If you run a pet sitting business, one of the biggest challenges can be finding a steady flow of new customers.
You may be excellent at caring for animals, reliable, experienced and trustworthy – but potential customers need to find you first, and once they do, they need a reason to choose you rather than another pet sitter in their area.
The good news is that you don't necessarily need a huge advertising budget. There are many practical ways to attract more pet sitting customers, build your reputation and turn enquiries into regular clients.
When a pet owner is choosing someone to care for their pet or enter their home, trust is extremely important.
Before contacting you, they may compare several local pet sitters. Your business therefore needs to give them confidence from the moment they discover you.
Professionalism can include:
Membership of NarpsUK – the National Association of Registered Pet Sitters & Dog Walkers can help demonstrate to potential customers that you take your business and professional standards seriously.
NarpsUK members can also use membership logos and relevant professional emblems in their marketing, helping customers quickly see the credentials behind the business.
When somebody needs a pet sitter, one of the first things they are likely to do is search online.
They may search phrases such as:
“pet sitter near me”
“pet sitter in [town]”
“cat sitter near me”
or
“holiday pet care near me”
Your business needs to appear in as many appropriate places as possible.
Set up a Google Business Profile and make sure your business name, services, area covered, telephone number and other information are accurate.
You should also consider having a Facebook business page and other social media profiles appropriate for your business.
Post regularly rather than only advertising when you need customers. Photos from pet visits, useful pet-care information, customer testimonials and introductions to your services can all help potential customers get to know your business.
You don't necessarily need an expensive website when you're starting a pet sitting business.
NarpsUK members receive their own professional business profile where they can provide information about their business and services.
Your profile can include information such as:
A good profile gives potential customers somewhere to learn more about you before making contact.
You can find out more about NarpsUK membership and the benefits available to pet sitters and dog walkers.
Another way of attracting customers is to make sure your business appears in places where pet owners are already looking for professional pet care.
NarpsUK members can receive a listing on the Find a Local Pet Sitter website, giving pet owners another way to discover their business when searching for pet sitting, dog walking and other pet-care services in their area.
This can provide an additional source of enquiries alongside Google, social media, recommendations and your own marketing.
In some areas there are now many pet sitters and dog walkers competing for the same customers.
Simply saying “I love animals” may no longer be enough to stand out.
Ask yourself:
Why should a pet owner choose my business rather than another pet sitter nearby?
Your answer might include:
These are the things you should highlight in your advertising and social media.
Don't just tell customers what you do. Give them reasons to trust you to do it.
Trust can often be built before a customer even contacts you.
Professional logos, membership credentials and qualification emblems can be displayed on places such as:
NarpsUK members have access to membership branding and, where applicable, additional emblems relating to areas such as insurance, criminal record checks, qualifications and pet first aid.
These visual credentials can help differentiate a professional pet-care business from someone casually offering pet sitting services.
Reviews are one of the most powerful marketing tools available to a pet sitter.
Think about the decision from the pet owner's point of view.
They are potentially giving someone access to their home and trusting them with a much-loved member of their family. Seeing positive experiences from other pet owners can provide valuable reassurance.
Ask satisfied customers to leave a review on places such as:
You can also share genuine customer testimonials on your social media pages and marketing materials.
Don't wait until you have dozens of clients before asking for reviews. Start building your reputation from your first few happy customers.
Word of mouth remains extremely valuable in pet care.
A customer who trusts you with their pet may recommend you to friends, relatives, neighbours or colleagues.
You can simply ask:
“If you know anyone looking for a reliable pet sitter, I'd really appreciate you recommending my business.”
You could also introduce a referral incentive, such as a small discount or additional service for an existing customer who recommends someone who subsequently books.
One excellent customer can sometimes lead to several more.
Other pet professionals can be a valuable source of referrals.
Introduce your business to:
Not every business provides every service.
A dog groomer may regularly be asked whether they know a good pet sitter. A pet sitter who doesn't offer dog walking may need someone to recommend. A dog walker may receive enquiries for overnight pet sitting they cannot accommodate.
Building genuine relationships with other local pet professionals can create referrals in both directions.
Local Facebook community groups can be extremely useful for pet sitting businesses.
However, constantly posting advertisements can sometimes have the opposite effect.
Instead, become a useful and recognisable member of the community.
Answer appropriate pet-related questions, participate in conversations and occasionally introduce your services where group rules allow.
When somebody posts:
“Can anyone recommend a pet sitter?”
you want local people to recognise your business – and ideally have previous customers recommending you before you even see the post.
Online marketing is important, but traditional local marketing can still work extremely well for pet-care businesses.
Consider distributing professional flyers or business cards through appropriate local venues such as:
Your marketing should clearly show your contact information, services and the reasons someone should trust your business.
If you are a NarpsUK member, your membership and appropriate professional credentials can also be incorporated into your marketing materials.
Think beyond finding one-off customers.
Regular clients are extremely valuable to a pet sitting business.
Depending on the services you provide, this could include:
A customer who initially books you for holiday cat visits might later need regular services, and someone using occasional dog walking may become a weekly customer.
Make sure existing customers know about all the services you provide.
It sounds obvious, but don't make potential customers work hard to enquire.
Your telephone number, email address or preferred contact method should be easy to find.
Respond promptly and professionally when someone contacts you.
A pet owner may contact several businesses at once. A friendly, professional response can make a significant difference to whether that enquiry becomes a booking.
Getting more customers is only part of growing a successful pet sitting business.
As bookings increase, you also need to stay organised.
Losing track of appointments, invoices or customer information can quickly damage the professional reputation you've worked hard to build.
NarpsUK offers pet sitting and dog walking business software and an app to help manage areas such as clients, pets, bookings, schedules, invoices and everyday business administration.
The software and app are also included with selected NarpsUK membership options.
When business is quiet, it can be tempting to reduce your prices to attract customers.
But being the cheapest pet sitter in your area isn't necessarily the best way to build a sustainable business.
Instead, compete on trust, professionalism, reliability and value.
A pet owner isn't simply buying 30 minutes of your time. They are trusting you with their pet, their home and often their keys.
Give them reasons to feel confident choosing you.
NarpsUK has been supporting professional pet sitters and dog walkers for over 20 years.
Depending on the membership selected, benefits can include:
Whether you're just starting your pet sitting business or you've been established for years, presenting a professional and trustworthy image can help give potential customers more reasons to choose you.
You don't necessarily need to spend a fortune on advertising to get more pet sitting customers.
Start by making sure your business can be found, looks professional and gives pet owners clear reasons to trust you.
Build your local reputation, collect genuine reviews, encourage recommendations and make the most of every opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism.
And if you'd like the support, credibility, resources and business tools that come with professional NarpsUK membership:
Explore NarpsUK Membership Options →
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