Creating content on a regular basis for your pet business is vital in the online world that we live in.
When we’re considering buying a product like a dog coat or new bed, or using a service such as a groomer or a pet sitter, we inevitably turn to Google.
Even if we’ve had a personal referral or recommendation, before we make a buying decision it’s become second nature to check it out online.
When you put your name into Google what do you see?
Your website?
Your social media pages?
Any media coverage?
Maybe it’s nothing.
Try to imagine yourself as your ideal customer. How would you feel? Would you trust the person or brand?
Personally (now I am every marketer’s dream) if the person had been recommended to me, I wouldn’t be bothered but I am the exception.
The good news it that if you have your own website, you’re in control of communicating whatever message you want to your ideal customer.
And by producing regular content you can reassure them that yourself or your product or service are the right one for them.
Creating content for your pet business might be one of the last things you want to tackle on your never ending to-do list.
But it’s worth preserving with and here are three key reasons why – plus inspiring stories from pet entrepreneurs.
It can reassure people who are thinking of buying from you
People landing on your website often need a little persuasion that you’re the right person for them.
There are so many beautiful websites that really look the part but fail to deliver sales as they’re lacking in what the reader is looking for.
Picture your ideal customer landing on your website. What are their problems and how do you solve them?
If they get the answers they need when they land on your website, you have a far better chance of them walking through your door.
Case study – Kirsty Skeates – Fit4Dogs Hydrotherapy
Kirsty runs Fit4DogsUK Hydrotherapy in Beverley, Hull which she set up in November 2018.
A former swimming instructor for humans, she now works with dogs.
As a new business, Kirsty is invested in her content and social media and is running different campaigns each month.
In January, her focus was weight loss. We worked together on a blog post explaining how hydrotherapy can help dogs lose weight.
The blog covered the problem of dogs being overweight – 52 per cent of dogs in the UK are.
It told owners how to check their dog with a helpful body score chart.
Then it explained how hydrotherapy can help with a little of the science behind it, but nothing too technical.
The post finished with a success story about an overweight dog Bella who was slimming down thank to hydrotherapy.
If a customer came to Kirsty’s site to see how she could help an overweight dog there was a post explaining how and delivering social proof.
Kirsty repurposed the post including images, quotes and statistics for her social media too.
It can position you as an expert
The pet industry is growing rapidly and being seen as an expert in your field helps you stand out from the many other product and service providers in your local area.
According to research from Mintel, the value of the UK pet products and services market is forecast to reach £2.1 billion by 2023, a 25% increase from an estimated £1.7bn in 2018.
Creating content that resonates with your ideal client can build trust and help them make buying decisions.
Case study – Helen Motteram – Social Paws
Helen Motteram is a behaviourist who runs Social Paws and her niche is working with anxious dogs.
I found Helen through Facebook after reading one of her posts and this led me to asking if she’d give an interview for my blog.
We did a post on everything owners need to know about ways to help anxious and nervous dogs and you can read it here.
A few weeks later I was pitching ideas to the Sunday Mirror for their pet page and put another idea about Helen forward, where she talked about our pets having a mental health crisis.
You can read the story here.
If you have an anxious dog and you want help, find Helen and Google her name and ‘nervous dogs’ post after post will come up.
There’s pages on her own website, www.socialpawscheltenham.co.uk, the blog, the newspaper article, and lots of other authoritative links.
Helen produces content day in day out on social media too, and has appeared on TV.
You’re left with no doubt of her expertise and this is thanks to her content.
It allows people to try before they buy
Seeing how you or your products work by sharing another client’s experience can help your potential customer visualise what you can do for them.
This can help convert them into a client. Often we just need a little nudge to tip us over the edge to make a purchase.
Can you take people on a tour of your shop, or show how a product works on a pet? Perhaps you do something really unusual and could show a video?
If you’re a groomer and you do pawdicures, take people behind the scenes of your salon. Show a pet having the treatment and talk about the products you use.
It can take away any concerns or reservations people might have.
Case study – Vicky Gunn – Millie’s Beach Huts
Vicky Gunn runs Millie’s Beach Huts, and has a range of GORGEOUS beach huts in Essex and Suffolk.
Her content on her website is amazing. She blogs regularly, answering questions about anything people need to know about using a beach hut.
Questions like ‘What happens when the weather is bad,’ ‘How much does it cost to hire a hut,’ ‘Buying a beach hut,’ ‘Beach huts in Essex,’ and ‘Beach huts in Suffolk.’
Not surprisingly, her huts made the Daily Mail’s best beach huts in the UK list. You can read it here.
What Vicky also does is works with bloggers. Each year she invites two bloggers to write about their experience.
So if a potential customer wants to know what it’s like visiting a beach hut with toddlers, she’ll send them to a review on a parenting blog.
If a dog owner wants to learn about dog friendly things to do nearby, she will send them to a pet blogger review and usually this answers any questions they might have.
Being found on other people’s sites helps Vicky’s visibility in search engines too.
Conclusion
I hope that explains the many benefits that creating regular content can bring to your business.
And make your content work for you. If you’ve taken time to produce a blog post, share it on your social media channels and with your e mail list.
It’s natural to worry that you’re being ‘spammy.’ I’m guilty of this myself, but think about it, if you saw someone post a few times on Facebook would you really hold that against them?
Creating regular content helps retain existing clients and win new ones so keep checking in, because you never know who might see it.
If you found this helpful, you might like to read:
If you’d like to work on this, my Pets Get Visible membership is just £30 a month and you get my tailored support.
How to generate content ideas for your pet business
Why creating content can be better than PR for your pet business
For regular tips on content and ways to promote your pet business, sign up to my e mail list here.
