Today’s marketplace can be tricky to navigate. Customers are no longer at the mercy of the local shops and businesses around the corner for their basic pet needs and products. With the advent of the Internet comes options, which means loads of competition for pet business owners.
How can you stand out from the pack and show your status as the top dog?
Well, a great first move is to set up a stunning website that showcases your services, products, and features in a way that drives traffic, builds credibility, establishes you as a premier brand in the space, and, most importantly, results in sales.
That’s precisely what we do at Barketing Solutions— create a page highlighting your best features and bringing customers to your front door. Here are some things we do that work incredibly well for building trust online and establishing credibility.
1. Have a Modern Website
It wouldn’t be called a “first impression” if you had a second chance to nail it. So, your page needs to look the part when your customers are Googling the top pet services in their area or the best selection of pet supplies on the web.
Your site must feature up-to-date content, pricing, services, and more. Everything must reflect the current offering and the value you bring to your customers, as outdated or obsolete information creates confusion and causes the customer to question your credibility.
And, worst of all, a customer can make this judgment in a few short seconds of clicking around. Dead ends, incomplete pages, incorrect information, and more will hurt your brand and possibly cause you to lose the customer immediately.
Ensure your web page is modern and polished to make the best impression.
2. Maintain an Active Social Media Account
Back in the day, offering a quality selection and great prices was often all it took to drive customer interest, but things have changed over the past several years. Now, engagement reigns supreme in the online space, and people tend to prefer brands that foster a sense of community on social media.
Running a business takes a lot of time and attention, so you may be unable to pencil in creating content for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, posting it, replying to comments, engaging similar pet business pages, and more.
Featuring customer testimonials on sites like Yelp!, Nextdoor, and more doesn’t hurt either. Again, replying to both positive and negative reviews will work to bolster your brand, so take notice of the importance of this seemingly insignificant thing!
3. Publish a Blog
Social media is all about engagement and showing your customers that you’re not just some faceless online entity that’s only there to push products on them. Blogs serve the same purpose: showing your customers that you’re not some cold, uncaring company that peddles goods and services to the public and doesn’t care about the community.
A blog shows you’re just one of them: a pet lover with thoughts, feelings, and ideas about current trends and pet news.
You also thought the viral video of the Pomeranian was adorable. You know, wolf diets are confusing to those who grew up feeding kibble to their pups, so you’re going to discuss it to help your customers determine if it’s right for them.
Blogging is a full-time job in and of itself. Thankfully, it’s one of many services we offer here at Barketing Solutions, so outsourcing this part of the big picture can help you get ahead. At the same time, you keep your eyes on the daily operations instead.
4. Include an About Us Page
Including an “About Us” section seems counterintuitive to some business owners who feel their operation should not be all about them, but making things personal often works to improve brand image by putting a face to the name, so to speak.
An About Us section, complete with some company history, bios, and photos, helps customers identify with the people running the business. Knowing a little of the history, especially if it’s a cool story, creates human interest, too, as people tend to want to support businesses and entrepreneurs that come from humble beginnings, feature a strong mission statement, or overcame setbacks to get to where they are today.
And don’t forget— this is the pet business! No About Us section is complete without plenty of pictures of the puppies, kitties, and other pets that make the office such a magical place to work!
5. Highlight Achievements
There’s nothing wrong with tooting your own horn, so long as you’re not over the top or overly self-indulgent. Any awards, staff certifications, designations, and other pertinent information should be featured front and center on the landing page and reiterated in the About Us section.
You want your customers to know you’re more than just another friendly member of the pet-loving community; you’re also a serious professional with the training, background, and experience to deliver quality goods and services.
After expending much effort to establish yourself as a community member, you want to include this to show that you’re also a leader in the field and that your recommendations hold weight.
Don’t be shy; put that award front and center and tell people about your accomplishments! This will be a long way in giving them faith in you and your operation.
Contact Barketing Solutions
We know this seems like a lot, and these tips only scratch the surface regarding the many things you can do to develop a robust online presence and a powerful brand identity and use that to drive traffic to your site and ultimately increase sales.
The good news is you don’t have to go it alone.
The professionals here at Barketing Solutions are ready to help determine the best strategy to improve your online presence, build credibility, and improve sales so you’ll have your best quarter yet!
Contact us today for more information!
Erika Godwin is the President of Barketing Solutions and the Co-Founder and CMO of ProPet Software, an industry-leading kennel management software. Erika has over 8 years of experience with WordPress and graduated from Elmira College in 2009 with a BS, Business Administration- Marketing and Management.
