Recent reports show that pet ownership has surged amid the COVID-19 crisis. Many individuals and families have purchased or adopted pets, especially dogs and cats. They have seen the importance of having furry family members during this pandemic.
This move makes sense as pets can be good for the owners’ physical health and mental wellness. First off, they can make you busy, preoccupied, and physically active. On the other hand, they can keep you company, ease your loneliness, and reduce stress. In fact, National Geographic claimed that pets help individuals and families cope with the pandemic.
As a pet business, you should take advantage of these opportunities. Take ample time to reach out to your target clients and offer your pet services, whether medical care, grooming, or training services. As such, digital marketing is the key.
That said, here’s how to promote your pet business during this pandemic:
1. Start promoting through your updated website
When it comes to promoting your pet services, what better way to start than to use your website for marketing? Yes, having a business website is paramount in this digital era. It is where you’ll primarily promote your pet services and engage with your clients. As such, update your website to have an excellent user experience (UX). Make sure to keep it visually appealing and highly functional. Plus, don’t forget to make it as mobile-friendly as possible.
2. Increase your website traffic through pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
It’s not enough to have a website for your pet business. You want to attract more pet owners to your website. That’s where the PPC advertising campaign comes into the picture. The idea is to display your ads about your pet services on the search engine results pages (SERP). For instance, you can create ads for your dog boot camp and bid their placements on SERP. PPC is a paid search, which means you must pay for every successful click. But those clicks can drive potential pet owners or clients to your website.
3. Boost your online visibility through search engine optimization (SEO)
Before augmenting your website traffic, you want to ensure your website’s online visibility. You want it to stand out in a sea of digital competition. You want that your target clients can easily and quickly find your site on a highly saturated web. That’s where SEO comes into the picture. It involves three processes: technical, on-page, and off-page SEO. The first one entails optimizing or updating your website. But while on-page SEO focuses on content creation with keyword integration, off-page involves any promotion you perform outside your website.
4. Harness the power of social media marketing
Apart from having a business website, stay active on social media. Why? Individuals live and breathe on these channels, whether Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn. As a pet business owner, create accounts and set up profiles for your social media marketing. Through these channels, you can reach out to many clients. For instance, you can create Facebook ads and target these copies to your prospective clients. You can also display your pet products on Instagram. Plus, you can build your network with pet organizations and businesses on LinkedIn.
5. Create and publish relevant and valuable pieces of content
They say that content is king in the digital world. As such, the best course of action is to create valuable and relevant pieces of content. You can publish them on your business website, social media accounts, and other digital platforms. For instance, you can create a blog post about pet care and publish it on your website. You can also post and share it on your social media. Lastly, you can go as far as having a guest blog on other digital platforms. All these will entice prospective clients to hire your pet services, as long as you include effective calls to action (CTAs).
6. Send promotional emails to regular and potential clients
The last on the list is email marketing, a potent tool in business. Know that you can target two markets: old and new pet owners. For regular clients, send them updates about your pet services. But for prospective clients, you must carry out research and due diligence to generate qualified leads. From there, you can send them promotional emails about your pet business. Who knows? They might eventually hire your pet services.
At this point, you now know what it takes to promote your pet services during this pandemic. Consider the digital marketing strategies recommended above, from promoting through your website to employing social media marketing to sending promotional emails. With all these crucial steps, you can put your pet services in the spotlight and provide the pet needs of your local clients. Ultimately, you’ll be able to boost your pet business profits amid the crisis.