Running a pet store may seem like a lucrative opportunity. After all, the majority of pet owners see their pets as their children, rather than as their animal companions, which means that they’re ready to spend big when it comes to pleasing their furry friends. However, the problem lies in the fact that they don’t necessarily have to buy from you for this to work. This is where your marketing strategy comes in. What you need to do is approach your target audience from two fronts – emotional and rational. Only then will you have their attention and, shortly afterward, their loyalty to your brand. Let’s take a look at your options.

1.      Make a website

The first thing you need to do is make a decent website, potentially even an e-store. This way, you’ll maximize your reach and allow your audience to browse through your offer. Even if you mostly aim to offline purchases, a great digital presence can be a major boost to your sales. You see, there’s a statistic that about 78 percent of all local mobile searches end up being offline sales. However, even if you do intend to invest in local SEO, you still need to start by building an admirable website. In other words, this way you at least get a chance to showcase all that you have to offer.

2.      Use social media

The simplest way to become ever-present in the lives of your audience is to use social media. By regularly posting in various formats (images, statuses, stories, videos, etc.) you can easily create a constant reminder of your presence. The best thing about this lies in the fact that you already understand your audience and their aptitude. What do they like? Why pets, of course. Fortunately, there’s so much shareable pet-related content out there, ranging from interesting facts, funny videos and cute images that will, beyond doubt, attract their attention. This is also a great way to connect your brand with a number of potential business partners and other brands from the industry.

3.      Providing assistance

The truth is that a lot of pet owners lack basic knowledge of how they should take care of their beloved pets. So, you can always provide assistance in the form of free tips. First, you can try blogging about this but you should also take your lectures to the offline world, as well. For instance, some agencies like Infostarters can also print an interesting brochure or a leaflet. That way, you can use the same format both online and offline in order to earn some favors with your audience. Remember, no one likes a brand that shamelessly self-promotes their own interests. This way, nonetheless, the interaction between your brand and your audience will be seen as mutually beneficial.

4.      Hosting a blog

Let’s further indulge in the idea that we’ve previously mentioned and start considering starting your own blog. Why is this a good idea? Well, due to the fact that you’re a pet shop owner, you are seen as someone with experience in the field. You see, while there are some people who believe everything they read online when it comes to some of the most responsible pet owners, they are far more likely to look for a credible source of information. This means that they’re most likely to read a post written by a veterinarian (a great idea for a guest blogger), a pet store owner or at least someone who owns a pet (someone relatable). In other words, when it comes to authority, you’re already starting from a great point.

5.      Promote others

The last thing you need to understand is the fact that, in this industry, there are no enemies, even though you may compete for the piece of the same market. In order to improve your image amongst your target audience, you need to make an extra effort to promote others. There are so many pet-related businesses in your area and by sharing their content or announcing their special offers to your audience, you’ll gain some favors both amongst your audience and from those whose content you’re currently promoting. In other words, this is one of those rare scenarios in which everyone ends up as a winner.

As a pet store owner, you already have the advantage of knowing who your target audience is and what they want. By exploiting this narrative and providing assistance to those you can, you’ll get all the brand building that you need. As a final touch, you need to think outside of the box when coming up with self-promotion formats and the final puzzle will click into its place.