Social media for pet businesses: groomers, sitters and vets

Pet owners choose a groomer, walker, sitter or vet they trust with a family member. Your content needs to show calm handling, clean spaces and real animals that look happy to be there.

Facebook is strong for pet businesses because owners join local groups, ask for recommendations and message to book. Instagram suits grooming transformations, walk photos and practice life. A Google Business Profile matters most for vets and groomers with premises, since people search for one nearby. TikTok and YouTube Shorts suit groomers and trainers who enjoy filming. WhatsApp or a private channel, if you use one, is for client updates, not marketing.

Three to five posts a week works for most pet businesses. Mix the animals with useful advice, and keep one post a week for availability, since many owners ask before they book.

• Monday: this week's availability, or a clinic or service to book.
• Tuesday: a care tip, such as brushing a double coat or checking paws after a walk.
• Wednesday: a pet of the week, with the owner's permission.
• Thursday: behind the scenes. Your grooming table, your walking route, the practice before opening.
• Friday: a before and after groom, or a happy dog at the end of a walk.
• Saturday: a team member and their own pets.
• Sunday: seasonal safety. Heat, fireworks, festive food, or ticks.

Ask owners before you post their pet, and record their answer on the booking form. Most will say yes, and many will share your post. Some will not, for reasons you may not know. Respect that.

Walkers and sitters need extra care. Never post a photo that shows a client's house, street, door number or car, and never say when a family is away. That tells strangers which homes are empty and when. Post walk photos after the walk, in a park rather than outside the home, and turn off location tags. The RCVS also reminds vets that location information can be embedded in photographs.

Vet practices in the UK have professional rules. The RCVS's supporting guidance on social media says vets and vet nurses should not disclose information that could identify a client or their animal, or post pictures, videos or live streams of treatment, unless the client gives explicit consent, and that consent should be recorded. Check your own regulator's rules if you practise elsewhere.

Prescription medicines are another line. The UK Veterinary Medicines Directorate says you must not advertise a veterinary medicine that is only available on prescription to the general public. Share general care advice and invite people to book a consultation instead of promoting a prescription product by name.

Sources: RCVS supporting guidance, chapter 28: Social media, online networking, and public life, checked 15 October 2026; GOV.UK (Veterinary Medicines Directorate): Advertise veterinary medicines legally, checked 15 October 2026

Animals do not pose on cue, so shoot more than you need and keep sessions short. A calm animal in a short clip beats a stressed one in a long one.

1. Get down to the animal's eye level. Shots from above make pets look small and far away.
2. Use a squeaky toy or a treat just above the lens to get the head-tilt look.
3. Shoot after the groom or walk, when the animal is calm and tired.
4. Film the reveal for grooms: the shake, the fluffy finish, the owner's reaction if they agree.
5. Never film anything that looks rough, even if it is safe. Owners judge handling from a few seconds.
6. Keep a tidy, well-lit corner for 'after' photos so every pet looks its best.
7. Shoot vertical so one clip works on Reels, TikTok, Shorts and stories.

Keep your Google Business Profile hours exact, including emergency or out-of-hours details for vets. You can publish updates, offers and events on the profile, so use it for vaccination clinics, puppy classes or holiday booking deadlines.

Ask every client for a review the same way. Google's policy says merchants must not offer incentives for reviews, discourage negative ones or ask only happy customers, and the US FTC's rule bans incentives conditioned on reviews expressing a particular sentiment.

Complaints about a pet are emotional. Reply calmly, say you would like to talk and give a phone number. The RCVS advises vets to avoid public disputes and invite clients who raise concerns to contact the practice directly, which is good advice for any pet business. Never share details of the animal's care or the owner in a public reply.

Sources: Google Business Profile Help: Create & manage posts on your Business Profile, checked 15 October 2026; Maps User Generated Content Policy: Prohibited & restricted content, checked 15 October 2026; FTC final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (August 2024), checked 15 October 2026; RCVS supporting guidance, chapter 28: Social media, online networking, and public life, checked 15 October 2026

Pet care has a clear calendar: fireworks in autumn and at New Year, heat in summer, festive food at Christmas and a rush for sitters before every holiday. Post safety advice before each one, and open holiday bookings early.

Disclosure: this guide is published by Zolyp, an AI social media manager. Zolyp plans a calendar around your content pillars, writes and designs each post, and schedules it to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You start in review-everything mode, so nothing goes live without your approval. You can add your own photos or pull from your brand gallery, so each post features the real pets you look after, with their owners' permission. Plans start at $29/mo. Everything in this guide works just as well done by hand.

• Week 1: note the month's seasonal risks and holiday booking dates. Check your Google profile.
• Week 2: collect consented photos and clips from the last few weeks into one folder.
• Week 3: post a care series, one tip a day for a week, on one topic.
• Week 4: see which posts brought bookings or messages, and repeat what worked.