How Social Media Can Grow Your Pet Business

Selling pet supplies and services online can be a challenge for businesses that aren’t sure how to maximize their reach. But there’s great news for those in the pets industry! Most of your target market can already be found on two of the biggest online spaces, Facebook and Instagram.

And, it’s easier than you think to capture their attention, win their hearts, and their business! Don’t believe us? Discover how using social media can have a major impact on your brand presence and bottom line.

1. Reach pet owners where they’re at

You know the old adage, “Go where the fish are.” Well, 90.4% of Millennials, 77.5% of Generation X, and 48.2% of Baby Boomers are on social media. So, get going!

Social media has created a platform for pet lovers everywhere to connect with brands and specialists. Pet businesses should build a strong presence there to create brand awareness and tap into the enormous market of potential customers — locally or globally!

Facebook is currently the largest social networking site with 223 million US Facebook users. That said, Facebook is the best platform for pet retailers to start with. Besides its ability for reach, it also has the ability to incorporate Facebook Live, a tool that is indispensable for all brands as video marketing and binge-watching on social platforms becomes increasingly popular. This brings us to our next point.

2. Leverage the viral nature of pet content

Animals bring us humans enormous emotional comfort, even through the newsfeed! For every troubling post, there’s plenty of cute animal photos or funny pet videos to indulge in. That’s why we spend so much watching, liking, and sharing animal content. Why not use this to your advantage?

If you sell pet apparel, post a behind the scenes photoshoot of your furry models. Want to create some more buzz around your best-selling pet toys? Make your audience howl with laughter with videos of a wide-eyed dog or cat going bananas over them. If your store’s sales focus around pet food and nutrition, host a Facebook Live event instructing viewers how to make healthy homemade dog treats and have a canine friend be your sous chef.

There are so many creative ways to mix pet product marketing with fun, shareable content that gets your brand noticed. As a part of the pet industry, you have the upper a distinct advantage of working with the cutest coworkers- animals! Don’t be afraid to show them off!

3. Build trust & long-term loyalty

It’s not all about posting cute pet videos, though. Social platforms provide a unique opportunity to carry out your brand mission, solve problems, and inspire dialogue.

Ask yourself how you can serve pet parents through social media. For example, if your brand mission is to provide natural foods and quality supplies for cats and dogs, much of your content will be focused on nutritional education.

Our furry companions can’t speak for themselves, which is why we rely on the experts to help us determine the best pet products. You can use your extensive product knowledge to help pet owners find the best snacks, toys, and medicine for them.

Your willingness to educate, listen to questions and responses, and reply to your audience will speak volumes about you and your business. If you are passionate about the well-being of your customers and their pets’ well-being, you will be a trusted expert and an obvious choice for pet supplies.

Sure, there’s plenty of competition out there. Realistically, you may not be able to price match megabrands or pay for sponsored content with celebrity pets. But there’s good news. People buy from those that they like, know, and trust. With an active presence, the right content, and an eagerness to serve, social media can open the door to that trust and earn their repeat business.

The takeaway

Social media is a useful tool for all brands, but for pet brands especially. There’s plenty of opportunities to catch your target market’s attention, to actively engage them, and build lasting trust. Your pet business can win over customers and outshine the competition with the right strategies.