Swimming In The Social Media Waters With Your Pet Sitting Business

Michelle Romano, owner of Waggs and Purrs Pet Sitting in San Antonio, TX recently posted this comment in the PSO Facebook group:

“I’m getting so discouraged with social media.  I try to post relevant topics to my FB page or my blog but get NO feedback, NO likes, NO NUTHIN’.  I feel like I’m wasting my time. Maybe time to get off of the social media Merry-Go-Round?”

Do feel like you are on the same ride?

Here are my suggestions:

Don’t spread yourself too thin.  You don’t have to post to all of the different platforms.  I’m getting dizzy just thinking about it.  Answer 2 questions:

1. Which social media platform do you spend most of your time on?  Facebook?  Instagram?  Twitter?
2. Which social media platform do your ideal clients spend most of their time on?

Did you just say to yourself “how the heck should I know where my ideal client spends their time?”.  That’s easier than you think to narrow down:  Are teenagers a potential client for you?  I didn’t think so.  So you can stay off of YikYak.

If there is a social media site that is in your answer to BOTH questions – that’s where you want to spend your time.

This probably goes against other advice you’ve gotten but, in my personal opinion

You should NOT automatically update the same post to multiple sites.

Yup, I said it out loud.  I know it’s easier.  I know it saves time.  I know there are experts that recommend it.

BUT each social media site is DIFFERENT and uses information in different ways.  Twitter is all about links NOT pictures.  If you have a picture, that’s what Instagram is for.

It’s kinda like going to the Great American Beer Festival (happening in Denver this weekend) and wondering why you can’t find a glass of wine.

The Facebook algorithm does not favor businesses.

It doesn’t.  Only about 5% of the people who have liked your business page will get your post in their news feed.  And then that 5% needs to be online within 30 minutes (my own guesstimate) to actually see it in their news feed before it gets buried by other updates.

And it’s 5% on the high side.  FB knows your business page is a business page.  They know you want to get your post in front of your audience.  And so FB wants you to pay for that.

Yup, it is their way of getting you to buy ads and/or pay to promote your post.  To people who have already expressed an interest in seeing your stuff!

The way around this is to have your audience go to your page and click on “get notifications”.  This is not something you can do for them.

I personally make a post on my business page in the morning and then share that post on my personal page later in the day.  I try to hit different viewers at different times to get the biggest viewership.

Don’t worry about the numbers.

Unless you have a post that goes viral (and chances are slim that that will happen) the number of views/shares/likes are really irrelevant.

I saw a Meme the other day with the quote from Al Capone:

“I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies”

Do you want 100 people you don’t know, who aren’t going to ever pick up the phone and call you to like your post?

Or 4 people who saw your post, live in your neighborhood, have easy animals; what if they call you without ever clicking the like button?

I had a client say to me “I love your Facebook page.  It always looks like you are having so much fun”.  My response (in my head): I didn’t even know you followed us on FB.

Relevant topics should be written up in a blog and then posted on social media.

You will get more traction with an article on your web site than just mentioning it in a social media post.  Why?  You own the content on your web site.  You get “credit” for it with the Google bots.

When you post on Facebook, Facebook gets the credit for any views to your post.

(Did a lightbulb just go off?)

Facebook owns and gets the benefit from all views on your page.  The Google bots don’t really care that much how many times your picture of Fluffy playing in a puddle got viewed.

And when it comes to Internet searches do people go to Facebook to search or do they go to Google?

Exactly.

Bottom line of what you should do with your social media accounts and your pet sitting business:

Have fun with it.

Post funny/information/important information.

Don’t have high expectations.  You can’t force a post to go viral.

I highly recommend Gary Vaynerchuk’s book Jab Jab Jab Right Hook.  (And if you don’t want to read the whole book, here a is blog I wrote on it) but it is seriously worth it.

And lastly, DO NOT post a picture if you or the pet has glowing eyes.  Unless you have a Star Wars quote to go with it.

The force is strong with this one