WRITING A PET BUSINESS BLOG is a good way to establish yourself as an authority in your field (whether that’s being an expert in fish tanks, or dog training) and make prospective customers feel like they know and can trust you.
Writing a blog allows you to bond with your new and existing customers — and it can really help bringing your brand to life and differentiate you from your competitors.
The trouble is, of course, finding the time to come up with interesting and engaging content — and actually sitting down to write the blog posts themselves.
Here are seven tips that will help you come up with great content for your pet business blog:
Define Your Ideal Customer
1 Start with your customer in mind. Who is going to read your blog? Think about what your ideal or typical customer would be interested in reading about — and how you can help them solve any problems they might have.
For example if your typical customer owns big bouncy dogs with too much energy — then they will love you if you share useful how-to articles about activities that will help them manage their dogs’ energy levels — for example, mentally stimulating brain games, or how to safely fit your dog with a backpack.
Answer Your Most Common Questions
2 When I worked in my friend’s doggie boutique, I noticed that there were certain things that almost all the owners of small dogs asked about — such as “How long will it take to groom my dog?” and “Will he need a coat for winter?” Both those questions would have made for excellent blog post topics. So, when you spend time with your customers, show them you’re listening, and make note of their most common questions.
Be the Local Pet Resource
3 Make your pet biz blog the go-to resource for anything pet-related in your geographical area. Take photos and write about local pet events, review your favorite dog-walking areas, hiking trails, beaches and restaurants and your views on any news related stories. As a bonus, because you’re writing about local events and your blog posts will include the names of local areas, Google will pick up on this and help you rank better for local search.
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Customer Stories and Case Studies
4 Pet parents love reading about case studies. So go ahead and show them how you go about doing your job as a pet professional. If you’re a dog groomer, take before and after photos of dogs of different breeds and write about how you groomed the dog, talk about alternative hairstyles, and how to look after the coat for that particular type of breed. If you’re a dog baker, like my friends over at the Black Dog Bakery — then why not share your four-legged customer’s reactions to your treats? One of their adorable videos features Humf the cocker spaniel’s reaction to his first ever taste of their Famous Liver Fudge for inspiration. By sharing these stories (with the pet parents’ permission), you’re not only showing off your excellent work, you’re also sharing your knowledge and help establishing trust with new customers.
Reveal a Day in the Life Of …
5 Share what goes on behind the scenes and show your customers what their pets are likely to experience when spending time with you. Perhaps this could be in the form of an interview with a staff member. Perhaps it’s a video from a dog’s point of view on a walk. Make sure you include lots of photos, introduce the members of your staff, and, most of all, make it fun and interesting.
Give Out Awards
6 A little while back a friend posted a photo of her dog Inga on Facebook. Her dog had just come back from doggie daycare where they were running a customer appreciation week, and she had received a little golden star sticker and I think she even got a certificate for good behavior. People love knowing that their pets have behaved well and been given awards, and writing about them on your blog is likely to get your customers to visit your page over and over again.
Curate Other Blogs’ Posts
7 You can easily curate other people’s posts on topics that are related to your business. I don’t mean that you can copy other people’s work! You’ll first need to introduce a topic or question and then link to a list of useful resources that help answer a particular question. For example, a dog trainer could write a post called “5 Irresistible Homemade Training Treats Recipes.” Then write a short intro about the benefits of homemade treats, and introduce each recipe with a sentence or two before linking to them.