs that you’ve walked with accompanying captions that include the local area or neighborhood where you provide your services.
Connect With Other Dog Professionals
It’s also important to connect with other dog professionals in order to increase exposure and build trust within the industry. Once you have established yourself as an authoritative figure through social media, pet owners will be more likely to choose your service over competitors. You can do this by interacting with other dog-related pages on Facebook and Instagram, such as local veterinarians and boarding facilities.
Create a Promotional Video
Creating promotional videos is another great way to promote your dog-walking business on social media. You can use platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo to share short clips of you and your team taking dogs out for walks. Videos are much more effective than static images in terms of engaging with followers, so it’s important to include visuals when possible.
Consider hiring a professional videographer to create a promotional video for your business, too. This will help ensure that the quality of the video is high and that it properly conveys your message.
Offer Special Deals on Social Media
In addition to creating content, you should also consider offering special deals and discounts to customers who follow your business on social media. This is a great way to encourage engagement with your page and potentially increase the number of followers you have. You could create an exclusive discount code that only applies to customers who follow your page or offer free pet-sitting services for those who refer friends to your business.
You could also offer discounts through paid advertisements on social media. Facebook and Instagram offer the ability to create targeted ads for certain audiences, which could help you reach more customers in your local area.
Use SEO to Increase Exposure
Finally, you should also consider using search engine optimization (SEO) tactics on your website and social media posts to increase exposure and reach a wider audience. This includes incorporating keywords that are relevant to your business into your content as well as linking back to your website from other websites or blogs. Additionally, you should make sure that all of the information about your dog-walking business is up-to-date and accurate on your website and social media pages.
If you’re not sure how to get started with SEO, consider hiring a professional who can help you optimize your website and social media presence. SEO experts have a good understanding of which keywords to use to promote your business.
With the right strategy, you can use social media to effectively promote your dog walking business and attract new customers. Try incorporating some of the tips mentioned above into your marketing plan and watch as your dog walking service expands!
