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Contributed article | July 15, 2021

As a pet sitter, you’re in a unique position. You care for people’s pets in a way that requires a great deal of trust. With long-term clients, you know almost as much about their pets as they do. Since you have developed a good professional relationship with your clients, you are in a perfect spot to educate them about topics concerning pet health and behavior.

As a member of the pet-care industry, client education comes with the territory. Keeping updated on the latest topics and relevant information will help solidify your reputation and build your business. How do you make client education easily accessible, while keeping it from sounding preachy or condescending? We have some ideas! Keep reading to get inspiration on how to share your knowledge with your client base.

Keep Your Knowledge Fresh

It’s no use trying to educate others if your knowledge isn’t up to date. That’s why PSI offers continuing education courses so you can stay in the loop of industry knowledge. Read the latest pet industry publications and keep in contact with your pet industry compatriots so you can share knowledge and learn new tips and tricks.

Create A Newsletter Or Vlog

Newsletters aren’t just on paper anymore. Create an e-newsletter to go out to your clients on a schedule of your choosing. It only takes a few clicks to make it eye-catching. You might want to devote each month to a topic, or find out the designated “pet holidays” and provide information and ideas for how pet owners can ‘celebrate’ the day with their pets.

If you are feeling incredibly daring, you can take it a step further and produce a vlog (a video blog) for your website or social media channels. You don’t need fancy editing tricks, get a tripod and record videos on your phone! You can even do interviews with guest experts like a local veterinarian.

The best part about newsletters, blogs (or vlogs), and social media posts is that you can create multiple in one sitting and schedule their release. This is incredibly convenient if you find yourself flooded with clients and limited on office time.

Pet behavior and health topics are endless. But here are some interesting topics you can tackle:

• Heartworm Prevention
• The Best Local Walks For Your Dog
• Tackling Obesity In Your Pet
• Enriching Your Cat’s Environment
• Enrichment Ideas
• Dealing With Separation Anxiety
• Proper Leash Walking Tips
• Introducing Your Cat To New Food

If you are not a pet behaviorist, nutritionist, or veterinarian, it’s always important to preface this in anything that you share. You are not an expert expert, but you are knowledgeable & experienced and have lots of useful information, tips, and tricks to share.

Host a Workshop

Not comfortable providing advice that you’re not an expert on? No problem! You can still position yourself as knowledgeable & helpful by partnering up with other pet industry experts. Plan a workshop for your clients, helping them to learn a new pet care skill or understand a confusing pet behavior. You can make it a public event or keep it exclusive - it all depends on your goals. 

If you only have a small client pool, you can host a meet and greet with a special guest. If your guest happens to be another business owner, you will have a chance to get to know each other's clients and possibly make some new contacts. Determine what your clients would be interested in based on their feedback and go from there. Your clients can learn things like:

• At-Home Grooming Techniques From A Local Groomer
• Basic Obedience Training
• How To Brush Your Dog Or Cat’s Teeth
• Making Pet-Safe Treats At Home

Work With Your Local Rescue Group

Contact some rescue groups in your area and propose a partnership. Offer to consult their new adoptees on pet ownership and getting to know their new pet. You can also volunteer to give informational sessions during adoption events. You can offer insights and resources to new pet owners who may be confused about what to do or where to start. Consider things like:

• Basic Training Tips
• Pet Behavior Insight
• Where To Learn Pet First-Aid Or CPR
• The Importance Of Regular Veterinary Visits
• Setting Your Pet Up For A Great Relationship With Their Pet Sitter

Host A Podcast

If you are comfortable with technology, and you enjoy thinking outside of the box, consider starting a podcast. There are many podcast hosting sites available, and you can refer listeners to your business website. You can cover a variety of topics, and as with vlogging, you have the opportunity to have a number of pet experts as guests. If you think this sounds intriguing, but you aren’t certain how to go about it, check out the other pet sitting podcasts that are out there. Don’t worry about saturating the market. With so many pet lovers in the world, there’s always room for another pet podcast.

Plan A Pet Health Awareness Event

To spread pet health awareness, consider collaborating with other pet-industry experts to create larger-scale events. Work with a local veterinarian, pet store, rescue group, or groomer, you can create a pet health day, in-person or virtual event, or even something like a challenge! Work together to come up with goals and event details. Think about resources & materials you might want to distribute to attendees. And be sure to allow everyone involved the ability to showcase their business and their area of expertise.

If you know of any veterinarians that provide mobile vaccine clinics on specific days, ask them about collaborating on their mobile day to add more incentive for pet owners to attend the event. Heavily advertise and make the event accessible to members of the public. The logistics of this may seem difficult or complicated, but with the help of other pet-industry professionals, you can certainly make it happen and boost awareness of your business in your community!

Feeling Inspired?

With luck, this list has given you some ideas on how you can continue to educate your clients. There are countless ways you can share your expertise as a pet professional, so don’t be afraid to get creative. Have you seen anything that you think you might want to try? Or have you tried these and have some insight to share with other pet-care professionals? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts!