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Whether you’re brand new to the pet-sitting field or have years of experience under your belt, you’ve probably considered using social media to promote your business, if you aren’t already doing so.

During PSI’s April 2017 free member webinar, “Social Media Unleashed: How Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers Can Maximize Social Media,” attendees got insight on social media platforms and how to develop a social-media content strategy for their businesses.

PSI members, you can access the free on-demand recording of “Social Media Unleashed: How Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers Can Maximize Social Media” online.

Presenter Marisa Peacock, founder and chief strategist of The Strategic Peacock, gave advice on getting started with social media, shared data-driven analysis of various social media platforms, and provided advice on how to measure your success on social media.

To get started, Marisa said it is important for pet sitters to understand their own target audiences and how they are using social media. The easiest way to do that is by asking your clients what social media sites they are using. You can also ask more targeted questions about their social media habits, such as which sites they use during the day or what types of posts they like to see on specific sites. Their responses will help guide you as you determine what and when to post on your business’s social media accounts.

Marisa shared statistics, best practices and post examples for some popular social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

There’s a good chance that many of your clients are on Facebook. Facebook is being used across all demographics and is pretty solid in its user base, Marisa explained during her presentation.

But what and when should you post?

Marisa shared some best practices for pet sitters using Facebook:

Post consistently. That doesn’t necessarily mean every day or hour, Marisa explained, but in a way that lets your audience know you’re still there. And you should schedule your posts for when most of your audience is online. Traditionally, the highest traffic on Facebook occurs mid-week between 1 to 3 p.m., Marisa shared. But you should know your audience’s habits, and pay attention to how they respond to posts.

For busy pet sitters on the go, it may sound daunting to have an active social media presence for their businesses, but pet sitters shouldn’t get discouraged. There are apps and tools that allow you to schedule your posts ahead of time.

As you post consistently, your posts should be things that add value. Create targeted messages that tell your story and help to educate your audience, Marisa advised, asking, “If you only had to post once a week, what is the story you would tell?”

Connect with words and pictures. Pet sitters are fortunate to work in an industry that is conducive to photography. In fact, many of you probably have smart phone cameras filled with photos of your cute furry, feathered and scaly clients. Marisa advised to use high-quality photos that showcase your business or products, but smartphone photos are fine to highlight day-to-day behaviors.

Tip from PSI: Before posting those photos on social media, however, make sure you have permission. Never share photos of clients’ pets without their permission to do so. Many pet sitters include this question in their pet-sitting contracts.

Leverage trending topics. Demonstrate your expertise by sharing articles from influential sources, and post about pet holidays like National Puppy Day or Take Your Dog To Work Day®.

Bonus Tip for PSI members: PSI makes social media images available throughout the year for various major holidays and pet-themed events. Visit the Members area and look under news and announcements to see the latest graphics that you can share on your social media pages, or go under Member Tools & Resources and click on “Downloads.”

Just because Facebook usage charts high across demographics doesn’t mean that there aren’t other social media sites that would be a good fit for your business. You may find that your clients—or the type of clients you would like to attract—are frequent users on other sites.

To learn Marisa’s best practices for Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram—or to gain other insight about social media usage and planning—listen to the webinar online.

Be sure to also check out PSI’s recent blog post, “Social media basics for pet sitters,” which provides links to several other social media resources.