5 Tips for Effective Pet Boarding Marketing

Pet boarding marketing isn’t easy — lots of competition – but it’s incredibly effective when done right. Here are five key marketing ideas for pet boarding services that’ll surely keep customers begging for more…

[Related: How To Make the Right Marketing Investments]

1. Give Your Website Some Love 

This is a big one! Your website isn’t just your business’s online hub — it’s a multifaceted marketing powerhouse. Make the most of it with engaging text and images, industry-specific tools, appealing design, and informative content.

Having a top-tier website is the linchpin in your pet boarding marketing plan. And because it’s so crucial to your success, you need to make sure your site is built to attract and deliver pet owners:

• Make it work expertly with voice search
• Optimize how it looks and acts on mobile devices
• Use keywords (on client-facing pages and behind the scenes) that boost your search engine ranking
• Adopt a client-pleasing design that matches your industry
• Provide insights on how well your pet boarding website performs, like traffic trends and lead scoring
   

It’s not easy building an up-to-date website that will help you compete online. Too much to do on your own? Talk with the pros – then, you can zero in on running your premier pet boarding service.

Beyond all the tech requirements, you can add tons of personality by including a blog, posting pictures and videos with your pet guests, and more. Let the experts do the technical work, while you post all the things that make you unique.

[Related: Today’s Website: Free Guide for Small Businesses]

2. Brush Up Your Business Listings

When the vacation-bound family (and every other pet owner) wants to find a pet boarding service for Charles, they’re going to turn to local search. Your business listing has to appear high in the results to catch their eye. And what they see has to be detailed, consistent and trustworthy.

Here’s the fundamental info you should check for accuracy in all your business listings:

• Core info (name, address, and phone number)
• Hours of operation
• Reviews and star ratings (we’ll come back to reviews — they’re crucial)
• Services offered
• Price range
• Directions (a Google Maps integration is great)
• Pics, from your building’s exterior to pet living spaces to staff
• Social media links
   

Making sure your online information is up to date may sound easy, but search engines and social media platforms autogenerate business listings. That’s right, your information can be changed and you might never know it. And that’s bad news for a number of reasons – including the fact that 80% of clients lose trust in a business when they see incorrect or outdated info.

Check out our business listings management services to control your ultra-vital business info across the net.

[Related: Think Your Small Business Isn’t Online? Think Again]

3. Play on Social Media — Professionally

Social media’s one of the easiest ways to connect with clients directly and personally. One-on-one interactions showcase your business’s style, expertise, and attitude! Social is also a powerful marketing tool when used correctly.

With that in mind, have fun with your social media— especially Facebook (aka Meta) and Instagram  — but take them seriously, too. It’s a wonderful way to engage with your clients and boost word of mouth.

Besides having professional business accounts, try your hand at playful pet-centric posts. You can go for contests, surveys, photo slideshows, video reels … explore what the platforms offer!

And if you want to (literally) boost your visibility on social, Social Media Marketing is key to any marketing plan for a pet boarding service. Ramp up your chances of success with pro social marketing.

[Related: Free Small Business Guide to Facebook Marketing]

4. Trot Out Your Reviews

This is another absolutely vital part of pet boarding marketing that is sure to deliver results.

Over 99% of people — pretty much everyone — checks reviews before opting for a product or service. What’s more, roughly half of people trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations.

Now, translate that to how deeply people care about their pets, especially when someone else takes care of them! You see where we’re going, it’s vital to use your online reviews to:

• Let customers spread the word about how well you treat their pets
• Show off your good reviews
• Address any bad reviews – ASAP
   

And the more glowing reviews you have, the better. Still, getting, sorting and posting reviews can be serious hassles. As part of your marketing plan for a pet boarding service, check out platforms that make the process simple.

Your pet boarding service’s revenue (and reputation) is on the line.

[Related: 5 Reasons Why You Need To Focus on Online Reviews Now]

5. Perk Up Clients with Emails and Texts

Let’s say your service has seen steady business. You know how important it is to keep existing customers and keeping them in the loop is key to keeping them coming back.

Sending automated messages is one of the smartest ways to cut through the haze of names and numbers … without spending time away from your actual job of running your business. A well-timed, targeted text or email goes a long way and can do dozens of jobs:

• Say howdy to first-time clients right after they book a stay for their pets
• Send offers, specials, discounts — whatever you’re promoting to increase traffic
• Tell repeat clients you remember them and value their loyalty
• Request reviews (tactfully) from first-time and repeat clients

Yes, sorting, timing, and sending take serious time. But a marketing automation solution gives you all those abilities and more.

It’s not just a smart move that can generate up to 80% more leads. It’s a natural addition to your website, business listings, social media ads and reviews services!

[Related: Top 5 Ways Your Small Business Should Be Using Email Marketing]

Get Smart, Effective Pet Boarding Marketing with Hibu

A smart marketing plan for a pet boarding service made it happen, and it can happen again and again. Just contact Hibu — we’ve got years of experience creating digital pet boarding marketing strategies for businesses like yours.

With custom pricing, stellar one-on-one service, and integrated solutions, we can help your pet boarding business with everything you need to grow online.

Call us at 877-237-6120 or complete our Get Started form. One of our digital marketing specialists will reach out for a free, no-obligation consultation!