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When pet parents are looking for a holistic pet supply shop in their community, you can be certain they’ll check out your presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram before they get into the car. Some 88% of people do at least some online research before making a purchase, whether they go on to click to buy or get in the car and visit a physical store. Social media plays no small role in that search.

Why is it so important to maintain active social media accounts for your pet supply shop?

A few reasons:

• Lends credibility and gives customers a taste of what you’re all about
• Conveys how you can help meet their needs as pet parents.
• Lets you expand your reach and build new connections.

We know what you’re thinking: You’ve tried the social media thing in the past. But as a small-business owner or manager, you’re already a jack or jill of all trades, and your days are filled. The secret to success is like anything else: Find a way to weave social media into your regular routine. When you have a plan and know what to expect, it only takes minutes a day to manage and update social media accounts for your independent pet supply shop.

A 3-step plan to building a social media routine for your pet shop

Step one: Create a calendar

Build a spreadsheet so you can plan and track your posts over the coming weeks. Use this to help you look ahead, and incorporate any holidays, themes and promotions you’ll want to include. Then, schedule a reminder each week to plan your batch of posts for the upcoming week.

Step two: Schedule your posts

Once your plans are made, you can schedule posts days in advance.

Step three: Monitor, listen, respond

When people talk online, being responsive is crucial. There’s an oft-repeated statistic that nearly three-quarters of people who call out a brand on Twitter expect a response within an hour. As soon as you possibly can, answer the question, field the complaint, and respond warmly to the shares and positive feedback. Tip: If immediate responses are impractical, try setting an alarm on your device a few times a day.

How to market your pet supply store on social media

The next question you may have is … what in the heck would an independent pet supplier post on social media, anyway? We have ideas to get you started.

Share, share, share

People love showing off their furry friends, so give them every opportunity to share their photos and stories. They’ll reward you with lots of photos. According to Gartner, 84% of millennials say they are at least somewhat influenced to make a purchase when they find user-generated content associated with the brand. The ensuing likes and shares will broaden your organic reach and connect you to new people … and may get more foot traffic in your door.

Share helpful pet articles and videos

There is lots of high-quality pet content out in the world. Think about the things that matter most to your customers, and post articles and videos that help your customers become the best-informed pet parents they can be.

Strut your community stuff

You have an important role to play and one can be community cheerleader. Give a shout out to the championship team and other local winners. When it comes time to promoting causes you care about, don’t pull back.

Create targeted ads

When customers in your area interact with pet content, the social media algorithms will recognize their interest in pets, and pull your targeted content into their feed. The dollars you invest will put your pet shop in front of new eyes.

Product promos

Obviously, you’ll want to share your events and in-store promotions. But maybe you’re wondering if it’s OK to talk about your favorite products on social media. The answer is a big resounding yes. Connect with your favorite vendors and tell them to keep you in the know. Some will make it simple with ready-to-post social media assets. All you have to do is grab and share.

NutriSource Pet Foods does more than make locally sourced, high-quality pet food trusted by pet parents. You can also access our expertise through our informative pet articles and social media posts, delivered right to your mailbox. Just visit NutriSourcePromoMktg.com to set up your free access to ready-to-publish pet content. Then, share it with your customers so you can do even more to help pet families live happy, healthy lives.