Pet business owners know that they are in a tough industry with a lot of competition. The internet has made marketing so much easier than it used to be, but most pet professionals still struggle with visibility.
How can you promote your doggy daycare or other types of pet business without sinking a huge portion of your profits into a marketing budget?
Fortunately, there are things that the savvy pet professional can do to increase visibility without breaking the bank. Business directories or business listing sites are usually free and can help with not only driving local traffic but also with increasing the business’ reputation.
A simple marketing solution for the small pet business owners
Larger pet retailers, such as pet supply stores, as well as larger pet-related operations usually have a storefront and a hefty marketing budget that boost their visibility.
However, smaller operations like dog trainers, dog boarders, dog sitters, and groomers may struggle a little more. Even smaller pet shops may not have the means to do much major advertising.
Free business listing sites offer a cost-effective solution that works.
Google My Business is a major player in world of listing businesses for free. Listing your business with this site give you incredible coverage, including local searches. It places your business listing in the Google database that feeds not only Google local business search, but regular Google search and Google Maps as well.
When a business is searched, the Google My Business profile appears in the Knowledge Panel on the right side of the results page.
It is free to list your business, but you do have to complete the profile and verify your business in order to get it listed. This helps to ensure that only legitimate businesses are listed.
Listing with numerous business directories broadens your reach
Listing your business with several business listing sites provides you with even more opportunities to connect with potential customers. These are some of the most popular:
- Alignable
- Angie’s List
- Better Business Bureau
- Bing Local
- BizJournals.com
- Chamber of Commerce in your city
- City Search
- Foursquare
- Glassdoor
- Manta
- Mapquest
- Merchant Circle
- SuperPages
- TripAdvisor
- Whitepages
- Yahoo Local
- Yellowbot
- Yellow Pages
- Yelp
- YouTube
Tips for creating a great business profile that gets results
There’s more to a great business profile than simply entering your business information. You will typically be among several other pet professionals who want just as much visibility and just as much traffic to their business as you do to yours.
A simple generic profile just won’t cut it.
- Keep your branding consistent across all channels. This means your business name must be the same on every site. The same goes for your logo and tagline.
- Provide contact information, the more options (email, phone, web form, etc.) the better.
- Monitor your listings regularly.
- Some sites allow business owners to respond to reviews. It is a good idea to do that but keep it professional.
- Sign up for a service like Yext. They will update your business listings for you on a number of sites.
People love their pets and want the best for them. Listing your pet business in directories will put you in front of the people who are looking for you, but they can also boost your reputation. It’s free marketing that offers tons of value. You really can’t afford to pass it up.
